01/14/2025
Dear: Customer,
From: an Independent Restaurant Owner,
I am Vinnie, and this is me at 17, as I began to build my pizza dreams. Fast forward, a decade later, I proudly own a full-service restaurant — but this journey did not happen over night!
For ten years, I worked tirelessly as a pizza maker in some of Jersey's best spots. I remember the time I had to impress Ursula’s friends in the UK when we joked about opening a place, with a backyard portable oven after just three days of meeting in person (converting lbs to grams!). To those freezing cold nights selling pizza from a tiny trailer at The Bakery District, each experience shaped my ambition. The summer heat forced me to stand over a blazing 120 F oven for hours, pushing myself to create something special.
What you see now might look fancy, but trust me, it’s been a lot of hard work and a bit of a struggle to get here. Ursula and I built this from scratch, pouring our hearts into it every step of the way. When you compliment our team, it means a lot because we’ve really been through the fire during those early days—without guidebooks, facing every challenge with determination and grit. Our awards for best pizza and restaurant are a testament to all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this dream a reality.
We built Vinnie’s from the ground up, starting with a modest $1,000 Ooni oven and groceries. After six months of running our food truck, we adapted and expanded, as we were approached for the brick-and-mortar. We didn’t have big investors or loans to back us, delaying our restaurant's opening to ensure every detail was perfect. Each setback and growing pain shaped us, from every pizza Vinnie created to every strategy Ursula implemented, helping us evolve to what we are today.
So we just ask when you order from independent spots like ours, keep that in mind. The service industry can be unforgiving, and we’re here to serve you — but we’re human too, and mistakes can happen. We know you love us for our unique quirks, and imperfections that make our community vibrant!
- Please don’t compare us to chains like McDonald's or Wendy’s, or other pizza chains for that matter; our challenges are completely different.
- If your pizza is cold on a freezing night, remember we’re out there braving the elements to serve you because every order matters.
- Recognize that if you’ve dined with us since the beginning, a one off night—like a busy Christmas Eve—does not define our commitment to quality.
- And if your pizza takes a bit longer on a Friday, it’s because we make everything from scratch, prioritizing quality over speed.
Support your local businesses; we’re the ones who often have to make sacrifices and don’t always have the cushion to weather every storm. It’s a fact that every $1 spent at a local indpendent, over half goes back into the local community.
I can’t express enough how much your support means to us at Vinnie’s! Every week, Ursula and I, and our team put everything we have into this place, and while we’re grateful for the love we receive, the negativity can really sting. If people understood the heart and soul we pour into making Vinnie’s a warm, welcoming spot, I believe they’d see it differently. Not just for us, but ALL our independents!
We need each other; let’s lift each other up, be kind, and approach everything with understanding. Our community should pull together, especially in times like these.
Thank you for being a BIG part of our journey.
Vinnie and Ursula
Owners, Vinnie’s Pies
