Ever since the pizza pop-up was born in the tiny kitchen of Miami natives Greg Tetzner and his girlfriend and business partner Jackie Richie — at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, no less — the sourdough-crusted pizzas have been a local phenomenon. As word on the street and social media grew with rumors about where and how to score the coveted sourdough pies, so did Tetzner and Richie's business. Although Old Greg's was originally intended to be a small-scale production for friends and family, the founders soon realized they'd created something special, and that Miami was hungry for more.
In the blink of an eye, their little side hustle turned into a brick-and-mortar pizzeria in the Design District, earning critical acclaim on a local and national scale. Time Out named the restaurant one of the 19 Best Pizza Spots in America, and New Times tapped it as Best Pizza in 2022.
Now, after two and a half years on NE Second Avenue, the founders and decade-strong power couple is sharing this bittersweet news with their dedicated customers: Old Greg's Pizza has closed for the immediate future, with plans of reopening sometime in the future at a new location.
Although Old Greg's was originally intended to be a small-scale production, Miami was hungry for more. Their menu even expanded to include meatballs, desserts, and more.
Old Greg's Pizza photo
"Our operation would be stunted of growth and safety [had we renewed]," she explains. "We would need to gut the restaurant entirely: electric, layout, and plumbing. They are going to redevelop where our building is, so it didn’t make financial sense to continue here. We just need to expand the operation and sustain growth in a safe space."
Although the restaurant is closed, Tetzner and Richie are looking to relocate as soon as they can. The team is already scouting new locations and promises to keep their loyal fanbase up to date on developments, beginning next week.
"It was the toughest decision we’ve ever had to make in our lives because we were all in," Richie tells New Times. "Our entire existence revolved around the restaurant from open time [most days as early as 5 a.m. to prep] to the time the very last dish was washed. It’s been madness since 2020. When everyone was at home at 0 percent chilling, we were at 300 percent with a pizza operation out of our tiny kitchen."
Tetzner and Richie are adamant that this is not the end of Old Greg's Pizza, and they intend to come back in a new location even more Gouda than before.
“We will never forget how we felt the moment we were informed we won ‘Best Pizza in Miami’ in New Times," Richie says. "We are so lucky and grateful. Seriously, never in my wildest dreams would I imagine my kryptonite would continue to be pizza, my favorite food in the world."
Richie ended the call with a final promise to New Times and all of Old Greg's other loyal customers: "We love you guys and we’ll be right back! You’ll have updates as we progress and get back to it starting next week."
