PIZZA—From Pitfire to Pizza Pan

A trio of on-set caterers took the hint from satisfied diners and opened their own pizza restaurant in one of the trendiest neighborhoods of north hollywood Ask the owners of Pit Fire Pizza Co. what the main ingredient behind the success of their business is and they are likely to blurt out one word: dough. But the truth is, there are years of experience providing fresh grilled pizzas on Hollywood movie sets behind the concept for the popular North Hollywood eatery, which has watched its annual revenues rise from $750,000 in its first year in 1997 to $999,000 in 2000. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that the owners Paul Hibler, David Sanfield and Bob Eaton had the vision to take a chance on a once-blighted corner lot in the trendy NOHO arts and entertainment district just as local post-production houses started to quietly move in. The restaurant sits on what was once a city-owned swath of grass that provided little more than a hangout for the neighborhood’s down and out. “People said we were crazy to come here,” said Sanfield, a former chef who moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 1987. “That was a vacant lot when we moved in here,” he said, pointing to a Starbucks coffeehouse on the opposite corner from where Pit Fire sits at Lankershim and Magnolia boulevards. “Our patio was a former hangout for bums who were basically sleeping here every night.” Actually, the location was chosen because it’s minutes away from the offices of Hibler’s and Sanfield’s other business, Delux Catering, which provides on-set catering and up-scale event planning. But they are not immune to the notion that they landed in the right place at the right time. “We wanted a spot that was close to the other business,” Hibler said. “But we know that we came in here at a time when local businesses were growing and so was the interest in the arts scene.” Hibler, Sanfield and Eaton were able to secure what they would only describe as a “generous” grant from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency to cover revitalization costs. Today, the restaurant attracts a healthy stream of regulars during its peak hours from 11:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m., and accentuates the busy corner through a stark mix of industrial brick red flooring, black patio furniture and Tuscan-yellow walls. When Hibler met Sanfield at a party in 1990 he was managing Cinema Catering. The two decided to strike out on their own, opening Delux later that same year. While on the sets, said Hibler, clients repeatedly, and perhaps unwittingly, planted the seeds of Pit Fire. “The pizzas were a natural because people on the sets kept asking us when we were going to open up our own restaurant because they loved them so much,” said Sanfield. And now, back to the secret ingredient. “Ah, the dough,” said Sanfield. “We must have radically changed our dough a dozen times since we’ve opened.” He said each pizza is created from three different flours and some “secret” ingredients, then left for three days to rise in a walk-in refrigerator. “The real challenge for us in the beginning and up until recently was keeping things consistent,” said Sanfield. “Developing dough is like raising a small child.” The pizzas are not oven-cooked, but rather roasted over an open grill. They run in price from $4.50 for a basic cheese to $7.50 for the “NOHO Garlic Shrimp” pie. Last year, the company was approached by developers at Universal Studios City Walk, and Hibler, Sanfield and Eaton jumped on a joint agreement to open up a second location as part of an expansion project that included the addition of a second level of restaurants and shops. The terms of the contract with Universal, said Hibler, prohibit them from disclosing their financial stake in the second restaurant. He added, however, that sales are on par with the NOHO location, and they are involved with the day-to-day operations. The goal now, said Hibler and Sanfield, is to open up two more locations on their own by spring, with spots in Hollywood and West Hollywood as possibilities. “That’s our dream now,” said Sanfield. “We are very close to nailing down those locations.” Aside from the dough, another challenge for the pair was figuring out how to staff their business efficiently. “When we opened up we had about 26 employees,” said Sanfield. “That’s a lot of people for the size of this place.” Today, the staff rounds out at about 17, eight of whom have been with the company since day one. In a business where turnover is a constant battle, Sanfield explained, it’s important not to just give people jobs, but opportunities. “We have guys here who’ve been with us since we started because they were taken from auto-pilot positions and brought here and taught how to really do something,” said Sanfield. “And to have people stay with you that long is really unheard of in this business.” Although they admit growth has tapered off to some degree in the NOHO district, both Hibler and Sanfield agreed that improvements in parking would help their business grow from a busy lunchtime locale to a hot dinner destination. “The area has lost a little momentum since we first started out,” said Hibler. “Now what we need is someone to come in here and put up some parking just to get it going again.”