06/28/2025
🍕 The Last Slice – A Farewell from Raven Pizza
Dear friends, neighbors, and pizza lovers,
It breaks my heart to write these words, but the time has come. After nearly three decades of history, flavor, and memories shared around our ovens, Raven Pizza will close its doors for the last time on July 12th, 2025.
We’ve fought hard. Really hard.
From the devastating impact of Hurricane Milton, to a 13-week closure that drained our resources, to equipment damages caused by the landlord negligence and a business partner who walked away at the worst time—we kept pushing. We rebuilt, we rebranded, we reimagined Raven Pizza. But sometimes, even your best isn’t enough.
I tried everything—searching for a new location, looking for a partner who could help carry the weight, opening up my heart and vision to anyone who believed in what Raven Pizza could still become. But the numbers from a year marked by disasters made belief a hard sell.
And while I believe with all my heart that God has a plan, and that His timing is perfect, I’m also a father of six beautiful kids (the seventh may arrive while I’m typing this). They deserve a dad who’s not constantly overwhelmed and stretched thin. They deserve my presence more than I need to hold onto a dream I can no longer carry.
So, July 12th—just one day before my oldest daughter turns 15—will be our final day.
💔 But this isn’t just about closing a business. It’s about saying goodbye to a legacy, a community, and a vision that so many of you helped build.
To every single customer, past and present: thank you. Thank you for letting us into your homes, into your celebrations, into your pizza nights and lazy Sundays.
To every single team member who shared this journey: you are heroes. Some of you showed up every day with a smile, even when I was late on payroll. Even when things were falling apart around us, you held your heads high. You gave it your all, and I will never forget that.
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A Few Things I’m Deeply Proud Of:
• We rebuilt our entire brand from the ground up—new logo, new identity, new energy.
• We cut the fluff and focused on what we do best: pizza, made with passion and real ingredients.
• We said goodbye to items we weren’t proud of and introduced ones we were—like our Nutella Pizza, or the Star- and Bear-Shaped pizzas that made our littlest customers smile.
• We stopped using processed stuff and started using real butter, real garlic (minced at the order), and premium Italian products.
• We expanded our hours, launched a new app, built an online ordering system, introduced customer rewards, and even created grain-free dog treats for your four-legged companions.
• We figured out a hybrid delivery model that kept your fees low and our service personal.
• When I took over in July 2024, we had an ancient POS system and a contact list of 14,000 unused names. In less than a year—and while being closed for 3 of those months—we built that list to 30,000+ customers, communicating daily through emails and texts.
And yes, I’m proud of all that. Not because I did it alone, but because we did it together.
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To Everyone Who Ever Ordered a Slice, a Smile, or a Jumbo Garlic Knot:
Thank you for believing in this little corner of Parrish.
Thank you for showing up, over and over again.
Thank you for being part of something that, even if it’s ending, was absolutely worth it.
If you’ve ever been touched by Raven Pizza, if you have a memory or a story to share—I’d love to hear it. Truly. I will personally read and respond to every message.
📬 You can write me right here on our page
📱 Or text me directly at (941) 800-6231
This isn’t just the end of a business. It’s the end of a beautiful chapter.
And I want to close it with gratitude, not regret.
So until our last order on Saturday, July 12th, let’s make it count.
Come in. Say hi. Eat your favorite pie one last time.
With all my heart and from my family to yours,
Riccardo
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