Eagerly anticipated Houston restaurant offers free pizza for life to raise dough

The rewards for participating in most restaurant crowd-funding campaigns are pretty meager, but Shoot the Moon has an incentive that should grab people’s attention. To stimulate interest in its fundraising on the NextSeed platform, the eagerly anticipated Spring Branch restaurant will offer free pizza for life to backers who invest $1,000 or more by December 31.

That’s one free pizza per week at the restaurant’s Spring Branch location forever. At an approximate value of $13 per pizza, a person could recoup that $1,000 in less than two years on top of earning up to 1.45 times their initial investment over a 48-month term. As of Monday, December 7, Shoot the Moon has raised over $209,000 towards an ultimate goal of $535,000. Currently, the restaurant expects to open in the first quarter of 2021.

Founded by restaurateur Kevin Floyd, a former partner in Anvil and Underbelly, Shoot the Moon will feature a self-service system that allows diners to pour their own beer, wine, cocktails, or spirits from up to 50 different selections. Chef Dax McAnear (Beaver’s, Hay Merchant) has created a menu that starts with pizza but also includes shareable starters and a few center-of-plate entrees. Development director Jonas Herd is contributing design and building experience from his role at Construction Concepts, the local firm that built bars and restaurants such as Julep and UB Preserv.

A draft menu on Shoot the Moon’s website hints at what sort of rewards an investor might receive. Choices start with a familiar meat lovers or vegetarian but also include more exotic fare. For example, the “Dr. Strangelove” combines a white sauce with pineapple, bacon, and green olives, while another pizza will recreate Frito pie.

“The fun and efficient model we envisioned last year will deliver fast casual dining with a chef-driven menu, while guests will be able to select and pour their own drinks at their leisure. Guests will have a high level of control with their experience,” Floyd said in a statement. “At the same time, our concept features far fewer touch points between guests and staff compared to a typical table service restaurant.”

In addition to raising money for Shoot the Moon’s Spring Branch opening, Floyd is also working on the restaurant’s second location in Garden Oaks at the Stomping Grounds development. Floyd tells CultureMap that location will feature two taps walls as well a second-story dining room that can be used for private events. Design work is complete, and construction will begin once the plans are approved by the city of Houston.