FROM DECK TO STONE CONVEYOR: ANTONIO’S REAL NY PIZZA FINDS ITS GROOVE IN LONGMONT
Anthony, owner of Antonio’s Real NY Pizza in Colorado, has spent years mastering the art of pizza baking. At his original location in Estes Park, he worked with every deck oven brand you can name and knew each one inside and out. For him, the deck oven wasn’t just a tool; it was part of the craft, delivering the bake he believed couldn’t be replicated.
But when he opened his second store in Longmont, Colorado, about two years ago, Anthony wanted an oven that could help him outproduce his first store in terms of volume, with less staff given how difficult and expensive it is to find qualified labor these days. But being part of the US World Pizza Champion Team meant it would need to be without sacrificing the quality bake that defined his pizza.
That’s when he turned to the Hot Rocks stone conveyor oven.
The decision wasn’t made lightly. Anthony’s deep experience with ovens meant he had high standards. But the Hot Rocks delivered preserving the stone-baked quality he insisted on, while allowing him to scale production efficiently.
The impact was immediate:
- He was able to operate with one less kitchen staff member. As Anthony puts it “Forget about how much the oven is going to cost you because you need 1 less person, that’s a $40,000 to $50,000 yearly savings you would not get with a deck oven, not to mention the extra capacity this oven can do.”
- The oven paid for itself within 12 months, so he bought another Hot Rocks to keep increasing his capacity.
- And most importantly, he could keep up with demand without compromising the pizza.
Today, Anthony says he wouldn’t open another store without a Hot Rocks. It’s become a cornerstone of his operation one that blends tradition with smart, scalable technology.
