4Recorded live at CraveCon 2025, guest host Sam Stanovich sits down with Fresh Brothers co-founder Scott Goldberg to unpack the obsession, discipline, and operational rigor behind one of the most respected pizza brands on the West Coast.
Some founders chase trends. Others chase perfection.
Scott Goldberg—Fresh Brothers co-founder and lifelong pizza obsessive—spoke with Sam Stanovich for a discussion on why enduring restaurant brands aren’t built on shortcuts, but on fundamentals executed relentlessly well.
From risking his college tuition on a struggling pizza shop in 1985 to building Fresh Brothers into a 20+ unit operation with stadium, airport, and hospital presence, Goldberg’s story is a masterclass in craftsmanship, consistency, and conviction. The conversation also marks a pivotal moment: Fresh Brothers’ acquisition by Craveworthy Brands and the next chapter of growth ahead.
For Scott Goldberg, great pizza isn’t complicated—but it is uncompromising.
“If you can make a medium cheese pizza right,” Goldberg explains, “everything else will be good.”
That single pizza is his ultimate quality test. No toppings to hide behind. No gimmicks. Just dough, sauce, cheese, and execution.
Fresh Brothers’ formula has remained remarkably disciplined for decades:
Perhaps most famously, Fresh Brothers went so far as to replicate Chicago’s water chemistry in Los Angeles—testing, purifying, and even shipping water to ensure the dough behaved exactly the same on the West Coast.
It’s not theatrics. It’s discipline.
Goldberg tests pizzas not fresh out of the oven—but 45 minutes later, simulating real life: traffic, kids, busy schedules. New ingredients only win if they outperform the existing product under real-world conditions. Almost none do.
This relentless focus on fundamentals is why Fresh Brothers has been able to scale without sacrificing quality—and why the brand has earned deep loyalty from both customers and long-tenured team members.
Fresh Brothers didn’t need a savior. It needed a partner.
After years of steady growth and operational success, Goldberg knew the brand was ready for its next phase—but only with the right leadership philosophy behind it. That’s where Craveworthy Brands and founder Gregg Majewski entered the picture.
What stood out immediately?
Craveworthy’s operator-first mindset.
Rather than leading from spreadsheets or boardrooms, Craveworthy emphasizes boots-on-the-ground execution, systems, and support—the same principles Goldberg had built Fresh Brothers on from day one.
“Operations come first,” Goldberg explains. “We know we have the product. Now it’s about building the team and the systems to take it to the next level.”
The acquisition wasn’t about changing Fresh Brothers—it was about unlocking its potential:
With Craveworthy’s infrastructure and Fresh Brothers’ proven operational playbook, the brand is now positioned to grow nationally—and eventually globally—without losing what made it special in the first place.
That’s not marketing hype—it’s earned credibility.
Sam Stanovich, a self-described Chicago pizza snob, puts it plainly during the episode:
“It is the best pizza on the West Coast.”
Fresh Brothers isn’t trying to reinvent pizza. It’s replicating authentic Chicago tavern-style pizza with precision, consistency, and respect for the craft—day in and day out.
The brand’s success comes from:
That same rigor has allowed Fresh Brothers to expand beyond traditional restaurants into stadiums, arenas, hospitals, and airports—using innovative commissary and par-baking systems to deliver high-volume pizza without sacrificing quality.
Whether it’s a neighborhood store or Dodger Stadium feeding 50,000 fans, the product standards remain the same.
And that’s why Fresh Brothers isn’t just winning customers—it’s earning trust.
At its core, this episode of Room for Seconds isn’t just about pizza. It’s about what happens when founders stay obsessed with the fundamentals long after success arrives.
Scott Goldberg’s journey—from a $7,000 leap of faith to a national growth platform—reminds us that great brands aren’t built by chasing scale first. They’re built by earning the right to scale.
With Craveworthy Brands, Fresh Brothers is now entering its next chapter—ready to bring its uncompromising pizza philosophy far beyond the West Coast.
And as Goldberg says best:
“Always eat more pizza.” 🍕
Scott and Adam Goldberg, now known as the Fresh Brothers, started in Chicago. Scott opened his first restaurant, Miller Pizza Company, there in 1985. It's been voted "South Chicago's Best Pizza," and is still there today. Adam was inspired, and decided to take the traditional Chicago-style family recipes to the West Coast. He and his wife Debbie opened the first Fresh Brothers in 2008, pioneering pizza with a California twist. Fresh Brothers stands apart from other pizza joints by using only fresh ingredients, serving up nutrition alongside taste. It tastes better, and it's better for you. Today, Fresh Brothers has an impressive 25 locations all throughout Los Angeles, The Valley, Orange County, and San Diego. We believe everyone deserves to eat great pizza, so we're bringing it everywhere we can in Southern California.
Senior Vice President Franchise Leadership. Sam is a dynamic leader with over 30 years in leadership roles across the hospitality industry, including being an active QSR franchisee of a national brand. Sam is a people connector and an influential leader with a growth mindset.
Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands. Craveworthy Media is Majewski’s gift back to the industry that has given him so much. The goal of Craveworthy is to inspire the up and coming industry leaders by providing important information, stories, and insights from titans past and present.
Do you know someone who would be great on this show? Let us know by emailing us at roomforsecondspodcast@gmail.com or sending a DM on social media @craveworthybrands