329. Creating a Thoughtful Beverage Program Without a Liquor License

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Sarah and Daniel Correa never planned on becoming beverage innovators. But when opening a full bar wasn’t the right fit for their community, they got creative instead.

In this episode, we sit down with the Correas, owners of Fired Pizza in Stockton, California. What started as a mobile catering rig in 2018 grew into a food truck, then blossomed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant built on Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and a genre-bending beverage program that won them the 2025 Pizza Industry Excellence (PIE) Award for Best Beverage Menu.

Here’s what Sarah and Daniel get into:

• Why they intentionally chose to operate on a beer and wine license instead of pursuing full liquor, and how that decision shaped their entire brand.
• Crafting cocktails with agave wine and infused syrups that rival traditional spirits, without a drop of vodka or whiskey in sight.
• How relationships forged with local breweries and wineries during COVID became the backbone of a rotating, story-driven beverage menu.
• The strategy behind an eight-tap draft system built around community loyalty, plus the sorbet seltzer customers refuse to let go.
• Pricing wine by the glass to build trust with guests and move volume instead of sitting on bottles.
• Standing out in a market full of New York-style legacy pizzerias by committing fully to something different.

Show Notes: 

Fired Pizza: fired-pizza.com

Pizza Expo Columbus: pizzaexpocolumbus.pizzatoday.com

Pizzeria Operator Survey: survey.alchemer.com/s3/8906788/Pizza-Today-s-Pizzeria-Operator-Survey-2026

Pizzeria Industry Excellence (PIE) Awards: pizzatoday.com/pie-awards