Chef Ben Osher, known for serving what he calls “Pittsburgh-style” pizza in Los Angeles, has pressed the “pause” button on Gorilla Pies, noting the city’s tough restaurant business climate and a recent robbery of his store.
Osher made the announcement in an Instagram post on August 29. “After long and thoughtful consideration, Gorilla Pies will be putting its retail operation on hiatus while we reassess the best path forward as a business,” the post read, adding that Sunday, September 1, would be its “last day of regular service.”
‘This is not a farewell, but a step towards reimagining how we can better serve you,” the post continued.
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Osher added that “taking a pause will allow us to refocus and evaluate our options, whether that be a new location, an updated service model, or a fresh approach altogether.”
Osher grew up in Pittsburgh, attended college in Maryland and began his restaurant career as a receiver at Nobu on La Cienega in Los Angeles. He moved on to sous chef work and later landed at a Nobu location in Moscow, Russia. Back in the States again, he worked various restaurant jobs, including a gig at Mama Shelter in L.A. When the pandemic hit, he lost that job and, like so many aspiring pizzaioli at the time, started selling pizzas out of his home via Instagram.“I used to take menus and leave them at my local coffee shop,” Osher told Eater Los Angeles in April 2021. “I’d put flyers on people’s cars, in their mailboxes. All of it.”
He went on to open Gorilla Pies that year in a former kosher bakery. “Osher laces each pizza with plenty of mozzarella to ensure an extra-cheesy result, and he isn’t afraid to load up his pies with lots of, well, whatever he wants,” Eater Los Angeles wrote at the time. “There’s pickled fennel on one pizza, pastrami and sauerkraut on another, plus the usual array of greens, Italian meats and red sauce options. There are even meatballs (including a vegan take), wings, and some of the best cheesy bread—called monkey bars here—you can get anywhere in Los Angeles.”
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The L.A. food media embraced Gorilla Pies, turning Osher into something of a celebrity chef at the local level. But 2024 has brought its share of hardships, as he explained in his recent Instagram post. “As a business, we have been reeling since a recent robbery. The continued struggles of the entire L.A. restaurant industry further show us that we need to assess how to maintain profitability in the face of what seems like insurmountable obstacles.”
As Osher considers his options for the future, Gorilla Pies will continue to provide catering services around the city. “We would like to express our gratitude to our loyal customers who have kept us going for the last three years,” Osher wrote on Instagram. “Your support means everything. We appreciate every ounce of energy, love and time you have given us. We are humbled by the media attention and accolades we have received. We saw it all, and we thank you.”
He added that the community’s support for Gorilla Pies “has been awe-inspiring, and we continue to lean on our community to find a workable way forward.”
