Slice and Dice Pizzeria, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently opened a second location. The new shop is a testament to the success of a unique concept: Slice and Dice offers top-notch pizza, beverages and board games.
When, five years ago, Vic Briseño and his wife, Mercedes Donio, opened the first Slice and Dice location, it was something of a passion project, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The location, situated on the city’s west side, reflected the couple’s penchant for going out to breweries and food trucks and bringing a board game along with them.
Turns out, many other people in Albuquerque enjoy doing the same. The pizzeria’s success can be viewed as a reflection of consumers’ growing desire for experiences when they dine out. It can also be viewed, however, as an astute business plan that worked out.
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The pizza recipes, for one thing, were time-tested and came directly from Briseño’s family tree. The pizza has a thick crust which serves as a calling card for the joint. “We borrowed some recipes from my family, who own a pizzeria in Grants—that’s where all of our dough recipes come from—then we added the games, we added the local beer, and then Slice and Dice was born,” Briseño told the Journal.
Slice and Dice Pizzeria / Facebook
Formerly a brewer at Ex Novo and Bosque, Donio was the one who had experience working in the craft beer industry. As a result, she is responsible for the all-local beer menu and ensuring the beverage program runs smoothly.
Once eaters order their food and drinks, they can pick out a board game from a library of games. Classics like Uno and Jenga get a lot of play, but Slice and Dice also offers a game guide to help introduce people to new games they may fall in love with if they give them a chance. Briseño and Donio themselves sometimes give gentle suggestions to help broaden customers’ horizons.
“My favorite thing is to take it one step further from that, so if people play Jenga, then I will show them one called Humpty Dumpty’s Wall, which is essentially a similar style where you’re knocking off bricks so that Humpty Dumpty doesn’t fall off,” Briseño said to the Journal.
The Journal reported that Slice and Dice Pizzeria has three core values: community, efficiency, and “genuinity.” The article noted that the final word is entirely made up.
“The real word would be authenticity,” Briseño said. “Creating a place where people, both employees and our guests, can come in and be themselves and not feel weird about liking stuff, whether that’s the local craft beer we’re talking about, being a foodie, whether it’s playing Dungeons and Dragons, whether it’s liking card games, whatever the case may be, people can come in and enjoy themselves.”
