Interview with
Paulie Giannone
Owner, Paulie Gee's & Paulie Gee's Slice Shop
Interview & photos by Kenny Chung
Interview with
Paulie Giannone
Owner, Paulie Gee's & Paulie Gee's Slice Shop
Interview & photos by Kenny Chung
Paulie Giannone is one of the most recognizable pizzaiolos in New York City. Step into his original restaurant, Paulie Gee’s, and you’ll be greeted with a handshake (and if you’re lucky, a pin). You’ll recognize him from his thick rimmed glasses and trucker hats that advertise his favorite pizzerias from all over the country.
I spoke with Paulie at his Slice Shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in September 2019. We discussed his usage of social media and how the landscape of restaurant marketing has changed in the 9 years since he opened his first pizza restaurant.
In the pizza world, you’re a well-known personality. I’ve been to your original location many times, and you’re always walking around shaking hands and talking to people. How do you translate in-person personality to online?
When I’m in a restaurant, I like being there and talking to people. I’m not doing it because I think it’s good for the restaurant. Fortunately, I picked something that I enjoy doing that helps people. I know people in the restaurant business and they don’t necessarily like talking to people – they gotta go hide in the kitchen. I like being out there, finding out what people are thinking. I have a curiosity about people. So people see that.
How do you decide what to post online?
Over here [on the Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop Instagram], it’s more specific to the pizza we serve and what goes on in the place. Over there [on the main Paulie Gee’s account], it’s just me and restaurants. I don’t get opinionated in terms of politics or religion. I may get opinionated on people being really stupid once in a while.
I like to mix my life with the business. And it’s paid off well. My guy in Chicago, Derek in Logan Square, he does the same thing. My guy at Paulie Gee’s Columbus, TJ, all he posts is pizza. I like the personal touch.
An assortment of popular slices at Paulie Gee's Slice Shop.
An assortment of popular slices at Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop.
Are you getting a lot of in-person feedback to posts you’ve made on social media?
Oh yeah, people will come in and point to a post I made. It lets me know people find my stuff. I like a lot of comments. That’s the one thing I love about Instagram. It’s a very positive environment. You don’t get a lot of people ragging on you.
How do you find photos of your business?
I don’t do hashtags. I check the location – top and recent every day. I’ll do it for both locations. I also go to notifications to see if anyone tagged me.
You had reached out to me on Instagram about a photo I had posted, wanting a full-size version. What was the motivation behind that?
Magazines reach out and want photos. Just today I got something from USA Today. They wanted a picture of my pizza. I get that a lot. I have a lot of photos, but most of it’s on my phone. So I just decided that I needed to get more high resolution stuff.
For online listings – like Yelp, Facebook Place pages – do you have someone who maintains those listings for accuracy?
Yes. I do it. For the Slice Shop, Andrew does it too. Otherwise, I pretty much do it, which can be very frustrating. Especially when other sites post your menus. I don’t want them there, because then I have to worry about them.
The facade of Paulie Gee's Slice Shop on the corner of Franklin St and Noble St in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The facade of Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop on the corner of Franklin St and Noble St in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
How do you handle responding to negative comments?
That’s the one that frustrates me is Facebook and Pages – people leave comments and reviews, and I don’t even know. Facebook is confusing. There are notifications for your personal account, and notifications for the business all in the same place.
How about on Google?
Google is frustrating too. I get a notification every time someone leaves a review on Yelp, but I don’t get anything on Google. We have another email address and someone has to forward it to me. I don’t like somebody saying something that may require a response because I don’t like to respond. The only time I respond is something on Yelp or Google reviews is if I need to apologize for something. Otherwise, I don’t like to give the impression that I’m working the crowd. So I stick to Instagram.
Are there any difficulties with primarily marketing through Instagram?
The hard thing is you can’t post a link. I won’t do the “link in bio” thing. I refuse to do that because eventually there will be something else in that link.
I don’t do [Instagram] Stories. It’s very frustrating. you go to look for it, and the next day it’s gone.
Do you ever take days off from social media?
No! Ask my wife.
You never know what’s gonna pop up.
Last question – what advice would you give to someone starting out in the business?
Yeah, just do it. If it’s something you love, take the risk or nothing’s gonna happen. That’s my best advice.
