This man left his corporate sales job in Washington DC to sell pizzas from a van. Now sells in over 6 cities in the US. His restaurant later received a Michelin award

At 25, Chris Brady had a stable corporate sales job but knew he did not want to spend years behind a desk. A chance conversation with a pizza business owner gave him an idea that sounded far removed from his career: leave sales and start selling wood-fired pizza from a truck. Brady and his friend Andrew Dana put together $20,000, bought a 1967 Chevrolet pickup and a pizza oven, and started serving pizzas around Washington, DC. More than a decade later, their small mobile operation has grown into Timber Pizza Co., which had nine locations and five mobile units when Brady spoke to Business Insider in April 2026.

It Started With A $20,000 Investment

Brady was working in tech sales when he and Dana began discussing ways to leave corporate life. The idea for a mobile pizza business came after Brady spoke with a pizza company owner during a sales call. The two friends had no real restaurant experience. Brady put in $5,000 of his own savings, while his father lent him another $15,000. Instead of immediately taking on the cost of a restaurant, they chose a mobile setup. They bought a 1967 baby-blue Chevy pickup, attached a wood-fired oven and began travelling around Washington, DC, for events and markets.

They Didn't Even Know How To Make Pizza

Starting a pizza company without knowing how to make pizza might sound risky, but that is exactly what Brady and Dana did. The pair travelled to Colorado for a pizza camp, where they learned the basics and bought their first oven. They then spent weeks testing dough and recipes before selling their first pizzas. A 2016 profile by Washingtonian noted that neither founder had made pizza before launching the business. Dana recalled that they wanted to escape sales and create something they actually believed in.


Their early approach was deliberately informal. They drove around in the old Chevy, played music and served pizza at weddings, farmers markets and other events. The Washington Post reported in 2014 that the truck's oven could cook a pizza in about 90 seconds, using oak and applewood.

The Truck Eventually Led To A Restaurant

The mobile business gave the founders a way to test their idea without immediately paying for a full restaurant. In 2016, Timber Pizza opened its first permanent location in Washington, DC's Petworth neighbourhood. The company soon began attracting attention beyond its local customers. Bon Appétit named Timber Pizza its Pizzeria of the Year in 2017, and the restaurant later received a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The original blue pickup still has a place in the company's story, although it is no longer doing the heavy work it once did.

COVID Changed The Business Again

Timber Pizza was growing before the pandemic disrupted the restaurant industry. In 2021, Brady and Dana brought in new partners and capital and began moving towards franchising. By October 2025, Restaurant Business reported that Timber Pizza had eight units and planned to open another four or five locations in 2026. The company described itself as a neighbourhood pizza business offering a premium product without the price tag of fine dining.

By March 2026, WTOP reported that the chain had reached nine restaurants and five mobile trucks, with further expansion planned across Virginia and the Southeast. Brady said the company was targeting 50 to 60 locations over five years.

From Corporate Sales To A Growing Pizza Chain

Brady's story is less about suddenly finding success and more about starting small enough to survive the early risks. The $20,000 investment allowed him and Dana to test their idea on the streets before committing to a permanent restaurant. What began with an old pickup, a trailer and a borrowed $15,000 eventually became a growing pizza brand. And while the company is now looking at expansion across the US, the blue Chevy that started the journey remains a reminder of how small Timber Pizza once was.