We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Blake and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, what do you attribute your success to?
We are just a strange business model. We have generally sold out of pizzas nearly everyday since we opened. Three and four hour wait times were often the norm and yet we have always had a constant demand for our food. We have to attribute that to quality and craft. As far as we know we are the only pizza shop in Colorado where one chef has cooked every single pizza that has come out of the oven. Restaurants today rely heavily on processed and prepackaged foods for quickness of service and to negate the high expense of labor. Unskilled labor combined with highly processed industrialized food is now the norm for our daily diet. We refused to submit to such ideas and instead created a business model that focuses purely on perfection of product derived from quality scratch made food using gmo free ingredients with a high level of skill and love and pride. Our customers apparently taste the difference and have been exceptionally loyal to us even though our business model is so weird and difficult compared to the fast food nation we live in today. We sell out of food, we are only open a couple days a week and you have to call hours ahead and yet without a dollar spent on advertising the phones still ring. People like quality!

What should our readers know about your business?
Our story is one of great accomplishments coupled with horrific failures. We previously owned a thriving nightclub and music venue, but a drunk driver ran over and killed a valet working for a company that serviced our venue. Even though we did not serve the driver anything to drink, and it happened on a public street and we did not own the valet company we got sued for everything. Even though we passed police, insurance and Osha investigations somehow we got locked into years of litigation. Papa Bear Pizza is the aftermath of the death of one dream and the spark of another. Beaten up and disillusioned with the fabric of America and the truth behind the risk of entrepreneurialism, Charlie and I just wanted to stay local and deal with our own community. So to lick my wounds I got back to my culinary roots and opened a spot just over a mile from my house. Having lost everything to lawyers we opened up on about 10% of what it typically takes to start a restaurant. From the beginning we knew all we had was quality of product and service. Even though we have sold out from day one, we have been turned down for every expansion loan, line of credit and government offer available. No PPE for us, no sba loans and no Restaurant Rivitilization money. for us. Day after day we turned away 100%, then 200% and then 300% of our daily business and all we could do is save our pennies until we could afford our recent kitchen expansion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Colorado is amazing and there are just so many amazing spots. Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak Highway are a must. In fact Pikes Peak Highway is just plain terrifying and awe inspiring all in once I highly urge every resident of the state to give it a try. All the tourist traps are actually all pretty viable places to visit, from Breck to Estes Park it is all actually pretty fun. Must eats include The Rabbit Hole in the Springs, Sushi Den on Pearl and Annette in Aurora. Coffin races in Manitou Springs is a must for October fun!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Not only have I had exceptional family support through all my endeavors, our three person team at Papa Bear is the true engine of our success. James is an amazing prep cook and has helped make every pizza since day one, and Charlie my business partner helped me with my nightclub in downtown Denver and is the face of our business now. Her service with a smile is instrumental to our success and her personal relationship with our customers is what makes us a local spot that truly is just a place where neighbors are feeding neighbors.

Website: www.papabearpizzas.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papabearpizzas/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PapaBearPizza/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.