Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex And Julia Anderson
Hi Alex and Julia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Bryn Mawr Pizza and Deli has been in our family since 1989. Our dad and uncle had already purchased and were running the Bryn Mawr Market when this opportunity opened up. Our older brother Brooke Anderson took over and ran it for 13 years. Working at The Market and then BMPD was a right of passage for all the Anderson kids. We all started at the market very young and then moved on to the deli in high school. Eventually, Brooke decided to go back to school and Alex took his place running and eventually owning it.
Julia moved out of state for awhile but when she came back a few years ago she rejoined the team and helped us get through some challenging times post covid and now we own it together.
As kids the deli was always a focal point of every Friday night dinner, every birthday, and even every road trip. Our dad would pack the cooler full of ingredients and we’d each make our own sandwiches after a hike or bike ride.
Today our focus is on making the best food with quality ingredients, creating a place we love to work, and to support the community that has always supported us. It is really rare for a small, independent restaurant to last this long and we feel so fortunate to still be here.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a small, independent, restaurant is challenging, there is no two ways about that. We are consistently working hard and learning how to be better business owners, employers, and neighbors. Covid was especially challenging for us. We had to reduce our hours, adapt to safety protocols and ever growing food costs, we even lost a couple of employees. We certainly took a hit during this time and it has been a slow climb back. Within the last year we’ve reopened for lunches, something we couldn’t have done without our amazing employees and loyal customers.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We make food we love. We are constantly working to create a menu that is unique and satisfies a variety of pallets. Our employees are incredibly involved in the creative process and come up with some truly amazing pizzas and sandwiches. Most of our menu items have a story.
For example, the Dougwich is a sandwich named after our dad. He would be working up at the market and call down to the deli not knowing what he wanted to eat and just say “make me something”. The employees would come up with whatever their hearts desired. It caught on quickly and adding it to the menu was a no-brainer.
The Plapo was named after it’s creator- a childhood nickname that I’m pretty sure we aren’t even pronouncing correctly. But with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and walnuts it is a perfect flavor combination that has made it a long term fan favorite.
We’ve recently started doing monthly specials to allow more space for our employees to get creative and we are already considering adding some more items to the menu. Follow us on our socials to see what’s new.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We really hope we are still here making pizzas! The world changes quickly these days, costs can change quickly but people love our pizza and we love what we do and we plan on doing it as long as folks want to order from us.
Julia just had a baby and we’re already imagining this being his first job. It’s hard to imagine him growing up anywhere else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebmpd.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brynmawrpizzampls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063649595961
