There were countless highlights at International Pizza Expo 2013 in March. As I write this column, I’m still jet-lagged from the return trip from Vegas and still reeling from the success of the show. But of all the high points, none compare to the many great conversations I had with operators regarding Slice of Hope. After two years of building the national dine-out event that benefits breast cancer research, Slice of Hope is really starting to gain traction in the industry.

I’m pleased to announce here officially (in case you missed it at Expo) that Slice of Hope 2013 is scheduled for October 1-4. This year, we’re taking the traveling bicycle party to New England! The route will offer the cyclists the chance to challenge themselves in the idyllic, pastoral landscapes of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. We’ll conclude the event in Boston on Friday, October 4. That day has been designated National Pizza Party Day by Pizza Today and, as in years past, we ask our loyal readers to support the cause by pledging a percentage of that day’s sales.

We’ve once again partnered with the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation, a national charity based in Seattle. The Foundation’s promise is that 100 percent of the Slice of Hope money it receives will go directly to research. In fact, in 2013 the KMBCF made sizable grants to researchers at The Ohio State University, University of Washington and the University of Miami. The work done in these labs shows promise, and it couldn’t be done without your support. Plus, as a legal 501(c)3 charity, any donation you make to the KMBCF is tax-deductible.

In future issues I’ll keep you updated on Slice of Hope developments. In the meantime, please visit www.endthisdisease.org to learn more about the KMBCF.

Best,

Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

A ‘Go West’ inclination during a carefree time was the recipe that resulted in Gerald Strader and his business partner, Scott Leist, setting up shop — literally — in Austin, Texas. Once they made the move a whirlwind of events quickly conspired to produce both jubilation and unexpected challenges, but, really, what business doesn’t face both, the two men reasoned? More than three decades later, the partners operate a company, Conan’s Pizza, that ranks No. 95 on Pizza Today’s list of Hot 100 Independents.



“We opened Conan’s on July 19, 1976,” explains Strader. Leist was unable to be present during our visit in January. “We had graduated form college in Florida and wanted to open a pizza place. We knew we wanted to be in good weather, so the parameters were that we would go somewhere West of the Mississippi River and South of the Mason-Dixon Line. If Austin didn’t work we were going to go to Tempe next, and then on to San Diego. We literally loaded up our vans and drove out here. We fell in love with Austin. It was booming.”



Those were the days when Janis Joplin and Willie Nelson reigned supreme in the city, and Strader said Austin’s artistic bent coupled with its growing population made it a good choice for a restaurant. The fact that there weren’t any pizzerias serving the pan-style for which Conan’s has become known made it an even better place for the two new graduates to give their concept a shot.

“My first ever pizza job was in Stillwater, Oklahoma,” says Strader. The son of a military father, Strader has lived all over the U.S. and other countries. “It was a full-blown Italian restaurant. I saw a lot of stuff there and learned a lot. But our pizza recipe didn’t come from there. It is an extension of what I learned in college. When I was in Gainesville I worked for a place called Leonardo’s. I took what I learned there and brought it here.”

What made Strader think that style of pizza would be a hit in Austin? “I loved it,” he says. “I was a huge fan. I thought this stuff was so good that it would sell anywhere. And I was right. It went really well.”

Just about everything went well for the partners early on. After working daily to get Conan’s open, the pay off didn’t take long. After only six months in business the pizzeria was so busy that it nearly doubled in size, from a mere 800 square feet to 1,500 square feet. But one day a legal notice arrived in the mail and Conan’s faced a major hurdle. Its identity, inspired by a comic book character that was later immortalized in Hollywood movies, was placed in the crosshairs of threatened legal action. You see, the pizzeria didn’t just use the name, Conan’s Pizza. It also featured artwork of the character. After some legal wrangling and a trial, Strader and Leist emerged with the right to continue using the name and using the images within the three company-owned stores. Though any future licensees or franchisees can’t use the artwork, the pieces still remain on display in the three stores owned by the partners.



With the legal hiccup aside, Strader and Leist were free to grow their business. That, of course, comes with its own trials and tribulations.

“We opened about a dozen stores over the years,” says Strader. “And just about everyone of them were successful. One closed due to crime; one closed because the landlord went bankrupt. The building was literally condemned and the whole place was bulldozed. Then, in 1986 Texas was hurting despite what was going on in the rest of the country. We had to close a San Antonio store in ‘86. The first five were gold mines. It just goes to show it really is location, location, location.

Strader’s sons are involved in the business now and his eldest, Chris, has come back to lead a management and marketing role after spending time working in political circles in Washington, D.C. While in the nation’s capital he worked on campaigns, as a driver for Rahm Emanual and as a clerk on the Ways & Means Committee for Democratic U.S. House of Representatives member Charles Rangel of New York. Though those experiences no doubt shaped him, he says some of the skills that have translated to Conan’s the most did not come from time spent in government buildings, but in a more unlikely place.

“Some of my best experience was actually managing a lawn and garden center in D.C., believe it or not,” he says. “They gave me a lot of responsibility. I started a newsletter and did social media, and that certainly spills over.”

For Strader’s part, he says the itch to grow never fully subsides. With that in mind, he says burgeoning markets like areas in Dallas, Houston and along the Interstate 35 corridor may present opportunities for Conan’s to expand.

“We’re dying to open more stores,” he says, “but it has to be the right fit. We don’t open losers.”



So, for now, the plan is to continue focusing on production and providing customers a good experience. In 2012, Conan’s experienced 12 percent growth as compared to the year prior. Now, Chris is working to maintain that track by keeping Conan’s in the mix through advertising and social media channels as Austin experiences an influx of newer, trendier dining options.

“Things are going well right now, and we have a lot of cards in our hand yet to play,” he says. “The next time we feel a bubble we can start to use some of it.”

With today’s advanced POS systems, say the Straders, so much more information is available at the operator’s fingertips than ever before. Things like identifying and courting so-called “lazy customers” to return is easier now than ever.

“From a marketing standpoint,” intercedes Chris, “the pickup customer is the customer I get the least amount of information on. If you think about it, with a delivery customer I get their full address and I can market directly to them.”

Delivery makes up 15-20 percent of sales at Conan’s, and that is without making a conscious effort to increase that segment of the business. In part, Conan’s hasn’t had to since it has made a name for itself with longevity.

“We’re an icon now,” says Strader. “UT (University of Texas) students all over the state want to come back to visit, and when they do we’re on their check list.”

Consistency is the real key to that. For Conan’s, a commissary is one of the drivers that helps all three stores produce the same product all day every day.



“We’ve always had a commissary,” says Strader. “We do it out of one of the stores now. We have three guys work it, and two of them have been here for 20 years. They come in and make the dough, prep and load the van. They deliver fresh product to the stores seven days a week.”

That results in quality control some independents don’t always have. Says Strader: “We’re labor intense. I know that. But we’re quality. I really think quality and labor go hand in hand."

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

The story has been repeated time and again in cities all across America: an aspiring man or woman moves to a new locale after years in New York and is disappointed by the pizza offerings of the adopted city. This time, the city in question is Austin, Texas, and the heroine of this twice-told tale is a former NYU student who made her living in Austin as a food editor. But the clichés really are only circumstantial, because behind the concept developed by Jen Strickland (seated in the black dress in the photo at the right), her husband Joseph and business partner Terri Hannifin (far right) there’s substance. Together, the trio opened Home Slice at the end of 2005. They were part of a boom on Austin’s now-popular Congress Avenue and have reaped the benefits of hard work, location and a fun concept ever since.



There was a time when Congress Avenue was less than desirable. Street walkers and drug pushers owned the nights on this busy street with a distant view of the Texas state capitol building. But just as other cities such as Indianapolis and Charlotte have undergone successful revitalization efforts in years past, something was brewing in Austin. An educated, hip and artsy population does not remain stagnant for long, and Congress eventually became the focus of like-minded entreprenuers who saw potential in the area. Now the avenue is a growing, buzzing hotbed of activity. And with both residential and business areas nearby, the restaurants benefit with crowds during both the lunch and dinner dayparts. Such was the case when Pizza Today dropped in on Home Slice Pizza in mid January to observe the goings-on. The main restaurant was packed with business professionals and young families. Next door, More Home Slice — a small extension meant to deal with takeout overflow — was packed as well. Its limited seating was taken by students and biz pros on a time crunch. Slices waited for re-heating in the deck ovens, while the warm sunshine outside meant the outdoor seats were occupied with slice enthusiasts as well. We chatted briefly with Chris Harlan, a student at the University of Texas who was shopping at a nearby specialty store. He said Home Slice was his “go-to joint” when he felt the need for pizza.



“You get in and out fast, and the vibe is cool,” he says. “The slices are large and they always hit the spot.”

The menu is designed to hit the spot New York style. Whole pies and slices reign supreme, but other options include salads, antipasto, calzones, sub sandwiches, espresso and dessert. Beer and wine complete the dining experience and work to elevate overall sales. Though native to New York, the trio of owners did not already possess pizza-making expertise when they decided in earnest to make a run at pizzeria ownership. Instead of trying to acquire it in the Lone Star State, Jen Strickland instead went back to NYC for an unofficial apprenticeship. With that experience under her belt, she returned to Austin with what Home Slice’s Web site calls “street cred.”







To play up the New York pizza experience as much as possible, More Home Slice, which opened in February of 2010, features tile work that conveys some iconic New York personalities — Spike Lee, Run DMC and J.D. Salinger, to name a few. Back in the original Home Slice, the decor has more of a circus feel to it. Tastefully done and fitting (what pizzeria kitchen isn’t a circus act, after all?), the look complements the menu and the restaurant’s overall mentality.

Speaking of mentality, Home Slice carries its kitsch over to social media as well, where it has managed to excel and set itself apart when compared to its competitors. Home Slice has more than 16,000 Facebook likes and more than 7,000 Twitter followers. The company uses the former primarily to interact with customers (it shares photos of fans as well as pics sent in by diners) and the latter to advertise daily specials.







Then there’s the Carnival O’ Pizza, an annual event the restaurant stages late each fall. Complete with a pizza-eating contest, music, games and other activities, the Carnival O’ Pizza has become Home Slice’s claim to local fame. It’s an event that puts the restaurant’s name front and center for hundreds of Austin residents and ensures a new wave of rabid fans each year as the it continues to grow both in size and popularity.



“You’ve got to see it sometime,” says Harlan, the student we caught munching a slice of pepperoni on our visit. “It’s insane.”

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

Two decades ago, America was largely intimidated by wine. Snobs drank it. Even worse, they swished it around, spit it into a bucket and then talked about it in unappealing and difficult-to-understand terms like “flinty” or “grassy.” What normal, everyday Joe wanted to drink grass?

Since wine was an unknown and perceived as expensive, it was feared. Forget that it is grape juice at its heart — it was just too, well, sophisticated for the pizza crowd.

Times changed, however, as times always do. A number of factors worked in unison to broaden wine’s appeal: the industry’s marketers, for example, realized the need to make the product more accessible; food-centric shows on television encouraged people to expand their palates and restaurants identified the value in the additional revenue stream.

Fast forward to today and there are tens-of-thousands of pizzerias across the country that menu wine. In fact, our most recent research shows that 38 percent of American pizzerias — more than 26,000 pizza restaurants — serve vino. How can they all be wrong when it comes to wine’s appeal? They can’t, says Taylor McNeely, a pizzeria bar manager in Indianapolis.

"Wine is a profit driver for us,” she says. “We sell a lot of it and it is one of our biggest money-maker items.”

McNeely offers wine by the bottle and by the glass, but also has found success with flights.

“They’re good because it encourages people to try new things. It helps them branch out a little,” she explains. “A customer may come in with a pre-conceived notion that, ‘I don’t like chardonnay or I don’t like big, bold reds. But just because you may not like Chianti does not mean you won’t like another red, like a Barbera or something else. One red might be spicy, while another might be fruity. There are just so many variances from each variety and even within the same variety from different labels. You have to open yourself up to trying new things, and the flights help that out a little bit. You’re not putting all your eggs into one basket, so to speak. You aren’t spending $18 on a bottle or $7 on a glass of something only to discover that you don’t like it. It’s a very non-commital way of learning, of discovering what you might like.”

At Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle, a well-established wine program is one of the hallmark’s of the company’s success. Tutta Bella was named our 2010 Independent of the year. Owner Joe Fugere likes to keep offerings fresh and examines the wine list with a critical eye at least twice a year. Typically, the company’s wine offerings experience a facelift every six months. With wine representing close to 20 percent of overall sales at Tutta Bella, Fugere must be on to something.

Jenny Fleece, a longtime spirits manager who is working to open her first pizzeria in Bethesda, Maryland this summer, says she plans to follow a similar strategy.

“I like to turn wines over in late spring, just before summer, and again in late autumn, just before winter,” she says. “Sometimes, like during the hot months, people may gravitate to some lighter, more refreshing whites. They tend to opt for some heavier reds later in the year. While you seek balance, you want to turn the list over when necessary to make sure you’re offering what will sell the best at any given time.”

Often, what sells is largely dependent on the service staff. A knowledgeable crew that has been well-trained on wine and food pairings can make helpful suggestions to customers, translating into better wine sales. It doesn’t take a full-time sommelier, either. Today’s educational opportunities are abundant. Jason Crum, a bartender at Joey’s in Houston, says vendors can be excellent resources.

“Your wine reps are more than just sales people,” he says. “A good one cares about your business, because your success is his success. A good one is knowledgeable about the products he sells and can be a great point of contact when it comes to learning more about wines and how to best pair them with pizza or Italian food.”

Crum says his wine distributor makes it a point to keep him up to date on the latest trends and pairings.

“He comes in periodically and gives the bar staff and wait staff crash courses on the different wine options we carry,” explains Crum. “He talks about the grapes, the region they’re grown in, what the climate and soil is like. He talks about the process and how that relates to what you taste when you lift the glass and the juice hits your taste buds.”

Sometimes, it’s about story telling. The details of the story enrich the customer experience and make the customer-server connection a more meaningful one.

“After you tell the story,” says Crum, “the sale is easier. It’s not a transaction; it’s an experience.”

If you are looking for some good wine and pizza pairings, let us help you get started. While many people think Chianti when they think of Italian food, there’s no reason to paint yourself into a corner. Let’s face it, a bottle of Chianti in a wicker basket next to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs is about as cliché as it gets. Don’t limit your selection to Italian labels. Quality wines from America, France, Australia and South America, to name a few, will get the job done as well.

Take a German Riesling, for instance: its sweetness and mellow attitude makes an excellent accompaniment to a spicy sausage and pepper pizza. If you’re looking for an across-the-board all-star to pair with red-sauce pizza in general, then look to a Barbera. A Moscato can be tapped for desserts, while the properly balanced Red Zinfindel is exquisite with a meatlover’s pie.

“A wine list should express some diversity,” says McNeely. “Variety is the spice of life.”

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief at Pizza Today.

The pizza arrived blackened. And by that I do not mean merely overcooked or even slightly burned on the bottom — I mean “end of times” black. We posted a picture of it on our Facebook page (search: Pizza Today) with a short caption and it went viral. The comments and shares from pizzeria owners ran deep. They could not believe a pizza shop would send the charcoal black pizza to a customer.

Neither could we. We needed a pan pizza for a photo shoot and simply did not have time to make it ourselves before our deadline. We called an independent pizzeria just blocks away from our office and placed the order –– anonymously, of course. When we opened the box, our jaws dropped. Our managing editor, Mandy Detwiler, placed a call to the shop. She asked to speak to the manager regarding a burned pizza. After five minutes on hold, Mandy was informed the manager was busy helping in the kitchen because someone didn’t show up to work that day (the customer’s problem?). Mandy was promised a return call from the manager.

Well, the return call came — but not from the manager. Again, too busy. But the employee was courteous and apologetic. She explained the reason for the burned pizza (their inexperienced crew had turned the deck ovens up too high in the morning) and offered to make it right by sending a gift card. That did nothing to satisfy our needs for a photogenic pizza or to remedy our hunger, but it was a gesture that, as pure customers, we appreciated. She was working to make it right.

The best part of the story — at least it gave me a chuckle — was when the employee called Mandy back to get the address to which the gift card should be sent. “908 South 8th Street,” Mandy said … “Care of Pizza Today magazine…” There was a gasp at the other end of the line. The poor girl couldn’t believe they just sent a national magazine a product even a hog wouldn’t eat. But, in reality, we are absolutely the best office in America for this sort of mistake. We understand. Others do not. At some point it becomes not about the poor product that was served, but about the service the unhappy customer receives post-mistake.

What would you personally have done in this situation had that call come into your pizzeria? Would you have returned the call yourself? Would you be happy if you learned that the hostess instead of the manager called the customer back when the customer specifically asked to speak to the manger? Would you have delivered a new pizza immediately along with the gift card? These are all questions that our staff has asked one another and our operator friends since the blackened pizza left us all feeling blue.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you would have settled the matter if it occurred in your pizzeria. Please e-mail me at the address below.

Best,

Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

Aged a minimum of three months, feta is a brind curd cheese that’s renowned for its flavor and versatility. An all-star
performer in Greek cuisine, the product crosses over nicely into the Italian realm. In fact, feta offers operators a variety of options when used on pizza or in salads, pasta dishes or sandwiches.
In Europe, feta is made with sheep’s milk (or a mixture that includes up to 30 percent goat’s milk). Outside of Europe, however, cow’s milk is
commonly used.
Based on variables such as the milk source, feta’s flavor profile can range from mild to sharp. Typically, it is characterized by a tangy, salty taste and is best served crumbled.
While it likely would not find a spot in the lineup of a four-cheese pizza, feta is the perfect choice for use on a “Greek Pizza” alongside toppings such as kalamata olives, banana peppers, fresh tomatoes and red onions.
In February 2010, California Pizza Kitchen found an interesting use for the ingredient when it launched a small plates menu. One of the
offerings, the “Mediterranean Plate,” featured a Greek salad along with feta and hummus.
“We are offering the innovative and bold flavors we are known for, but in smaller portions,” CPK founder Rick Rosenfield said at the time the product was released.


John Amodeo, owner of Giovanni’s Coal Fire Pizza in Sunrise, Florida, has had tremendous
success with a gourmet specialty pizza he put out three months ago. In fact, he says, the dish is about to make his permanent menu.
“Not only are we using feta, but its creativity is way up there,” Amodeo says. “Creatively, we are able to come up with lots of different uses for it.”
Amodeo began offering a Mediterranean Pizza as a special item, with the intent of making it available to his customers for a limited time. Three months later, he says it sells so well that he hasn’t been able to change out the special.
“It’s one of our best sellers,” he says.
The pizza features feta, roasted garlic, hummus, chopped tomatoes, olives and a finishing drizzle of olive oil. It is baked in the restaurant’s coal oven, and Amodeo says it carries a decent food cost.
“It’s a typical pizza in terms of food cost,” he says. “It’s very comparable to other specialty pizzas. But it’s a big, big seller.”
Amodeo advertised the pizza on table tents, a move he credits with helping encourage customers to try it.
“It’s a delicious pizza,” he says. “On the gourmet side of our menu, we try to infuse other cultures. This fits nicely into that strategy.”



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



<<< Greek Pizza

½ pound fresh spinach, washed
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Salt, to taste
1 14-inch pizza shell
¼ cup sliced, pitted green olives
¼ cup sliced, pitted black olives
¼ pound feta cheese, crumbled Put water and spinach in a large sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat, covered, until spinach wilts. Drain excess from pan. With cover off, cook and stir spinach 2 minutes to evaporate moisture.

Add olive oil, garlic, onion and pepper to spinach. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4 minutes. Salt, to taste. Cool before using.

Spread spinach mixture evenly over pizza crust, leaving a small crust border. Sprinkle olives evenly over spinach and then sprinkle the feta cheese evenly over top. Bake.

Ask Thomas Marr if he launched his business with a massive advertising campaign, and he shakes his head and offers a slight smile. His company, Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza in Washington, D.C., is a well-branded concept. As for marketing, though, Marr keeps it basic. He prefers to divert his resources elsewhere.
“We try not to advertise too much,” says Marr. “We simply can’t get the value from advertising that larger companies can get. The larger guys can put out an ad and cover 300 stores with it, but that value isn’t there for us. We can’t get enough out of the ad to make it worthwhile.
“So instead, what we try to do is get involved in our local communities. We had a night recently where we gave 25 percent of our proceeds to a high school crew team. Basical­ly, they advertised it to the whole school and the community list that they have. We got our name out there and got credit for the goodwill. Plus, a lot of people that didn’t know us came in and tried us out.
“Then, a couple of weeks ago I did a ‘Farm to School’ cooking demo for a local elementary school. I went there and put together one of our antipasti dishes for all the kids. I talked to them about the benefits of eating locally. We buy produce from a local, organic, co-op farm. So I told the kids about the farms, told them that there are several farms all around that provide fresh produce that is healthy.

Marr and his business partners also refrain from the discount game that pervades the pizza industry.
“When you discount your product,” says Marr, “I don’t know how much that is perceived in a positive way. I think people just say, ‘Oh, great ... wow. I get 10 percent off’.”
What customers at Pete’s New Haven look for, insists Marr, isn’t a cheap price, but a high-end twist on a comfort food. Before entering the pizza category, Marr was a fine-dining chef. He says people might be surprised at just how much the two sectors cross over. At least that’s how it works out at Pete’s, where Marr takes a from-scratch, quality-first approach.
“We caramelize our onions, for example,” says Marr. “There’s a lot of labor in getting in whole onions, peeling them, julienning them, and then cooking them for two hours in pots until we get them caramelized. We don’t just take onions and cut them up, or buy them already sliced and throw them on a pizza. We roast our peppers. Our mushrooms are a blend of wild mushrooms that are sauteed with herbs and garlic and oil.
“I’ve had plenty of people walk in here — higher end cooks from higher end restaurants — and they look at it as a part-time job. Then they come to me and say, ‘We cook more from scratch here than we do in the fine-dining restaurant that I work in at night.
“That’s what really helps us, though. We go that extra step. We only use all-natural ingredients. We only use antibiotic- and hormone-free dairy and meat products. We use china and glassware in the restaurants, and we use biodegradable to-go ware. Those are some of the big things we do to set ourselves apart.
“I mean, we really make pretty much everything in house. We make our own sausage, we grind the meats ourselves, we make our own gelato and desserts. We’re a casual restaurant — we’re just a quick-casual pizzeria — but we really focus on going that extra step.”
That thinking extends to the soda listing as well.
“We don’t use Coke or Pepsi or any of those products, because we don’t want high-fructose corn syrup,” says Marr. “We use an all-natural soda company.”

The menu at Pete’s, as the company’s name implies, is stocked with New Haven-style pizza. Salads, panini, pasta and house-made desserts also tempt diners.
The pizzas are mostly priced in the $18.95 to $24.95 range, though there is a $7.95 offering highlighted on the menu and designed to appeal to value-conscious consumers (it features soppressata, ricotta and mozzarella). Slices are a popular option as well, particularly at lunch ($2.50-$3.25).
“Most of the credit for our pizza goes to my partner (Joel Mehr — there’s also a third partner, Tri Nguyen),” says Marr. “His wife is from New Haven, and my wife’s family is from Connecticut as well. I never thought much about pizza in the general area, but when my partner came to me about opening a pizza place, we ended up coming together on a hybrid concept where we offer New Haven pizza, but do it in more of an Italian setting where we offer salads, pastas, panini and things like that on the menu.”
Marr adds that while he always wanted to own his own business, he knew he didn’t want to dabble with a fine-dining establishment.
“It’s the least profitable segment of our business,” he asserts. “And it’s the hardest hit in economic downturns. I’ve worked all over. I’ve worked in these places, and I’ve seen it.” u
Jeremy White is editor-in-chief at Pizza Today.

Nick Strawhecker made plenty of stops on his way back home to Omaha, where he opened the city’s first certified Neapolitan pizzera in 2008. Born in Nebraska, Strawhecker moved around a lot beginning in his teens, when his family relocated to England for three years. During that time, and since, Strawhecker traveled extenisvely throughout Europe. This not only shaped his worldview, it also exposed him to a variety of foods that people simply do not encounter in the American Midwest. Strawhecker said these foreign excusrions tempted his palate and planted in his mind the desire to one day run his own restaurant.

A graduate of Johnson & Wales culinary school in Providence, Rhode Island, Strawhecker has also studied at The Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. He lived briefly in the Piedmont region as well as Tuscany.

“In particular, Tuscany really shaped me,” he says. Strawhecker says he found Tuscany to be an enchanting place, as much for its natural beauty as for its food and culture.

After leaving Italy, the enterprising chef worked at restaurants in Chicago and Philadelphia before finally circling back to Omaha. And, despite the various cooking techniques and styles of cuisine he’d worked with during his career, the authentic, time-honored and simple creation known as Neapolitan pizza wouldn’t release its grip on Strawhecker’s mind.

“Pizza’s our main event,” he says. “That’s what we feature — our pizza and our wood oven.”

Still, the menu, which changes daily, extends well beyond pizza. As a result, the menu mix is evenly split.

“Right now we’re running about 50/50,” says Strawhecker. “When we first opened we were doing about 80-percent pizza. But people have discovered that we’re not just pizza. The original plan from the very beginning was to offer much more. People have begun to try our pastas and other items. We’ve been doing this for two years now, so people are starting to understand that we have a menu that offers more.”

That balance, along with the daily menu change, fuels Strawhecker’s creativity and challenges his staff.

“Even though we print our menu daily and change it, there are core items, of course, that always stay on,” Strawhecker says when asked about the difficulty of changing the menu each day. “Really, though, we love it. We’re always adjusting things to keep it fresh and interesting. We’re constantly adding more stuff based on what’s in season and fresh.”

To accommoate Strawhecker’s desire to experiment, the 3,900-square-foot restaurant, which seats 85, has a large kitchen broken down into separate stations. While it all revolves around the wood-burning oven, the kitchen is complete with grills, fryers and everything else an ambitious chef would need.

“It’s a really big kitchen,” Strawhecker concedes. “What makes it difficult is that it is broken into two levels. To deal with that, we’ve divided it into three main stations.”

While most foodservice workers have to deal with cramped quarters, we had to ask if there is such a thing as ‘too big’ for a commercial kitchen.

“Well, before we opened my biggest concern was the timing between the various stations,” Strawhecker says. “But it has been working out well without any major issues.”

At Dante, everything but the bread is made in-house based on what’s available. That can be challenging in the winter, but, again, Strawhecker likes to test himself.

“Right now, with the cold weather (Pizza Today visited Dante at the onset of winter), I have carrots, beets and squash to work with,” says Strawhecker. “It can get difficult.”

Strawhecker calls himself a proponent of the slow food movement, which he says originated in Italy. Putting his money where his mouth is, he works with local suppliers for poultry, milk to make fresh mozzarella, pork, eggs, basil, greens and seasonal vegetables. He takes it a step further by making his own fresh mozz, ricotta and pasta.

A typical lunch menu will take advantage of these ingredients for salads, sandwiches, soup and pizza. At dinner, items like oven-roasted pork belly; pan-fried chicken livers; orecchiette with potato, taleggio and sage; and mushroom risotto star alongside the pizza.

Dante Pizzeria Napoletana also features a full bar and a lineup of espresso drinks.

“I couldn’t even imagine working in a restaurant with espresso,” Strawhecker quips, “particularly when it’s a Neapolitan theme.”

As one might imagine, Strawhecker took his restaurant’s name from the Divine Comedy, an epic poem by 14th-century Italian writer Dante Alighieri. One of the world’s most influential works of literature, the Divine Comedy is best known for its interpretation of an afterlife that includes hell, purgatory and heaven. Strawhecker even named his mobile wood-burning oven, which he takes to events throughout the year, The Inferno.

It’s a fun play on something distinctly Italian, and it provides Strawhecker with many branding advantages.

“We have a great agency, and they’ve been able to have a lot of fun with the theme,” Strawhecker says. “I like what they’ve helped us do with it.”

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

JOEY'S ON THE BEACH

In March, thousands of college students and families alike flee colder climes to enjoy Spring Break on the Florida panhandle. We decided to do the same and check out the pizza scene in Panama City Beach and nearby Destin. This is what we found...
We started our quest at Joey’s on the Beach. This is your typical, unassuming pizzeria that fills the need of hungry locals with pale-crusted, foldable slices and pastas. With a New York ambiance inside and a large-yet-simple menu, Joey’s 14- and 18-inch pizzas are characteristic of what you’d find in owner Joey Di Meglio’s
native borough — Bronx, New York.

SWEET BASIL'S

Sweet Basil’s has been an area staple for more than two decades. It has maintained its status amongst locals since opening in 1988 by offering Italian comfort foods in a value-conscious family setting.
The menu here covers both northern and southern Italian favorites, ranging from seafood dishes (Shrimp and Scallop Alfredo, Blackened Talapia) to baked ziti and lasagna. The pizza is no-frills and traditional, a common theme that we quickly discovered runs throughout the entire panhandle. It’s offered in 10- and 14-inch sizes, which encourages add-on sales in the form of salads and appetizers.
One Yelp! reviewer summarized his thoughts on Sweet Basil’s like this:
“Excellent choice for fast, tasty Italian fare at the beach at a price all can afford.” The reviewer went on to describe the restaurant as “kid friendly” and claimed the pizza to be “first rate.”
Another said his “kids will always remember it as one of their favorite Italian restaurants.”
Reviews like that are what help keep a business open for 24 years!

SALVATORE'S PIZZA & WINGS

A native of Buffalo, New York, Ken Siters knows a thing or two about pizza and wings. That’s why he doesn’t take shortcuts at his eatery, Salvatore’s, which is quietly tucked away in a strip center just off of Panama City Beach’s main oceanfront drag. From house-made sauces and dressings to wings that are never frozen, Siters takes his fare seriously. And
customers notice.
“A huge chunk of our business comes over Spring Break. Those few weeks in March are just crazy,” Siters says. “We’re grateful for the business, but glad by the end of March when things slow down. All the drunk customers start to wear you down a little bit!”
All joking aside, Salvatore’s gets its fair share of tourists due to the beach proximity. But when we where there half the dining room was stocked with lunching locals — and that was a sign to us that this place does pizza the right way.

FAT CLEMENZA'S

We soon discovered that the owners and managers at Fat Clemenza’s were avid Pizza Today fans. It didn’t take long for us to love them right back!
Co-owner Dom Damiano says one of the things he most enjoys about running his parlor is the fact “that everyone thinks this is just a pizza place until they get here.”
Far more than pizza, Fat Clemenza’s is an artisan spot that showcases influences from the cuisines of Naples, Chicago and New Orleans. The wood-burning oven takes center stage and produces the ethereal, crunchy-yet-pillowy crust that made Neapolitan pizza legendary the world over. While the olive oils, tomatoes, sheet pasta and flour are imported from Italy, Fat Clemenza’s gets its sausage delivered from Chicago twice a week. The nod to New Orleans, explains Damiano, is less about ingredients and more about cooking technique.
The menu at Fat Clemenza’s features a mixture of antipasti, salads, sandwiches, pasta, calzones and dessert. But the pizza steals the show, and it’s nicely complemented with an array of Italian wines in various price ranges.
Then there’s “The Blackboard.” A salute to many great Chicago restaurants, the blackboard essentially features daily chef’s picks and specials — an ever-evolving extension of the core menu that keeps regulars (not to mention the kitchen crew!) from getting bored.

ISLAND PIZZA

Island Pizza takes what we call the “Subway Approach.” A bevy of ingredients await customers who want to build their own pizza. Simply walk down the line and take your pick. Or there’s a deep selection of pre-arranged pizza recipes from which to choose, each one artfully blending non-traditional and more pedestrian ingredients. A focus on freshness, invidual pizza sizes and attractive prices make this an ideal spot for nearby office professionals and Spring Breakers alike. The concept is designed to move customers in and out quickly without making them feel like they’re in a fast food restaurant — and it works. “Awesome stuff,” says Jeff Snelling, a University of Arkansas student we ran into while visiting Island Pizza. It was Snelling’s first Spring Break trip to Panama City Beach, but his second visit to the pizzeria in as many days. “I had the Fowl Play (a chicken pizza) yesterday and it was great, so I wanted to come back and try something different today. They’re 2-for-2 in my book. I might come back again tomorrow!”

Thank you to everyone who helped make International Pizza Expo 2013 yet another remarkable success. Each year as we get nearer to the show’s official kickoff, butterflies start to fill my stomach. There are so many things to accomplish in those four days (New Operator Monday has really taken off): people to see, places to be … Sometimes it is simply overwhelming.

That’s my perspective, and I’ve gone to 13 consecutive Expos. On the way to Las Vegas as I was thinking about that, it suddenly hit me that if I’m taken aback by the size and speed of the show, what must it seem like to a first-time attendee? With all the seminars and events on the schedule, not to mention the massive show floor, Expo is so big, so intense and so cram-packed that a first-timer must really view the show through eyes that simply cannot open wide enough to take it all in.

That’s why we decided to follow a first-time attendee around the Expo this year. Like a reality show, our cameras and voice recorders were there around the clock. We captured every moment of the experience and are going to present it to you soon through the eyes of someone who had no clue what they were walking into when International Pizza Expo 2013 kicked off. It was a fun and energetic time, and I’m happy I was able to be there alongside friends Kelly and Aldo Musico as they took their first steps onto the massive show floor. We followed them to seminars, accompanied them to parties, watched their eyes light up as they sampled ingredients and cheered on International Pizza Challenge competitors.

In the coming months, we will present to you their story. Remember, theirs is just one of 6,000 perspectives to emerge from this year’s Expo. Want to share yours with us, too? We’d love to hear it. E-mail me at the address below and tell me all about it.

Best,
Jeremy White, Editor-in-chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

There are a lot of things I admire about Tony Gemignani, the World Champion pizza maker from Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco. He’s an astute business man and a brilliant marketer, but he remains a true artisan first and foremost. Walk into his pizzeria and you’ll see the phrase “Respect the Craft” on his boxes and on his workers’ shirts. It’s the mantra by which he lives — and it has served him well.

So when we kicked off 2013 last month by introducing a new Q&A column that features Tony’s expertise, I couldn’t think of a column title any more fitting than “Respecting the Craft.” As someone whose livelihood is directly linked to the quality of your pizza, dear loyal reader, you owe it to yourself, your business and your customers to respect your craft to the fullest.

That is exactly what we do time and again at International Pizza Expo. After breaking attendance records last year, the show’s growth remains on an upward slant. In fact, our preregistration information hints at yet another record breaker in 2013. We’re excited beyond belief about producing what will truly be the most remarkable trade show in this industry’s history. So do yourself a favor by respecting your craft at this year’s Expo, where you’ll learn new ideas and get the opportunity to soak up the knowledge of Tony and others just like him.

You’ll also have the chance to respect another kind of craft — the wildly popular craft beer segment. The Craft Beer Pavilion at International Pizza Expo will allow show attendees to sample high-quality beers that make perfect complements to pizza. We’ve seen enough evidence on craft beer’s appeal to know that it should be an integral part of the pizza industry going forward. So we’re happy to bring you face to face with this trend.

Every year at the show, I’m overwhelmed by the number of people who want to shake hands, say hello and share a pizza story with me. It’s an intense — and hugely rewarding — three days. I see old friends and make new ones at every show. If you’re an old friend, I can’t wait to give you a hug and catch up next month. If you’re new to the biz, I want to meet you and learn about your shop. Together, let’s make International Pizza Expo 2013 yet another memorable event.

Best,
Jeremy White, Editor in Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

After the success of the intitial Slice of Hope charity event in October of 2011, we knew we had to do it again. The first incarnation, you see, was much more than a simple bike ride from Portland to Seattle. It was an industry marketing event that brought people into America’s pizzerias. It raised more than $100,000 for the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation and highlighted the giving community spirit that makes pizzerias so special.

Thankfully, pizzeria owners across the nation agreed: because they turned out fast and furious to support Slice of Hope 2012. In fact, more than 230 pizzerias joined Slice of Hope 2012 by hosting fundraising parties, making donations or purchasing SOH t-shirts. Donations are still coming in, but last year’s fundraising mark has already been well surpassed. As of this writing, the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation has received roughly $140,000 in funding. And, the Foundation has been quick to act with it. Before 2012 came to a close, $25,000 had been sent to researchers at The Ohio State University, $35,000 to help fund a study at the University of Miami and $65,000 was given to the University of Washington Medicine. These studies give hope that a promising treatment is around the corner.

The funding provided to the Unversity of Miami, for example, will be used to help enroll patients in a clinical trial to test a theory that may one day save the lives of patients with triple-negative breast cancer. In a nutshell, certain breast cancer patients benefit from anti-estrogen treatments. However, those with triple negative disease present a complex and unfortunate case: their estrogen receptors are either missing or are “masked” in their DNA by what is called a “Ubiquitin.” Ubiquitins, which destroy proteins in cells, were discovered in 2004. The scientist who figured them out won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery. The study at the University of Miami is attempting to “unmask” the estrogen receptor. If this can be done, the theory is that a compound known as a “Proteasome Inhibitor” can be used to treat breast cancer patients with an anti-estrogen therapy. This treatment would then allow these patients to also benefit from Tamoxifen, which currently is only used in patients who have a functional estrogen receptor in their cancer cells. The hope is that the two therapies together can produce results.

While this may be complicated material, it shows how the hard work and giving spirit that made Slice of Hope 2012 a success will be put to use this year in an attempt to get closer to finding a cure for breast cancer. And it’s the reason Kelly Musico, co-owner of Aldos Pizza in Naples, Florida, wanted to jump on board.

“The work the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation does is just so important and so amazing,” Musico said during the Slice of Hope finale party she threw on October 12 (see photos above). Members of the Pizza Today crew cycled from Lakeland, Florida, to Naples October 9-12 to raise awareness of the Foundation and to highight the fact that October is both National Pizza Month and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The 200-plus mile bike ride served as a conversation starter for pizzerias across America as they interacted with their customers and encouraged them to support the Slice of Hope mission by visting a pizzeria on Friday, October 12, which Pizza Today designated as National Pizza Party Day. “We are just so honored to be able host this event in our community,” said Musico. “We’re honored and thrilled that Pizza Today thought of us.”

Carmello LaMotta, owner of LaMotta’s Italian Restaurant in Fort Myers (pictured with the cyclists on page 56), agrees. He hosted a reception on October 11 for the cyclists as they came through his city, then followed that by throwing his own Slice of Hope party on October 12.

“We want to give back, and this is a great cause that touches everyone,” he says. “We will have people coming in for months after this. They appreciate and value that you have a local business who invests in charities like this. They see you doing something good for others, then they know they can feel good about supporting your pizzeria.”

Stay tuned in the months ahead for a final number on how much Slice of Hope raised for the Foundation in 2012 — as well as our big plans for Slice of Hope 2013!

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

I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “Luck favors the well prepared.” I believe pretty strongly in that. Sure, there is such a thing as dumb luck. But, for the most part, you can make your own luck — i.e. success — through hard work, self-discipline, organization and ambition.

This is true in just about every facet of life and business. From the sports field to the boardroom, those who prepare well and work the hardest usually win. So why believe any other rules apply to running a pizzeria?

Most of Pizza Today’s readers are hard-working, hard-thinking success stories. Our average reader owns one or two stores and generates $140,000 more per each store (in terms of gross annual sales) than the typical pizzeria. I’m proud of what our readers accomplish and am always flattered when Pizza Today is credited as one of the many reasons behind that success.

But there’s no such thing as too successful (Bill Gates aside). No matter how good you are, you can improve. Think about it, can you honestly say you have no weak spots in your business? Is everything, from menu design to dining room layout to food quality to marketing, absolutely perfect? I highly doubt it. Though we’d like to think otherwise, we all have flaws. And while it isn’t realistic to think we can eradicate every flaw, it’s certainly a noble goal.

There’s no better time to take a look in the mirror and assess our strengths and weaknesses than at the start of a new year. So, get started. Let this year be the year in which you pick apart every aspect of your business so that you can reassemble it in a smarter, stronger, more efficient, more attractive package. Examine everything from purchasing and receiving to restroom cleanliness. Discover your weak points and develop procedures to strengthen them. I’m betting many of the answers you’ll need can be found in the pages of Pizza Today and in the seminars at International Pizza Expo. But we’re not perfect, either, and we’re not so arrogant as to think we’re your only trustworthy resources. Don’t forget your suppliers and vendors. They know the industry inside and out and often serve as sources of information for us when we find ourselves in need.

As foodservice changes, your concept must adapt or it will fall behind. Running a restaurant is stressful enough at full strength. Don’t allow a weak spot here and there to atrophy the vigor of your brand. Identify them and strengthen them, and start now.

Every March, you can count on two things: hordes of college students flocking to the beach for Spring Break and sports fans tuning in to the college basketball playoffs. March Madness has gotten so big that even those who aren’t inclined to follow sports participate in the requisite office pool. Case in point: the Pizza Today office in Louisville, Kentucky.

When myself and a co-worker organized a tourney pool last year and opened it up to both employees and spouses, I expected maybe 8-10 people to get involved. We’re a small staff, after all, and many of my cohorts aren’t sports fanatics. To my surprise, we had more than 20 people in the pool.

The point: March Madness is big. Real big. The question: how can you capitalize on it in your pizzeria?

Let’s start with the obvious. If you have televisions in your shop, make sure they are going to be tuned to the games, which usually begin around noon and run late into the night during the first two rounds of the tournament. Create a “college basketball special” by offering a large specialty pizza and a pitcher of beer (or soda) for dine-in. Take out advertising in the sports section of local publications or during sports programming on radio outlets to let fans know you’ll be showing the games. If you are a delco unit, bundle an appetizer, pizza and two-liter at a price that will encourage orders.

I’m sure you’ve already thought of this. What you may not have thought of, however, is that you can use March Madness as a way to motivate and reward staff, too. Have staff members fill out their brackets and reward the eventual winner with a prize, such as movie tickets or sports tickets. Implement an upselling “tournament” where the employee who successfully gets the most add-ons and extras receives a cash bonus or gift cards to other restaurants, retail outlets, etc. If you plan in advance, you likely can trade $25 or $50 gift certificates with other merchants. Swap with a bookstore, for example, and that $25 gift certificate ends up costing you about $5 in food costs. Not a bad deal.

Recently, I was visiting a pizzeria and discussing its menu with the owner. He does a New York-style hand tossed pizza, and he does it well. It’s the workhorse of his menu and he’s very proud of it. When the conversation turned to his appetizer list, he became dismissive. Though he recognizes appetizer sales are red hot right now, he insists he wants to be known for his pizza.

As well he should. But at what price? In today’s market, having great pizza may not be enough. The operator I was speaking with seemed to agree with that point to a small degree. He had a complete menu, but he seemed to treat the non-pizza items as unwanted stepchildren. Case in point: I asked him about his chicken wings.

“Oh,” he said, “those are just on there because people expect us to have them. But we don’t really sell many of them.”

“Hmmm,” I replied. “Most places do. Have you tried having your servers push them a little?”

“It wouldn’t matter,” the operator responded. He then named a competitor up the street. We’ll call the place Dave’s Pizza for this commentary. “Dave’s has much better wings, so people go there when they want those.”

I asked what made Dave’s wings better. The operator answered that they were larger and just flat-out had better flavor. I couldn’t help but ask why he didn’t upgrade his wings to be more competitive. He more or less dodged the question and said he was thinking of taking wings off his menu altogether.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. If you try really hard to sell a product and just can’t move it, then, by all means, take it off the menu. But this was a different story altogether. The operator in question admitted he was serving an inferior product and he didn’t care because he had great pizza and that was enough for him.

As for me, I believe that an operation should strive for perfection on every menu item. Sure, you want the best pizza in town. But you also want the best wings, the best hoagies, the best carrot cake … you name it. If you’re going to serve it, do it right. Otherwise, don’t do it at all.

We all strive for consistency. In sports, you’ll hear players and coaches say all they ask from officials is that they be consistent. The word choice is interesting. They don’t demand accuracy, they demand consistency. In baseball, for example, managers often don’t care if a pitch on the outside corner is called a ball instead of a strike — so long as it’s called a ball all day long and the umpire doesn’t change his tune from inning to inning. Your customers are the same. While perfection is, well, perfect, it isn’t what your customers are looking for. They are looking to get the same product and same service from you every time they visit, regardless of the hour, day, month or year.

If you’re a manager or franchise owner of a store that belongs to a large chain, like Pizza Hut or Little Caesar’s, your customers want the same pizza in Providence as they get in Santa Fe. If you’re a smaller independent, you can’t afford to be inconsistent, either. If you say you open at 11 a.m., you better be open at 11 a.m. every day. Sadly, one of my favorite pizza places is rather inconsistent. At times, the pizza is just the way I want it. I like a lot of sauce, and this place seems to go a little heavier on the sauce than the average Joe. Still, every once in a while I’ll take my first bite only to wonder if they accidentally gave me a white pizza! As a customer, this frustrates me. Maybe there’s a new pizza maker, I tell myself. Maybe they were swamped and had to make this pizza in a hurry. Then, everything I know about the industry comes screaming in my ear: There is no excuse for such inconsistency!

Items as high-tech as sauce applicators and as low-tech as portioning cups allow operators to put the same amount of sauce on every single pizza they make. The same goes for cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. I’m not saying every pizza should be a cookie-cutter product. That would make the pizza world a boring place. Is it too much to ask, though, to expect a pizza ordered at 7:30 on a Friday night to taste and look the same as a pizza ordered at 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon? If you answer this question with a yes, you’re in the wrong business. Contrary to popular belief, I do not think today’s customers are overly demanding. Sure, they’re tough at times, but they only want to be treated with respect and get what they pay for in terms of food quality. A smile, a warm hello, and a hot, quality pizza that tastes the same time after time will win you more customers than any amount of marketing or advertising.

A well-placed ad, after all, may get a customer in your door once…but it will never get them back a second time if you don’t live up to your end of the bargain. Here’s to creating consistency!

We all strive for consistency. In sports, you’ll hear players and coaches say all they ask from officials is that they be consistent. The word choice is interesting. They don’t demand accuracy, they demand consistency.

In baseball, for example, managers often don’t care if a pitch on the outside corner is called a ball instead of a strike — so long as it’s called a ball all day long and the umpire doesn’t change his tune from inning to inning.

Your customers are the same. While perfection is, well, perfect, it isn’t what your customers are looking for. They are looking to get the same product and same service from you every time they visit, regardless of the hour, day, month or year. If you’re a manager or franchise owner of a store that belongs to a large chain, like Pizza Hut or Little Caesar’s, your customers want the same pizza in Providence as they get in Santa Fe. If you’re a smaller independent, you can’t afford to be inconsistent, either. If you say you open at 11 a.m., you better be open at 11 a.m. every day.

Sadly, one of my favorite pizza places is rather inconsistent. At times, the pizza is just the way I want it. I like a lot of sauce, and this place seems to go a little heavier on the sauce than the average Joe. Still, every once in a while I’ll take my first bite only to wonder if they accidentally gave me a white pizza! As a customer, this frustrates me.

Maybe there’s a new pizza maker, I tell myself. Maybe they were swamped and had to make this pizza in a hurry. Then, everything I know about the industry comes screaming in my ear: There is no excuse for such inconsistency! Items as high-tech as sauce applicators and as low-tech as portioning cups allow operators to put the same amount of sauce on every single pizza they make. The same goes for cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.

I’m not saying every pizza should be a cookie-cutter product. That would make the pizza world a boring place. Is it too much to ask, though, to expect a pizza ordered at 7:30 on a Friday night to taste and look the same as a pizza ordered at 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon?

If you answer this question with a yes, you’re in the wrong business. Contrary to popular belief, I do not think today’s customers are overly demanding. Sure, they’re tough at times, but they only want to be treated with respect and get what they pay for in terms of food quality.

A smile, a warm hello, and a hot, quality pizza that tastes the same time after time will win you more customers than any amount of marketing or advertising. A well-placed ad, after all, may get a customer in your door once…but it will never get them back a second time if you don’t live up to your end of the bargain.

Here’s to creating consistency!

Considering the prices of pizza-related commodities today and the state of the U.S. economy, I understand the temptation to find a few corners here and there to cut. Slashing costs, after all, should theoretically result in a heftier bottom line.

Don’t fool yourself. It doesn’t work that way.

Truth is, cutting corners is a dangerous game. I firmly believe an independent pizzeria wins not on value or gimmicky marketing, but on quality. Sure, there are multiple factors that determine a pizzeria’s success, ranging from ambiance to speed of delivery. Make no mistake, though: quality stands head and shoulders above all others.

In these uncertain times, resist the temptation to cut quality. It’s a dead-end road. You may achieve greater profitability in the short-term, but trust me when I say the financial benefit won’t last long. Today’s consumers are savvier and more demanding than ever. They can discern the differences between quality ingredients and run-of-the-mill cafeteria pizza. They’ll seek out the former time and again.

To illustrate my point, look no further than America’s love for wine. Thanks to a prevalence of snobbery and difficult-to-understand descriptors and terminology (what exactly does it mean that a wine is “flinty” or “grassy”?), wine has not always been accessible to newcomers. Over the past decade, though, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds and today’s consumer knows more about it than ever. The point is that our palettes, even when we don’t consciously know it, have become more refined. We demand a better dining experience. We expect quality. We are willing to pay for it.

Move to a cheaper cheese or less expensive meats and you might get away with it for a few weeks, then your customers will move on and abandon you.

I know a pizzeria that recently stopped using white-meat chicken on its specialty pizzas and replaced it with dark meat. Let’s just say the result wasn’t fantastic. Long-time customers noticed right way and were peeved. New customers were disappointed from the start and didn’t return.

Don’t make the mistake of cutting quality. You can’t afford it.

The other day, I was talking to a young woman who worked her way through college by bartending at a busy restaurant. I asked her if all the second-hand cigarette smoke she had to inhale in order to do her job bothered her. She answered in the affirmative, but said there was something else that bothered her even more, which is why she eventually quit bartending before she finished school: the harassment she endured.

It seems this woman had one too many customers “accidentally” bump into or otherwise touch the curves in her female figure. She says the unwanted advances were not directed at her alone, either. “Pretty much every female bartender I worked with went through the same thing,” she said.

Sadly, she claims, when she alerted the restaurant owner about the repeated incidents he covered for the customers: “Don’t pay any attention to them,” he said. “They don’t mean anything by it.”

Before I go any further, I should point out that I have no idea whether this story is true. I suspect it is, however, because I have several friends in the restaurant industry and this is not the first time I’ve heard stories like this. It happens. The restaurant industry is tough.

My question is this: is enduring such behavior simply “part of the job,” as the female bartender with whom I had a recent conversation was told? I don’t think so, and I don’t think any reasonable restaurateur would agree. If a customer acts inappropriately, it is your job as a manager or operator to remedy the situation by making the customer leave your establishment.

I know no one wants to kick out a money-spending patron, but there’s a lot on the line for restaurateurs who look the other way. For starters, if you are aware of inappropriate behavior but choose to ignore it, you are guilty of allowing it to persist. Secondly, not intervening in situations like this could cost you to lose a good employee, who most likely will find a job in a restaurant across the street rather than put up with nonsensical treatment in your establishment. Thirdly, you are pretty much asking for a lawsuit if you don’t come to the defense of your employees. Today’s society is litigious to begin with, but if you don’t make every effort to curb harassment you are more or less getting what you deserve when you are asked to appear in court.

The bottom line? Appreciate your employees. Understand that their efforts contribute to your success. Defend them if they need defending, even if that means upsetting an unruly customer. The price of not doing so, after all, could end up being more than a restaurateur can bear.

For one reason or another, I quite often find myself in a local mall, bored to tears, while my wife just has to “pick up one thing really quickly.” Normally, I pass the time people watching. It’s quite entertaining, really, spying as a couple fights or a kid pushes his little brother down when the parents aren’t paying attention.

Last Sunday afternoon I ended up — where else — but the mall. As I sat in the food court my attention quickly turned to a boy, no more than five or six years old, eating an oversized, New York style slice of pizza. While his mother and brother waited in line for a sub sandwich, this little tyke was going to town on his pepperoni like he hadn’t eaten in three days. My wife and I chuckled as the boy slyly turned to make sure his mother wasn’t looking. As soon as he knew he was in the clear he put his fork down and grabbed a piece of pepperoni barehanded. The cheese stretched a mile before loosing itself from the slice. The boy playfully dangled the pepperoni and mozzarella in the air high above his head, aligned it with his mouth, and dropped the “missile” toward its eager target.

It was a partial hit. What didn’t end up in his mouth landed squarely on his sauce-smeared cheek. This boy was no dummy: he wiped his face with a napkin before his mother could return and scold him. A few seconds later, he turned and noticed his mother and brother were still in line waiting for their sub sandwiches. I could read his face plain as day: he had time to play with his pizza again.

As I watched the child make a mess of his lunch, two thoughts went through my head: 1) it’s good for my soul to remember what it’s like to be six years old, and; 2) pizza is a fun food, which is a big part of what makes this industry so great.

That boy couldn’t have had as much fun with a hamburger. Truth be told, he probably couldn’t have had as much fun with the toy that would have come with said burger!

Considering the fun factor of pizza, I can’t help but wondering why the pizza industry hasn’t been so fun lately. Between price wars and lawsuits, pizza pushers have seen more than their fair share of squabbling over the past 18-24 months. Maybe it’s time to take a cue from Perry Ludy, the former Pizza Hut executive and current Little Caesar’s franchisee who stood before an audience at International Pizza Expo™ in March 2002 and challenged the industry to stop fighting and start cooperating. Ludy suggested those with key influence in the industry take a cue from the now legendary “Got Milk?” campaign and do something similar with pizza.

I’ve asked a handful of industry execs about the idea since Ludy introduced it. Each time, the reaction was less than lukewarm. The decision makers I’ve talked to seem to feel their money is better spent on promoting themselves as opposed to promoting pizza as a whole. I respect and understand that point of view. Still, I can’t help but wonder what it would hurt to give Ludy’s idea a try. If a cooperative campaign works the way it did for milk producers and grows the pizza segment, there will be more dollars over which to fight! I doubt anyone is opposed to that.

Dining trends come and go. One day all the rage is about Thai influences, then our palates are on to hot sauces. But Mediterranean fare is never far from the spotlight thanks to its enviable combination of bold flavors and big health benefits. The good news is that it’s easier than ever to offer your customers a Greek salad or Greek pizza to satisfy their appetites for all things Mediterranean.

A good entry point to work Greek-inspired dishes onto your menu is your salad category. Greek salads are easy and inexpensive to prepare. They’re also loaded with flavors that work well together and with pizza, which makes a basic Greek salad (see accompanying recipe) a wonderful warm up act for your traditional or specialty pizzas.

As a bundling suggestion for a lunch special, considering offering a Greek salad, two pesto breadsticks and slice (or a hoagie or warm grinder) at one price. For a dinner special, a great entrée to use with the salad and breadsticks would be a tri-colored, cheese-filled tortellini with a pesto cream sauce.

In regards to the dressing, a Greek salad will work with many options, from a simple oil and vinegar combination to a Ranch. There likely are at least one or two good pairings to be found in the lineup of house made or bottled dressings you already offer. If not, consider adding an Italian Pesto through your distributor or even making a simple concoction in house.

While one Greek salad will fit nicely within the repertoire of most pizzerias, chances are there aren’t room for two on the menu. Don’t go stir crazy and push your luck by adding a second if the first moves well. Instead, consider adding a Greek pizza to round out your Mediterranean offerings. Putting one together is a snap. Go light on the tomato sauce and use fresh mozzarella and provolone as your cheeses, topped with a little feta. As for toppings, use olives, capers, eggplant, tomato, artichokes, spinach and onions. You can even add seafood, such as shrimp or clams, to round it out.

Greek Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 red onion, cut into small rings

6 ounces Kalamata olives, pitted

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, sliced

6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

6 pepperoncini, whole

1 teaspoon oregano, chopped

ground black pepper, to taste

In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, onion, olives, red bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, pepperoncini and oregano. Top with ground black pepper, to taste. Set aside, covered, in cooler.

To serve, place salad in chilled bowl and top with requested dressing.

It was a Friday night in late August, and an unexpected thunderstorm came and went rather suddenly. The damage was modest, but it knocked out power to much of the area in which I live. It was dinner time and my hungry toddler, like most little ones, wanted pizza. Naturally, I was happy to oblige.

There’s a busy pizzeria located next to a high school and a high-traffic intersection not far from my house, so I decided to call for delivery. Thankfully, the shop did have power. I knew it would be swamped due to the weather. Couple that with the typical Friday night rush and you’ll understand why the girl on the other end of the line said she wouldn’t be able to quote me a delivery time. She honestly had no way of knowing when my order could arrive.

My interest was piqued. I had to see for myself just how busy the place was. So I told her to change my order to carryout. She sounded relieved and told me my food would be ready in 25 minutes. Twenty minutes later, I walked through the front door. The dining room (which seats about 65) was half-full, but the small lobby near the takeout counter was overflowing. Including me, 14 people packed into the waiting area. Several others stood outside on the sidewalk. As I waited for my order, more people kept coming. Before long, the line out the door was nearly into the street, which is a good distance from the pizzeria.

My order, by the way, took almost exactly an hour — 35 minutes longer than the time I was quoted. Naturally, many of those waiting alongside me grumbled about their waits. I heard comments ranging from, “I’ve been here an hour now, this is ridiculous,” to, “The least they could do is give us some free appetizers or something.”

Of course, these people have no idea what it’s like to operate a pizzeria. Being inside the industry myself, I had a different perspective. I watched intently and found nothing to complain about. The girl taking calls was polite and efficient, even when the person on the other end of the line clearly had no idea what they wanted and asked her to repeat the same specials numerous times. The servers dutifully moved to the back of the house to fold boxes and stock the cooler with two-liter bottles of Pepsi (the pizzeria was giving them away with a large specialty pizza on this night). The guy tending the oven and cutting the pizzas was moving with speed and precision. In short, I saw no one slouching and no one complaining about having to do things that didn’t fit into their job description. They were working as fast as possible, and doing a fine job of it.

Unfortunately, I was the only customer who noticed. Before I left, I wanted to pull the manager (whom I’ve never met) aside and tell him what a good job his staff was doing. But, as you can imagine, he was far too busy. So I simply left to enjoy my hot pizza without saying a word.

Such is the life in this business. That crew heard plenty of belly-aching all night, but the one person who respected what they were doing kept quiet. I think I’ll send the manager this commentary. His staff deserves to know someone noticed their hard work and appreciates it.

If your customers rated you right now on your service and overall hospitality, how would you do?

If you are absolutely, positively certain they would say they always feel welcome and appreciated inside your pizzeria, congratulations. Go on to reading the rest of the magazine and skip this column. For the rest of you, it’s time to rethink things a bit.

To optimize your chances at success, you need a lot of things: a good location, good food, a solid marketing plan, etc. All too often, unfortunately, customer service gets left out of the mix. As a pizzeria operator, it’s important to remember you are not just in the restaurant industry — you are in the hospitality industry?

What does that mean? It means setting high service standards and sticking to them without fail. It means greeting every customer that walks through the door with a smile and a warm hello. It means addressing them promptly and courteously at all times, even when your delivery drivers are swamped and your kitchen staff can’t keep up with the onslaught of Friday night orders.

Let’s face it: your customers do not (nor will they ever) care two prep workers did not show up on time or one of your drivers has a flat tire. They care about getting their food hot and being treated with respect. It’s your job to do that no matter how badly your day has gone.

I was recently dining out with my wife when we overheard a woman sitting behind us complain that her food was undercooked and cold. The server promptly returned it to the kitchen. Minutes later, we overheard the same complaint. This time the kitchen manager was at the table, and I shook my head in disbelief as I overheard him making excuses. Never once did he apologize or offer to comp the meal. Instead, the couple behind us was told “Wow, that’s really unusual. Carlos usually overcooks things. Undercooking isn’t really a problem with him.”

I was flabbergasted. A paying customer had complained twice, and the issue still was not resolved. Not only was her food still cold, but now she had been alienated. I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard her husband say “We’ll never be back here again.” Truth be told, the same thing was going through my mind. I wonder how many other customers in adjoining booths were thinking the same thing?

Make sure your customers never have to say “I won’t be back here again.” Most people are willing to overlook minor deficiencies if they are treated with respect, but you won’t be able to give your pizza away if you’re rude to those who support you.

In short, forget about being a restaurateur and concentrate on becoming part of the hospitality industry. Your customers are too valuable to let go. Treat them like gold and watch them return time and again.

Recently, I had a conversation with a small business owner who had purchased an ATM to put in his store. Though he hadn't had the machine long, his early results were glowing. "The thing's a cash cow," he quipped. "I've got four grand in it, but it won't take me long to get all that back, and then some."

A few days later I had lunch at a CiCi's Pizza store in Indiana. Before I go any further, however, a short aside is necessary: Since my paycheck is directly deposited into my checking and savings accounts, I hardly ever have cash in my wallet. Instead, I use a debit card for virtually every purchase I make. As such, I had no cash on me when I entered the franchised CiCi's location. "No biggie," I told myself. "This place will take a debit card."

Wrong. Wisely, debit and credit cards were not accepted at this location - but there was an ATM sitting on the front counter, right next to the cash register. When I asked the cashier about using a debit card, she politely pointed to the ATM and told me I'd have to use it and then pay for my order with cash.

Genius, I thought. I knew I was going to have to pay a nominal fee for the ATM service, and I knew that particular CiCi's store was going to lay claim to all or part of that fee (depending on whether it owned or leased the ATM). I can't recall off the top of my head the exact amount of the fee. I think it was $1.50 or $2. At any rate, it wasn't enough to make most cashless customers turn around and walk out. At the same time - based on the large percentage of restaurant guests who now pay for their orders with credit and debit cards - I knew it was enough to make a noticeable difference on the bottom line of that CiCi's location.

Perhaps the biggest benefit I see to purchasing or leasing an ATM is the fact that, like the CiCi's store I recently visited, the machine enables operators to stop taking credit cards (and therefore eliminates the need to send a percentage of your sales to the credit company).

Of course, there are cons as well. Purchasing an ATM will cost thousands. If you decide to lease, you run the risk of getting stuck with a machine for an extended period of time, even if it doesn't work out as anticipated. And though the footprint of ATMs have grown considerably smaller over the years, you still have to find room for them.

Still, despite these drawbacks, an ATM can be very beneficial in the right setting. As one operator put it to me not long ago, the machines could potentially become "cash cows."

When you get into one of those sales funks and need to generate revenue quickly, consider marketing a "limited time offer" to your audience. Not only will you get your name out through advertising, you'll also give customers - new and old alike - a reason to visit your shop.

Limited time offers (LTOs) can be highly successful if you handle them properly. Before implementing one, however, you need to determine what you want to accomplish. You are going to spend time and money developing and marketing a new dish, so it would be foolish to rush into it without having clear objectives in mind.

Do you want the new item to provide a short, quick sales burst, or do you want it to offer a more steady, long-term benefit to your menu?

Some larger chains make their living by introducing new limited-time products every two to three months. Look at the industry's major players, for example. How many times have you seen Pizza Hut roll out an item "for a limited time only?" Often, the result is a spike in short-term sales. If the new item sells well at the cost of other menu items (known as cannibalization), the promotion is not effective. While it may have created interest or excitement, the offer failed to increase sales. When the LTO brings in new customers or encourages regular customers to order more frequently, now you have a winner on your hands.

The beauty of a LTO used in this manner is that its effectiveness is easy to measure. Either it drove sales or it did not. The books don't lie.

Others use LTOs as a way to test new items to see if they should join the menu full-time. This is perhaps more relevant to chain operations than independents due to the fact an indy can alter the menu as often as he'd like without much repercussion. Outside of menu printing costs, there are not many hassles to adding or deleting a specific item. Chains, on the other hand, have to wade through mountains of red tape and consider the effects of such a move on multiple locations in various regions before taking action. Plus, it costs a company like Domino's hundreds of thousands - sometimes millions of dollars - to develop and market new menu items. An independent, on the other hand, can formulate a new product for next to nothing.
With this in mind, let's take a brief look at implementing an LTO.

Sales Driver
There are given periods throughout the year that you know sales will be down. Maybe you're in a resort town and the crowds disappear after Labor Day. Or, perhaps your delivery business booms through the winter, but the guy up the street with great al fresco dining steals your customers every June.

How can a limited time offer help you? By creating excitement. Before you can settle on an item, though, you have to know your customers. What are their tastes? Are they adventurous? Do they order gourmet pies, or do they stick to the traditional sausage and pepperoni? Would they prefer a new pizza, or would they be more apt to spring for a new appetizer or entrée?

How do you get this information? Ask your customers. Use your servers or table surveys to find out what you need to know. Look at national and regional sales trends. Visit other restaurants in your area and see what they are doing.

Let's say you look at the national trends and notice chicken is booming in popularity. You already have a barbecue chicken pizza and its sales are fairly strong, so you're confident your customers will order chicken on pizza. Look at your other options. How about a pie with pesto sauce that features chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, or what about a Thai chicken pizza?

What's that? Your customers won't like pesto or curry on pizza? No problem. Look at your menu. What do you already have on hand that your customers like? Perhaps your fifth best-selling entrée is fettucini alfredo. You know your customers like the taste, so how about a "white pizza" with an alfredo sauce base? For toppings: chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Okay, so you're thinking that sounds pretty good. Still, you aren't convinced your customers will buy it.
No problem. Introduce it as a limited time offer. If it takes off, you have a new hit. If not, you can go back to the drawing board.

After all, getting customer feedback is nice, but there's no truer test than seeing whether the consumer buys the product repeatedly. If a product sells well over a small period of time, say three months, it's then common practice to extend the offer's life another two to three months. If sales are then strong, you know the item belongs on the menu full-time.

Market It
If you are going to make use of a limited time offer, you must advertise it heavily. It does little good to add an item secretly or only support it through in-store advertising. A limited time offer is a marketing tool and must be viewed as such to be completely effective. So, assuming you've hit on the right product for your area, how do you market a LTO?

Remember, the key is to convey a sense of urgency. The offer, after all, is good "only for a limited time." The message you want to send to the customer is "Hurry in to try this before it's gone."

To accomplish this, it's usually best to flood the market with advertising for five or six weeks. Since frequency is the key to any marketing campaign, forget about expensive, full-page print ads or minute-long commercial spots. Instead, use a series of smaller ads - quarter-page ads in the local newspaper, for instance - and 15- and 30-second radio and local television spots to get your message across. And since you're offering your customers the opportunity to try a new food item, the ad should focus on the food. Sure, it's necessary to use your logo and slogan, etc., but the focus should be on the product. The ad does not have to be entertaining; it simply needs to be informative.

Let your customers know there's a new product available to them, show them what the product looks like and describe it succulently, and then let them know that they need to hurry in to your shop to try it out. The LTO likely won't take your business to a new level, but it should provide you with a short-term sales increase. If it does that and gets you through a down time, it has accomplished its mission.

Three big pizza-consuming days are about to roll around. New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday each present opportunities for pizzeria operators across the country. Don’t let them go unnoticed in your community. And don’t let your competitor down the street or the large chains with national advertising budgets reap all the rewards. Dive in now and come up with something creative for these moments that brighten winter.

Do you cater or deliver? If so, come up with a promotion geared towards the inevitable New Year’s and Super Bowl parties. Bundle pizzas (yes, that’s plural for a reason), appetizers and drinks at an attractive-yet-profitable price. Don’t forget to factor the cost of delivery into your pricing if you aren’t charging a delivery fee.

Do you have a dining room? Do you have a bar? If so, make your pizzeria the pre-party place to be on New Year’s Eve, or the place to wake up and unwind on New Year’s Day with a post-party “hangover” special.

Do you have television screens in your dining room? Invite your customers in for a Super Bowl pizza party. One idea is to make it a special event by limiting the number of guests (based on your seating occupancy, of course) and charging them an “admission” fee at the door. The entry price gets them “free” food and soda during the Super Bowl party, as well as a lively place to view the big game. It goes without saying that they’ll have to pay for beer or wine if they want it — and they’ll probably want it.

In Louisville, where Pizza Today is located, there’s a huge fireworks display each spring called Thunder Over Louisville. It kicks off the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival in April, leading up to the big race on the first Saturday of May. It’s a can’t-miss event and many of the restaurants located on the Ohio River do the limited-seating/entry fee party promotion I described in the previous paragraph. Typically, they set up a buffet for that day only to accommodate the crowd and make the event less taxing for the kitchen staff. Each year the operators claim the day to be an overwhelming success.

Perhaps you’d rather just conduct business as usual on the day of the big game. The way I see it, that’s a problem because your customers are either going to have to leave during the middle of the game to clear the table for other customers, or they’re going to linger and watch the game while other customers wait to be seated.

Whichever way you decide to go, just do something. Don’t leave yourself in the dark, and don’t wait until the day before New Year’s Eve and try to throw something together at the last minute. Get planning now so that you and your staff will be prepared when the holidays and Super Bowl roll around.

The next two months usually are welcome periods for pizzeria operators, particularly those located next to high school and college campuses. As kids return to school in August and September, business invariably picks up. The Memorial Day to Labor Day lull is a great time to tinker with the menu and try new marketing promotions to see what will and won’t work in the upcoming months. Once school starts, though, it’s all about handling the rush.

There’s nothing like a wave of fans hitting your shop on Friday night after the local high school football game. But to handle the increased business, you must be adequately prepared. From increasing your staffing levels to ensuring there is enough product to get you through the evening, those first few Friday nights each season can be a challenge. Still, it’s exhilarating, isn’t it?

The good news if you’re amongst the thousands of operations looking to cash in on high school and college students: they have more disposable income than ever before. The bad news: they still spring for the discounts, despite the cash in their pockets.

What’s an operator to do? That’s where bundling comes in. Take a cue from McDonald’s and other fast food giants by offering “after-school specials.” Package a personal pizza, breadsticks and a soft drink together at a price moderately less than the cost the three items would command if they were separate sales. This spares you steep discounting, but still provides you with a marketing message that appeals to the young audience.

Of course, these package deals appeal to other demographics as well. Which is one reason why the aforementioned Burger Giant does so well with a streamlined menu that doesn’t even need words. Think about it, a photo of the “bundle” and a corresponding number is all it takes. Talk about efficiency.

Our society has three new years annually, when you consider it: the calendar year, the fiscal year and the academic year. With the 2005-2006 academic year dawning, now is the time to attack new menu items and your marketing plan with zest and vigor.

Now also is the time to think about seasonal menu items. With fall around the corner and winter behind that, heartier sandwiches, heavier dishes and soups are going to experience an increased demand. Halloween offers unique marketing opportunities and the day before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest days of the year (in terms of sales) for the pizza industry. If you want your shop to be the food and service provider of choice during this stretch, you better get to work on it. Your competition has already done so.

Ever since the first BBQ Chicken pizza hit the scene in the 1980’s, consumers have gone stir crazy over it. Since then barbecue sauce has gone from an oddity to a regular on pizzeria menus. It makes a fantastic pizza base and provides regular customers with a nice alternative when they need a break from tomato sauce.

Chicken isn’t the only topping you can use on a barbecue pizza, either. Let’s branch out and explore a pulled pork BBQ pizza, a creation that turns an ever-popular Southern sandwich into a specialty pie without rival.

Since the sauce is really what makes this pizza pop, we’ll start with it. When it comes to bottled sauces, there’s no shortage of available options. The key is to determine what your customers like, because barbecue sauces come in many flavors ranging from smoky to sweet. You may even want to mix two different sauces to create the optimum flavor profile. Either way, you’ll want to test market extensively to see what will work best for your customers. You can’t afford to mess up the sauce, because if it’s off this pizza will not sell.

From there, you’ll want to go with a high-quality pork. To save labor, buy packaged pulled pork instead of committing time to pulling it yourself. Red onions, jalapeno peppers and tomato slices will round out a the flavor, and a bit of fresh cilantro will push your recipe over the edge. While you can go with a smoked mozzarella — which is preferred on a BBQ chicken pizza — try a mixture of mozzarella and Monterey Jack to give your pulled pork pizza a unique taste.

This pizza has a lot of appeal and is great to market during the summer months, when business traditionally drops as customers enjoy their own back-yard barbecues. Give the adjacent recipe a try, and don’t forget to up sell beer with it, because this pizza pairs with beer as well as any pizza on your menu.



Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza

14-inch pizza crust

8 ounces barbecue sauce

¼ cup red onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

7 ounces pulled pork

½ tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup jalapeno peppers, sliced

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Spread barbecue sauce evenly over the crust. Add onion, cilantro, tomatoes, pulled pork, jalapeno peppers and cheese. Bake at 500 F until cheese melts and bubbles.

Ever since the first BBQ Chicken pizza hit the scene in the 1980’s, consumers have gone stir crazy over it. Since then barbecue sauce has gone from an oddity to a regular on pizzeria menus. It makes a fantastic pizza base and provides regular customers with a nice alternative when they need a break from tomato sauce.

Chicken isn’t the only topping you can use on a barbecue pizza, either. Let’s branch out and explore a pulled pork BBQ pizza, a creation that turns an ever-popular Southern sandwich into a specialty pie without rival.

Since the sauce is really what makes this pizza pop, we’ll start with it. When it comes to bottled sauces, there’s no shortage of available options. The key is to determine what your customers like, because barbecue sauces come in many flavors ranging from smoky to sweet. You may even want to mix two different sauces to create the optimum flavor profile. Either way, you’ll want to test market extensively to see what will work best for your customers. You can’t afford to mess up the sauce, because if it’s off this pizza will not sell.

From there, you’ll want to go with a high-quality pork. To save labor, buy packaged pulled pork instead of committing time to pulling it yourself. Red onions, jalapeno peppers and tomato slices will round out a the flavor, and a bit of fresh cilantro will push your recipe over the edge. While you can go with a smoked mozzarella — which is preferred on a BBQ chicken pizza — try a mixture of mozzarella and Monterey Jack to give your pulled pork pizza a unique taste.

This pizza has a lot of appeal and is great to market during the summer months, when business traditionally drops as customers enjoy their own back-yard barbecues. Give the adjacent recipe a try, and don’t forget to up sell beer with it, because this pizza pairs with beer as well as any pizza on your menu.


Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza


14-inch pizza crust

8 ounces barbecue sauce

¼ cup red onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

7 ounces pulled pork

½ tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup jalapeno peppers, sliced

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Spread barbecue sauce evenly over the crust. Add onion, cilantro, tomatoes, pulled pork, jalapeno peppers and cheese. Bake at 500 F until cheese melts and bubbles.

Last week, I sat in a pizzeria in my tiny hometown, listening to the proprietor regale a small crowd with stories.

The restaurant’s owner, a squat, balding man with a stubby cigar forever hanging out of his mouth, doesn’t look like a person you’d turn to for information. There he was, nonetheless, telling a room half-full of eager ears ways to save and invest money.

I’m allergic to smoke — can’t stand to be around it — but I sat there, sneezing and sniffling, intent on toughing it out. Why? Not because I wanted advice on saving and investing (though I could certainly use it), but because I wanted some time with this particular restaurant operator after his gallery dispersed. I wanted to ask him specific questions; questions I then hoped to incorporate and answer in future issues of Pizza Today for the benefit of our readers.

I’ve known this guy since I was a kid. But I never, until that evening last December, realized how impressive a business he had built. In a town of only 2,500, and despite competition from other pizzerias and restaurants, he managed to build a $1 million business.

How? He didn’t have the cheapest pie around. But he had the best, and that quality was enough to make a blue-collar town buy his product over the next guy’s.

I didn’t want to talk to him about quality, however. You know quality is important. Instead, I wanted to ask what he did to build his business. How did he market it? What resources did he use? How did he determine his location, or what to put on his menu and what to leave off it? His trials and tribulations, I figured, were very similar to those of most independent pizzeria operators.

What he told me, in a nutshell, wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. I wanted to uncover short cuts, secret phenomenon’s that would net big profits with minimal work. That’s not what I got. Instead, I received a nose-full of smoke and an ear full of this: “You get what you pay for.”

He preached quality until he was red in the face, literally. Too many operators try to take short cuts, he said. Too many want to make their numbers look good and forget about the importance of quality.

Quality, he insisted, was the single most important thing, more significant than marketing, menu variety, ambiance and even customer service.

I’m definitely not here to espouse poor service and champion a no-need-for-marketing mentality. Without good service and well-planned marketing, in my opinion, an operator is rolling the dice.

At the same time, your customer service and marketing can be dynamite, but you’ll never see a repeat customer if you can’t make a quality pizza. Don’t let yourself fall into a cheaper-is-better mentality. Success comes with a price, but it’s a price well worth paying because the return on investment often is high. Buy the best and set your prices accordingly. You may not make as much profit per pizza, but you’ll likely sell more pizzas and come out ahead in the end.

It’s February, traditionally one of the coldest months of the year in much of the United States, and many of your customers are thinking about hot meals and soups. Your minestrone’s probably moving as well as ever.

Funny thing, though: your salads are still selling well, too, aren’t they? Without question, salad has moved from a summer dish to a year-round favorite. While you can’t expect your entrée salads to sell as well in February as in August, you certainly can expect to push your average guest-check by up selling salads as starters to the main course. Whether customers order pizza, pasta or osso buco, a fresh salad is an ideal appetizer.

Another great option is to follow The Olive Garden’s lead by bundling soup, salad and breadsticks at one low price as a means to drive the lunch daypart. The combination is particularly appealing to business workers who need a quick, filling lunch.

Give it a try. In the summer, six to eight different salads is a good number to offer on your menu if you’re full-service. In the winter, keep three to four available for ordering. In the case of delivery and carryout units, a minimum of two salads should make the menu at all times.

The beauty of putting together a good salad is that, like pizza, the ingredients you can use are virtually endless. The key is to use fresh, high quality produce (that you already have in house … no need to add additional inventory) and offer house-made or top quality bottled dressings. Your customers will take it from there.

Finally, you don’t need a recipe to make a good salad (get in the kitchen and experiment!), but we’re going to give you one anyway. Why? Because that’s what we do.



West Coast Chopped Salad

½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped into 1/8-inch wide strips

½ head romaine lettuce, chopped into 1/8-inch wide strips

10 basil leaves, chopped

12 ounces mozzarella, shredded

6 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup honey ham, diced

1 cup turkey breast, diced

¼ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup black olives, chopped



Toss all ingredients together in large bowl and keep covered in cooler. To serve, toss salad with requested dressing and serve on chilled salad plates.

Cook’s Note: You can replace the ham and turkey with grilled chicken or a combination of salami and pepperoni if you do not already keep ham and turkey on hand for subs.

It’s February, traditionally one of the coldest months of the year in much of the United States, and many of your customers are thinking about hot meals and soups. Your minestrone’s probably moving as well as ever.

Funny thing, though: your salads are still selling well, too, aren’t they? Without question, salad has moved from a summer dish to a year-round favorite. While you can’t expect your entrée salads to sell as well in February as in August, you certainly can expect to push your average guest-check by up selling salads as starters to the main course. Whether customers order pizza, pasta or osso buco, a fresh salad is an ideal appetizer.

Another great option is to follow The Olive Garden’s lead by bundling soup, salad and breadsticks at one low price as a means to drive the lunch daypart. The combination is particularly appealing to business workers who need a quick, filling lunch.

Give it a try. In the summer, six to eight different salads is a good number to offer on your menu if you’re full-service. In the winter, keep three to four available for ordering. In the case of delivery and carryout units, a minimum of two salads should make the menu at all times.

The beauty of putting together a good salad is that, like pizza, the ingredients you can use are virtually endless. The key is to use fresh, high quality produce (that you already have in house … no need to add additional inventory) and offer house-made or top quality bottled dressings. Your customers will take it from there.

Finally, you don’t need a recipe to make a good salad (get in the kitchen and experiment!), but we’re going to give you one anyway. Why? Because that’s what we do.


West Coast Chopped Salad

½ head iceberg lettuce, chopped into 1/8-inch wide strips

½ head romaine lettuce, chopped into 1/8-inch wide strips

10 basil leaves, chopped

12 ounces mozzarella, shredded

6 ounces sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup honey ham, diced

1 cup turkey breast, diced

¼ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup black olives, chopped

Toss all ingredients together in large bowl and keep covered in cooler. To serve, toss salad with requested dressing and serve on chilled salad plates.

Cook’s Note: You can replace the ham and turkey with grilled chicken or a combination of salami and pepperoni if you do not already keep ham and turkey on hand for subs.