Josh Katz made his first Ben Yehuda pizza over 20 years ago, and 10 years ago he bought the joint. In that time, he's perfected his craft, and today, Ben Yehuda is widely considered to be the best kosher pizza place in town. In this interview, Josh will talk about what it takes to make great pizza, why he loves his job, and how he's managed to stay in business for 20 years.

Q: How did you come into working at Ben Yehuda?

***Josh & Roger, the original Ben Yehuda Pizza owner***

A: Ben Yehuda opened in the summer of 2000 between my junior and senior years in high school. I was the first person that the restaurant had ever hired. I remember seeing the construction signs, It used to be a Domino's or Pizza Hut, and I remembered when that business closed and there were signs that it was under construction. I immediately applied for a job as soon as they had the now-hiring signs. I was hired and got the job!

Q: Tell us more about Kemp Mill, your connection there, and your location

I grew up on Lamberton drive about three-quarters of a mile away from the restaurant down the same Streets. Its a place where the synagogues and churches are staples of the community. When Ben Yehuda started, we were the only kosher restaurant in the shopping center and now there are three, plus a bakery and a kosher grocery store. So, it's a hub for Jewish families for sure. We welcome guests who eat kosher of course, but also many vegetarians and vegans as well!

Q: What made you decide to buy the business?

***Virtual school for Josh’s son, Arik, at the pizzeria, during the pandemic***

A: I had been doing e-commerce for about 7 or 8 years, and I was ready to start a business on my own. I’m a very independent person, I love my freedom and I didn't want to continue working underneath others (except for customers, of course). I had kind of gone as far as I thought I could go with my previous job and started to look for other businesses I could potentially start or buy. It happened that at that certain time, Ben Yehuda was put up for sale, so I considered it, but I decided that it wasn’t the right time. Then 10 years ago, in 2012, I decided it was the right time. The previous owner did a good job of getting the place into good shape and getting it into a spot that I thought was good and ready to purchase. So, I took the plunge!

Q: Is your family involved in the business also?

A: Though I own 100% of the business, my wife is an integral part of the pizzeria. I’m not just saying this because she’s my wife, but I’m saying this because she’s legitimately one of the most efficient and amazing people I know. She worked in the kitchen for so many years. She helped transform the restaurant into the turnkey operation that it is now. Now she has a different job, but we’re still having conversations with our strategy regularly. She's the backbone behind me and the restaurant as well for sure!

Q: What are some lessons you have learned as an owner?

A: Hands down the biggest lesson I've learned was to put others before myself. The biggest breakthroughs came when I started putting my customer's problems ahead of mine and my employees’ problems ahead of mine. It's a very tricky balance because to take care of others, you have to take care of yourself first. So, it's a little bit of a dichotomy, but in general, if I have my employees as first and foremost and my customers second and myself, third, in the grand scheme of my decision-making, then that's by far the biggest recipe for success.

During Covid, I learned that the more that I prioritize the community as a whole, as well as my employees, the more rewards will come. Even when Ben Yehuda was struggling at the beginning of COVID, we started to find ways to serve the community in ways that weren’t profitable. For example, making sure that extra food at the end of the night would go to people who need it or to the police or getting involved with other organizations that are sending food to hospitals.

Q: What famous people have enjoyed Ben Yehuda Pizza over the years?

***Josh’s son Zach helps with pizza prep***

A: I guess in the Jewish sense, the Maccabeats came in once. We’ve certainly had our fair share of music; Jewish musical artists come in when they’ve come through town. Nita Strauss is a rock star that I'm a big fan of and I've delivered pizza to her twice!, (she is Alice Cooper’s guitarist). I also fed her solo gig- Nita Strauss band- so that was a highlight for me.

We served the Washington Capitals Ice Hockey office. We didn’t serve the rest of the team, although that’s something that I’d like to get done. One of the more fun things that we’ve done is cater the US senate’s Hanukkah party every year. Being a part of that was pretty cool.

Q: After 20 years of enjoying Ben Yehuda, what is your favorite menu item?

A: My favorite menu item is for sure, the ice cream skillet, a chocolate chip cookie skillet. It’s delicious. I've devoured that in about 30 seconds, even though it’s crazy hot. As far as pizza, I’m just a cheese pizza guy. I'll put green peppers on it. If I'm not eating with family and definitely with our Tony sauce, Tony sauce is much better than a regular sauce, I wish more customers would eat that.

Q: The restaurant business is known to be challenging. What keeps you going and sane?

A: Hands down, my employees. They are awesome and I couldn't do it without them. Julissa and Akiva have both been with me for about seven years. It's been fun to see them grow up at Ben Yehuda. Many of my high schoolers that used to work here now have families of their own and they bring them by for pizza when they pop back into town.

My current manager Sachy is awesome. Our business would not be where it is today without his support of catering and other programs we've done. I never could have gotten through Covid without him and the rest of our team. We do work with some great people!

Q: Would you do it all over again?

A: The answer is definitely yes, it's been very rewarding, It's super fun to see kids’ faces light up when I’m delivering pizza, when they see me, even if I don’t have pizzas on my hand, they say "there’s the pizza man." It’s very rewarding to hear that.

Staying in Business for 20 Years

Josh attributes Ben Yehuda's success to two things: quality and consistency. He says that over the years he's never wavered from his commitment to making the best possible pizza. He's also built up a loyal customer base by being reliable and always delivering on his promises. Josh says that it's been a lot of hard work, but it's all been worth it.

If you're looking for the best pizza in town, look no further than Ben Yehuda. With Josh Katz at the helm, you can be sure that you're getting a delicious pizza made with fresh ingredients and plenty of love. So next time you're in the mood for some amazing pizza, make sure to stop by Josh's place! You won't be disappointed.

Celebrating 10 Years of Ownership, and National Pizza Month: Thoughts from Ben Yehuda Pizza's Josh Katz