Richmond's Il Primo Pizza & Wings goes mobile with food truck

“Here in Richmond, it still has that classic neighborhood feeling. People know each other’s names. For us, it’s been an amazing experience,” he said.

Mendoza said the pizza business is competitive, especially with major chains dominating strip malls and the economic downturn that has left people with less disposable income.

“The restaurant business is very aggressive,” he said. “A lot of chefs will start with a food truck and work up to a brick-and-mortar, but now the trend is the opposite.”

To fuel the company’s growth, Mendoza and Caplinger built a custom food truck. They plan to drive the truck to the George R. Brown Convention Center for the Super Bowl in February.

Mendoza designed the interior of the truck with a full pizza oven, refrigerators and a fryer, while Caplinger designed the exterior to advertise the Richmond location.

“It’s a commissary, basically. We can bring people back to the store,” Mendoza said. “That’s my favorite part about this business—you have to be creative, you have to be aggressive.”