SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Car enthusiast and YouTube sensation James Stradman, the man behind ‘The Stradman,’ is shifting gears and getting into the pizza business!
Stradman will debut 'Strad Pizza' on Scottsdale and Thunderbird Roads this weekend. The new concept hopes to merge his two loves - supercars and pizza - in a fun and welcoming spot where people can gather together.
“The thing I love about pizza is it's for everyone. Everybody loves pizza. We grew up going to pizza parties for birthdays, graduation parties, retirement parties, like pizza is for everybody... You combine cars, which is a great community, and pizza, this great community, and you have just the ultimate synergy, cars and pizza,” said Stradman.
There was a nostalgic reason the popular YouTuber decided to roll out New York-style pizza at the restaurant.
“You go to New York, that pizza just tastes absolutely incredible. I have family roots in New York City. My dad grew up in New York City, and I just, I've ate New York-style pizza my whole life,” said Stradman.
Stradman knows a thing or two about cars, he has more than 4.4 million subscribers on YouTube who follow his passion for supercars. So, what skill does the social media star have to create this new pizza business?
“I know how to eat it. That's probably the best skill that I have when it comes to pizza,” shared James with ABC15. “I love eating it. […] It's amazing, the art form that making pizza is; there is so much that goes on behind the scenes, and we did so many test runs trying to dial our Strad Pizza to be absolutely perfect.”
Stradman has two partners helping him roll out the new business: Scott McIntire and Freddy Nguyen.
“While branding has always been my thing, we have paid just as much attention to the quality of our food and the design of our spaces. I’ve had previous involvement in a number of restaurant concepts over the years, but this is the first time I’m stepping out from behind the scenes. I’m proud of what we’ve created together,” said Nguyen, in a press release, who is the founder of HUB 1111 and previously helped launch Hash Kitchen and The Sicilian Butcher as the Chief Marketing Officer of The Maggiore Group.
ARIZONA EXPANSION
Stradman lives in Utah, and although he plans to eventually open a Strad Pizza in his state, there’s a reason why he’s opening the first location in our state.
“Scottsdale, the Phoenix metro area, is beautiful. It is heaven on earth. The weather is absolutely amazing. The environment is so lively. There's so much energy here. There [are] so many good food options, and I felt like Strad Pizza would just match that environment. So well, I have two other business partners that live here locally in Scottsdale, and you know, they told me, like, I have to come down and visit. And as soon as I came down and visited, the first time, I was sold […] this is the spot for Strad Pizza, store number one,” said Stradman to ABC15.
The car guru and entrepreneur does envision more locations in the Valley.
“We're planning to expand throughout the Phoenix metro area, and then we're going to move up to Utah as well,” said Stradman to ABC15. “So, our grand opening is on Saturday, and there's a lot to learn. You know, we really want to constantly improve our offering, our pizza, our service. And like I said, pizza is an art form, and so we really, really, really want to perfect it with this first store. Get all the employees dialed, get the community involved, you know, throw the coolest events, and then from there, you know, we hope to expand throughout the Valley. We'd love to go to Mesa, Chandler and other areas throughout Phoenix.”
IF YOU GO
- Grand opening: Saturday, April 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday is slated to be a pizza & car party! “All the car community car clubs is coming out for it. There's going to be pizza. We're going to have pepperoni and cheese slices, and then once a month, moving forward, we're going to have our cars and pizza night,” said Stradman.
- For upcoming events at the pizza shop, dates will be announced on the business’ Instagram page and at The Stradman on YouTube.
- Address: 13802 N Scottsdale Rd Suite 165 in Scottsdale.
