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IrelandGareth Leonard sees why apartment pizza can't wait for pickup
AJ's home pop-up has thousands waiting for a slot, but a delayed customer reveals the pressure of serving each pie fresh.
Gareth Leonard
Story of Why this story? 2,027,054 views so far, and here is what is inside it.
This Guy Makes Pizza at Home and has a 3,500 Person Wait List
Video summary
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- 0:48AJ demonstrates dough preparation, fermentation, sauce and cheese grating in his apartment kitchen.
- 2:22Jessie explains how pizza-making routines and order logistics fit into their shared home.
- 6:55Gareth and AJ visit Sam "The Dough Guy" to sample pizzas and see his home setup.
- 11:50AJ explains weekly preorders before taking freshly baked pizzas outside to customers.
- 14:35A delayed customer complicates oven scheduling and AJ's effort to serve each pizza fresh.
- 18:03AJ bakes his signature PBR pizza for Gareth's taste test.
"Makes me feel sad, because it's best enjoyed when it's fresh," AJ says when a customer is delayed. Gareth Leonard's visit to the San Diego pizza maker captures a small complication behind the enormous waiting list: getting people an order is only part of the job. Getting it to them at the right moment matters too.
AJ makes New York-style pizza in a shared two-bedroom apartment in Ocean Beach, using a normal home oven. He limits his pop-ups to 20 pizzas a day, twice a week. Orders open a week ahead through Hotplate, and Leonard follows the process from dough preparation and cheese grating to handing pizzas to customers outside the building.
The delayed pickup, around fourteen minutes in, disrupts that carefully timed operation. It's a more revealing detail than the waiting list alone: limited oven space means scheduling is part of the cooking.
AJ describes himself as self-taught through "YouTube University." His girlfriend Jessie helps manage the logistics, while a visit to fellow home baker Sam "The Dough Guy" introduces another approach: Sam says his focus is teaching people to make pizza themselves. The episode also includes a paid cookware segment.
Viewers are discussing the crust AJ gets from a home oven, sharing their own baking difficulties and debating whether this deliberately small operation needs to expand at all.
Leonard eventually gets AJ's signature PBR pizza, topped with pepperoni, basil, whipped ricotta and hot honey. His particular weakness is clear: "The fastest way to my heart is through a cup and curl pepperoni."
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
Stunning for what he's getting out of a home oven. I like my pies, but the crust never looks that good before the cheese overmelts. And this is on a 4 minute steel bake. Pizza is one of those things where there are so many variables (it's probably over 20), and each can make a big difference. Guy has clearly figured it out.
@UTeewbSee it on YouTubeIf I was his landlord, he could just pay rent with Pizza.
@devonjarcher9344See it on YouTubeI heard that crunch all the way in Las Vegas
@ArtieGgGSee it on YouTube
3 more comments
That crust though....that's what always makes the pizza for me. Good dough is the most important part.
@GoatshaverSee it on YouTubeI had two pizza shops in Pennsylvania years ago. I live in New york now and just started doing pizza out of my home. I was surprised how many people asked me to sell them pizza. The crust he is getting on his pizza is unreal!
@TheGreatAwakeningsSee it on YouTubePleasure making pies with you man!
@AJEatWorldSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Gareth Leonard
- Subscribers
- 802,000 ▲ 6,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 2,125,916
- Channel views, pace per day
- 424,846 (on a normal day: 179,603)
- Video published
- October 30, 2026
- Video views so far
- 2,027,054 (5 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 245,272 (on a normal day: 601,666)
The numbers
The apartment-pizza episode has passed two million views in five days. Its appeal here is the close look at how AJ manages a very small kitchen with a very long waiting list.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which herb goes on AJ's signature PBR pizza?
AJ's PBR pizza combines pepperoni, basil, whipped ricotta and hot honey.