We’ve beat this drum before, but we’ll continue to beat it until operators everywhere heed the call and begin taking portion control seriously. The fact of the matter is that portion control is sound business that should save you at least five percent on your food costs — and it’s incredibly easy to enact.
Let’s look at the average pizzeria, where gross annual sales would hover around $550,000. If food costs come in at 30 percent, that would mean that the shop purchases around $165,000 in ingredients yearly.
If portion control measures yielded a five percent decrease in food costs, that would save our hypothetical pizzeria $8,250 each year. If your employees are free-handing cheese — simply tossing on whatever looks “right” to them — rest assured your savings would be substantially higher should you begin a portion control program.

So, how do you get started? There are a variety of methods available, including in-line digital scales, spoodles, cups with ounce gradations and even pre-weighed cheese cups. The most accurate method would be to utilize a built-in digital scale on the make line. You can even get them recessed directly into your make line.
If you are looking to enact portion control on the cheap, that’s not a problem either. Big Dave Ostrander often likes to tell the story of how he put together a portion control program for next to nothing before he finally decided to purchase a digital scale.
“I purchased several hundred 22-ounce rubber cups from a Dollar Store,” Ostrander admits. “Packs of six only cost a dollar at the time. They were unbreakable, washable and reusable. As a normal part of the daily prep, we weighed out our cheese just like we weighed out our dough balls. There is a big difference in a penny an ounce for dough and a dime or more an ounce for cheese!”
Ostrander says the result was that he cut his cheese usage by 20 percent.
“For me,” he says, “that was over 200 pounds a week.”
After you get a grip on your portion sizes, it’s a good idea to next go through your entire menu and document the proper weights for each ingredient in each dish. This will not only breed consistency, but will help you determine whether any of your menu items are underpriced.

Designed for pizzeria owners and operators, there’s something for everyone at International Pizza Expo®, whether you’re an industry veteran or just opening your first store. If you haven’t already pre-registered to attend, you better start making plans now! International Pizza Expo continues to be the premier industry event for education, networking, business-boosting ideas, new products and services.

Have you ever heard the saying, “education is the key to success”? We feel so strongly about continuing education that we’ve decided to expand our pizza-specific educational component to include more than 80 seminars, workshops and demonstrations. We’ve also added several new industry speakers to our lineup, experts that will tell you what to do and how to react to the challenges and issues facing our industry today. Our team will educate you on how to survive and prosper in today’s economy. You’ll learn how to retain your core customers, attract new customers, improve customer service and create dynamic and meaningful marketing campaigns that really drive profits to your pizzeria.

February 28th is being designated as “New Operator Monday”. This intense 5-hour educational program is free to registered attendees.

Or maybe you’re just looking for a few new menu ideas? If you are, then the International Pizza Challenge and Demonstration Area is the place for you. The International Pizza Challenge™ has become so popular that we’ve decided to expand the competition. This year, we’ll have approximately 120 competitors from across the globe taking part in the “Pizza World Championships”. Better yet, you’ll have the opportunity to watch and learn from the top two finishers of each category, traditional and non-traditional, who will go head-to-head in our blind-box competition. What could be more exciting and spontaneous than watching four of the World’s best pizzaiolos competing to see who’s the “Best of the Best”?

Do you want to party? Make plans to attend the World Pizza Games® Finals and Rockin’ Party. We’re pulling out all the stops this year to make sure this is the biggest and best party ever.

The bottom line? There will always be winners and losers, but only those pizzeria owners that arm themselves with industry knowledge and are willing to take action towards positive change will have the ability to position their business for future growth and success.

Last but not least, remember attending International Pizza Expo is a tax-deductible working vacation.

It’s all Pizza and it’s all for you.

Best regards,
Bill Oakley

Grill it. Roast it. Fry it. Smoke it. Pizzeria operators have a seemingly endless list of ways to prepare chicken. However, deciding on what type to chicken to use — fresh or frozen — is more limited. There are benefits to both.

“Fresh chicken is not only the most economical purchase alternative, it’s also the most versatile, allowing operators to offer a variety of flavor profiles. Frozen chicken is a preferred choice where less prep work and longer shelf life is valued,” says Randy McKinney, vice president of product and program development for The Broaster Company in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Piazza Italian Kitchen in Colorado Springs, Colorado, only uses fresh, all natural cage-free chicken on its menu. “The chicken is minimally processed, which means that it is not injected with sodium solutions to plump the chickens up with artificial moisture. We feel it is the best product in flavor and tenderness available,” says Randy Price, president of the restaurant’s parent company, Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group.

Brenda McDonnell, owner/operator of Brenda’s Pizzeria and Trader’s Coffeehouse in Oakland, Maryland, purchases both frozen and fresh chicken. McDonnell places frozen fajita-seasoned chicken on specialty pizzas, while fresh chicken is incorporated into entrées. “The advantages to using the frozen, precooked chicken is that it is already cooked and sliced, so it saves on labor and time,” says McDonnell.

Incorporating products such as frozen chicken breast tenders, frozen popcorn chicken or frozen Buffalo wings provides operators with a cost-effective and easy way to enhance their chicken appetizer options without having to invest in much more labor.

The difference in food cost between fresh and frozen chicken products, explains McKinney, depends on a variety of factors — including whether the chicken is unmarinated or marinated, unbreaded or breaded, whole bird or cut (8-piece cut, leg quarters, etc.), and how it is cleaned and packed, such as super-clean vs. clean, ice-packed vs. gas flushed or vacuum packed.

Price finds that the cost of fresh chicken fluctuates throughout the year. “We currently pay $2.41 a pound for all natural fresh chicken. The current price for commodity chicken is around $1.68 per pound,” he says.

Whether you choose fresh or frozen chicken — both require strict adherence to safe handling and prep procedures. The chicken needs to be kept as cold as possible (40 degrees or cooler) and should never be left out at room temperature. McKinney recommends establishing a FIFO system (first-in, first-out) to ensure proper rotation of any food products and to dedicate an area to handling the product.

“We immediately put our chicken on a sheet tray in the raw chicken area in our walk-in. We date it and try to get it prepped within two days,” says McDonnell, who designates certain workers solely to chicken prep. Those workers must sanitize the surface area and any shears to be used prior to and after preparing the product and use food handling gloves, as well as specific cutting boards and knives. “You can’t start and stop when cutting or cleaning this product,” she adds. “We are extremely careful, and everyone is trained on this.”

Using separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked/ready-to-eat products also helps avoid cross contamination. Other ways to avoid cross contamination include sanitizing all surfaces that come in contact with raw chicken, washing and sanitizing hands, and changing food handling gloves between handling raw meats and cooked/ready-to-eat products.

“Do not allow raw chicken to come into contact with cooked chicken or other ready-to-eat food products,” says McKinney. If chicken is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. “It takes only 15 to 20 minutes for germs to produce, contaminate food and cause an outbreak of food-borne illness.”

Price recommends storing chicken in the coolest part of the cooler on the lowest shelf with nothing underneath it to prevent cross contamination from juices. The shelf life for a fresh chicken product depends on how the chicken is packed. Generally, says McKinney, from the kill date ice-packed chicken has a shelf life of seven to 10 days under optimum conditions, while gas flushed or vacuum-packed chicken still in the sealed bag has a shelf life of 10 to 14 days. Operators should check with their supplier to find out the supplier’s recommended shelf life specification. 

Chicken Parmesan

Yield: two 8-ounce servings
4 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken
breast halves
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon basil
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Tomato or spaghetti sauce
Four slices of mozzarella cheese
Basil sprigs, for garnish

Flatten chicken to ¼-inch thickness.
In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese and basil. In another bowl, beat egg. Lightly coat chicken with flour, dip chicken into egg, then coat with breadcrumb mixture.
In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter and oil over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.
Top each piece of chicken with tomato or spaghetti sauce and one slice of mozzarella cheese. Place under broiler to melt cheese. Place basil sprig on top of cheese for garnish.
Serve with a side of pasta and tomato sauce.
(Recipe courtesy of Randy Price, Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group.)

Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman is a freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky. She covers food, business and lifestyle trends.

When Paul Hibler speaks about his company’s focus on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, he’s not hitting talking points with marketing-speak. No, he means it. Really means it. In Los Angeles, a prominent farmer’s market makes it easy for commercial chefs and home cooks alike to utilize the best of what’s in season, and Hibler says doing just that is part of what makes Pitfire Pizza the thriving operation it has become today. Ranked No. 12 on our annual Hot 100 Independents list, Pitfire currently has four stores that combine to produce $8.1 million in revenue. Hibler cites the fresh fare as a major driver, alongside an emphasis on service. “Our stores are in neighborhoods,” says Hibler, “and that allows us to get to know our guests and form lasting relationships with them.” Making Pitfire a place locals can call their own is key to the company’s growth. Pitfire stores are designed to be transparent and welcoming. An industrial look (open beer kegs, exposed ductwork, etc.) is made inviting by the use of warm colors and the center placement of the wood-burning oven, which serves as the operation’s focal point. “We like it to be open,” says Hibler. “We want it to be a place where a family can relax, have a good time and enjoy the food.”

While the pie steals the show, the menu extends well beyond pizza. Pitfire’s dishes are well executed and far from ordinary — as they should be when the kitchen work is so labor intensive. Practically everything on the menu is made in-house, from dough to meatballs to salad dressings. The offerings and specials change according to what’s in season, and Pitfire’s volume and purchasing procedures guarantee freshness. “We use simple ingredients and take a lot of pride in handcrafting our pizzas and making items from scratch in the restaurants,” Hibler says. “That’s part of our culture, and our culture is something we really feel strongly about and emphasize. It’s important to us to not just serve excellent food, but to be the kind of place where talented people want to work and feel like they’re wanted and part of something special. We’re doing a lot of innovative things, really, in that regard.” The pizza starts with a wonderfully fire-singed crust that is pillowy and almost Neapolitan in nature. In fact, the pies at Pitfire sit somewhere in that narrow gap between what defines a Neapolitan crust and what defines a New York-style crust — all with a California twist, of course.” “Our dough is very rustic and simple,” Hibler says. “We make it with only three ingredients — flour, yeast and water. That’s it. That’s all you need.” The crust at Pitfire is topped with nothing but the most premium ingredients, including sausage that is made daily at a local Farmer’s Market and artisan pepperoni and salume that are handmade at a deli in San Francisco. Hibler says Pitfire aligns itself closely with the principles of the popular Slow Food Movement ... yet endeavors to serve it fast. Some of the company’s best sellers include “The Burrata Pie,” which features the creamy cheese after which it is named, along with tomato sauce, wild arugula, caramelized onion, hazelnut and a pesto drizzle. Another fan favorite is the “Pitfire Sausage” — sweet fennel sausage, tomato sauce, fontina and mozzarella cheeses, red onion and Sicilian oregano.

Hibler and his business partner, David Sanfield, are no strangers to the art of cooking. Before opening Pitfire Pizza in 1999, they cooked in various restaurants.They also had a catering company that landed some pretty interesting, high-profile cooking gigs — it fed crews and talent on more than 200 movie sets in 30 U.S. states and Canada. “We had these great mobile kitchens and would take them wherever the filming was taking place,” says Hibler. “We spent months feeding the people who worked on the set of the movie ‘Titanic.’ ” That experience has certainly helped Pitfire’s catering endeavors. The company has five simple catering options on its menu, priced from $75 to $185 and designed to feed anywhere from four to 20 individuals. But while catering may be something Hibler and Sanfield understand inside and out, that isn’t the emphasis at Pitfire Pizza. “We’re a place where the whole family can come and enjoy themselves,” says Hibler. “We have plenty of beers and wine for the adults, and the kids get dough to play with if they want it and we have mac and cheese, kids-sized pizzas and organic, soft-serve ice cream for them.”

As Hibler alluded earlier, Pitfire seeks to be a real employer of choice in the area. Employees are not only treated well, but encouraged to have fun. “We take our business seriously, but we want the great people who choose to work here to enjoy themselves while they are here,” Hibler explains. “There are some fun things we do to promote our culture, such as allowing employees to make changes to their uniforms. They can do just about anything they want to their Pitfire shirts to craft them in their own style — cut them, sew them, add things to them ... whatever reflects who they are.” Hibler says the Pitfire staff has a lot of fun with the uniform “enhancement,” which is why he encourages it. Instead of detracting from the brand, Hibler feels like it adds to it by injecting personality. In fact, in October, Pitfire staged a “Pimp Your Work Shirt” contest for its employees. Photos of the entries were posted on the company’s Facebook page, and the winner was awarded an iPad. Speaking of Facebook, Pitfire Pizza has become quite active not only on that site, but through other social media outlets as well, such as Twitter. The company uses the site to interact with customers, as well as to promote specific dishes or company news, such as its recent inclusion in the Zagat guide. “Getting Zagat-rated is something that’s very important to us,” says Hibler. “It’s something we’ve looked forward to for quite some time.”

Jeremy White is editor-in-chief at Pizza Today.

It’s February, and that means the folks in the International Pizza Expo offices are putting the finishing touches on the annual event that brings more than 6,000 pizzeria operators under one roof. Slated for Tuesday, March 1, through Thursday, March 3, the show –– now in it’s 27th year –– will be held in the Las Vegas Convention Center and includes a host of seminars, events, contests and a show floor designed to help pizzeria owners and operators boost or start their businesses. “This year we’re pulling out all the stops to make sure International Pizza Expo 2011 is the biggest and best show ever,” says Bill Oakley, vice president of Macfadden Protech LLC, the Expo’s parent company. “In fact, I’m pleased to announce that this will be the largest show ever in our 27-year history with more than 940 booths of pizza-related goods, equipment and services.” New to International Pizza Expo is a series of seminars for new and potential operators and first-time attendees. “Monday, February 28, is being designated as ‘New Operator Monday,’ ” Oakley says. “The best news is this new 5-hour educational program is free to registered attendees.” Industry insider and consultant Big Dave Ostrander will moderate a panel discussion answering questions from attendees. “The cards are stacked against you when you open a new restaurant, and there’s no need to go it alone,” Ostrander says. “You risk losing your life’s savings! I have 30 years of experience and have helped in hundred of (store) openings. I’m here to answer all your questions. It all comes down to why on earth would you not sit at the feet of someone who’s done it and made all the mistakes there are?” There are also several pre-show workshops available for attendees. Ostrander will host seminars for those hoping to open their own shops in the future and another on menu pricing. “We’ve also added a new dough workshop that will be conducted by Master Instructor Tony Gemignani. If you’ve never heard of him, then all you have to do is Google him and you’ll see why we’ve invited Tony to offer this brand new three-part dough-making program.” The costs for these additional workshops range from $150 to $325 per participant.

Sean Brauser, president of Ohio-based Romeo’s Pizza, will kick off the first day of the event with a keynote address on Tuesday, March 1. Brauser bought a single location and has grown his company to 31 stores with 600 employees in just under a decade. The keynote speaker on Wedneday, March 2, is Joe Fugere, founder of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle, Washington. Pizza Today named the company’s its 2010 Independent of the Year and Fugere, a former executive with Starbucks, will share his passion and wisdom with the industry. Following the keynote addresses, attendees will take part in business-boosting seminars beginning at 9 a.m. that address topics ranging from dealing with difficult employees to legal issues and taking advantage of gluten-free opportunities. “We’re expanding our educational program to include more than 80 business-boosting seminars and demonstrations,” Oakley says. “We’ve also lined up several new speakers, developed new topics and planned new events to make this the only show you’ll need to attend to find out about new trends, products and services in the pizza industry.”

The International Pizza Expo show floor will open for action at 10 a.m. on both days. At presstime, officials said there were 940 booths slated for the show with more than 400 companies exhibiting. The show floor is the place to source everything from olives and POS systems to new ovens. Several free seminars will be held in the demonstration area during the course of the show. Among the many topics are: using ricotta; making fresh mozzarella; expanding your menu; the art of making Neapolitan pizza and creating house-made sausage. Times vary on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pizza Today Publisher Pete Lachapelle and the Pizza Today staff will host the Beer & Bull Idea Exchange at 4:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s here that operators ask crucial questions and discuss the critical business issues relevant to the industry. Additionally, the International Pizza Challenge is back this year with two divisions ––Traditional and Non-traditional. In the traditional category, contestants use their own dough and sauce but may use only two of the following toppings: pepperoni, sausage; bacon, ham, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions and olives. The Non-traditional division allows no restrictions on dough, cheeses or toppings used. Entries are judged on the basis of taste and appearance; and in the non-traditional division judging, creativity is also considered. All 60 contestant slots in each category were filled by the first week of January. Contestants will bake in regional heats with the winners –– including two wild cards –– announced following the completion of preliminaries. The regional winners will compete in the finals of their division on Thursday and the overall winners will receive a trophy and $10,000 each. First and second place from each category will compete in the 2011 Pizza Maker of the Year contest, a blind box bake-off with a mystery ingredient that all competitiors must use. The winner will be named the World Champion Pizza Maker and will receive an additional $5,000. New to the show this year is the Best of the Best Pizza Box Challenge. The first 50 boxes entered at the designated staging area will be pitted against each other for attendees votes. The winning box’s operator will receive a $500 cash prize.

The World Pizza Games return with six categories this year: freestyle acrobatics with masters and first (novice) divisions; largest dough stretch; fastest dough; fastest box folding and longest spin. Finalists will compete at the World Pizza Games Finals & Rockin’ Party on Wednesday, March 2, beginning at 6:15 p.m. The games are facilitated by the World Pizza Champions, a group of international award-winning pizzaiolos and dough tossers from across the country. Members include former International Pizza Challenge and World Pizza Games participants and winners.

International Pizza Expo concludes on Thursday, March 3, with the $20,000 MEGA BUCKS Giveaway. Attendees who visit sponsoring booths and enter their gamepieces are eligible for the contest –– but you must be present to win. “In the current economic environment, it’s more important than ever to discover new, innovative ways to boost profits and improve efficiencies,” Oakley says. “What are you doing to increase sales and reduce expenses? Do you have financing and cash flow issues? At this year’s Pizza Expo, you’ll find solutions to these problems and more.” Specifically designed for pizzeria owners and operators, there’s something for everyone at Pizza Expo, whether you’re an industry veteran or just opening your first store. u

A grand re-opening, an anniversary, winning a “Best of” award these are all milestones worth celebrating. After all that hard work, it might be tempting to kick back and quietly toast your success. But that would be a mistake. It’s not just time to toot your own horn; it’s time to blare it!

Edgar Falk, a New York City marketing consultant and author of 1,001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, says: “Celebrating milestones like anniversaries gives you a hook to gain on-site and media exposure. It offers the opportunity to demonstrate you are a financially successful business who customers trust.”

But, how do you get the most mileage from your milestones? “You really do not have to spend a great deal of money, but rather spend it wisely in ways that will attract attention and show customers appreciation for their patronage.” Falk recommends creating excitement through sales, giveaways, contests, new-product launches and charitable giving. When done right, marketing milestones provides the perfect opportunity to thank loyal customers, attract new customers and build profits. In fact, it can be vital to your business’s survival. Take Detroit-based Niki’s Pizza. When Niki’s owner Dennis Kefallinos closed his Greektown location for remodeling, he inevitably lost customers. The loss was only temporary since the remodel was finished within six weeks; however, making sure the loss stayed temporary called for a strong marketing plan.

Wisely, Kefallinos chose to host a grand re-opening celebration to rival the competition. To let the community know Niki’s was back better than ever, Niki’s hosted two parties –– one for the media and one for the public. Neighbors, businesses and loyal customers received  “invitations” via e-mail, phone, street hand-outs and media. The public event offered patrons a buffet to sample new and old favorites. Local Greek sororities and fraternities participated in a lively “Chowdown for Charity” pizza-eating contest. Press members left with happy, full bellies and press kits.

As evidenced by Niki’s grand re-opening celebration, attracting media attention is important when marketing milestones. Press kits provide media with ready information and should include: event information, history (about owner and story of your pizzeria) and a fact sheet (contact info, specialties, “Best of” awards).  Having this information ahead of time makes it easier for the media to do their job, thus making it more likely your story will appear in the news.

Falk says another way to get media coverage is through government recognition. “An anniversary proclamation, the mayor cutting a ribbon for your new store, etc. gets you media coverage,” Falk says. The advent of social media has presented even more creative ways to market milestones. Brandon Croke, a digital strategist with Hanson Inc., headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, believes sites like Facebook and Twitter can be strong marketing tools. Croke states the press release is not dead, but there’s a better way to communicate information. “You now have an opportunity to take your message directly to your fans … with a click of a button. You can write the most creative ad in the world, but if one of your friends recommends a product, it’s potentially the best endorsement you can get.  

“Social media is best executed with an extremely creative strategy that engages a brand’s target audience and lets them in on the fun,” Croke adds. Niki’s Pizza creatively promoted its status as one of the “Top 25 Pizzas in America by GQ magazine” on  Facebook with an entry urging fans to invite 15 friends to “like” the post for a chance to win a pizza party. “Word of mouth is not new, but the increasing adoption of tools like Facebook and Twitter are like word of mouth on steroids,” he adds.

With so many marketing tools available, you might ask: “Can a mom-and-pop operation successfully market their milestones?” Absolutely. When Bill’s Pizza & Pub, a family-owned pizzeria in Mundelein, Illinois, celebrated its 50th anniversary, the owners relied on careful planning and innovative strategies. Owner Mary Ann Rouse wanted to host a celebration that reflected the peanut-tossing fun customer’s expect from the Northwoods-themed pizzeria. Being an independent operation, Rouse and her co-owner sister rallied their employees to help with photography, decorating and marketing.

“A former Bill’s employee had the idea to throw peanut bags at the town parade with party invitations attached,” Rouse said. The invitations stirred excitement and invited guests to step back to 1957 (their founding year) and enjoy an Elvis impersonator, prizes and 1957 prices. Bill’s served more than 1,000 sausage and cheese pizzas (carryout only) for $2 from 5 to 7 pm. Rouse’s cheese and sausage vendor gave them a 50-percent discount for the event. Bill’s even had a special anniversary event for kids. The local fire and police departments participated, bringing their trucks and teaching safety. Rouse said involving the community was an important part of the celebration.

After all, Rouse says, “People have been on first dates, celebrated anniversaries and birthdays with us. We just wanted to thank them for making us part of their lives and making us a success.”

Quick Tips for Milestone Events

Know your audience. Choose an event that will appeal to your customer’s tastes.
Plan ahead. Make sure nothing conflicts with your event.
Alert the Press. Assemble press kits and write news release.
Invitations. Decide who you will invite and how you will invite them. Be creative!
Decorations. Stick to a theme (ie recreating your founding year for an anniversary).
Educate and train your employees. They’re your greatest marketing team.
Budget Creatively. Ask vendors for donations. Utilize college interns or volunteers (if planning charity event).
Designate a Photographer. Make sure to get permission and names if you publish the photos.

Sarah MIller is a freelance writer living in Ohio.

The most important ingredient in your pizzeria operation, at this moment, is your marketing. If you think you can’t afford to market your business during this economy, I will tell you this: you can’t afford not to! If you don’t advertise in this market, then failure simply becomes much more likely.

I grew up in New Zealand, a market of only four million people. Due to the small size of the market, business is fiercely competitive. As a result, innovative branding and marketing often makes the difference between a flourishing venture and a failure.

Since I graduated from university eight years ago, I have been heavily involved in marketing in New Zealand. This experience certainly helped me when, in November 2008, I opened a new pizza concept in Hollywood, California. It was, quite possibly, the worst time in the past 50 years to open a pizzeria in the United States. Yet, despite the economy, Lucifer’s Pizza has been profitable from day one. How, you ask?

For starters, we put marketing first. I knew differentiation was a real key, so I spent many months surveying my competition. I looked at what they offered, their price points, their location, turnover and customer base. I found many “me too” operations — places that essentially offered the same product, the same basic concept, similar pricing and poor branding. Armed with this information, it was time for me to put together something different.

I decided to create a gourmet establishment that specializes in spicy pizza. I implemented a secondary menu that we call our “Are You Hot or Not?” menu. It allows customers to choose a chili rating from zero to blazing. We then spice their order according to their wishes.Once I developed this differentiator, I set out to brand the business around this.

We came up with the name “Lucifer’s Damned Good Pizza.” It gives the business a strong brand presence based on friendly male and female devil characters. Essentially, it plays on the sexy side of marketing. We had a private label hot sauce made for us using our branding. We also had “devil face” iPod covers made. This was extremely cheap. In fact, all of our branding measures were brought to fruition for less than $10,000 total. Yet the result is a heavily branded concept store that looks and feels like a franchise.

Take a look at your operation and ask yourself this question: “Am I any different from the 20 to 50 other outlets within my seven-mile radius?” Be honest with yourself. Do you really have the best offerings around? Is your image what you want it to be? Are you unique in your market? If not, now is the time to make changes.

Stromboli is a second cousin to pizza and a first cousin to the calzone. Which brings us to this question: how, precisely, does a Stromboli differ from a calzone?

Well, in a nutshell, there is not much difference. A stromboli starts with a rectangular shaped pizza dough, while a calzone starts with a circle of dough. A calzone is always folded over just once, while a strom sometimes — but not always — gets rolled. There are different interpretations of the dish, but a stromboli essentially is an enclosed sandwich.

As a specialty item, stromboli needs to be treated in a certain way. What that means is that stromboli offerings should be separated from the pizzas on your menu to avoid confusion. The best way to do that is to create a separate section or box on your menu to make stromboli a featured item. That allows you to distance yourself from the chain gang of pizza places — your competition — that rarely feature or offer stromboli.

The good news is that this product delivers well. The key is to avoid slicing it all the way through prior to delivery. Instead, slice about one-fourth of the way through to enhance the presentation and prevent the filling from leaking out.

In house, for table service, you should slice the roll all the way through (I like to slice it on the diagonal) so that the customer can take a slice or two without much fuss. In either case, delivery or in-house, serve the stromboli with a warm marinara sauce on the side.

Different? Slightly, yes. But that’s the idea.

And what about the filling used for a stromboli? Just about any ingredient you have on your pizza prep table can be used in the dish. Let your creative juices flow. In the recipe that follows, I have allowed for certain select ingredients; however, you can tailor the stromboli filling any which way you chose to go relative to food costs and the price you will charge. 

Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the oven temperature and bake time to ensure that the dough is completely cooked through. Also, don’t stray too far from the size I give in the recipe.  Bigger is not better in this instance (if there are too many layers of dough, the inner layers may not get fully baked).

Lastly, be sure to seal the stromboli well, and don’t forget to  make several small cuts in the top of it so that steam can vent during baking. 

Here is the basic procedure. First, roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 14 inches.
In this basic recipe I use the following for my filling:
Lay 2 ounces of sliced, sandwich-size pepperoni (about 11 slices) over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Overlap the slices to fit as needed.
Brush pizza sauce (about 2 ounces) over the pepperoni.
Sprinkle about 4 to 5 ounces of shredded mozzarella over the sauce. Or, conversely, use slices of provolone.
Sprinkle on some dried oregano followed by some grated Parmesan.
Arrange the rectangle of dough with the short end being nearest you.

Paint the border of each long end of the dough with an egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water).  Roll the dough into a cylinder, pinching the edges to seal.  Place the stromboli, seam side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Cut several small slits in the top of the dough.
Brush the top of the dough with some of the egg wash. Sprinkle a bit of grated Parmesan on top.
Bake the stromboli in a 400 F oven for about 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown and starts to crisp.  Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. I use three slices to an order, slightly overlapping the slices; then I drape the slices with warm marinara sauce.

Some tasty variations: In each of these, use the method for the basic recipe as a standard.
Use precooked Italian sausage crumbles or sauteed Italian sausage (out of the casing. Cool it a bit before using.  You will need about ½ pound of sausage).
A ham and cheese stromboli
using thin slices of prosciutto is a good alternative to pepperoni.
A four-cheese stromboli using provolone, mozzarella, fontina or Asiago and Parmesan is delicious.
A veggie stromboli should feature a medley of sauteed vegetables, such as bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives, as well as the cheese(s) of your choice. Drain the vegetable medley and cool slightly before using.u

Pat Bruno is Pizza Today’s resident chef and a regular contributor. He is the former owner and operator of a prominent Italian cooking school in Chicago and is a food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.

How does one get a loan when lenders are reluctant to make them? While the lending market remains sluggish, loans are being made, albeit in limited quantity to qualified borrowers.

John Graziano, CFP, CPA with Future Financial Planners, Inc., in Hazlet, New Jersey, advises restaurant operators to take basic steps to help increase their chances of an approval. “Lenders know this is a cash business. The first thing is to get your books in order,” advises Graziano. “Sloppy bookkeeping will only hurt your chances. Records must show that your business can cover the debt service. Having an experienced and stable management team also helps.”

“Commercial lenders look for reasons not to lend,” says Christopher Alberta, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) turnaround and restructuring adviser at consultancy firm Conway MacKenzie Inc. in New York City. “Commercial banks have significantly retracted from restaurant lending.” Banks now seek to tie loans to hard assets, but most small-restaurant loans are “cash-flow” loans, i.e., without collateral.

Lenders like to see a performance record of same-store sales growth, not a restaurant that’s in decline. “When you really need the money is almost always the time when no one will lend it,” says Graziano. “It can often pay to get a credit line in place long before you need it.”

A credit line can help meet operating capital short falls. Usually provided by a bank, the borrower can annually take, at his or her own discretion and in predetermined increments, a certain amount of capital. Credit lines are often for less than $200,000 and based on accounts receivable and current inventory. It’s not advisable to rely on one for long-term investments or major purchases because line of credit interest rates and late fees can rapidly compound.

“We needed a stove,” recalls Teresa Gagliardi, proprietor of Mama Rosa’s Cucina Pizzeria in Bayonne, New Jersey.  In 2005, long before the credit crunch, Gagliardi applied for a loan from the local bank with which she did her regular business, but was turned down. “We were in business for five years at the time. The bank wasn’t satisfied with that and didn’t look carefully at our records.” With time running out, Gagliardi used a home-equity loan to buy her oven. Her situation is not unique.

“My line of credit was cancelled in 2007 for no reason and without warning,” says Vincent Leo of Crosby Pizza Stop in New York City. In business for more than 20 years, the line had been furnished by a local bank with which he did his personal and business banking. What does he do without it? “I order things on a C.O.D. basis. Other times I just don’t buy things.” In 1995, when he expanded his store, Leo used a home-equity loan.

While banks are more comfortable once they can attach real estate to a loan, the borrower takes significant risk. The funds made available from a home-equity loan can be used for nearly anything – from taking a vacation to expanding a business. Despite the promises of safety and access to cash, there can be more than meets the eye with this type of deal.

“Borrowing against one’s home is almost never advisable,” says Mark Snyder, an independent financial adviser in Medford, New York. “People really need to understand what they may be getting into.” The Restaurant Finance & Development Conference (www.restfinance.com) helps restaurant owners and executives meet with banks, finance companies, brokerage firms, real estate developers, investment bankers and other financial intermediaries, i.e. alternative lenders. While franchisees typically have approved lenders they can approach, they are often better served going out of network, says Alberta.

Nick Matsas, a co-proprietor of Illiano’s Trattoria in New London, Connecticut, has used suppliers for credit. In business for 22 years at the same location, Matsas says bank offers arrive “all the time,” but he declines them. “Suppliers give us three-month terms. Otherwise we pay as we go and keep borrowing to a minimum.” Suppliers may have an interest in lending to you — it will help keep you as a customer, and if you cannot make the payments, they’ll most likely repossess the equipment. The drawback with supplier financing is that such loans are generally only for use when purchasing their product(s).

Traditionally lenders rely on the “four C’s” before deciding whether to grant a loan:
Cash — how much you’ve got.
Collateral – any hard assets i.e., real estate.
Credit – your bill-paying history; do you make your mortgage, taxes and other payments on time?
Character – are you a worthy risk? This is where personal references come into play.
If a potential borrower can satisfy three of the four C’s, chances are good at obtaining a loan. If your credit record is poor, speak with a credit-repair specialist about fixing it before submitting a loan application. The better one’s credit profile, the better the rate.
Considering tapping family or friends? If so, it pays to formalize the agreement by putting it in writing so each party understands its responsibilities. There are online legal companies that, for as little as $100 or less, will set up a family loan, including all the terms. Many small businesses have gone this route, and getting it in writing can only help.

The most common  small-business loans:

1. Business Acquisition Loans –
Provided specifically for the purchase of an established business.
2. Debt Financing – Normally done through a bank or traditional lender, such loans are limited by the amount of personal assets that the business owner has available to use as security against default.
3. Franchise Start-Up Loans – These apply to the acquiring of capital necessary for purchasing a franchise, specifically a nationally recognized one.
4. Line of Credit – Designed to ease cash-flow pain, lines of credit are based on accounts receivable and current inventory and often have a high interest rate and late fees.
5. Long-Term Loans/Business Expansion Loans – Used for business expansion, improvement, or acquisition of major equipment or real estate.
6. Micro-loans – Up to $35,000, these are administered through either not-for-profit or non-profit organizations and are approved by the Small Business Administration (SBA) with a lot of stipulations. They generally come in 6-year terms or less.
7. Revolving or Open-End Credit – Prearranged and for specific amounts, special checks must be written and repayments made over a specified time period. Finance charges are normally based on the amount of credit used, plus any outstanding balance.
8. SBA Commercial Loans – Loans made by private-sector lenders (banks, etc.) to small businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA) guarantees repayment, making them difficult to secure.
9. Secured Working-Capital Loans – Collateral gets the capital. Should you default, that’s what the lender will seize.
10. Short-Term Loans – Used for accounts payable, inventory and working capital. They usually require less collateral and have a smaller interest rate.
11. Start-Up Loans – Providing capital to new entrepreneurs.
12. Unsecured Working Capital (Cash-Flow) Loans – Unsecured loans provided strictly as working capital.

Joseph Finora is a freelance writer in Laurel, New York.

While the traditional pizzeria market keeps considerably regular hours, with a certain contingent venturing into late-night hours, a small but growing segment of the industry goes full throttle with 24-hour service. The first step to opening or transitioning to 24-hour business is determining if there are customers to support a revolving operation. Owners must consider competition from other restaurants in the area, how much will it cost to stay open later, labor, operating, security, marketing and insurance costs incurred, and long-term maintenance of a 24-hour business.

For Ben Darwish, owner of Gino’s Pizza and Brew in Orlando, Florida, extending late-night hours to around the clock service was a natural result of observing the buying patterns of local clientele. “We had the late night rush until 4:30 a.m. or 5:00 a.m., and by the time we finished cleaning up it was 6:00 a.m. and we had to reopen at 9:00 a.m., so I figured getting food deliveries at that time would be more convenient, and just to have the logo saying ‘24 hours’, it would be worth it,” he says. There are three 24-hour Gino’s all within close proximity. Two are currently thriving, and while one location took a bit of a hit from the recession, Darwish is optimistic about a quick recovery thanks to a new civic center in the area.

Running a 24-hour location can help establish a unique foothold, especially if there are no other such businesses in the area. When Tristan Koehler extended hours at the Domino’s Pizza near the University of Dayton in Ohio in August of 2010, effectively launching the nation’s first 24-hour Domino’s location, it garnered positive attention for the Domino’s franchisee. “In general, we’re seeing that people are ordering later at night since they don’t have to order before 3 a.m. or 4 a.m.,” says Koehler. “They’re not in a rush now, they call us when they feel like it, and that might be 6 a.m.!”

Darwish finds the 24-hour model financially viable, particularly because of Gino’s monopoly on all-hours pizza in the area. “We get stragglers and a significant amount of business after everyone else closes,” he says. The shift to a 24-hour model allows Gino’s staff to utilize down-time for vendor-pleasing easy, fast shipments and deliveries, and staff has the time for careful inventory during lulls after the late-night shift, and to prepare for needs that might arise later in the evening.

Twenty-four-hour business owners count on a large segment of consumers for revenue — bar and club goers looking for a late-night bite. Darwish estimates that about 90 to 95 percent of his late-night business comes from partiers, and nighttime business accounts for about 65 percent of Gino’s business overall. Cashing in on this great demand, however, incurs its own risks. “Being open past when bars close is going to have a number of challenges,” says Victoria Shuster, a manager at HoundDogs Three Degree Pizza, a popular all-night pizzeria in Columbus, Ohio.

A 24-hour operation will definitely need to have a security plan in place, whether that means training staff to handle rowdy crowds, which works for HoundDogs, or hiring a dedicated security staff, which Darwish does. Safety issues are a valid concern and often trickier to handle when customers are inebriated. “Some of the newer, fast casual restaurants operating on a 24-hour basis have offered discounts to police, fire and medical crews to provide comfort and safety to patrons and also drive traffic,” says James Sinclair of OnSite Consulting.

For businesses still establishing their client base, there is risk of financial loss during the time it takes to build a dedicated clientele for a 24-hour operation. “Demand for 24-hour service may not be there yet,” says Arjun Sen, president and founder of ZenMango, a Denver, Colorado-based marketing consulting firm working with restaurants, retail, charities and other guest experience-driven industries. “Even if it is, the cost of fulfilling that demand may lead to short-term financial loss.” Though these losses may ultimately turn to wins, the time it takes to market, promote and gain trust in a 24-hour pizzeria is definitely an important consideration when researching such an undertaking. “In the first month, we incurred many one-time costs, including giving away 1,800 free pizzas on campus,” says Koehler. 

Staying open around the clock allows for special experimentation that a traditional business can’t provide, such as the rollout of breakfast pizza at the Domino’s in Dayton. While Domino’s reps say there aren’t nationwide plans to open 24-hour locations, Koehler’s success with his model could very well prove to be an inspiration to other business owners. “A 24-hour business definitely profits,” says Shuster. “There’s all kind of people that are out late, and someone wants pizza for breakfast, or they are getting off third shift and they want food that’s not McDonald’s breakfast.”

The 24-hour customers do exist, and their profile varies depending on location, competition, security issues and other factors that are unique to each business. “Fitting in food around a busy lifestyle has opened up a market that is seeing explosive test growth,” says Sinclair. With many fast-food restaurants offering 24-hour service, it’s natural that pizzeria owners will want a share of that business. “The 24-hour restaurant model will be a future industry norm, for a number of reasons,” says Sen. “As geographical boundaries start shrinking, people will be doing more business based on global hours and not local hours. Also, work habits are evolving with more adults working off-site and on flextime hours. Traditional restaurant hours built around traditional business hours will fade as individuals demand access to food at different times.” u

TAKE IT SLOW

Not ready for 24-hour service just yet? Get your feet wet by extending hours on weekends. “Once an operator decides to take the step forward to move to a 24-hour pizzeria, he/she should consider moving forward in steps,” says consultant Arjun Sen. “The journey to 24-hours should not be taken in one giant step, unless the demand justifies it.”

Try staying open later on weekends, and watch how this affects business. Market new hours to customers with a promotional offering, such as specials surrounding holidays, or tied in with events at local establishments such as concert venues and corresponding to activities at local colleges and universities. Moving to 24-hour weekend shifts might be the next logical step.

Lee Erica Elder is a freelance writer in New York City.

When San Ramon, California-based Straw Hat Pizza wanted to increase appetizer sales, they turned on the TVs. The 61-unit company partnered with Coca-Cola and created a three-minute video showcasing the chain’s Snack-A-Tizers and Coca-Cola products. Store owners bought television sets that they placed on the order counters, and customers watched the Snack-A-Tizer loop –– which, thankfully for the cashiers, had no sound –– as they waited to place their order.

The chain tested the video in stores in Northern and Southern California. The results were encouraging. “We had a 23- to 30-percent increase in appetizer sales,” says Jonathan Fornaci, president of Straw Hat Pizza. “We had one store near Monterey where the store owner’s TV broke, and within a week his Snack-A-Tizer sales dropped.” He adds that the store owners’ investments paid off within the first month of buying the TVs and DVD players.

Fornaci says the test indicated that customers want to see more visual presentations of the foods, so the chain is installing digital menu boards in some locations. Digital menu boards show pictures, video, moving text and other features. “You want to make the customer feel more comfortable. The digital menu board shows the picture, and the customer says, ‘I want that,’ ” he says. Store managers can even change the text to Spanish to reflect the demographics of a store.

Other restaurants that want to upsell appetizers use a more low-tech approach. Usually that means training cashiers or servers to mention appetizers in a way that doesn’t seem pushy.

“We tell the cashiers we want to offer the missing item,” says Amir Sabetian, vice president of operations for the 96-unit zpizza, based in Irvine, California. “Say they come in and order a pizza, the beverage is the main missing item, so we offer a beverage. Then we go for salad, because salads create a bigger check average than starters. Then we offer starters.” 

Sabetian says appetizers and desserts are impulse buys, especially with Internet orders. “We notice if people order online the check average is higher,” he says. “They see everything in photos, and they get to take their time. Sometimes customers ordering for two people end up with enough food for four.”

David Poth, senior vice president of marketing and research and development for Mazzio’s Italian Eatery, says the company trains call center staff to offer a Dippin’ Starter, or appetizer with a sauce, early in the ordering process. “They start with a pleasant greeting, ‘Would you like to start this evening’s order with an order of cheese dippers?’ It’s non threatening. We are asking a question.” The call center handles the delivery and carryout for about 75 of the chain’s 167 locations.

Two years ago the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based chain launched a promotion called Go 4 It. Call center staff and counter staff at the restaurants tell customers they can add a starter for $4, which is a discount of about $1 to $1.50. “Four dollars is a safe price point,” Poth says. “At four bucks that obstacle to purchase is pretty low, so we might get them to take a chance.”

Every two to three months, Mazzio’s changes which starter to offer at that price. Sometimes the chain uses table tents at the counter, to show photos of the appetizers. Poth says the table tents help future sales. “It doesn’t help us for that visit but it plants a seed. People say, ‘Oh I didn’t know they had toasted ravioli.’ ”           

Call center staff can earn prizes for meeting certain appetizer sales goals. Poth says the prizes often include gas cards, iTunes, and gift cards. Call center managers get a budget, and they buy prizes they think will be valuable and motivating. “They are empowered because they’ve got input, and that seems to work,” Poth says.

At Giovanni’s Pizza, with one location in Huntington, West Virginia, owner Tony Mancini says customers tend to eat appetizers at the bar, while watching local Marshall University football games on TV. “When people spend four or five hours there, they don’t want to eat a big bowl of pasta and then throw down beers. Instead they get a spinach dip they can share with their buddies,” he says.

The trick is to get dining customers to order appetizers in addition to their meals. Mancini says Giovanni’s offers specials, and he incentivizes staff with prizes. He offers gift cards for a non-competing restaurant to the person who sells, for example, the most chicken tenders on a weeknight. “Most of my servers are college kids. You can motivate them with free food,” he says.

He instructs servers to ask customers not whether they want an appetizer, but which appetizer they want. “Make the decision for the customers,” he says. “Plant it in their head with, ‘Do you want to start with a spinach dip?’ ”

Sabetian says staffers don’t have to sell an appetizer to every customer. On busy Friday nights, for example, sometimes it’s better to wrap up orders quickly than to try to get a person to order an appetizer while others are waiting to place an order. “If there are ten people in line, I’d rather take another customer and another $25 check than a $4 starter,” he says. “When it’s slow, the cashier can offer more things and have a conversation with customers.”

Nora Caley is a freelance writer specializing in food and business topics. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Tradition says that pizza places need to offer soda, pitchers of beer and maybe a couple of wine options. But now, with pizza moving more upscale and customers expecting a wider variety of options, many restaurants have gone the way of full bars –– from a simple and well-stocked corner stand to an ornate wood and chrome space that runs the length of the restaurant.

A well-stocked bar does more than just offer drinks; it complements the dining experience by providing a wider array of choices, more opportunities for interaction and a chance to easily increase sales. “We believe that a well-run, well-stocked bar complements the dining experience,” says Paul Andoni, co-owner of the Shield’s of Troy Franchise in Detroit, Michigan, which started as a bar in the 1940s and eventually developed into a food establishment, using the bar as the basis. “The bar has always been an important part of our operation. Some restaurants look at their bar as an afterthought, but for us it’s an important element to our customers’ experience.”

So, for those lucky enough to have earned their liquor license stripes, how do they go about ensuring their bars have the things they need to succeed? The answer lies in proper planning, positioning and presentation.

Every great bar needs at least the basics to get started. While those vary from restaurant to restaurant and locale to locale, the common necessities include: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, a few flavored liquors, mixers such as sodas and juices, and a good selection of beer and wine.

What does “good selection” mean? It means a wide enough variety that you can serve customers what they desire, without offering so much that they get overwhelmed or that stock sits around, lonely and dusty, on the shelf. It’s neither possible nor desirable to carry every liquor, beer and wine ever made. Trying to be all things to all people just means you end up with a bar that feels watered-down. Not to mention that you’ll be stuck with a lot of inventory that doesn’t move.

Instead, find a slant that works for your customers and your area and stick to it. If you are running a beachside serve-up that caters to a young college crowd, then offering a variety of cheaper selections is a good choice. If you are in an area that focuses on local, hand-crafted items, make sure you have a good variety of area wines and microbrews. Or, if you’re a high-end restaurant like Plum Pizzeria and Bar in New York, New York, go with only the best-of-the-best.

“I only stock top-shelf liquors,” says Alex Alexopoulos, Plum’s owner. “I don’t believe in cheap drinks. Even our happy hour has real drinks, with top shelf liquors.” In a place where most of the ingredients are hand-selected and imported from Greece, having low-quality liquors would undercut the atmosphere and the customers’ taste buds. And while Alexopoulos offers a variety of price ranges for all of his liquor, beer and wine, he always does so within his quality parameters, first and foremost. “I believe that if you have good pizza, you have to have a good wine to go with it,” he says. “So I stock excellent wines in a range of prices, from $15 to $150 a bottle.”

You probably already know about the tools you need –– enough wine corks to go around, shakers and strainers, ice scoops and towels –– but one tool that’s most often overlooked is the knowledge and expertise of your servers. “Our staff is really well-trained so they can offer suggestions,” says Alexopoulos. “So if customers are open to suggestions, there is always someone who is very happy to help them find what they will like at a price they can afford.”

Most great bars also clearly have some kind of visual appeal –– gorgeous wood, polished chrome, big-screen TVs. But what you showcase behind your bar can also entice customers to order drinks. Pretty glasses and garnishes are a good start, as are clean and shiny surfaces and sexy looking drinks. But to take it one step beyond, consider dressing up the alcohol itself.

Take, for example, the idea of marinating your own vodka, the way that Joe Abston, owner of Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen and Taproom in Pensacola, Florida, does. “We use fruit to impart flavor into our vodkas,” Abston says. “They’re in big, three-liter jars sitting behind the bar. We keep six different ones at a time, and we rotate them as the seasons change, or as I get bored.”

So far, he’s done a variety of flavors, some normal, some not so much. Pineapple-orange, blueberry, cranberry-plum and a five-pepper spice are some of the most popular. “I’ve also done maple syrup vodka and peanut butter and jelly,” he says. “Most of them are easy for people to see and understand, like watermelon rinds in the summer. But I also try to keep one that challenges people — I ran a bacon vodka for a couple of months.”

While it would be great to offer a magic number of liquors you must have to make your bar successful, in truth it doesn’t work that way. Most owners agree that there’s a lot of trial and error in stocking your bar. The best way to approach it is to listen to the desires of your customers while also matching the variety, quality, cost and taste of your bar offerings with the pizza that comes out of your kitchen. There is no better recipe for a successful bar than that.


Shanna Germain is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She loves to write about both food and drink, and her articles have appeared in Cheers, Delicious Living, Imbibe and Oregon Home.

Disposable plates and utensils may not sound like a good way to go in this day and age of green fever, but some pizza restaurant operators are saying that’s what their customers want –– and what works for them, rather than real china and metal utensils that have to be washed.

For a more casual restaurant, disposables can be a way to quickly meet the needs of customers without a lot of fuss. Kurt Zwanzig, owner of ZwanzigZ Pizza in Columbus, Indiana, says his customers like the sanitary nature of paper plates and utensils. His operation started as carryout and delivery only, so disposables were a way to provide a way for customers to eat at the restaurant once the restaurant saw an increase in demand for eat-in facilities. Zwanzig has polled customers about whether or not disposable plates and utensils fit their needs, and found that customers actually wanted him to stick with disposables. “We got feedback from some of more particular customers who were frequent diners,” Zwanzig says. “They said they enjoyed having a clean plate every time.”

Disposable plates and utensils may be the perfect choice for pizza restaurants that are cultivating a more casual atmosphere, says Ashley Howard, director of marketing for FoodServiceWarehouse.com, a Web site that sells restaurant equipment and supplies. The majority of restaurants who buy from the company purchase and use real china and metal utensils, but more casual pizza restaurants sometimes choose disposable. “We are seeing restaurant owners who want to give off a higher-end vibe, maybe they serve pizza but also have other selections on menu, choose real china,” Howard says. “If a restaurant is smaller and customers are in a hurry and aren’t looking for that traditional waiter experience, they might use disposable.”

The biggest drawback for traditional plates and utensils, Zwanzig says, is labor. His restaurant doesn’t have the room, for one, for a dishwashing set up, and he’d have to hire more personnel, and that’s always costly. “Our dish area is already in full mode all day,” Zwanzig says. “We make 1,000 pounds of dough on Thursday in preparation for the weekend. To think about having a plate, a fork and a cup for every one of our customers in addition to the dough trays – well, I don’t even want to think about that.”Zwanzig says he knows investing in china would eventually pay for itself, but he’s concerned about getting the dishes and utensils clean enough. “In the long run, having the traditional hard plates and cups would be less expensive,” Zwanzig says. “The problem is continuous labor, and the quality of the cleanliness. I don’t want to take any chances.”

It is possible to be green –– and use disposables. Amici’s Pizza in Berkley, Michigan, also uses disposable plates and utensils – but has gone to great pains to ensure that all of the paper products are properly recycled. Jennifer Stark, owner, says her brother started the restaurant using Styrofoam, and after she bought the restaurant, she decided to take it green. Amici’s joined the Green Restaurant Association and adopted its principles.

“We implemented recycling, and switched to Chinette compostable plates,” Stark says. The restaurant sorts all trash for recycling, and it is picked up by a garbage company that takes items for recycling or composting.
Stark says compostable and recyclable materials are much more expensive, but she believes customers support them because they take the extra steps to ensure their restaurant is as green as possible. “It’s paid for itself with volume,” Stark says. “Our customers value what we’re doing …. A lot of the food we serve is vegan, and we have a lot of conscientious customers.

They’re educated and knowledgeable. We listened to our clients and decided they were right.” Both Stark and Zwanzig note that their restaurants’ kitchens simply are not large enough for a dishwashing area, which was the primary motivation for going disposable.

Almost any type of dining room item, including plates, utensils and take-out containers, can be made from plant-based materials, including corn, plant starch and sugar
cane (see sidebar for full explanation of materials available).

The cost for plant-based disposable dining materials, however, is higher. Yet, in many instances, the difference isn’t substantial — and the goodwill created by using green products certainly has its own significant worth.
A case of ecologically friendly cups, for example, can range from about $82 to $140 for 1,000 cups, depending on the material used. A case of 1,000 comparable cups in a traditional plastic or Styrofoam material can cost as low as $50 or as high as $123.  “There is a very wide spread across the board, but in some cases, depending on the quality you’re looking for, these items can help you capture business,” Howard says. “A lot of customers are very concerned about the environment, and it can be something (operators) can use to show customers they are ... trying to do what’s right.”

GREEN DISPOSABLES

Plant-based disposables are commonly available now, and can be a great choice for a restaurant that wants to stick with disposable tableware but also wants to be green. Here’s a rundown of the types of materials used to make ecologically friendly disposable restaurant ware from Ashley Howard of FoodServiceWarehouse.com:

PLA is a corn-based product. Almost entirely biodegradable and can be composted. Nearly any type of dining item, including plates, utensils and take-out containers, can be made from this substance.

PSM is plant starch material, which is the fiber and pulp from vegetation excluding from genetically modified corn. This will look more like plastic, Howard said, and biodegrades within 95 days.

Sugar cane has a look and feel that’s the most similar to paper, Howard said. Containers, cups, portion cups and coffee take-out cups are the most common items made from sugar cane.

Robyn Davis Sekula is a freelance writer living in New Albany, Indiana.

It’s February, and that means the folks in the International Pizza Expo offices are putting the finishing touches on the annual event that brings more than 6,000 pizzeria operators under one roof. Slated for Tuesday, March 1, through Thursday, March 3, the show –– now in it’s 27th year –– will be held in the Las Vegas Convention Center and includes a host of seminars, events, contests and a show floor designed to help pizzeria owners and operators boost or start their businesses. “This year we’re pulling out all the stops to make sure International Pizza Expo 2011 is the biggest and best show ever,” says Bill Oakley, vice president of Macfadden Protech LLC, the Expo’s parent company. “In fact, I’m pleased to announce that this will be the largest show ever in our 27-year history with more than 940 booths of pizza-related goods, equipment and services.” New to International Pizza Expo is a series of seminars for new and potential operators and first-time attendees. “Monday, February 28, is being designated as ‘New Operator Monday,’ ” Oakley says. “The best news is this new 5-hour educational program is free to registered attendees.” Industry insider and consultant Big Dave Ostrander will moderate a panel discussion answering questions from attendees. “The cards are stacked against you when you open a new restaurant, and there’s no need to go it alone,” Ostrander says. “You risk losing your life’s savings! I have 30 years of experience and have helped in hundred of (store) openings. I’m here to answer all your questions. It all comes down to why on earth would you not sit at the feet of someone who’s done it and made all the mistakes there are?” There are also several pre-show workshops available for attendees. Ostrander will host seminars for those hoping to open their own shops in the future and another on menu pricing. “We’ve also added a new dough workshop that will be conducted by Master Instructor Tony Gemignani. If you’ve never heard of him, then all you have to do is Google him and you’ll see why we’ve invited Tony to offer this brand new three-part dough-making program.” The costs for these additional workshops range from $150 to $325 per participant.

Sean Brauser, president of Ohio-based Romeo’s Pizza, will kick off the first day of the event with a keynote address on Tuesday, March 1. Brauser bought a single location and has grown his company to 31 stores with 600 employees in just under a decade. The keynote speaker on Wedneday, March 2, is Joe Fugere, founder of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle, Washington. Pizza Today named the company’s its 2010 Independent of the Year and Fugere, a former executive with Starbucks, will share his passion and wisdom with the industry. Following the keynote addresses, attendees will take part in business-boosting seminars beginning at 9 a.m. that address topics ranging from dealing with difficult employees to legal issues and taking advantage of gluten-free opportunities. “We’re expanding our educational program to include more than 80 business-boosting seminars and demonstrations,” Oakley says. “We’ve also lined up several new speakers, developed new topics and planned new events to make this the only show you’ll need to attend to find out about new trends, products and services in the pizza industry.”

The International Pizza Expo show floor will open for action at 10 a.m. on both days. At presstime, officials said there were 940 booths slated for the show with more than 400 companies exhibiting. The show floor is the place to source everything from olives and POS systems to new ovens. Several free seminars will be held in the demonstration area during the course of the show. Among the many topics are: using ricotta; making fresh mozzarella; expanding your menu; the art of making Neapolitan pizza and creating house-made sausage. Times vary on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pizza Today Publisher Pete Lachapelle and the Pizza Today staff will host the Beer & Bull Idea Exchange at 4:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s here that operators ask crucial questions and discuss the critical business issues relevant to the industry. Additionally, the International Pizza Challenge is back this year with two divisions ––Traditional and Non-traditional. In the traditional category, contestants use their own dough and sauce but may use only two of the following toppings: pepperoni, sausage; bacon, ham, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions and olives. The Non-traditional division allows no restrictions on dough, cheeses or toppings used. Entries are judged on the basis of taste and appearance; and in the non-traditional division judging, creativity is also considered. All 60 contestant slots in each category were filled by the first week of January. Contestants will bake in regional heats with the winners –– including two wild cards –– announced following the completion of preliminaries. The regional winners will compete in the finals of their division on Thursday and the overall winners will receive a trophy and $10,000 each. First and second place from each category will compete in the 2011 Pizza Maker of the Year contest, a blind box bake-off with a mystery ingredient that all competitiors must use. The winner will be named the World Champion Pizza Maker and will receive an additional $5,000. New to the show this year is the Best of the Best Pizza Box Challenge. The first 50 boxes entered at the designated staging area will be pitted against each other for attendees votes. The winning box’s operator will receive a $500 cash prize.

The World Pizza Games return with six categories this year: freestyle acrobatics with masters and first (novice) divisions; largest dough stretch; fastest dough; fastest box folding and longest spin. Finalists will compete at the World Pizza Games Finals & Rockin’ Party on Wednesday, March 2, beginning at 6:15 p.m. The games are facilitated by the World Pizza Champions, a group of international award-winning pizzaiolos and dough tossers from across the country. Members include former International Pizza Challenge and World Pizza Games participants and winners.

International Pizza Expo concludes on Thursday, March 3, with the $20,000 MEGA BUCKS Giveaway. Attendees who visit sponsoring booths and enter their gamepieces are eligible for the contest –– but you must be present to win. “In the current economic environment, it’s more important than ever to discover new, innovative ways to boost profits and improve efficiencies,” Oakley says. “What are you doing to increase sales and reduce expenses? Do you have financing and cash flow issues? At this year’s Pizza Expo, you’ll find solutions to these problems and more.” Specifically designed for pizzeria owners and operators, there’s something for everyone at Pizza Expo, whether you’re an industry veteran or just opening your first store.

There’s hardly a better accompaniment to a great sandwich than potato chips or fries. But in the pizza business, where kitchens often are small and a fryer isn’t always required, chips typically get the call. Which isn’t a bad thing at all: Americans love potato chips so much they’re the country’s favorite salty snack (second only to candy overall), and we spend $6 billion annually chomping down 1.2 billion pounds of them.

Another perk is their low cost. A nice pile of chips on a plate creates strong value perception and boosts food cost only marginally. But just because they’re markedly cheaper than pricey items like cheese doesn’t negate the impact of waste on the bottom line, so it’s smart to manage your chips wisely.

Depending on the brand, operators say single-order bags range from 30 cents to 45 cents each with portion sizes averaging from 1 to 1½ ounces. Larger 1 pound bags designed for volume use hover in the $2.50 range, meaning that even a hefty 1½ ounce portion (a two-handed scoop for most cooks) costs decidedly less at 23 cents.
While that cost advantage is sizeable, large bags have their drawbacks.
“I never wanted people putting their hands into a community bucket of chips,” says Eddie Fischer, owner of Eddie’s Lakeview Pizza in Nineveh, Indiana. “So we went with the small bags even though they cost more. I thought it wasn’t that bad to absorb 41 cents into the cost of a sandwich.”

Fischer and other operators acknowledged larger bags cost less, but said the waste from chip breakage, opened bags going stale, over-portioning on the sandwich line and nibbling by the staff compounded their poor appeal. Such thinking long ago led Mangia Stuffed Pizza in Austin, Texas, to switch to smaller bags of Frito-Lay products before a recent change to Miss Vickie’s chips.
“We’ve gotten some great feedback from customers since we made the upgrade,” says executive general manager Christine Nichols. “We also get a variety pack so customers can choose what kind they want.”

Unlike some operations, where customers pay more if they substitute French fries for chips on a sandwich, Mangia doesn’t charge extra for fries. But for delivery orders and catered box lunches, chips are the only option. “There’s no question they’ll hold up when we’re transporting them,” Nichols says.
Proof that Larry Rust has “been in this business forever” is how he used to get chips delivered to his Pizza Inn restaurant in Paducah, Kentucky.

“I don’t know if you remember Charles Chips, but they came in big cans and were delivered weekly,” he says. “They were good tasting chips, but from a freshness standpoint, they don’t compare to the smaller bags.”
All of Rust’s sandwich orders are accompanied by Lay’s chips, and when they’re delivered, they’re always in the bag. For improved presentation in the restaurant, Mangia opens each Miss Vickie’s bag in the kitchen and pours its contents onto the plate.
“We do advertise it in the restaurant that these are Miss Vickie’s, so customers know what they’re getting,” Nichols says.
Jack Butorac, president and CEO at Marco’s Franchising, says a recent shift from Coke products to Pepsi products led the 226-unit Marco’s Pizza chain to switch to all Frito-Lay chips since that company is owned by Pepsico. The wider variety gives customers choice and adds value to its oven-baked sub sandwiches, he says.

“We’ve never really marketed our subs as heavily as our pizza, but we think that adding a bag of chips gives us an opportunity to talk about a higher-value meal,” says Butorac, whose company is in Toledo, Ohio. “The chips are also part of our bundled lunch specials.”

In pizzerias equipped with deep fryers, the opportunity to fresh-fry potato chips makes a logical menu extension. At Papa Rocks Pizza Pub in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, they sell for $2.99 per basket and are seasoned with choices of flavored salts. King Pin Pizza in Ames, Iowa, sells a $4.29 basket of fresh chips with a garlic-Parmesan ranch dip, and Mr. Mike’s Pub and Pizza in Irwin, Pennsylvania, sells homemade chips with a “hot bleu dressing” for $3.95.

After admiring the quality of fresh-fried chips made at other pizzerias and casual restaurants, Tony Palombino saw an opportunity to add them to the menu of his Boombozz Pizza & Taphouse concept, which opened nearly two years ago in Louisville, Kentucky.
“It isn’t hard to do; we just use a Robot Coupe to slice the potatoes, which takes no time,” says Palombino. Since the same food processor already was in use for potatoes used on a pizza and because he already had fryers for wings, chips were a super-low-cost menu addition. “I also liked the fact that we could season them ourselves and make them fresh.”

Side orders of house-made BoomBoom chips come with every sandwich, but it’s on his Taphouse Loaded Potato Nachos that he makes a significant profit. On the dish is a 1.7 ounce pile of hot BoomBoom chips topped with smoked bacon, melted beer cheese, chipotle salsa and garlic sour cream. Sale price is $6.49 ($2 more if customers add chicken).
Between his two Taphouses he sells an average 280 orders of Nachos per week, an effort that’s turned his cooks into frequent fryers. But Palombino says the labor is not a big deal given the margin built into the dish.

“There is some added labor overall, but not much,” he says. “It’s an easy product to make and control. If we’re busy, we make more; if we’re slow, we back off. Very little waste, which I like a lot.” 

Whether you use large bags of chips or smaller ones, both have advantages and drawbacks.

Small Advantages
Small bags cost more per portion, but waste is lower.
Food handling hazards are eliminated.
Mixed cases provide added guest choice.
Chips don’t get soggy during delivery.
Branded bagged chips can have high customer appeal.

Small Disadvantages
Large bags cost as much as 50 percent less per portion.
A pile of chips on a plate is more attractive than a bag.
Large bags dumped into a speed rack make fast work for large orders.
Large bags yield less trash in house and offsite.
Mixed cases sometimes contain flavors customers don’t like, which can mean waste.

Steve Coomes is a former Pizza Today editor and a freelance writer living in Goshen, Kentucky