Deaf-Owned and Led Pizzeria, Mozzeria, Opens in Washington, DC on September 4th

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mozzeria, an award-winning pizzeria and San Francisco's first Deaf-owned and -operated restaurant, will open its second location at 1300 H Street, NE at 11am EDT on September 4th, 2020. Carry-out service will be available to customers, who can order online via Mozzeria's website or upon visiting the restaurant.

Founded by Deaf entrepreneurs Melody and Russ Stein in 2011, Mozzeria quickly gained global acclaim for its authenticity and high standards by the International Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN). Mozzeria has maintained its mission of providing customers a welcoming, memorable, and visual environment to experience Deaf culture while working to increase career opportunities for Deaf people. According to the American Community Survey conducted in 2017, only half of deaf people were employed, compared to over 75% of the non-deaf population.

"[Cofounders] Russ and Melody established Mozzeria with the goal of reducing the significant employment disparities faced by Deaf people," stated Ryan Maliszewski, Chief Executive Officer. "Beyond serving delicious wood-fired pizza to our customers, we're creating career opportunities for our community at Mozzeria, and showing the world creative ways to be inclusive. Mozzeria prepares our employees with the skills to advance in their careers and inspire prospective employers to hire them."

In 2017, Mozzeria partnered with the CSD Social Venture Fund, the first deaf-led social venture fund in the country, with the goal of scaling the business beyond San Francisco. Its presence in Washington, DC demonstrates the incredible success of, and demand for, Mozzeria's ever-popular brand. Designed by award-winning DC-based design studio CORE architecture + design, the restaurant was created using DeafSpace principles. These principles incorporate open space design and strategic placement of windows, lighting, and seating designed to maximize the effective visual experience for Mozzeria customers and employees.

As Ryan Maliszewski adds, "Don't know sign language? No problem! Mozzeria offers all our customers an inclusive and highly visual dining experience that no other restaurant can match. Our employees are committed to ensuring that our guests feel like part of our community. Come in with an open mind, an empty stomach, and leave with a fresh perspective and even fresher pizza!"

The first 50 patrons to place an order through Mozzeria's website or at the restaurant on September 4th will receive a complimentary official Mozzeria T-shirt. For the safety of all during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mozzeria is currently providing carry-out service only.

About Mozzeria, Inc.
Melody and Russ Stein founded Mozzeria in 2011 and since then, customers across the globe have flocked to Mozzeria to get a taste of our famous authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas. Mozzeria was created with the goal in providing customers a welcoming, memorable, and visual environment to experience Deaf culture while working to increase career placement opportunities for Deaf people. Mozzeria is proud to be a place where our employees can demonstrate their talent and feel a shared sense of belonging while serving delicious pizza and cuisine inspired from the Campania region in Italy to our customers! Visit http://www.mozzeria.com and follow @EatMozzeria on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About CSD
Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is the largest deaf-led social impact organization in the world. For more than four decades, CSD has been a leader in creating and providing accessible and innovative solutions for the deaf community. Today, CSD continues its work to create opportunities for personal and economic growth within the deaf community, specifically addressing leadership and employment. CSD's Social Venture Fund is one of the first angel funds and incubators in the world supporting deaf entrepreneurs and deaf owned and operated businesses. For more information please visit: http://www.csd.org

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SOURCE Mozzeria