Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie S.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

Terrible Gerald’s is owned by two former bartenders gone rogue and trying their hand in business ownership. In early 2022, we began Terrible Gerald’s as a pop-up, using folding tables, portable Ooni ovens and friend’s restaurant kitchens. At the end of 2023, we custom built a 12’x6′ pizza trailer featuring twin Gozney dome ovens. Using Gozney’s product has truly been instrumental in the success of our operations, as we are able to cook a pizza at around 830° in 70 seconds flat once it hits the oven. The trailer is lovingly named “The Dough-Jo,” and has become a big hit for catered affairs such as graduations, birthdays & office lunches.

After a brutal winter last year, we’ve decided to cease operations in colder months, and have been working on a new brand; Comeback City Pizza; Detroit Style by Terrible Gerald’s. We will be operating within one of, if not the largest brewery in the state–Nebraska Brewing Company. Our launch date for Comeback City is slated for the end of December.

We are firm believers in the power of the pop-up, and cannot seem to stop reinventing ourselves.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

For the most part, we have had a pretty smooth road. Throughout many collective years in the food and beverage industry, we have learned the art of adaptability–and to conquer things as they come. So in hindsight, even if it was a struggle at the time, we were able to adjust and be flexible.

That, of course, is not to say we haven’t had some speed bumps (not stop signs!) along the way. One of the biggest challenges in the early days that we found was dough management. It’s very important to remember that yeast is a living culture, it is very reactive to temperature fluctuations–and in Nebraska we have extremely finicky weather. One day we could be struggling to keep the dough at a warm enough temperature to be manageable, using a space heater to assist in proofing, and the next we could have just the opposite problem.

When it comes to Neapolitan-style pizza, your dough is everything. You want a strong enough gluten structure to be able to carry your toppings but still allow for the signature “thin crust” approach. Another key element to this style is called “leoparding”–this is what the char spots on Neapolitan are called, and they’re actually very difficult to achieve without a considerable dough ferment. After much trial and error, we have found a method and fermentation timeframe that affords us these results–every time.

There will always be struggles owning a business, but our strength lies in being able to turn struggles into lessons and solutions.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Terrible Gerald’s Pizza is a mobile Neapolitan pizzeria located in Omaha, Nebraska. We offer 6 menu items, all of which are 12″, all of which are hand stretched, hand topped and made fresh to order each time. We are known for exceptional pies at affordable prices made with the freshest ingredients, short order times, and absolutely ridiculous branding. We often find the first thing people note is the light, airy quality of our dough–they just can’t get enough of it. The second questions is usually, “who is Gerald, and why is he so terrible?” An excellent question, indeed.

The branding, arguably, has been the most fun part of Terrible Gerald’s. Once we landed on a name, we had our dear friend & artist, Nathan Gurnon of Satisfaction Not Guaranteed, give Gerald a face and a nice potbelly. Given only the stipulations of “gimme a fat redheaded kid eating a slice,” Gurnon got back to us not even 20 minutes later, and Gerald was born on a yellow sticky note. Much like a real boy, Gerald has undergone many transformations, worn many outfits, and developed quite the personality. From an artistic standpoint, this endeavor has been an ongoing lesson in learning new technique, finding better design programs, and understanding the finer elements of marketing. All of the lettering for our logo is handmade by Maggie, whom previously had zero experience using Adobe programs.

Eventually, we ended up using “Moto Gerald” as our mascot. He rides a chopper, always wears a helmet, and sports a “Mom” tattoo on his bicep. When deciding on branding for our mobile unit, we deliberately chose Moto Gerald, because just as the trailer is always in motion, so is Gerald. Gerald is relatable–cartoons are comfortable. Children and adults alike are always excited to see him–people wave at us with huge grins while we’re driving down the interstate. The namesake, in tandem with Gerald, make it an extremely memorable business–and it’s fair to assume that our SEO traffic can be credited for this.

We chose a very different branding concept for TG’s, and it really paid off in the end.

How do you think about luck?

Sometimes timing is everything, sometimes it isn’t. It’s fair to say that neither of us really subscribe to the belief that luck is something that can either make or break us–each day is a new opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.terriblegeralds.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terriblegeralds
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terriblegeralds
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/terriblegeralds