The Hospitality Hangout | Hospitality Podcast30 Jun

People First, Pizza Always: The Donatos Growth Playbook

Donatos Pizza President and CEO Kevin King joins Hospitality Hangout to share the growth playbook behind a legacy pizza brand built on culture, consistency, and a people-first approach to hospitality.

From starting as a dishwasher at 14 to leading one of America’s most recognizable pizza brands, Kevin explains how Donatos has stayed relevant while staying true to its values. He breaks down the company’s Agape Capitalism philosophy: lead with love, follow the Golden Rule, and do the right thing.

The conversation explores what restaurant growth looks like when people come before systems, how Donatos approaches employee retention and guest experience, and why great technology should remove repetitive work instead of replacing the human side of hospitality.

Kevin also shares how Donatos uses automation and robotics to improve pizza consistency, including a machine that applies sauce in seven seconds, its long-running pepperoni innovation, and a fully automated pizza kitchen. Plus, he discusses why the brand puts 100 pieces of pepperoni on every large pizza, its Red Robin partnership, and what it takes for a pizza brand to scale without losing what made it special.

Episode Credits:

Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
Producer: Julie Zucker
Creative Director: Adam Levine
Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
Post Production: Three Cheers Media

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

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