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Sexton’s Pizza started in a trailer the size of a closet on Florida’s Gulf Coast a decade ago. Now, after building a multi-unit operation in Columbus, Ohio, the pizzeria is returning to where it all began.

In this episode, we sit down with co-founder Joey Sexton ahead of Pizza Expo Columbus to talk dough science, growth and what it means to come full circle. You’ll learn about:

• Columbus-style Pizza: The square-cut, red-sauce, smoked-provolone tradition rooted in the city’s Flytown neighborhood.
• Dough Evolution: How a deep dive into long-fermented New York-style dough transformed Sexton’s signature product.
• Building a Commissary: Why centralizing dough production took three months to dial in but changed everything for consistency.
• The Portnoy Effect: What happened in the 12 hours after an 8.1 review and how Sexton’s kept up with demand
• Sexton’s Burger Bar: Why a smash burger with a lace edge earned its own concept instead of a spot on the pizza menu.
• Return to Florida: Why opening a location in the state where Sexton’s started feels like closing the loop on a 10-year journey.

Tune in to the full episode of The Hot Slice Podcast to hear it all!

Show Notes:

Sexton’s Pizza: sextonspizza.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