Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pete's Apizza is a disaster on nights when there are more than 5 or 6 tables filled-- The no waiters system is a total bust once that place gets halfway full. He just needs to bite the bullet and hire real waiters and COMPETENT hosts. The food runner thing just causes too many mixed up orders.

Actually SHE needs to bite the bullet and hire real waiters and hosts. The owner is a woman.

don't get your feminist panties in a bunch -- it is owned by two women and three men -- Who's behind Pete's?
Pete's is owned and managed by two couples and one individual, all of whom have long histories in the Washington DC area food scene.

Joel Mehr and Alicia Wilkinson-Mehr developed the concept originally. Alicia grew up in New Haven county and brought the idea of New Haven-style pizza to the marriage; Joel had managed a storefront pizza joint on the upper west side of Manhattan in the early 90s and wanted to open his own pizzeria ever since. They met while working for DC catering company Occasions Catering. Alicia and Joel (and Little Pete) live in Petworth, and Mehr grew up in Potomac, MD.

Thomas Marr and Kerri Knowles-Marr joined the effort to open the first Pete's soon after Joel Mehr announced he was leaving the National Gallery of Art, where he and Marr worked together as executive sous-chef and executive chef respectively. Kerri grew up in the United Kingdom, but her family is from Connecticut, so she was very familiar with New Haven style pizza. Tom and Kerri actually met while pursuing degrees at the prestigous Culinary Institute of America. Tom went down the fine dining path, with an emphasis on food allergies and dietary restrictions, and Kerri landed more on the hospitality side of the industry before the couple co-founded Pete's with Alicia and Joel. Marr grew up in Fairfax, where the Knowles-Marr family continues to live.

Tri Nguyen was the final addition to the Pete's team, joining right before the second location opened in Friendship Heights. Nguyen had spent many years managing multi-unit pizza retail operations in northern Virginia, and was asked to join the team in order to bring some bench strength to the front of the house. He grew up and continues to live in Fairfax County.

Anonymous wrote:We live right there and we never go or order out unless it is a school fundraising night. The rude staff and the lack of normals soda (the only time my kids get to drink soda!) is enough to turn us off.

Don't even get me started on the Haven pizza in Bethesda. Only in Bethesda would coal be bad for the environment EXCEPT if it is used to make their pizza!

Can you please explain? We have had very good experiences with Haven - both dining in and take out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I agree the sodium is seriously high. DH and I joke that whenever we go to Pete's we wind up drinking huge amounts of water that night.

I am confused. Salty food makes you thirsty. How is this a joke?

Apparently this is what passes for humor in the poster's home. But we digress.

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I agree the sodium is seriously high. DH and I joke that whenever we go to Pete's we wind up drinking huge amounts of water that night.

I am confused. Salty food makes you thirsty. How is this a joke?

Anonymous wrote:Pete's Apizza is a disaster on nights when there are more than 5 or 6 tables filled-- The no waiters system is a total bust once that place gets halfway full. He just needs to bite the bullet and hire real waiters and COMPETENT hosts. The food runner thing just causes too many mixed up orders.

Actually SHE needs to bite the bullet and hire real waiters and hosts. The owner is a woman.

We live right there and we never go or order out unless it is a school fundraising night. The rude staff and the lack of normals soda (the only time my kids get to drink soda!) is enough to turn us off.

Don't even get me started on the Haven pizza in Bethesda. Only in Bethesda would coal be bad for the environment EXCEPT if it is used to make their pizza!

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I agree the sodium is seriously high. DH and I joke that whenever we go to Pete's we wind up drinking huge amounts of water that night.

That is a really funny joke. Good one!