SALLY’S APIZZA
expanding on world famous New haven style apizza.
Sally’s Apizza was founded in New Haven, CT by Salvatore “Sally” Consiglio in 1938. His pizzas have a distinct flavor resulting from the coal-burning process and have become a staple in the community. The restaurant was run by Sally and his wife, Flo, before they passed it down to their children who ran the restaurant until 2017. The restaurant was purchased by a long-time Sally’s enthusiast who had a vision to expand throughout Connecticut and share this unique pizza. He developed the first new location in Stamford, Connecticut, then searched for a team that could roll out his vision. Onyx was brought on to standardize the drawing and construction process as Sally’s began to franchise.
Boston, Massachusetts
our design process
After working with Sally’s on a couple of restaurants, Onyx began to provide design and brand standardization. To better understand the brand and design intent, we met with the client at the first expansion location after it was acquired by new ownership. During this meeting, we had a working session on the design of one of the upcoming restaurants. Using rendering software, we were able to update the design in real-time. The owner was able to react to and comment on the revisions leading to a productive meeting. After analyzing the existing restaurant’s design, Onyx identified three key features of the brand: the honey oak wood paneling, the red and white glazed tiles of the oven, and the random assortment of wall memorabilia.
FEATURE WALLS
Sally’s Apizza is well known within their community and attracts national figures such as celebrities and presidents. The original restaurant location contains many signed photographs and personal letters from these famous figures and other memorabilia significant to the Consiglio family. To connect back to the original space design, feature walls were identified in the upcoming locations. Here the owner can curate a set of photos that resemble the random posting of items in the original restaurant but reflect the local community of the new location.
Norwalk, Connecticut
IMPLEMENTATION
The goal for Sally’s was to create a standardized prototype that could adapt to different building conditions and communities. Progress by 6, perfection by 12 is our client’s mantra as we work on each restaurant. Although the conditions vary widely, we move closer to that goal with each new location by streamlining the design process, narrowing and organizing the list of materials, standardizing typical details, and building a solid team with distinct, complementary roles. We work closely with the client and contractor and revise our drawings to reduce cost and make the restaurants easier to build. While the Sally’s prototype and design process has been actualized, the brand is continually evolving. Their three key features are exhibited in each restaurant, but the computation of those elements adapts to the context. Onyx Creative continues to explore new materials, technologies, and construction methods to help Sally’s Apizza with their growth. We enjoy this collaborative process and look forward to growing with this established brand.
