The central question in a dispute over a five-pizza holiday pop-up in downtown Phoenix is whether Via Della Pizza authorized Trophy Room to serve its pies. Via Della says it did not; Trophy Room says it believed a conversation with a Via Della manager gave it permission. Trophy Room is part of Pretty Decent Concepts. The dispute was reported by The Arizona Republic.
Via Della was named one of the best pizzerias in the United States by USA TODAY earlier this year, according to azcentral.com. Trophy Room said it believed the plan was approved as a five-pizza pilot.
How the Pilot Allegedly Came Together
Trophy Room said the pilot followed a conversation between its team member Thor and a Via Della manager at the pizzeria. The bar said the manager encouraged the idea and shared instructions for holding and reheating the pies. Trophy Room said it bought five pizzas for a Home Alone-themed winter pop-up, intending to reference the Little Nero’s pizza scene from the movie, as reported by The Arizona Republic.
Trophy Room said it made no money from the five pizzas and apologized for proceeding without direct confirmation from Via Della. The bar characterized the incident as a misunderstanding and said it wanted to celebrate the local community, according to The Arizona Republic.
What food-permit rules say
Maricopa County’s food code generally requires food establishments to hold a valid operating permit, subject to a specified exception for establishments operating in compliance with Regulation 7. The code does not establish how that requirement applies to this particular pizza pilot, according to the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department.
Rules and other pop-up collaborations
Maricopa County says special events where food is sold or given away must be registered, and only vendors with mobile food establishment, temporary food establishment or catering permits may operate at such events. The county’s special-event guidance does not establish whether this pizza pilot fell into that category.
A separate Pretty Decent Concepts project was a festival-bar pop-up: Phoenix New Times reported that Samurai Saloon was part of the Goldrush Music Festival, listed for Sept. 12 and 13 at Rawhide Western Town in Chandler. That was a distinct festival collaboration, not the Via Della pizza dispute, according to Phoenix New Times.
Via Della Says the Logo Offer Came Too Late
Via Della said Trophy Room offered to add its logo to the menu only after a post about the pizza spread widely online. The pizzeria said reselling its pies at a markup under another name and seeking approval afterward was unacceptable. It urged customers to visit its shop for the pizza and the quality and experience it controls there.
Via Della owner Tanner Locust said he did not want to criticize Trophy Room but felt he needed to speak out. Locust opened Via Della in 2021 despite having no prior restaurant experience, per The Arizona Republic, according to Copper Courier. The outlet describes the downtown Phoenix shop as a New York-style slice shop named one of the country’s best pizzerias by USA TODAY.
Pretty Decent Concepts' Wider Footprint
Pretty Decent Concepts operates several Valley restaurants and bars, including Carry On. Trophy Room was opened by the owners of Wren & Wolf alongside Pretty Decent Concepts, according to the same azcentral.com report from 2023. PHOENIX magazine has described Trophy Room as a swanky cocktail bar where cell phones are checked at the door, and Carry On as a 1970s-airplane-themed lounge. Founder Teddy Myers built the group with partners Thor Nguyen and Kaitlin Myers; the company began in 2016 as Culture Shock Hospitality and changed its name a year later, according to PHOENIX magazine.
A 2023 azcentral.com article reported that Trophy Room did not offer food at the time. Myers had not responded to The Arizona Republic’s request for comment when that report was written.
The Comment Section Picks Sides
Via Della’s Instagram post about the alleged resale drew more than a hundred comments from Phoenix chefs and community members. One commenter using the handle Saint Pasta wrote, “Pretty Decent at Copying Concepts,” while Luana’s Coffee & Beer said Via Della was drop shipping pizza and changing the game. Other commenters took a more sympathetic view of Trophy Room, with one suggesting the episode appeared to be an honest misunderstanding given the bar’s history of collaborations.
The businesses have not publicly resolved whether Via Della authorized the pilot. Via Della says its pies were resold without proper permission; Trophy Room says a conversation with a manager led it to believe the plan was approved. The accounts differ, and neither independently establishes what was authorized.
