Thank you so much for more than 19 wonderful years here in Lethbridge! We are excited to be this community's go-to pizza place, and look forward to many more great years! Our mission has always been to provide great pizza with exceptional service. We start with quality ingredients, which are made in-house or brought in locally as much as possible. The staff are the ambassadors for our missions and values, and they aim to please! Our cozy dining room is a great place to enjoy fresh pizza with your family and friends, where we also offer wine and over 100 craft beers! Cheers!
A Two Guys Pizza Story - As written and edited by Brittany Gerris & Cory Medd
There are over 40 pizzas to choose from on their menu, including traditional favourites, but they’re mostly known for their innovative gourmet creations. You can also order baked pasta dishes, salads, desserts, appetizers and more. They have more than 100 craft beers available in their small dining room – a beer lover’s paradise! If you don’t have time to eat in, there’s also take-out or delivery options and now, you can even place your order on their new website!
The concept for Two Guys and a Pizza Place began when Cory Medd walked into a pizza place that was for sale. The existing business wasn’t doing well, and he decided to wait until the space and equipment became available. “With my previous restaurant experience, I felt confident,” Medd explains. He has worked in restaurants from a young age and learned a lot from supervisors over the years. The fast-paced fun environment was a part of what he loved about being in a restaurant.
Once the pizza place became available, Medd and his partner brainstormed names, recipes, concepts, and logos for Two Guys and a Pizza Place, which opened in May 2002. “After a year or so, I reached an agreement with my partner, and he moved on to pursue his own career in Vancouver. So since 2003, it’s just been one guy and a pizza place!”
“In the early years of Two Guys Pizza, I gained enormous respect for anybody that put it all on the line and chose to open a restaurant or a business for themselves. It’s not easy. I was putting in long hours, often sleeping at work! I found myself asking questions a lot – to my lawyer, my accountant, bankers, friends, customers, staff, distributors, and other restaurant owners. To this day, I love chatting about all things business, and I love learning.” One of Medd’s tips is to plan ahead, be organized, and then be flexible. He admits to not being an expert, but he’s generally always thinking ahead for advertising, promotions, budgets, staffing and life in general.
Back in 2003, there were only five staff members, growing to 25 employees in 2010, and in 2017 the restaurant employed about 60 people. Besides the typical perks and benefits, Medd says he shows his appreciation for the people who work for him by throwing legendary staff parties in early January and usually in mid-summer as well. “We have had concerts, lip-sync battles, talent competitions, golf tournaments, fantastic dinners, massive barbeque parties, etc.,” and each party is bigger than the one before.
As time flied by, there had been some small expansions made to the business. In 2011, Cory purchased a pizza trailer which could be used at events all over the city. Then, in 2013, after 11 years, Two Guys Pizza moved locations to 11th St south, and added a small 40-person dining room where customers can experience the pizza fresh out of the oven, while enjoying one of the 100 craft beers on the menu!
Medd is very proud of what he’s built at Two Guys and a Pizza Place. “It’s exciting to come to work every day and chat with the staff and the customers. Over the years, we have become a big part of the community and it feels great to be able to give back and support those that support me!” Every Christmas since he and his wife, Krista, began their family of two little girls, the Medd family have made and delivered pizzas for families on Christmas Day, or done some other meaningful good deeds during the holiday season.
Two Guys and a Pizza Place also supports SAAG, YMCA, YWCA, Fifth on 5th Youth Services, and Big Brothers & Sisters. They send pizzas to Youth One every Monday. They provide sponsorships to the Lethbridge Bulls, Lethbridge Hurricanes, University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, Lethbridge College Kodiaks, and other amateur sports teams. If that wasn’t enough community spirit, Medd also donates to the food banks; brings their Pizza Trailer to charity events and gives out free pizza; promotes Family Month and contributes to Lethbridge Family Services; and has been a partner of Mealshare for many years. He has also been involved in the networking group, Young Professionals Association of Lethbridge (YPAL) and was a board member for the Lethbridge College Business Administration Program Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2012 and currently sits on the advisory committee for the Lethbridge College Culinary Program.
Two Guys and a Pizza Place was also featured on season four of The Food Network’s “You Gotta Eat Here!” and boasts many awards including “Canada’s Best Pizza” by Canadian Pizza Magazine in 2008 and 2012, Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the year in 2013, and Dalton Jordan Memorial Award for Business Excellence
in 2014.
