In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Giganti, the dynamic force behind @nextlevelbrandstampa 💫, at his stunning modern Italian restaurant, Forbici! Jeff takes us on a candid journey, starting with his "beautiful disaster" of a first pizzeria, to building a 30-year career that has served over 30 million customers 🙌🏽.
Jeff opens up about the grit, learning, and stick-to-itiveness that turned early setbacks into a massive, successful restaurant enterprise. He shares the behind-the-scenes lessons he learned after his first venture failed, from digging into the accounting basement to understand "prime cost" to the pivotal moment he decided to launch Forbici and Next Level Brands.
🇮🇹 Discover the heart and soul that fuels Jeff's business—inspired by his family's Italian heritage and the idea that "every friend was once a stranger." Learn about the company's incredible growth vehicle, Forbici, with plans to expand across the US, and the critical role company culture plays in their success. Plus, you’ll get his personal pizza order recommendation 🍕!
Episode Highlights:
✅ The "Beautiful Disaster": Jeff recounts his start in the pizza world with his college venture, which ultimately bit him with the restaurant bug and set his life's trajectory.
✅ Learning the Business from the Ground Up: While pursuing acting in New York, Jeff worked for free in a restaurant's accounting basement to master the financials, learning about "prime cost" and what it takes to be a successful restaurant owner.
✅ The Birth of Next Level Brands: After building and exiting a group that opened 25 restaurants, Jeff launched Next Level Brands and opened Forbici Modern Italian as a way to prove he could build a successful concept entirely on his own.
✅ Heart and Soul Hospitality: The unofficial motto for Forbici is "Every friend was once a stranger," reflecting Jeff's goal to create a welcoming, communal, and truly authentic dining experience inspired by his Italian-American family.
✅ The Power of Failure: Jeff attributes his long-term success more to overcoming failure and learning what not to do than to getting things right the first time. He emphasizes being gritty, nimble, and always falling forward.
✅ The $700 Phone Call: A hilarious and unforgettable story about how Jeff and his partner had to learn their original pizza recipe via a lengthy, expensive international phone call to his partner's deported father, just 10 days before opening.
✅ Future Growth: Next Level Brands plans to expand Forbici from Tampa to St. Pete, Sarasota, and beyond, with a goal of building 20 to 40 locations across the continental U.S.
✅ Jeff's Go-To Pizza: You'll find out his personal favorite order at Forbici—a specific round pie with light cheese and a side of hot honey.
🥃 @solento_tequila Shoutout
A huge thank you and shout out to our wonderful friends, Todd and Megan DiCiurcio, and Solento Tequila! Solento is more than just a great tequila; it’s a passion project with deep roots in the surf and lifestyle community 🏄🏻♀️🏄🏻.
🔗 Connect with @eatforbici and @jeff_gigante
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatforbici/
🎙Like, follow, and subscribe to The Pizza Story Podcast with author Erica D’Arcangelo for amazing pizza content ♥️.
🇮🇹 A Story About Pizza
Website: https://www.astoryaboutpizza.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astoryaboutpizza/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@storyaboutpizza
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AStoryAboutPizza
A Story About Pizza Book: https://www.amazon.com/Story-About-Pizza-Erica-DArcangelo/dp/1917116993
Pietro’s Pizza Children’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Pietros-Pizza-Story-About/dp/B0DTYZ15WB/
Pietro’s Pizza Toppings Children’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJM15W22/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
#pizza #podcast #tampa #forbici #tampabay