The Gastineau brothers, Jon (left) and Mike (right), at Pizza X Campus.
While every staff member is deeply cherished here at Pizza X, the Gastineau brothers hold a special place in the heart of the company. Mike Gastineau started slingin’ pizzas at Pizza X almost nineteen years ago. His brother, Jon, joined the team ten years ago, becoming full-time about six years ago.
Much like in life, Jon is Mike’s right hand man when it comes to work.
Mike is the General Manager at our Campus location and Jon is an Assistant Manager. While Mike takes care of scheduling, overseeing the store, and making pizzas, Jon manages all of the kitchen’s prep, making sure the store and Mike have everything they need for a successful operating day. Part of that prep includes Jon ordering from vendors and making any repairs that the store might need.
One of my burning questions for these two was what it was like to work with family.
“Good most of the time,” chuckled Jon.
The two admitted that working together has helped their relationship as siblings grow stronger since they more frequently interact with each other. As far as their work relationship, they both agreed that it’s fairly easy for them to work together and share feedback when necessary.
When asked what their favorite part of working for Pizza X was, Mike quickly answered with “it’s just fun.” Mike is a big fan of the fast pace of the Campus location.
“My favorite moments are when we’re selling 150 [pizzas] in an hour and everyone in the kitchen is just clicking,” he explained.
Jon enjoys the fast pace as well, but as a new father, he says the flexibility of his job is his favorite part. Aside from the personal benefits, Jon also enjoys the moments in which he can physically see the joy Pizza X can bring to people.
“There have been a couple of times when I have delivered [to people] who opened the door and say things like… ‘You just made my entire night, and it was a pretty dark night.’”
I think we can all agree that we have felt our whole spirit light up at the sight of a Pizza X box. Now you know a little about two of the people who help make it all happen.