TL;DR
Prince Street Pizza, a viral New York City institution, is expanding across the U.S. through a highly selective franchising strategy. The brand's CEO and co-owner, Lawrence Longo, is leading the expansion, leveraging the brand's significant social media presence and celebrity following.
Prince Street Pizza went from a single NYC slice shop to one of the most viral pizza brands in America. In this episode, Prince Street Pizza CEO & co-owner Lawrence Longo breaks down how the brand exploded through Instagram, celebrity co-signs, and its iconic Spicy Spring slice. He’s now leading the brand's expansion across the U.S. with a highly selective franchising strategy.
00:00 Intro 01:11 How Sean Avery Introduced Lawrence to Prince Street Pizza 02:33 How Instagram Made Prince Street Go Viral 05:12 Why the Spicy Spring Slice Became Iconic 06:32 The 2018 LA Pop-Up That Changed Everything 08:03 The Crazy History of Original Ray’s Pizza 10:40 How Prince Street Created Its Signature Pizza 12:16 The Truth About New York Water & Pizza 14:28 The Story Behind Off The Menu 17:13 Secret Menu Items & Viral Food Marketing 21:55 Why In-N-Out Calls It Animal Style 24:55 Dave’s Hot Chicken & Secret Menu Innovation 25:50 How the Prince Street LA Pop-Up Went Viral 30:11 Convincing The Founders To Expand Nationally 32:01 Lessons From Opening Restaurants With No Experience 34:31 Opening Prince Street During COVID 37:22 Why Frank Shut Down A Store Over Pepsi 39:57 Todd Graves’ Advice About “Craveable” Food 41:13 Expanding Prince Street Across America 45:28 Scaling Premium Pizza Without Losing Quality 48:46 Training Pizza Makers & Maintaining Standards 51:22 The New “Naughty Slice” & Hot Honey Trend 54:04 Pizza Wars, Haters & Restaurant Competition 56:11 Why Prince Street Only Works With Elite Operators 58:42 The Dave’s Hot Chicken Partnership 01:03:27 What Prince Street Looks For In Franchise Partners 01:06:24 The Home Alone Marketing Collaboration 01:09:02 Why Pizza Chains Are Struggling Today 01:12:49 Choosing The Right Locations For Growth 01:16:30 The Future Of Prince Street Pizza 01:17:38 Lawrence’s Biggest Influence & Final Thoughts
In this story
This story was originally published by Patrick Buckley in Empires Weekly on May 28, 2026. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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