Steve Salis
{{Short description|American entrepreneur, co-founder of &pizza}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Steve Salis
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| birth_date = 1983
| birth_place = Nashua, New Hampshire
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| nationality = American
| education = University of New Hampshire
| occupation = Entrepreneur
| known for = Co-founder, &pizza
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Steve Salis is an American entrepreneur, co-founder of &pizza, and the founder of Sizzle Acquisition and Salis Holdings.
Early life
Steve Salis was born in 1983 to a working-class family in New Hampshire.{{Cite news |last=Carman |first=Tim |date=2021-10-23 |title=&pizza co-founder Steve Salis has big plans for Ted's Bulletin, Kramerbooks and life in D.C. |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/11/21/pizza-co-founder-steve-salis-has-big-plans-for-teds-bulletin-kramerbooks-and-life-in-d-c/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |issn=0190-8286}} His father ran a gas station and his mother did different small jobs. As a child, he was good at basketball and got a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire. Salis studied economics and business administration in college but dropped out and moved to New York City.{{Cite web |date=2018-01-19 |title=How a Nightclub Doorman/Model Became a DC Restaurateur, Real Estate Player, and Bookstore Owner - Washingtonian |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/01/19/restaurateur-entrepreneur-steve-salis-teds-bulletin-kramerbooks/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |language=en-US}}
Career
Salis began his career in the fashion industry in New York City and later he started giving advice to restaurants and bars on how to run their business better.
In 2012, Steve Salis co-founded &pizza with Michael Lastoria while in his mid-20s. To select the location for their inaugural &pizza outlet, they explored numerous places over three weeks, eventually choosing Washington, D.C.{{Cite web |last=Metcalf |first=Andrew |date=2014-05-12 |title=&pizza Opens on Old Georgetown Road |url=http://moco360.media/2014/05/12/pizza-opens-on-old-georgetown-road/ |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=MoCo360 |language=en-US}} Salis was the CEO from its inception until 2015.{{Cite web |last=Metcalf |first=Andrew |date=2015-05-29 |title=&pizza Founder Out as CEO |url=http://moco360.media/2015/05/29/pizza-founder-out-as-ceo/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=MoCo360 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Co-founder of hip D.C.-based pizza chain out as CEO |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/top-shelf/2015/06/co-founder-of-hip-d-c-based-pizza-chain-out-as.html |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=www.bizjournals.com}} In 2017, &pizza advocated a cause in Congress, a $15 minimum wage by 2023.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-31 |title="We Want To Be The Best Neighbors": &pizza Reinvents The Pizza Parlor |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40483246/we-want-to-be-the-best-neighbors-pizza-reinvents-the-pizza-parlor |website=Fast Company}}{{Cite web |last=Borchardt |first=Debra |title=&pizza Heads To NYC With A Slice Of Social Consciousness |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2016/11/15/pizza-heads-to-nyc-with-a-slice-of-social-consciousness/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Kate |title=Meet the CEO of an up-and-coming pizza chain who is actually fighting to raise the minimum wage |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/pizza-ceo-advocates-for-15-minimum-wage-2017-4 |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} Salis remained the major shareholder in the company until 2019, when he divested his holdings for an undisclosed sum.{{Cite web |title=&pizza makes leadership changes as it looks to double in size |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/07/08/pizza-appoints-new-president-as-co-founder-and.html |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}
Steve Salis founded Salis Holdings in 2015.{{Cite web |last=Kelso |first=Alicia |title=Why Salis Holdings Is Leveraging The Restaurant Acquisitions Market |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciakelso/2019/09/17/why-salis-holdings-is-leveraging-the-restaurant-acquisitions-market/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Under Salis Holdings, Steve Salis has acquired and currently owns several notable brands including Ted's Bulletin, Kramers Bookstore,{{Cite web |date=2018-01-19 |title=How a Nightclub Doorman/Model Became a DC Restaurateur, Real Estate Player, and Bookstore Owner - Washingtonian |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/01/19/restaurateur-entrepreneur-steve-salis-teds-bulletin-kramerbooks/ |access-date=2023-10-02 |language=en-US}} Federalist Pig, and Honeymoon Chicken,{{Cite news |last=Carman |first=Tim |date=2022-07-05 |title=Review {{!}} Honeymoon Chicken aims high — and hits its mark |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/07/05/honeymoon-chicken-review/ |access-date=2023-10-02 |issn=0190-8286}} expanding his business in the hospitality and food industry.{{Cite web |date=2022-04-18 |title=Steve Salis is bullish on growth in the Washington, D.C. area under platform company Catalogue |url=https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/steve-salis-bullish-growth-washington-dc-area-under-platform-company-catalogue |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=Nation's Restaurant News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-01-11 |title=Honeymoon Chicken, from a DC pitmaster, comes to Petworth |url=https://wtop.com/business-finance/2022/01/honeymoon-chicken-from-a-dc-pitmaster-comes-to-petworth/ |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=WTOP News |language=en}}
Steve Salis is also the CEO of Sizzle Acquisition Corp, a NASDAQ listed blank-check company with a focus on acquiring businesses in the retail and consumer sectors. In 2021 it has raised $155 million with an initial public offering. He has a growing real estate holdings portfolio and has developed residential real estate{{Cite web |date=2022-04-13 |title=A Real Estate Nightmare on Foxhall Road - Washingtonian |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/04/13/a-real-estate-nightmare-on-foxhall-road|access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en-US}}
In 2022 Salis announced a nearly billion-dollar lithium battery merger in the public market space through Sizzle Acquisition Corp.{{Cite news |last=Ramkumar |first=Amrith |date=2022-10-24 |title=Upstart European Lithium Is Valued at $970 Million in Deal for U.S. Listing |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/upstart-european-lithium-is-valued-at-970-million-in-deal-for-u-s-listing-11666650441 |access-date=2023-10-01 |issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite news |date=2022-10-26 |title=European Lithium to merge with Sizzle Acquisition to form exploration firm |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/european-lithium-merge-with-blank-check-firm-sizzle-acquisition-2022-10-25/ |access-date=2023-10-01}}