Pizza is a crowded category, but it’s also a divided one. At one end are legacy pizzerias known for quality and tradition, often limited to a single city. At the other are national chains built for reach and efficiency. Few brands have managed to hold onto the integrity of the former while operating at the scale of the latter, but Ah-Beetz is built to sit squarely in between. By Tamara Rahoumi
Nicholas Laudano, who founded Ah-Beetz New Haven Pizza in 2016, based the restaurant on the pizza traditions of his hometown, New Haven, Connecticut. The concept features handcrafted pizza with quality ingredients, high-moisture, whole-milk cheese and a dough that’s both soft and chewy with a bubbly, charred crust. Laudano incorporated all the elements of a New Haven pizzeria, including pairing a coal-fired oven with a full-service restaurant. From the beginning, he was thinking about expansion and how to grow his concept across the country. By Kelsi Trinidad