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Online at PMQ.com April 2011 PIZZA TV: RECENT VIDEOS
PIZZA RADIO Pizza Radio host Andrew Abernathy asks the questions and you get the answers during weekly interviews with industry experts.
Ask the Experts Earl Wilmeth Earl Wilmeth, owner of Rounder’s Pizza in Athens, Texas, explains how T-shirts have turned into one of his best marketing tools.
Meet the Team: Antonio Martos del Arbol
Mike Craig
Watch footage of Antonio Martos del Arbol, from Málaga, Spain, the winner of PMQ’s 2010 YouTube Freestyle Acrobatic Contest and one of the U.S. Pizza Team’s international members.
Hear Mike Craig, co-founder and VP of marketing from Ruxter, a Kansas City, Kansasbased mobile marketing company, explain the “Three Ps” of mobile marketing.
PMQ’s TOP SOCIAL MEDIA PICKS Social media is more than just Web-based chatter—it’s a marketing revolution! Whether a “Big Three” franchisee or a mom-and-pop operation, we’ve seen operators generate sales from steadfast Facebook and Twitter campaigns. PMQ editors monitor how industry professionals embrace social media and, in some ways, help write the rules for viral marketing. Here are some of our favorites this month:
Find PMQ at @pmqpizzzamag Find PMQ at facebook.com/ pmqpizzamagazine
SpinPizza CRUMMY WEATHER VOUCHER! 20% off. Food only (no alcohol) today and tonight. Show your phone or print coupon at http://on.fb.me/ijwiou. AndolinisPizza I love Follow Fridays! If you smell #ZA behind you...it’s me...following you. I follow cool & eat hot. #FF MarcosPizzaCorp “LIKE” this post if you have tried and LOVE our White Cheezy Specialty Pizza! Haven’t tried it yet? What are you...http://fb.me/tmmqaskq Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza & Ice Cream Joint 10 people have signed up for our March 7th Beer Dinner featuring Sam Smith and Lindeman’s Lambic Beers! For only $60, you can join them for a night of good food and great beer! Monical’s Pizza Many of our guests love to dip their pizza in Monical’s Sweet & Tart dressing… What other delicious combinations can you think of? Varasano’s Pizzeria Happy Friday Night! Pizza is a perfect date!
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Table of Contents WILBUR TAGUE
April 2011 ON THE COVER 22 The Big Freeze Learn how to heat up summer sales with cool summertime treats. By Tracy Morin
FEATURES 28
The Scene’s Gone Mobile “SMS,” “text marketing” and “app” may be new concepts to you, but their marketing effectiveness may soon have you singing their praises. By Andrew Abernathy
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Solid as a Rock Star See how one Indiana pizzeria uses rock stars to help market its pizza. By Kristie Warino
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36 Buying vs. Leasing Before you sign on the dotted line, find out the pros and cons of buying vs. leasing your building. By Jerry Chautin
44 Refer to the Handbook Learn how to develop—and enforce—an employee handbook in your pizzeria. By Julie A. Moore, Esq.
50 Smart Design Investigate necessary safety and health regulation design requirements before you break ground. A bonus safety checklist is included. By Terrence H. Charles
IN EVERY ISSUE
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Online at PMQ.com Editor’s Note
12 Letters to the Editor 14
Pizza Press
54
Product Spotlight
60
Advertiser Index
62
Industry Resource Guide
72
Resource Guide Index
DEPARTMENTS 16
In Lehmann’s Terms: Bread and Water Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann talks about the effects of water on pizza dough.
18 New York’s Finest: Zucchini and Tomatoes Chef Santo Bruno waxes poetic about zucchini’s versatility— and proves his point with this simple dish.
20 Accounting for Your Money: Second Opinions and Credit Card Fees Mike Rasmussen answers two of operators’ most common accounting questions.
26 Meet the Team: Sam Niemeier Meet a member of the U.S. Pizza Team each month in the pages of PMQ. This month, we feature our youngest member, who won the youth category of the Throw Dough National Championship four years in a row.
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Marketing Marvels: Well-Rounded A school lunch program, a Tuesday night buffet, and a popular T-shirt slogan keep this Athens, Texas, pizzeria humming year-round.
48 Pizza of the Month: Pepperoni
Pizza of the Month: Barbecue Chicken Pizza Sandwiches: Expand your menu using the
In this monthly feature, we spotlight a favorite style of pizza and recognize those around the country who feature it on their menus.
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Coming Next Month ingredients you already have on hand by offering sandwiches.
Marketing to Baby Boomers: Explore new ways to
On the Radio: Jonathan Goldsmith Pizza Radio host Andrew Abernathy talks with Jonathan Goldsmith, owner of Spacca Napoli in Chicago, about authenticity in his Neapolitan pizzeria.
74 Time Capsule: Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana A Coney Island favorite since 1924, this legendary pizzeria continues to earn awards, accolades and new fans.
market to a growing population of mature consumers.
Mobile Food Trucks and Catering: Take your pizza on the road with these tips and tricks from the experts.
Cross-Training and Preparing for Exiting the Business: Secure your pizzeria’s future by training your staff to take over in your absence.
22 To hear any of the recorded interviews from this month’s issue, go to PizzaRadio.com and type “April 2011” in the search field. To view any of the videos accompanying this month’s issue, go to PizzaTV.com and type “April 2011” in the search field.
April 2011 • pmq.com
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Editor’s Note Liz Barrett Smooth Operator I’m currently reading Dave’s Way, a book written by the late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s. While the book is categorized as an autobiography, it’s really a guidebook for restaurateurs, containing tips that Thomas picked up throughout a lifetime of working in the restaurant industry. At one point, Thomas discusses the operations side of running a restaurant and says, “A restaurant manager has more than 60 things to watch over while he’s running the ship. Customers have just one thing to do, so they have plenty of time to watch what we don’t do.” That really struck a chord with me, even reading as a consumer. When I go out to eat, I catch myself looking at, among other things, a restaurant’s cleanliness, customer service, and all of the meals leaving the kitchen. The way I see it, no matter how good your food is, if there are large kinks in your operations, the food will eventually stop being enough to bring me back. In this issue of PMQ Pizza Magazine, we’ve included several articles that take a look at restaurant operations to help you make sure that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes in your pizzeria.
It All Starts With a Plan In “Refer to the Handbook,” Julie A. Moore discusses the importance of employee handbooks and how you can put one together for your staff. Having a handbook in place for new and existing employees sets the stage for how you want your company to operate. You’ll find that having written rules in place also makes rewarding and reprimanding employees simple and fair.
Think Ahead and Stay Safe Planning to add on to your current location or open an additional store? Terrence Charles’ article on page 50 will help you plan ahead by considering safety and operational needs before you break ground. And don’t forget that kitchen safety needs to be a top priority in any pizzeria.
Network Like a Rock Star When you’re looking for a bit of guidance relating to operations, why not turn to a fellow pizzeria operator? There’s no one who understands what you’re going through more than another owner. Ron Mathews, founder of Rockstar Pizza in Brownsburg, Indiana, and the focus of this month’s pizzeria profile on page 32, is a big advocate for networking with peers; in fact, he claims that before he makes any big-dollar decisions, he usually takes the idea to the PMQ Think Tank forum (PMQ.com/tt) to get feedback. After all, it never hurts to get a second opinion! Until next time, my door is always open for your questions, comments and suggestions. Best Pizza Wishes,
Liz Barrett Editor-in-chief PMQ Pizza Magazine
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Letters to the Editor Liz Barrett Hollywood Invite I own and manage Crispy Crust Pizzeria (crispycrust.net), located in Hollywood, California. I have enjoyed reading PMQ for many years and used many of its concepts to better our business. We currently operate two locations and are fairly popular in the area. Our menu offers a wide variety of unique pizzas, delicious Buffalo wings, and salads made fresh daily. The secret to our success is our dough, which is an old family recipe dating back at least 100 years. We do not offer any seating in our restaurants and depend solely on deliveries and pickups. Despite this fact, our pizzas, wings and salads are able to compete with all full-service pizzerias in the area due to the quality and taste of our food. Any time you are in town, I would like to invite you to stop by and give us your opinion on Crispy Crust. Thank you, and keep on doing the great job you have been doing with PMQ. Arthur Melkonyan Crispy Crust Pizzeria Hollywood, CA Via email Arthur, It sounds like you’re running a pretty tight ship over at Crispy Crust. We always
appreciate an invitation and will definitely add you to the list of stops for the next time we’re in the area.
Winning Chicago-Style My name is Tammy Maleckas, and I’m the owner and operator of Belemonti’s Chicago Pizzeria (belemontis pizzeria.com) in Denver. I’m fairly new to the pizza industry, opening my first pizzeria in April 2009. I read PMQ every month and love it! AOL City’s Best (citys best.com) just tallied the votes for the No. 1 pizza place in the city, and I’m proud to say that I have won in Denver! It’s humbling to see Belemonti’s right up there with Lou Malnati’s! Tammy Maleckas Belemonti’s Chicago Pizzeria Denver, CO Via email Tammy, Congratulations! Denver residents are clearly showing their appreciation for the Chicagostyle slices you’re providing so far away from the Windy City.
— A Publication of PMQ, Inc. — Winner of 4 GAMMA Awards ISSN 1937-5263
PMQ, Inc. Publisher Steve Green sg@pmq.com ext. 123 Co-Publisher Linda Green linda@pmq.com ext. 121 Director of Operations Stefanie Goodwiller sgoodwiller@pmq.com ext. 124 EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Liz Barrett liz@pmq.com ext. 126 Managing Editor Tracy Morin tracy@pmq.com ext. 140 Associate Editor Andrew Abernathy andrew@pmq.com ext. 133 Editorial Intern Artesha Dunning artesha@pmq.com ext. 136 Editorial Intern Kristie Warino kristie@pmq.com ext. 137 DESIGN/PRODUCTION Art Director Ellen Kellum ellen@pmq.com ext. 135 Webmaster Mike Cockrell mike@pmq.com ext. 139 Assistant Web Designer Xiaobin Wu ben@pmq.com ADVERTISING Sales Director Linda Green linda@pmq.com ext. 121 Account Executive Clifton Moody clifton@pmq.com ext. 138 Account Executive Emeasha Mitchell emeasha@pmq.com ext. 127 ADMINISTRATION Accounting Shawn Brown shawn@pmq.com Circulation Manager Sherlyn Clark sherlyn@pmq.com ext. 120
Think Tank 2.0
U.S. Pizza Team Coordinator Holly Henning holly@uspizzateam.com ext. 129
What’s the buzz? Log on to find out the latest industry buzz at PMQ.com/tt. Oil and sugar…I want to develop a great crust for delivery purposes, and my target crust would be light… Does anyone have a good cheese recommendation for a wood-fired brick oven? It needs to melt well… I want to know if there’s a standard calculation for using 100% sourdough starter culture?
Telemarketer Marie Johnson marie@pmq.com ext. 144 PMQ INTERNATIONAL PMQ China Yvonne Liu yvonne@pmq.com PMQ Australia-NZ Tom Boyles tom@pmqaustralia.com Pizza&Food Gabriele Ancona gabriele.ancona@pizzafood.it French Liaison Julien Panet jpanet@pizza.fr EDITORIAL ADVISORS
How do you collect on checks written from bad accounts? It has not been a huge issue until the last year…
Chef Santo Bruno Tom Lehmann Joey Todaro Ed Zimmerman
Thank You to Our PMQ Think Tank Moderators
CONTRIBUTORS
Daddio: Member since June 2006 Tom Lehmann: Member since June 2006
Rockstar Pizza: Member since June 2006 ADpizzaguy: Member since January 2007
We want to hear from you! Have a complaint, compliment or suggestion about something you’ve read in the pages of PMQ? Send your letter via email to editor@pmq.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line, or mail to PMQ, ATTN: Letters to the Editor, 605 Edison St., Oxford, MS 38655. We look forward to hearing from you! Friend us on Facebook! Visit facebook.com/pmqpizzamagazine. Editor-in-chief Liz Barrett 12
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Chef Santo Bruno Terrence H. Charles Jerry Chautin Tom Lehmann Julie A. Moore Michael J. Rasmussen Volume 15, Issue 3 PMQ Pizza Magazine 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax • linda@pmq.com PMQ Pizza Magazine is published 10 times per year. Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent. We want to hear from you! Email us at liz@pmq.com.
Pizza Press News and Views
Play With Your Food
Learn more about the National Zoo’s pizza playground on PizzaTV.com.
STEVE GREEN
At the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., a pizza playground is on the chopping block due to budget cuts, and officials at the Smithsonian— which operates the zoo—say it could take a one-time donation between $60,000 and $70,000 to restore the facility. If the funds are not raised soon, the hot spot for parents with young children will be roped off this spring. For a closer look, PMQ publisher Steve Green took the PizzaTV van to the U.S. capital to get the scoop. The playground, which features a foam, plastic-coated pizza at its center, has movable mushrooms and pepperoni, and a hollowed plastic olive for kids to crawl through. According to Bob Lamb, executive director of Friends of the National Zoo, the organization is open to any and all ideas to save the playground, and local fans of the facility hosted a fundraiser to help save the event in early March. “I have a three-year-old who loves playing on the pizza, but it is beginning to look a little worn,” says D.C. resident Steve Davis, who hopes to help save the playground. “I know absolutely nothing about fundraising, but if I were a marketing executive from a pizza chain, I’d be salivating at the opportunity to contribute some funding to the National Zoo and promote my product here.” Area parent Jamie Davis Smith added, “The pizza playground is the most popular part of the zoo for families with young children. I hear many promises of pizza for dinner from parents trying to lure their children away.” -A.A.
IN PIZZA AND POLITICS
GAGE SKIDMORE
One former pizza chain executive has thrown his hat in the ring for a chance at the Oval Office: Former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza (god fathers.com) Herman Cain submitted his bid for the Republican nomination for presidency last March. The Purdue graduate isn’t new to the election process; in 2004, he ran for a Republican Senate spot but lost the primary. His upper-level management experience includes being the former head of the National Restaurant Association, and some believe he would do well as president because he has turned around several companies. He revived 450 Burger Kings and made Godfather’s Pizza—then on the verge of bankruptcy—profitable once more. “Leadership is the ability to take a good idea and sell it,” Cain told the Associated Press. “When the public understands it, they will demand it. You’ve got to be able to sell the idea.” -A.D.
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Eek! A Mouse! If you think you have dirty competition in your town, take solace in this ugly pizza-related rivalry: The owners of Verona Pizza (veronapizza.com) and Uncle Nick’s Pizza in Darby, Pennsylvania, found themselves victim last March to an angry competitor who attempted to let mice loose in their stores. Nikolas Galiatsatos, owner of Nina’s Bella Pizzeria, was charged with animal cruelty, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and harassment for his attempts to sabotage his competitors and was released on $10,000 bail. If convicted of a felony, he could face up to two years in prison, according to The Delaware County Daily Times. Galiatsatos allegedly purchased mice at a local pet shop and walked inside Verona Pizza, asked to use the restroom, and placed a bag of mice in a ceiling panel. Co-owner Fanis Facas suspected something unusual, so he gathered the bag and brought it to police officers who happened to be eating in his restaurant. They later caught Galiatsatos entering Uncle Nick’s and apprehended the suspect. However, in a show of pizza solidarity, the community has gotten behind the two offended operators. Darby Mayor Thomas Micozzie and Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood made a point to let citizens know, via an article in the local newspaper, that they were going back to these shops to grab slices. Micozzie said, “We are here to show our support for these business owners. They have excellent reputations in the community. I’ve eaten here before, and I’m glad we can to do it again.” -A.D.
Eat More Anchovies Do you offer anchovy pizza? If so, your anchovy-loving customers might be helping to save a threatened species of fish. A recent study by scientists at the University of British Columbia shows more anchovies and sardines should be consumed due to overconsumption by humans of other fish. The study found that populations of “big fish,” (i.e., tuna, cod and grouper) have declined by two-thirds this century, while anchovies and sardines have doubled in number. For some people, eating anchovy pizza isn’t always appealing, but these fish have many health benefits—dietitians recommend eating at least eight ounces of anchovies a week because they’re lower in mercury than many other fish. Who knew that fish lovers could help the environment without leaving your pizzeria? -A.D.
Another Pizza
Hero
Habits can be a good thing−especially when they involve pizza. At Domino’s (dominos.com) in Memphis, Tennessee, regular customer Jean Wilson has called in every day for the past three years to order a large pepperoni pizza. When delivery driver Susan Guy noticed that Wilson did not call in for her daily dose of pizza for a few days, she left work to drive over to Wilson’s house and knock on the door. When she received no answer, she immediately called the police, who arrived to find Wilson had fallen three days before, and was unable to get up or call for help. Wilson was rushed to the hospital and, thanks to her pizza diet, is doing fine. “I cannot say how happy I am that Ms. Wilson is OK,” says Guy. “God bless that lady.” Wilson has been offered an alert system by a local company, and still plans to order pizza every day. -K.W.
April 2010 • pmq.com
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In Lehmann’s Terms Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann
Visit PizzaTV.com to see more tips from Tom Lehmann.
Bread and Water Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann talks about how water affects dough. QUESTION: I’ve heard so many stories about how water affects dough that I don’t know what to believe. What’s your take on this?
ANSWER: Water quality certainly does have an effect on dough quality, but not as much as many believe it to have. The main effect of water quality on the dough comes from the hardness of, or presence of dissolved minerals in, the water. If you were to make two dough balls exactly alike, but used hard water in one dough and soft water in the other, you would see that the dough made with the soft water was softer and a little slacker than the dough made with the hard water. The first reaction to this might be to
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believe that the dough made with the soft water was overabsorbed (made with too much water), but the truth is that the difference is due only to the water—or, more specifically, the dissolved minerals, or lack of, in the water. The main dissolved mineral in hard water is calcium, and it is this mineral that complexes with the wheat proteins to strengthen it; hence, the dough appears to be stronger and more elastic (firmer-feeling). Bakers have known this for many years and, as a result, add either mineral yeast food (which contains calcium) or calcium sulfate to compensate for any differences in water hardness from the municipal water supply, or between bakeries in different locations. The addition of 0.25% calcium sulfate or 0.5% mineral yeast food has no harmful effects upon the dough if the water is hard, but if it is soft, it will provide the necessary calcium to strengthen the dough. I know that many of you have heard that the water will influence the taste of the finished crust, but we have found that this just isn’t so, providing the following: 1) The water at your pizzeria meets “potable” guidelines. 2) Your water doesn’t have any “off” flavors resulting from excessive iron, sulfur or chlorine, or a dated water supply system (stagnant or “swamp water” taste). If any of these do exist, there is still a very easy and economical fix to the problem that will allow you to use your tap water for making dough. That fix is to install a suitable water filter designed to address the issue at hand. In many cases, a microfilter and an activated charcoal filter are all that are needed to clean up your water. It might be a good idea to check the pH of your water, too. This is easily done using litmus paper, available at any drugstore. The water
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
should have a pH of 7.0 (neutral) or slightly less (acidic). Here in Manhattan, Kansas, our municipal water supply runs on the alkaline side (pH above 7.0), and since yeast is an acid-loving organism, it exhibits a slightly slower rate of fermentation unless we correct for this condition by adding a small amount of acid to the dough. The easiest way to do this is to add a small amount (0.25%) of monocalcium phosphate (MCP) to the dough as an ingredient. MCP is low-cost and readily available from any bakery ingredient supplier. As for water affecting the taste of the finished crust, a few years ago, while on the PMQ Pizza Cruise, we visited Pizza Amore (pizzaamorestthomas.com) on St. Thomas in the Caribbean, and New York-style pizza was the order of the day. We were given a tour of the back room, where we watched dough and pizzas being made, and then went out front and enjoyed some really greattasting pizza. The flavor was great; all you had to do was close your eyes and you would think you were in the Big Apple. They did this using local, potable water, directly from the tap. Being a fairly small island, St. Thomas gets all of its water from rainwater collection cisterns; all they do is treat it to destroy microorganisms, then filter it, and it’s good to go. This is a far cry from the way New York City gets its water, but the end result was the same, and in the end, that’s what counts. Now, if you still think you need special water to make your pizzas, just let me know—I can arrange to have water shipped to you in tank car lots for just $20 per gallon! Tom Lehmann is the director of bakery assistance for the American Institute of Baking (AIB). Need more dough advice? Visit the Dough Information Center at PMQ.com/dough.
New York’s Finest Chef Santo Bruno
Zucchini and Tomatoes
See cooking demos by Chef Bruno on PizzaTV.com.
Chef Bruno shares his passion for zucchini.
You’ll Need: 2 zucchini (1 lb. each) 3 ripe tomatoes ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. pepper ½ tsp. basil 1 c. Romano cheese, grated
SLNY PRODUCTIONS
Zucchini is a vegetable that goes with everything. I love that it can be used in soup, salad, pasta and more. You can roast pieces of zucchini or bread them to fry. I also like zucchini with marinara sauce (just add to your sauce and cook for 10 minutes before the sauce is done). Zucchini is a light vegetable that originated in Italy; we Italians even cook the zucchini flower before it turns into zucchini. This vegetable is loaded with vitamins A and C, as well as folic acid, niacin, protein and fiber, which means that zucchini can also help with weight loss. Zucchini are inexpensive and easy to cook (you can leave the skin on)—give them a try!
Mangia!
Directions:
SLNY PRODUCTIONS
Grease an ovenproof dish. Wash and slice the zucchini and add to the dish. Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the middle of the dish. Season with salt, pepper and basil, and sprinkle the Romano cheese on top. Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes.
Chef Bruno and Nicola Gambino from Aurora Oil share a pan of zucchini and tomatoes.
Chef Bruno is PMQ’s culinary advisor, with 40 years of international pizza experience. He is the corporate chef for Marsal & Sons, and the culinary coach of the U.S. Pizza Team. 18
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Accounting for Your Money Michael J. Rasmussen, CPA
Hear more advice from Michael Rasmussen on PizzaRadio.com.
Second Opinions and Credit Card Fees Mike Rasmussen answers two of your most common accounting questions. QUESTION: My current accountant doesn’t provide restaurant advice, and I feel like I’m missing out on something. Without hurting his feelings, how can I get a second opinion?
ANSWER: If you are at this stage with your current accountant, who may even be a family member, you owe it to your employees, your staff, your family and everyone affected by your restaurant operation’s success to challenge the advice being given to you. Most accountants don’t specialize in one area of accounting or taxation. Many bookkeeping firms take on any client who is willing to use QuickBooks or the like and pay a monthly fee. A restaurant operation is a unique animal, and you need someone who understands “paid-outs,” “cash over/short,” “tips” and “employee theft.” With the economic times that we’re in, you need to make that tough call and get a second opinion. Start by getting a current engagement letter from your accountant. This is a document that an accountant provides a client detailing exactly what services will be performed and when, and the associated fees. Once you receive this letter, review it to see if all of the tasks are being performed on a timely basis, and that the fees match the services. Next, ask another restaurant operator or another business owner that you respect if you can speak to his accountant. Tell the new accountant you are looking for someone in the restaurant industry that you can bounce ideas off in addition to your current accountant, and possibly switch if the right match comes along. Ask for his rèsumè and a few customers to contact for references. This process may take some time. Once information is gathered about how other accountants service and charge their restaurant owner clients, a decision can be made in regard to the fees, services and products currently being received. Ultimately, a checkup is always a healthy way to keep your current accountant on his toes and acquire knowledge about the competition.
QUESTION:
will continue to change until challenged. I have my clients perform a rate analysis check with a competitor every six months to determine that rates being charged are in line with the industry. Credit card fees have become a commodity, and once the installation has occurred, not much is done to control the costs or charges; it becomes automated with an 800 number at that point. Therefore, the devil is in the details, and it’s appropriate to compare your statements. There are many companies willing to make a comparison of rates with you very quickly. Once this analysis is received, the next step is to contact your current carrier and ask for a reduction in fees or rates if appropriate. It never hurts to ask. Inquire about whether or not all of your transactions are available online for viewing and backup. Find out which company the promoter processes all of its transactions through, and see if you recognize that back-end processor. Contact your accountant to confirm whom you are processing your transactions with, and contact your bank for a second opinion. Ask questions. Get to the bottom of the major fees charged and how your restaurant’s current volume of transactions stacks up with different credit card processors. The credit card industry is known for not having transparency, so during your investigation you may come across some land mines—i.e., individuals who won’t provide information or get offended by due diligence. I recommend that you keep digging and asking questions. If a decision is made to switch, make sure that termination fees from your current carrier are considered, and negotiate these types of fees with a new carrier in the future. Be aware that the original contract you signed may have many termination clauses that need to be checked before a switch is made. After a little investigation, it’s amazing what one will learn and uncover.
My credit card fees are just too expensive. How do I compare rates?
ANSWER: I have learned that credit card fees change like monthly cellular telephone charges and plans, and if they go unchecked, they 20
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Michael J. Rasmussen is the owner of Rasmussen Tax Group in Conway, Arkansas. Visit rasmussentaxgroup.com for additional insight into restaurant-specific tax strategies and technology programs.
The Big Freeze Italian ices, gelato and sorbet cool down customers while heating up sales. By Tracy Morin
As the weather turns warmer, are you losing potential dessert customers who visit the treat shop down the street after a meal at your place? Maybe you already run a successful dessert program but want to further increase sales and differentiate your pizzeria. Whether your business offers dine-in, delivery or takeout, you might want to think about the possibilities of Italian ices, gelato and sorbet. “It’s important for a restaurant to offer an experience, and no dining experience is complete without desserts— they can even emerge as a star of the menu, leading to repeat visits,” says Jillian Hillard, marketing manager at PreGel America in Concord, North Carolina. “Gelato and sorbet make sense in the pizzeria because they’re both Italian foods, and they’re considered lighter and healthier dessert fare—a huge selling point in today’s health-conscious society.” Meanwhile, Italian ices are ubiquitous in Northeast pizza shops, but in other places they can offer a point of differentiation, as Joseph Cappillo, owner of Slice-N-Ice (grovepizza.com) in Miami, found when he opened shop in the ’90s. “At first, no one here knew what Italian ices were—we had to explain them to people,” he recalls. “Where I grew up in New York, though, I saw people making a fortune off Italian ices—I’m surprised that not every pizzeria carries them!” Thinking of adding ices, gelato or sorbet to your menu? We spoke to several operators and industry insiders to get the scoop (pun intended) on what it takes to offer these treats and how you can make sure they help attract and retain customers.
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PMQ’s Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine
M PP LY.C O
Unique desserts, such as ices, sorbet and gelato, can raise your ticket averages in a way that other food items may not be able to. “If you have pizza and want to add pasta, you’ve changed only the item, not the ticket value—but if
GE LATOSU
After-Dinner Delights
GELATOSUPPLY.COM
Chill Out you sell pizza and add gelato, you’ve increased the ticket value,” notes Christine Cogliano, CEO of Dolcefine Gelato in Baltimore. “At an average of $3 per serving, just 10 people a day ordering would add thousands to your annual sales—and imagine in the warmer months when you serve even more!” In addition, some customers will seek out your shop solely for the treats. “People who have never eaten our food come here just for our Italian ices,” says Rob Priskie, who co-owns Pakula’s Pizza in New City, New York, with Matthew Weiss. “Families will come three to four times a week and eat them on our bench outside.” Priskie obtains his Italian ices from a local maker and offers them in the warmer months, about six months out of the year, but claims that the ices have a significant markup—a $1.95 cup costs him only 25 cents, plus the labor needed to scoop it, making the ices a highly profitable item. By contrast, Stefano Bertolotti, owner of Bada Bing Pizzeria (badabingpizzapasta.com) in League City, Texas, says that he’s still trying to recoup the initial investment made for the gelatos he sells, because he makes them inhouse with a machine that cost $20,000. “Still, we want our customers to feel comfortable here and establish a trust with them,” he explains. “It’s not for everybody to make their own gelato—it’s
Looking to add frozen desserts in your operation? Contact the following manufacturers: Advanced Gourmet Equipment, 336-856-2919, advancedgourmet.com Berzaci, 877-823-7922, berzaci.com Cora Italian Specialties, 800-696-2672, corainc.com Dolcefine Gelato, 888-394-1833, dolcefine.com Electro Freeze, 800-755-4545, electrofreeze.com GelatoSupply.com, 843-747-7887, gelatosupply.com Honey Hill Farms, 800-445-2715, thehoneyhillfarms.com J&J Snack Foods, 800-486-9533, jjsnackfoodservice.com Paris Gourmet, 800-727-8791, parisgourmet.com Palazzolo’s, 800-4GELATO, 4gelato.com PreGel America, 866-977-3435, pregelamerica.com Taylor Ultimate Services Co., 954-217-9100, taylorus.com
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a total commitment, and you have to know what you’re doing. Still, is there anything more rewarding than making someone feel good at your establishment?” (For more information on the logistics of selling frozen desserts—sizing, flavor choice and inhouse vs. premade, see the sidebar “Working Out the Logistics” on page 25). Though some owners, like Priskie, have chosen to sell only seasonally, many find that sales of frozen desserts stay steady throughout the winter. Brian Lackey, co-owner of the Pizzeria Venti (pizzeriaventi-atlanta.com) franchise in Atlanta, offers seasonal favorites (such as pumpkin spice) that are very popular with his customers. “Our gelato sales stay steady or even increase in the winter,” he says. “Most other ice cream shops close up for the season, but people still want these treats.” Dan Rokas, who owns Zesty’s Pizza (zestypizzachelmsford.com) in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, with his father, Ted, also verifies that his gelato sales, even in the middle of a New England winter, were steadily increasing for 2011. Depending on your location and your customer base, you might want to consider offering them year-round.
Selling Out No matter what the season, you’ll want to market your gelato, sorbet and Italian ices creatively to get people to try them—after
Pear Sorbet
all, if the product is high-quality, they’ll be back for more! First of all, says Hillard, educate your customers, as not everyone is familiar with gelato, sorbet or Italian ice. “We always suggest sampling,” she advises. “Get outside of your establishment and have passersby try it, or go out to community events with a cart and promote your desserts.” You may even be able to receive marketing materials from the companies you purchase from, whether you’re getting ingredients to make your own or purchasing premade. On the other hand, if you’re purchasing from a nearby artisan, you can work the local angle. Matt Galvin, co-owner of Pagliacci Pizza (pagliacci.com), based in Seattle with 22 locations, purchases from a local Italian woman and finds that the authentic artisan product fits perfectly with his hand-tossed pizza. “It’s a high-quality product, and we support a local artisan business,” he notes. “It’s a nice way to partner up—and, from an operational standpoint, it’s very easy to add on; all we need is a freezer to hold the pints.” He promotes the product through the business’ website and call center; offers buy-one-get-one-half-off specials about three times per year; advertises on box toppers; and mentions the gelato in the Pagliacci newsletter. For current customers who are already familiar with your product, email marketing is an effective way to get them in the door to try your latest flavors. “At Paolo’s Gelato, we started a
(photo and recipe provided by Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service) 1½ c. sugar 3 c. water 2 c. canned pears (any style), drained and pureed 2 tbsp. lemon juice Combine sugar and water, and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Stir in pureed pear and lemon juice. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer directions. Makes 1 qt.
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PMQ’s Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s managing editor.
PIZZERIA VENTI
Flavor Alert; customers sign up online and we email them weekly with the flavors of the week,” says Paolo Dalla Zorza, owner of Paolo’s Gelato in Atlanta and GelatoSupply.com. He agrees that sampling is also very effective, but don’t just give them a taste and walk off. “Start a dialogue with your customers,” he suggests. “Talk to them and ask them about the flavors—if you listen, you will thrive.” Priskie has also found that rotating flavors keeps customers interested and keeps them coming back. “We offer four flavors all of the time, plus two flavors of the week; a sign on the inside above the counter tells customers what we have, and we gauge the responses for each,” he explains. “When people ask for certain ones, we promise customers we’ll have that flavor next week, so we use it as a tool to drive sales.” You can use social media in a similar way, letting customers know through Facebook, for example, what you have every day, and taking requests on your page, thus creating additional interest and traffic both in-store and online. Lackey has generated sales for his gelato through many of the above tactics. Using the Internet, email and social media, he offered a free gelato on July 4th last year if the customer mentioned how he found out about it—through Twitter, Facebook, email newsletter, blog, etc. He maintains interest by offering a gelato of the month and hooks his younger customers by offering gelato as part of every kids meal. The efforts must be paying off—he won an award for the gelato in the Best of Atlanta 2010 by Metromix.com and, more importantly, has lured customers to his food menu. “Gelato draws people into the restaurant for the first time,” he says. “We’ve had people come by just for dessert when they were eating nearby or searching ‘gelato’ on the Internet—but they came back shortly thereafter to try our pizzas and pastas.”
Working Out the Logistics Before you offer gelato, sorbet or Italian ices, you’ll need to determine the flavors and sizes you’ll offer, if you’ll make the desserts in-house or buy them premade, and what equipment you’ll need. Here, operators and industry experts speak out on these considerations: “Keep the choices simple so your gelato is always fresh, and listen to your customers. Are they more adventurous? Then try exotic flavors such as açaí or chili-chocolate. Pepperoni pizza eaters will go with more traditional flavors: chocolate, straciatella (chocolate chip), strawberry, etc. Same for sizes—big eaters or families will want extra-large cups, while kids or samplers go with smaller sizes. Also, research before committing to buying anything; talk to gelato shop owners and ask a lot of questions!” –Paolo Dalla Zorza, owner, Paolo’s Gelato, Atlanta, GA “For gelato/sorbet, determining the flavors is a simple equation of the traditional (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, Italian classics such as pistachio and hazelnut) plus crowd favorites (cookies and cream, chocolate chip, coffee, mango) with a touch of adventurous and diet-friendly options. Since sorbet is dairy-free, you will cover anyone who’s lactose-intolerant, and perhaps include a sugar-free for dieters. For your more adventurous types, try blackberry merlot or salted caramel. Overall, test your audience and record what they’re buying to figure out what you should be purchasing/ producing over time. “As far as making vs. buying, gelato is best when made fresh—but it is an art form and a production that requires passion and dedication. You’ll need the initial machine investment, retail space and personnel to produce it, but the benefit is having control over the consistency and the amount made, and providing a superior product. Otherwise, you can buy from a local gelateria; if it’s a credible establishment, the gelato sells itself—you only have to get it to your shop and perhaps invest in a display case. Finally, premade is the way to go if you’re unable to make the equipment investment or don’t have the space. The challenge is ensuring that the product is fresh and consistent, and represents the dessert you’re marketing.” –Jillian Hillard, marketing manager, PreGel America, Concord, NC “We have a 14-flavor gelato cooler with flavors rotating seasonally, and we offer 1-, 2-, 3-, 8- and 16-scoop sizes. We get our gelato from a nearby manufacturer; the owner is from Italy, where he grew up making authentic gelato. The most important part is having a glass gelato display case for the customers to see, and educating your customer base on why gelato is healthier and why it’s served in smaller portions. The only challenge I’ve found is trying not to eat too much of it myself!” –Dan Rokas, co-owner, Zesty’s Pizza, Chelmsford, MA
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MEET THE TEAM:
SAM NIEMEIER
MEMBER SINCE: 2006 POSITION: Acrobat CATEGORY OF COMPETITION: Youth Freestyle Acrobatics COMPETITION WON: Throw Dough National Championship, Youth Category (2006-2009) TELEVISION APPEARANCES: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, NBC’s Today, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
USPIZZATEAM.COM Sam Niemeier is proof that pizza tossing doesn’t have an age limit. As the youngest member of the U.S. Pizza Team, Sam began competing when he was nine years old, winning the Throw Dough National Championship in 2006. Afterward, Niemeier won three more consecutive Throw Dough competitions. His most recent opportunity was performing with the team in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Sam’s Team Tip: “Learn the basic spinning moves and practice them until they look good. Choose music that you like and tell a story with your routine. I think your Throw Dough routine shouldn’t be more than two and a half minutes long. And have a big ending!”
How did you first hear about the Throw Dough Championship? I heard about the contest at the 2005 World Yo-Yo Contest. My older brother, Will, was competing, and I met Chris Green, who was demonstrating Throw Dough. I took a few workshops and decided I liked spinning. How has this experience affected your life at school? The kids at school think it’s cool that I can spin pizza dough. I’m the only one at my school who can do it! I was featured in the school newspaper this year, too. I attend a 7-12 grade school, and my older brother’s friends think it’s awesome that I spin pizza, and that’s good, since I’m only a seventh grader! What are you most proud of in your pizza spinning career? I’m most proud of winning the Throw Dough National Championship for four years in a row. It’s also been really fun meeting the older guys on the team. I like seeing them at the competitions and the shows. We have had a great time traveling together in Italy, Paris and New York. They teach me 26
THANKS TO OUR U.S. PIZZA TEAM GOLD SPONSORS:
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
new moves and show me how to spin real pizza dough. That’s a really cool thing to learn.
How did the Macy’s Parade experience make you feel? I was a little nervous about learning the routine. I had never been in a big group routine before. But we practiced so much that I felt pretty confident the day of the parade. I was worried about staying in our lines as we followed the Mickey Mouse balloon, but we did great. There were so many people— even on top of all the buildings—waving at us and shouting “Pizza! Pizza!” When it came time to perform our routine in front of Macy’s, we had to run to our positions as the music started, and it was over so fast. I was glad we performed our routine without messing up! What’s your favorite type of pizza? My favorite pizza topping has to be buffalo mozzarella, and I also like sausage. What are your future plans? I would like to judge a Throw Dough contest, since I have been competing for so long. I also want to go to college and study engineering. Want to join the U.S. Pizza Team? Find out more information at USPizzaTeam.com.
THANKS TO OUR U.S. PIZZA TEAM SILVER SPONSORS:
The Scene’s Gone
Mobile
Whether you favor text marketing or are developing your own mobile app, you’re not alone— mobile marketing is hot! By Andrew Abernathy
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Hear more on mobile marketing from Ruxter’s Mike Craig and MacroSolve’s Clint Parr on PizzaRadio.com.
In a Web 2.0 world, mobile devices have changed the way consumers order in and dine out. Since 2007, when Domino’s (domi nos.com) led pizza’s mobile ordering charge with a smartphone-friendly website, smaller chains and independents have joined the game by the dozens. In the wake of Pizza Hut’s (pizzahut.com) 2009 iPhone app debut, even more operators have turned to text marketing and mobile app development for advertising. From a marketing standpoint, while you may still find success with mass mailers, box toppers, print and radio ads, it’s important to remember that 18- to 34-year-olds (one of pizza’s prime demographics) are thoroughly plugged in—they
Decisions, Decisions There’s an ever-growing number of mobile providers out there right now, but PMQ has done some of the legwork for you to help find a provider that’s right for your pizzeria.
App Developers Azoft, 361-237-4614, azoft.com DotComInfoWay, 415-954-7146, dotcominfoway.com Endeavour, 512-464-1218, techendeavour.com MyFirstMobileApp, 818-660-2319, myfirstmobileapp.com Macrosolve, 800-401-8740, macrosolve.com MoveItMobile, moveitmobile.com Oxagile, 800-493-3011, oxagile.com Zco, 630-881-9200, zco.com
Text Service Providers BLI Messaging, 800-929-1643, blimessaging.com Celli Mobile Marketing, 312-985-0800, cellitmarketing.com Crosslink Media, 800-330-0128, crosslinkmedia.com First Data, 800-735-3362, firstdata.com Mobile SMS Marketing, mobilesmsmarketing.com Must Go Mobile, mustgomobile.com Opt It, 312-784-6400, optit.com OTAir, 888-898-8247, otair.com Ping Mobile, 201-567-7464, pingmobile.com Ruxter, 800-763-1953, ruxter.com Text Ripple, textripple.com TextMyFood, 617-444-9998, textmyfood.com
actively use social media, download apps, hunt for Groupon deals and take stock in what they read on review websites such as OpenTable, Yelp and UrbanSpoon. According to Forrester Research, B2B mobile marketing alone is estimated to grow from a $29 million industry in 2009 to a $106 million industry in 2014. Recent studies, such as one performed by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2010, affirm that the next generation of consumers are turning to mobile media at a rapidly increasing rate—up to one-third of U.S. 12- to 17-year-olds send and receive more than 100 texts per day and read incoming text messages within four to 20 minutes. The Common Short Code Administration estimates that 3.4 billion mobile messages were sent in the United States during 2008 and predicts that more than 4.9 trillion will be sent in 2011. In short, the scene’s gone mobile, and you’d better keep up! However, these trends may be good for future business. Mobile marketing developers are leading some operators down a path where advertising is inexpensive and instant, and some operators are even finding ways to manage staff and inventory in the palm of their hand. The latest
mobile technology might even change the way your servers take orders! To answer your questions on mobile marketing, PMQ tracked down technology experts and let operators have a go at the issue in our Think Tank (PMQ.com/tt) to evaluate the mobile scene and how it can affect your pizzeria.
The Three Ps of SMS Text marketing, often referred to as short message service (SMS) marketing, can be an effective way to bring your store’s specials to customers. A 2010 study by research firm Borrell Associates found that mobile coupons are redeemed 10 times more often than print versions. No other advertising medium generates as instant a result, allowing operators to evolve specials more quickly. However, be thoughtful about the nature of the medium. Mike Craig, co-founder and VP of marketing for Ruxter, a Kansas City, Kansas-based mobile marketing company, notes it’s important for operators to remember the “Three Ps” of text marketing: Permission, Pocket and Privilege. “You have to look at mobile with three key elements,” he explains. “It’s not as if you can just buy a list of numbers and start a campaign. Also,
the mobile experience is different than a PC experience; you have a 2’’ screen instead of a 17’’ screen. Finally, your offer has to have unique value. Those doing the best job in mobile take those three areas to heart.” Craig explains further that text marketing should be an element in a larger marketing campaign. Far too often, he says, operators load social media and other advertisements with the same content. Instead, one element should be designed to complement or draw customers’ attention to another element—and, of course, to your store. Text messages should be brief, and timing is key. Steve Bessonny, COO of Text Ripple, an Auburn Hills, Michigan-based mobile marketing provider, notes that unlike other advertising mediums, the advantage of text marketing is that you get instant results with the ability to set a schedule weeks in advance. “Text marketing is limited only by your creativity,” Bessonny says. “Be smart with your specials. For instance, it doesn’t make any sense to send a Monday night football special on a Friday. You don’t want to spam people in your text club; you want to give them an offer they can be excited about.” April 2011 • pmq.com
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However, customer permission has stumped more than one pizzeria owner in their attempts to integrate SMS marketing. Building an effective list of customer numbers is a task that doesn’t happen overnight. Try gathering numbers inhouse, and through email clubs and print advertising. Integrate shortcode text specials into your print advertising and on your delivery vehicles to build a mobile marketing base, too. But both Craig and Bessonny say text club building is where you should strike with social media to
beef up your list. In 2010, Twitter introduced a free text building service that allows your followers to opt in to receive your tweets on their phones. “The beauty of it is that once someone is in your text club, you’ve earned the right to market to them directly,” Bessonny says. “This means the people you are marketing to want to hear your specials!”
An App That Grows It’s no secret that many large franchisees benefit from corporate-supported mobile
“SpeedLine was a godsend. When sales picked up by 40%, we were actually able to cut back on staff because we’re that much more efficient. It saved our business.” PAUL & KACI KNAYSI, PABLO’S PIZZA
GET A FREE DEMO:
www.speedlinedemo.com 888.400.9185
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apps. But in the last few years, mobile applications have become more accessible to operators at small- to mediumsize pizzerias, and the possibilities are mounting—research firm IDC predicts that by 2014, the number of downloadable applications will increase by 60% and generate more than $35 billion in revenue. While text marketing is compatible with almost every cell phone, a growing number of consumers with smartphones have opened a new world of marketing possibilities; what Clint Parr, CEO of MacroSolve, a Tulsa, Oklahomabased mobile application developer, calls the “integration of functionality.” “Any time you have a downloadable app with your brand logo in someone’s hand like that, it opens not only marketing possibilities, but a whole lot of new possibilities,” he explains. Parr points out that the future of mobile will affect operators on two levels: First, customers will be able to browse your menu with a growing amount of interactivity—for example, many developers are looking into introducing elements such as video links in menus, and incorporating smaller apps, such as ones that calculate wine and beer pairing options, inside a pizzeria’s application. Second, developers are finding ways to link mobile applications with POS systems, allowing you to use your application for management issues, including scheduling, supply and payroll. “Operators need to ask themselves if they are satisfied,” he says. “If a smartphonefriendly website works for you, fine, but with new apps, you can have 10 mini apps in one.” Parr’s advice: Screen multiple app developers for flexibility before making a commitment; some templates are more user-friendly than others and require less training and customer service. As smartphone apps become widespread, the flexibility to add and edit features will be more important than saving a few dollars.
The New Text Ordering Still other mobile elements are likely to be introduced into applications and POS development. Many may affect the dining experience, including the ordering process. In the past year, at least two developers have introduced a service that allows customers to voluntarily communicate with servers via text to streamline the serving process. Bob Nilsson,
Hot Issue: Operator Input Mobile marketing has been a hot issue in PMQ’s Think Tank (PMQ.com/tt). Here’s what operators from around the country had to say about the mobile movement: “What’s nice about SMS is that our customers opt in to our mobile marketing number to receive discounts—this becomes a captive audience.” –PizzaTime
president of TextMyFood, explains the advantage: Customers can rely more on impulse with their purchases rather than the server’s availability. “Some people are wary because it seems like it takes people out of the process,” he says, noting that server texting is an ideal in-house way to build a text club. “But it really doesn’t. What we’ve found is that servers can work their sections more efficiently during rush hours, people spend more per ticket, and tips are higher.” Whether you’re already incorporating mobile marketing into your business, or are still skeptical of the process, understanding the basic practices and trends in mobile marketing is becoming an essential skill. While your market may be small, studies and real-life evidence show that in this new-media world, the rewards for being media savvy are tremendous.
“I text blast my customers once per month with a decent response for 5 cents per text. It pays for itself!” –Patriot’s Pizza “I receive spam texts all the time, and Twitter becomes spam when it’s used as such. When your Twitter account texts an update to someone, it’s because they subscribed to your updates in particular. So it’s literally coming from someone they know; not only that, but they’ve made the request.” –htref “I’ve had limited success with SMS marketing, mainly with getting people to opt in. But I firmly believe that trying to do a little of everything is a much better solution to overall marketing. So my marketing includes: 1) Leaflets (door hanging); 2) Direct mail for new customers (addressed to the customer); 3) Direct mail for lapsed/soon to be lapsed, etc.; 4) Facebook; 5) email (email addresses captured on online ordering); 6) SMS from opt-ins; and 7) Google adwords.” –Wizzle Wassell “Twitter came out with a new service that if you text ‘Follow [twitter account name]’ to 40404, you will automatically receive Twitter updates via text from that account even if you aren’t signed up for Twitter. Free text messaging service! My suggestion is that you set up two accounts: One for people who want to engage with you, and another for the promotions. This would keep the people who want only promotions from unsubscribing from the service, and you can still run the promotions on the engagement account.” –RahaaLand
Andrew Abernathy is PMQ’s associate editor.
Think Strategy To get the most out of your mobile marketing efforts, consider these tips, provided by text marketing service provider Ruxter: 1. Make it easy to connect. Whether using SMS/texting, mobile Web or apps, promote your mobile presence everywhere— in the menu, on table tents, through your servers, on your website and in your ads—to make sure your customers know you’re mobile!
4. Be patient and experiment. Mobile is a powerful tool, but it takes time to build subscribers. Start small and track what your customers respond to: exclusive menu items? Drink specials? Parties? Learn what your customers like and incorporate that back into your mobile campaign.
2. Start a mobile coupon club. Your customers have given you permission to be in their pockets; reward that trust with exclusive deals and offers they can’t get anywhere else. “Join Our Mobile Club for Exclusive Pizza Deals!”
5. Keep it relevant and keep it fun! It doesn’t take weeks to put together a mobile ad; it takes minutes. So keep it about now! Did your team just win? Text: “VICTORY! Two-for-one slices tonight!” Sun just come out? Text: “The rain is gone, the deck is dry, and you are, too...c’mon out for a free drink!” Mobile lets you express your restaurant’s personality and creativity.
3. Reach the broadest audience. Apps can be great for large operators, but mobile Web and texting can reach out directly to a wide base of customers. Choose the mobile tools that are right for your restaurant—and remember that you may need more than one.
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Solid as a
Rock Star In the heart of Indiana, Rockstar Pizza serves up award-winning gourmet pies and subs to loyal patrons. Elvis. Miley Cyrus. The Beatles. These are just some of the musicians whose memorabilia you will encounter when dining at Rockstar Pizza (rockstarpizza. net) in Brownsburg, Indiana. Founder Ron Mathews has offered a variety of gourmet pies and subs, as well as a rock star-friendly environment for music lovers, since 2007. Rockstar is housed in an early 20thcentury brick building with walls covered with rock-and-roll posters, ticket stubs, albums and autographed photos of contemporary artists from Pink to Smashing Pumpkins. Glossy concert tickets and photos adorn tables, bringing familiar faces to each dining experience. “My wife worked for Sony Records, and it gave us access to cater a lot of well-known musicians,” says Mathews. “We wanted to blend our lives together, and I’m a pizza man, so Rockstar Pizza was formed. We decided to use my wife’s memorabilia, gold records, vinyl and CDs to decorate because they’re great conversation pieces. We put backstage passes and photos with artists varnished on the tables and have created an atmosphere that really gets people talking.” A “pizza man” since he graduated high school, Mathews started out working for independent operators, then followed his dream to start his own store. He remembers his college business professor telling him, “Whatever you do, it has to 32
be something that you are passionate about,” and he did.
A Meal Fit for a Rock Star Rockstar’s slogan is “where gourmet pizza and subs take center stage.” The pizzeria offers 23 gourmet toppings and 13 specialty pizzas with three types of crust: hand-tossed, thin-crust and deep-dish. The White Out pie, a Rockstar specialty, is made with a fresh butter and roasted garlic olive oil base and dusted with oregano. Another must-have is The Works, layered with crumbled sausage, red onion, green peppers, black olives, fresh mushrooms and pepperoni. Mexican food lovers often order the Tex Mex: a salsa base with seasoned beef, red onion, lettuce, tomato, taco cheese and tortilla chips, served with sour cream. “The main thing that sets us apart from other places is our menu of gourmet pizzas,” Mathews says. “We have several toppings that our local competitors do not carry, such as spinach, feta, artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes. We make pizzas that you won’t find anywhere else.” Some of the most popular of the 16 oven-baked gourmet sandwiches offered are the BBQ Chicken, Veggie Deluxe and Italian Beef; Mathews notes that some customers come in early to ensure they get their subs before they’re all gone. The Italian Beef offers thinly sliced beef marinated in the special Rockstar blend of au jus and served
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Byy Kririst B sttie W War arin rin i o Phot Pho Ph otos o by Wi Wilb lbbur ur Tag ague uuee
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with hot or mild giardiniera. Stromboli Works is a concoction of crumbled sausage, fresh mushrooms, red onions, green peppers and black olives, all covered with pizza sauce and mozzarella. Rockstar is constantly coming up with new creations and inviting customers to come in and try them for the small price of giving feedback. One example of Rockstar’s creativity is a Big Mac Pizza that was created last summer. This McDonald’s-inspired pizza is made with Thousand Island dressing, ground beef, pickles, cheddar cheese, bacon and tomatoes—everything your typical Big Mac would have. “The idea came from PMQ’s Think Tank, and it was an instant hit,” Mathews says. “New pizzas create excitement and loyalty.”
and coupons to customers, particularly through the VIP Club, which allows customers to sign up online and receive coupons, specials and promotions by email. Customers are automatically entered into a free gift certificate drawing when they apply, and they get to enjoy $3 off Rockstar’s pizza. Rockstar sends out emails to a list of 700 people each week. “We do the typical things like Valpak and menu mailers, but the main thing we focus on is supporting our community,” Mathews says. “For the annual Easter egg hunt, which is a huge deal around here, we provided 1,000 coupons and freebies for the eggs. We gave away some coupons and included a lot of free breadstick coupons or free 7” pizza coupons in the eggs, as well. People redeem them all year long!” Rockstar also gives away 600 free 7” pizza vouchers to an elementary school reading program on a regular basis. “Every year, we sponsor five or six Little League teams,” Mathews says. “In our town, the chains don’t do anything for the community, and neither do any of the other independents, so it’s a great way for us give back and stand out at the same time.”
Much Praise
LIZ BARRETT
Rockstar Pizza’s creativity in the kitchen has not gone unnoticed; it has been named Best Pizza in Hendricks County since 2008, and was voted Hendricks’ best thin-crust pizza in 2009 and 2010. The pizzeria was also awarded Yahoo’s Best Pizzeria in Brownsburg. Indianapolis Monthly awarded Rockstar with “Best of the Burbs” in 2008, and its Caribbean Twist pizza won Best Pizza at the Indianapolis food show hosted by Gordon Food Service in 2010. “We have a really diverse menu with some exotic pizza choices,” Mathew explains. “For the adventurer, our Caribbean Twist is our best-seller, but for our less adventurous customers, it’s a coin flip between The Works and Meat Lovers Pizzas. A new pizza that is just starting to catch fire is our Thai pizza, featuring chicken curry and a red pepper glaze. It’s my favorite!” To generate buzz in the community, Rockstar offers various discounts
Media Savvy
Website: rockstarpizza.net Headquarters: Brownsburg, IN Founder: Ron Mathews Year started: 2007 Annual sales: $300,000 Total units: 1 Number of seats: 35 POS system: Summit Oven: Middleby Marshall 360 Delivery, dine-in, takeout Number of employees: 7 Best marketing tool: Direct mail PMQ Think Tank username: Rockstar pizza
LIZ BARRETT
The Stats: Rockstar Pizza
When it comes to marketing, Rockstar keeps up with the latest technology. The pizzeria has its own app that customers can download to their smartphones and mobile devices. Rockstar’s app allows users to stay up-to-date with the latest menu options, coupons and notifications. “We market aggressively online, as well as being visible in the community,” Mathews notes. “We have an amazing website that we have spent countless hours on, plus a Facebook page that we think will explode in 2011. I think that Facebook combined with smartphones are going to be the new ways to connect instantly with our customers.” Rockstar Pizza has evolved since the day Mathews opened the doors and he hopes growth continues this way. “We hope that 2011 will be a growing year for us,” he says. “We will be using tips from PMQ and trying out some new recipes. We will soon be looking for a larger place where we can have a salad bar, a place where we can serve beer and wine, and a party room.” Just like the rock stars that populate the walls of this pizzeria, Mathews understands the importance of an ever-growing fan base. Kristie Warino is a PMQ editorial intern.
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Buying vs. Leasing Before deciding to buy or lease your building, review the pros and cons of each. The pizza truck honked and Jules Puglisi bolted down four flights of stairs, sprinted across the courtyard and vaulted over a parked car to place his order. He was my childhood friend in the Bronx tenement where I was born. Not knowing what pizza was at age six, I shuffled behind him and gingerly took a bite. Wow! I was hooked for life. As an adult, my 30-year commercial mortgage banking and business lending career included financing restaurants. When I financed a pizzeria, my business meetings included triple mozzarella, double sausage and a cold one. But the dream soon turned into a nightmare when the partners ran out of working capital within the first few months and had to close the 36
store. Personal bankruptcies resulted, the owners were no longer on speaking terms and their marriages were faltering.
Why Lease? Running out of cash is the No. 1 reason that fledgling businesses fail. It is also a reason to consider leasing your building rather than buying it, even though the romance of owning real estate can be compelling. “If the business is a startup or in its infancy, it will need to deploy its capital for business operations, not for a major real estate purchase,” says John Hogan, a volunteer SCORE mentor in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who advises clients about entrepreneurship. “The risk of business failure is high in
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
By Jerry Chautin recessionary times,” he adds, “including during economic recovery.” Accordingly, squirreling away extra cash reserves may help you survive through adversity. Most lenders consider restaurants among the riskiest of small businesses to start. Even existing restaurants are vulnerable to fickle diners flocking to trendier ones, or patrons never returning after having one bad meal or slow service. Consequently, lenders want to finance owners with deep pockets and are concerned when they deplete their cash reserves by purchasing a building. Craig Aberle, a certified commercial investment member of the CCIM Institute and a volunteer with SCORE Manasota in Sarasota, Florida, adds, “Many
owners tend to underestimate the true costs of maintenance.” His examples of underestimated maintenance items include “roof repairs, HVAC, insurance, property taxes, school taxes, pest control, garbage disposal, water, upkeep, landscaping, parking lot maintenance and more.” Even so, business owners can learn how to keep up with the rigors of maintaining and managing a building. But should they? SCORE Manasota’s Joe Palmer, a mergers and acquisitions expert, says, “The business should earn a greater return by investing in operating assets and growth over fixed assets.” Thus, by owning the building, the most distracting fixed asset, owners may take their eyes off their operations.
The Decision to Purchase The business of owning real estate requires continuously researching the market, and knowing when to sell and when to hold. The timing of the sale of your real estate building should depend solely upon real estate market conditions. But instead, most owners sell based upon the needs of their business and consequently accept less than market value for their building. Furthermore, selling a business can be more difficult when the seller also owns the real estate. Some buyers may be interested in the business only and discount the price for the real estate. Others may be real estate investors and not be willing to pay full price for the business. However, opportunists are tempted by currently depressed real estate prices. Even though most real estate dynamics are local, Dan Wagner, the commercial real estate research manager of Grubb & Ellis for Georgia, gave me a snapshot of metro Atlanta’s current marketplace. He revealed that small-building sales are currently showing a decline of 65% in prices. By comparison, he says, “If you ask most brokers, they will tell you that effective rents fell by 25% to 30% during the downturn for solid-credit, classA tenants.” “Class-A” tenants refers to large chains with solid corporate balance sheets, which guarantee the lease payments. It does not include family-owned, single-store pizzerias. Additionally, “effective rents” calculate the value of free extras such as tenant improvements,
rather than the landlord reducing contract rents. More recently, however, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) conjured up draconian leasing rules. FASB initiates changes to America’s accounting requirements, and this one takes effect in 2013: All tenants will be required to account for the entire cost of the lease over its full term, plus the estimated additional rent based upon gross revenues above the base amount. The additional rent may be 5% to 8% of gross revenues, or more.
Financing Worries According to a survey by accounting and advisory firm Deloitte, “more than 40% of respondents believe the new standards would make it more difficult to obtain financing.” In part, this is because tenants used to show their lease obligations as a footnote to their balance sheet. But the new rules put the full impact on the balance sheet and exacerbate the tenant’s financial ratios. That could make lenders more cautious. Deloitte writes, “68% of respondents said it would have a material impact on their debt-to-equity ratio, and roughly 40% thought that the new lease standard would lead to shorterterm leases.” The new accounting rules can make leasing less attractive. But some accountants disagree. Dick Fenster, a former CPA with a large Atlanta accounting firm, believes that lenders have always looked at off-balance-sheet obligations. He opines
that new accounting rules may be only a temporary impediment until lenders get up to speed. “Clearly, it changes the ratios as presented in a balance sheet, perhaps significantly, depending on the size of a lease,” says Fenster. “I don’t think it will derail many loan applications. I think smart bankers have always considered lease commitments.” Small-business owners and corporate executives have to focus on producing quality products, attracting customers and managing their cash flow. And even with the latest accounting wrinkle, leasing has fewer distractions than owning. Thus, lessees can concentrate more on making their business great than replacing galvanized plumbing. A good business accountant, lawyer and independent insurance agent can help you mitigate unanticipated events if you do decide to buy your building. What if you have to sell quickly because of sudden disability? Can your heirs dispose of the building if you die unexpectedly? Find a buyers agent who specializes in your type of real estate, and always have an exit plan in place.
Jerry Chautin is a former entrepreneur, business owner, commercial mortgage banker and business lender based in Atlanta. He is the 2006 national winner of SBA’s Business Journalist of the Year. Currently, he is a business columnist for several publications and a volunteer SCORE business mentor. April 2011 • pmq.com 37
Marketing Marvels Andrew Abernathy
Well-Rounded
Hear more from Earl Wilmeth about marketing with T-shirts on PizzaRadio.com.
After more than two decades of operation, Rounder’s Pizza in Athens, Texas, knows what it takes to be the best slice in town. Photos provided by Rounder’s Pizza Athens, Texas, a small town southeast of Dallas that’s often debated as the birthplace of the American hamburger, also honors pizza as a community staple— especially at Rounder’s Pizza, an independent operation that has served up pan-baked delicacies for nearly 20 years. Earl Wilmeth, owner of the 1950sthemed pizzeria for the past eight years, has learned that his best marketing techniques include maintaining a community presence and, in a time when so many are looking for value, offering some convenient deals. With school lunch programs designed specifically to meet government requirements, rodeos where employees hand out free T-shirts, and a regular lunch buffet and a Tuesday dinner buffet that pack the house, Rounder’s has safely tethered its business to a
community of eager regulars. But word of mouth brings hungry visitors to the door as well: Check out this shop’s online reviews and you’ll find that even self-proclaimed pizza snobs can’t dispute the quality of pies at Rounder’s. PMQ tracked down Owner Earl Wilmeth shows off a fresh-baked pie inside Rounder’s Pizza in Wilmeth to discuss Athens, Texas. how all of these elements have made for a well-rounded pizza business. in the classroom; it’s in the actual cafeteria line, so it’s getting to the whole Tell us about your school lunch program. student body. We have some schools A couple of years ago, the state reguthat actually take attendance on pizza lated all meals for school lunches, and days because those are the days when it basically said outside food should be the most kids are going to show up! regulated. So we sent our product off Do you send over only pepperoni to a lab in California and had it tested and cheese? to meet the requirements for Texas. At that point, we were able to get in with Mostly, yes. But some schools will also area schools. We have one school we’ve serve hamburger and sausage pizzas. been delivering to for three years, and Outside of schools, do you have a another one for about a year. It’s a great target demographic? deal, because we’ll deliver at least 120 We serve a lot of 18- to 35-year-olds. pizzas at a time. We have a lot of young couples with Does the program drive sameyoung children. But we also have a lot store sales? of older regulars because we’ve been Absolutely. Any time you around for so long. We have people reach 300 to 500 students who come in at the same time and on in a single day, some will the same day and order the same thing show up at your doorstep every week. We pride ourselves on that night or weekend. knowing our customers and what they We’ve found that it’s a like. We literally put pizzas in when we really easy and effective see our regulars pull up in the parking marketing plan. It’s not lot. Most of our customers have been served out of the box coming in for 10 to 15 years.
How do regular customers affect your marketing? Our main traditional marketing is centered around specials and mailers. But we’ve been here for 20 years, so we don’t do a whole lot of that. The longer you’ve been open, the less you have to do to get people’s attention. We stay very involved in the community. Any time the school is doing something, we try to get involved. Our general manager goes to all of the schools and puts up flyers for specials on class parties, etc. We’re also involved with the local pro rodeo. We’re one of the main sponsors, so we send out our “Rounder’s Girls” in the crowd to hand out T-shirts. We’ll have a dozen girls handing out shirts and coupons. They’ll announce it several times over the night, too. As a result, there is a huge demand for our shirts.
originally attracted me to it. In my early 20s, I started frequenting this place, so when I found out that it was for sale, I immediately did everything I could do to take things over. Do you use a lot of coupons? I think coupons work. But, for us, the main thing is that you have to get someone buying first. We use coupons a lot, and we find that when you give something for free, they take it. But if you offer a free side item or a buy-one-get-one-free, it works better. For instance, we’ll give one free adult buffet when you buy one, or a free order of cinnamon sticks when
you buy a pizza. You can either give your product away or you can gain sales. Do you struggle with food costs on your lunch buffet? My food cost is actually better on the lunch buffet. People’s habits change from lunch to dinner. At lunch, people have 30 to 45 minutes to eat before having to go back to work. That’s probably 90% of the people that come in. People just don’t have the time to come in and eat that much. We don’t offer a lunch buffet on Saturday. I talk with people who have “all day, every day” buffets, and they get killed with food costs. It’s all a matter of timing.
What do people like about the shirts so much? When we originally started handing out shirts, we just put our logo on them, and that was fine. But we realized we were looking for a niche and we wanted to appeal to a younger generation. We give shirts away at events, but we also sell them year-round, and we sell a lot of them. Now it’s one of our biggest marketing campaigns. We wanted to make them cool, and now instead of just the logo, it has our slogan, “The Best Piece in Town.” We design them in various colors. People call in and order them. Why do you offer a Tuesday night buffet?
Above: Rounder’s staff members promote the variety of T-shirts available for purchase. Below: The 1950s theme is an essential element in the Rounder’s appeal.
When we started looking at nights to offer a buffet, we decided on Tuesday, because Wednesday is church night and Friday is already more than we can handle. Now Tuesday is tough to get into. We’re handcuffed by parking and seating right now—it’s a great problem to have! How do you preserve the 1950s theme? We’ve incorporated a lot of Coca-Cola and ’50s-era artifacts, we keep ’50s rock on the radio, and we have blackand-white tiles and neon lights. From a service aspect, we don’t wait tables. But once you order, we’ll bring your pizza out and service your drinks. When you couple the atmosphere with the service, I think it goes over well. The feel of the restaurant was one of the things that April 2011 • pmq.com 41
“When your lunch buffet closes at 2 p.m., you don’t want five pizzas out there— you want one.”
Any other buffet tricks? One thing about a buffet is you don’t necessarily want to fill it all the way up, and especially not with high-cost items. We do eight different types of pizza, but we stick to the basics. If anyone asks for something special, we’ll put it out there, but there is definitely an art to it. When your lunch buffet closes at 2 p.m., you don’t want five pizzas out there—you want one. It comes down to training the front staff and the kitchen staff to communicate. If you have five people in the house, you don’t want to throw in 10 pizzas. How do you choose ingredients for your menu? This is one thing that I’ve said forever: We don’t have price wars with the other guys in town. I’ll tell people straight up that we spend so much more on our product than anyone out there. We start everything from scratch every morning. At the end of the day, there are quantity shoppers out there and there are quality shoppers out there. We use the same cheese the shop used when it opened. We pay up to $75 a case when the market is high. We just grit our teeth and bear it. Our flour has gone from $4 a bag to $12 a bag and has settled at $8 in the past couple of years. So, yes, we spend more, but at the end of the month, we do more in sales because our customers know that whether they like our product for the sauce or the dough or the cheese, we’re not going to sacrifice the quality. Andrew Abernathy is PMQ’s associate editor. 42
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Refer to the Handbook Discover how an employee handbook can help you set—and enforce—standards at your pizzeria. By Julie A. Moore, Esq. All employers, including pizzeria operators, should maintain written employment policies. Such policies are an information source for your workers: They explain the expectations and standards of conduct, as well as any benefits provided to workers; they serve to ensure compliance with state and federal laws with regard to wage and hour issues, sexual harassment, equal employment opportunity, and other important topics; and they outline expected behavior with regard to new challenges in the workplace, such as cell phones, smartphones, e-mail, the Internet, and use of social media.
The Basics There is no such thing as a one-size-fitsall handbook. Rather, handbook policies should be customized and tailored to your 44
particular workplace and culture. The size of your workforce is important as well, as certain laws apply only to companies with a certain number of workers. Common sense should dictate—for example, there is no need for an electronic communications policy in a small pizzeria that lacks a computer that connects to the Internet. Let’s review some basics of what an employee handbook should contain. I recommend it be divided into several main sections and that specific policies further describing those sections fall below them. You can begin with sections containing introductory language and any welcome message, and include an acknowledgement form for employees to sign. A handbook is essentially useless if it is not effectively distributed and communicated to employees and written in plain language that is easily understood. When
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
an employer provides workers with an employee handbook, it is important to have an employee sign an acknowledgement form that indicates the employee has received, read and understood the policies contained within. An attorney should properly draft this acknowledgement form, as well as a disclaimer that the handbook does not give rise to a contractual relationship, to minimize liability in this area. If any employees are not fluent in English, consideration should be given to having an employee handbook drafted in another language so that employees cannot later claim they did not understand what was written.
Specific Laws Next, outline basic employment provisions, such as the employee-at-will relationship, a statement relating to
equal employment opportunity for all, compliance with immigration laws, any fraternization or nepotism rules, and disability accommodation. Federal law, for example, requires that employers with 15 or more workers not discriminate against any worker based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical disability, mental disability, pregnancy, veteran status or genetic information. Individual states, however, may offer more protection. In Massachusetts, for example, sexual orientation, marital status and military service are also included. In Michigan, the law protects workers based on their height and weight. Some states specifically address gender identity and family status. It is important for employers to know and comply with their specific state laws. Disability accommodation is important as well. While the Americans With Disabilities Act applies to employers with 15 or more workers, many states, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire, have similar state laws that offer protection in workplaces with as few as six workers. The policy should state that any employee who has a physical or mental impairment that impacts his/her ability to work effectively should communicate that issue to a designated representative so that a dialogue can take place about any changes that might be needed. This is a complex area of the law, and supervisors and managers need education and training about what constitutes a request for a reasonable accommodation. The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act, which went into effect in 2009, greatly expands the rights of disabled employees to time off, modified work schedules and other accommodations that will enable them to perform the essential job functions.
Notes On Harassment The same is true with regard to policies relating to sexual harassment and other forms of unlawful harassment. While bullying or general harassment is certainly not encouraged or condoned in any workplace, the law does not presently consider such conduct to be illegal. Policies in this area are discretionary. Sexual harassment and harassment based on other protected categories, such as sexual orientation or race, are prohibited, and some states mandate that specific language be included in policies relating
to harassment. In Massachusetts, for example, employers covered under the state law prohibiting workplace discrimination and harassment are required to list the name and contact information of the State and Federal Fair Employment Practices Agency. In New Hampshire, no such mandate exists. Regardless, every policy relating to sexual harassment should have the following core components: a statement that the company will not tolerate harassment; examples of the types of behavior that constitute harassment; a statement encouraging employees to come forward if they feel victimized; an internal complaint process that provides easily accessible avenues of complaint to at least two persons; assurance that all complaints will be handled as confidentially as possible and that no one will be retaliated against for complaining or otherwise cooperating; a statement that good-faith complaints will be investigated in a prompt, thorough and impartial manner; and a promise that policy offenders will be disciplined, and corrective and remedial action will be taken, if harassment has occurred. The lack of an effective and legally compliant policy can expose an organization to great risk at a time where sexual and other harassment complaints continue to be filed on a regular basis.
Employment Status and Benefits Another important section for the handbook relates to employment status and records. Employers should carefully delineate employment categories, such as exempt and nonexempt, as well as parttime and full-time employees. Here, the employer should also address whether employees have access to personnel files, and state laws vary in that regard. In Tennessee, for example, employees do not have a right to obtain their personnel files; in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, they do. Other topics that should be covered include reference checks, personnel data changes, employment applications and performance evaluations. Benefits are another area that should be covered in an employee handbook. Some benefits are mandated under state or federal law, such as workers compensation and COBRA for covered employers, while other benefits are purely discretionary. Some states, such as New Hampshire, require that all benefits policies be in writing. However, regardless of April 2011 • pmq.com
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whether it is required or not, it is best for an employer to carefully delineate which benefits it offers to which employees. Some employers choose to offer holiday pay, sick time and personal time to employees. An employer can offer such benefits to full-time employees only, if it chooses, and can require a certain waiting period, such as 90 days, before such benefits accrue or can be used. The employer sets the rules, but the rules must be applied fairly and consistently to everyone. It is very important that benefits policies be clear and unambiguous, as they will be construed in the employee’s favor if ever challenged. Many employers offer health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, bereavement leave, maternity leave and paid time off. Some employers choose to lump together personal days, sick time and vacation pay into paid time off or an earned time bank. Whatever it is called, it is important to detail how many days an employee is entitled to, how that time accrues, whether the employee will be paid for the time when separation occurs, and whether time can be carried from year to year. Many laws are specific as to whether vacation time, for example, will be considered “wages,” so employers are urged to consult with a local employment attorney to further understand what payment is required and when. Federal and state laws address some leaves of absence. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act applies to companies
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
with 50 or more workers, and allows eligible employees up to 12 weeks off to take care of their own serious health condition or a family member who is ill (this also applies to employees who take time off for the birth or adoption of a child). Maternity leave and paternity leave should be considered, as many states have specific laws allowing leave, but they vary by state. Many state laws also address jury duty and witness duty.
Payroll Topics Timekeeping and payroll are other important topics that should be addressed in an employee handbook. The employer should specify how employees keep track of their time and when they will be paid. It is important to have a safe harbor provision in the employee handbook that encourages employees to report any pay discrepancies to a company representative. This will help insulate an employer from liability under the Fair Labor Standards Act. “Work conditions and hours” is another recommended section, and here the employer should address work schedules, telephone and computer use, smoking, overtime pay, expenses, safety and inclement weather. Many states have particular smoking policies, and the law should be reviewed in this area. Employers are free to prohibit the use of cell phone calls and personal computer use during the workday and, if so, that should be clear in writing. All work scheduling and overtime issues, such
as whether preapproval is necessary, should be addressed in detail.
Rules of Conduct I recommend a final section relating to other guidelines that apply in the workplace, such as employee conduct, drug and alcohol use, attendance and punctuality, personal appearance, resignation and termination. Regular attendance of workers, for example, is important for employers to effectively run their businesses. A procedure should be outlined whereby employees are told whom to call into, whether leaving a message is enough, and how much advance notice might be needed. Workplace violence is a hot topic now, and companies should have particular policies addressing violent or threatening behavior in the workplace, and what employees should do if they feel intimidated or otherwise fear for their safety. Finally, electronic communications policies and social media policies, as well as cell phone use, should be prominently addressed in an employee handbook. Delivery drivers, for example, should be explicitly advised that texting and cell phone use while driving during the course
of employment are expressly prohibited. Many state laws specifically address this topic and other “distractions” that can divert a driver’s attention. Sending or receiving personal e-mails should also be addressed, as they often impact an employee’s productivity and can expose an employer to risk of harm by computer viruses, sharing of confidential information and infringement on trademarks. Social media, too, cannot be ignored, as more than 500 million users are on Facebook, and other social media sites are prominent in people’s personal and professional lives. Crafting the appropriate restrictions is not easy, as this is a new area of the law where developments and best practices are being discovered on a daily basis. It cannot be overemphasized that policies must be clearly written to the audience for which they are intended and properly communicated. In addition, they must be enforced in a way so that all employees, old and young, male and female, do not feel targeted or singled out. The “protected categories,” as articulated above, must be recognized in all aspects of policy enforcement. For example, if a gay employee receives a written
warning for smoking in the parking lot while a heterosexual employee doing the same is not disciplined in any way, the gay employee may claim discriminatory treatment because of the different enforcement of the policies. Handbook policies are an important and effective tool for establishing boundaries and communicating what an employer has to offer. Keep in mind that the policies should be up-to-date, legally compliant and relevant to the workforce. As no two handbooks should be identical, employers are advised to consult with a human resources professional or employment counsel to craft the right message, comply with applicable law, and make their handbook policies a positive part of their performance management programs. Julie A. Moore is an attorney and founder/president of North Andover, Massachusetts-based Employment Practices Group, a human resources consulting firm. She is a consultant, trainer, investigator and expert witness in workplace matters. She has published extensively, is a frequent speaker at national and regional legal and human resources conferences, and is the chair of the New Hampshire Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section. Her website is employmentpg.com.
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Pizza of the Month:
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Seafood
Pepperoni
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
TRACY MORIN
Who Doesn’t Love Pepperoni Pizza? Pepperoni has been America’s favorite topping for decades— almost every pizzeria offers pepperoni on the menu. But the different ways it’s created and served make it unique. In fact, the word “pepperoni” is an American invention. If you were to visit Italy and ask for pizza con pepperoni, you would be served a pie covered in peppers. Nonetheless, many Italian pizza makers pride themselves in their salumi, a cured-meat culinary tradition more than 500 years old that’s still inspiring pizza makers today.
Pepperoni Pizza Recipe and photo provided by Liguria Foods
16” dough shell 6 oz. pizza sauce Romano cheese, for sprinkling Oregano, for sprinkling
Clever Crow Pizza in Columbus, Ohio, offers its pepperoni pizza on homemade cornbread sourdough crust. The chefs at Crow smoke and cure their own meats and were featured on the Travel Channel’s No Reservations for their craft.
3½ c. (12 oz.) whole-milk mozzarella cheese 45 (3.2 oz.) pepperoni, sliced Assemble all ingredients on the dough shell and bake in a preheated oven at 500°F for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. (Add a custom-flavor crust by coating the rim of the pizza with olive oil and sprinkling with garlic, sesame seed, honey, onion powder, Cajun or any other favorite seasoning.)
Hot Lips Pizza (hotlipspizza.com), with five locations in Portland, Oregon, offers a gluten-free version of its pepperoni pizza, and this popular pie keeps customers coming back for more. Even at a pizzeria that focuses on fresh, organic ingredients that are locally grown, pepperoni remains the No. 1 topping. Otto Pizzeria (ottopizzeria.com) in New York is the first in the Big Apple to air-cure its own pepperoni, the best-selling topping. Otto goes through more than 100 pounds of pepperoni per week to make the popular pies. Not surprisingly, it’s safe to expect top-notch pepperoni at Pepperoni’s Pizza (pepperonis.net). With nine locations in Texas, this pizzeria has received several awards over the years, including 2006 Best Pizza in Houston. The New Yorker is a version of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, extra sauce and extra pepperoni.
Quick Tip: Don’t Overlook the Obvious Take advantage of the fact that pepperoni is America’s favorite topping and use it as your secret weapon to bring in new customers. Promotional materials announcing that you have the best pepperoni in town will inspire those who were previously on the fence to come in and try your pizza.
Pizzeria Uno (unos.com) in Chicago offers the Prima Pepperoni, with chunky tomato sauce, grated Romano and pepperoni. The pie can be ordered on Uno’s famous hand-crafted deep-dish dough, gluten-free thin crust or regular thin crust. Red Rocks Pizza (redrocksdc.com) in Washington offers its classic pepperoni “firebrick-style.” This Naples-inspired, thin-crust pizza is covered with cured-in-house meats and handmade mozzarella, then cooked in an 800˚ oven. Supino Pizzeria (supinopizza.com) in Detroit offers its pepperoni pie with the option of the sauce on top of the mozzarella.
For more recipes, visit PMQ’s Recipe Bank at PMQ.com/recipe. April 2011 • pmq.com
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Smart Design
Take heed of some necessary design features for a great restaurant rollout. By Terrence H. Charles
No matter what type of dining concept you may be developing, every restaurant facility should keep in mind the safety of patrons and employees. In addition, restaurateurs should consider taking steps toward environmental health. The design of a commercial kitchen has a direct impact on the health and safety of the public. Identify the minimum environmental health requirements you need to operate, and incorporate them into the design phase. Addressing these items earlier rather than later can save you time and money. Please note: This article addresses basic requirements that apply in most cases. Consult with building code and health department officials in the appropriate jurisdiction for specific information.
Cleaning Needs Sinks are major components in restaurants and should be designated for 50
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
food preparation, cleaning or hand washing. For example, a one- or twocompartment sink with an attached drain board is necessary to clean meat and produce; in some cases, two separate sinks for meat and produce are required. A threecompartment sink with attached drain boards on both sides is necessary for cleaning pots, pans and utensils. For hand washing, a restaurant likely needs two or more sinks. Hand sinks should be strategically located so they are approximately 15’ (maximum) walking distance from any service area; this limits travel distances for employees. Finally, a single mop sink is sufficient for a restaurant. Mop sinks are typically floor-based and supplied with hot and cold domestic water. The adjacent area should have mops, buckets and other cleaning agents for easy access. Although not specifically required by health departments, automatic
Safety First
dishwashers are commonly used in restaurants and are often preferred over manual cleaning. Not only do they have short running cycles, making them efficient and economic, but dishwashers also reach extremely high temperatures to promote better hygiene and sanitation.
Refrigeration and Ventilation Refrigeration equipment is a necessity for all restaurants. While health departments typically require one freezer and one refrigerator, many options are available to suit any restaurant’s needs. For example, provided there is ample space and restaurant capacity, a walk-in refrigerator and/or freezer stores larger amounts of food with a longer shelf life, greatly reducing food costs. An exhaust hood above the cooking line contains fans, filters and other components. The hood’s purpose is to remove airborne grease, combustion products, smoke, odors, heat and steam through a combination of air filtration and evacuation. Most jurisdictions require that exhaust hoods be fitted with a fire suppression system. Note that exhaust hoods can be one of the larger and more costly pieces of restaurant equipment, but they are required more often than not.
Restrooms Restrooms are an essential part of any restaurant establishment. If the restaurant is strictly a takeout establishment, then an employee restroom is sufficient; however, if a restaurant offers dine-in service, restrooms should be accessible to employees and patrons. The number of restrooms required is determined by the total occupancy count of the restaurant, and the restroom fixture count is divided into male and female restrooms, since unisex restrooms are rare. Other restroom requirements include soap, a means of hand drying and trash receptacles. Bear in mind that there are also handicap accessible requirements for restrooms, as well as entire restaurants.
Surface Areas Health departments are also concerned about interior finishes in restaurant
service areas. Kitchen flooring, for instance, should be nonporous and easy to clean; quarry or ceramic tile works well in floor and cove base areas. Walls should be washable; glossy paint on drywall may work, but plastic wall panels or glazed ceramic tiles are better. Behind the cooking line, a stainless steel wall panel is best; it resists grease. Like walls, ceilings above all kitchen areas should be washable. Regular ceiling tiles are inappropriate in commercial kitchens because of their porous quality and inability to withstand moisture. Typically, drywall with a gloss paint finish or special ceiling tiles are acceptable. Additionally, ceiling-mounted lights should have a protective shield—this prevents broken glass from appearing in the soup!
Trapping Grease Grease traps or grease interceptors are plumbing devices used to catch kitchen grease and solids before they enter the municipal wastewater system. Most municipalities require them for any type of restaurant establishment because fats and oils are problematic for the municipal treatment facility. Two major types of grease traps are used today: an interior application that sits adjacent to the sink or sinks and has a capacity of about 50 gallons; and an exterior grease trap, made of concrete and concealed underground with an approximate capacity of 1,500 pounds. Many jurisdictions now require a grease trap of 1,500 pounds minimum capacity, regardless of restaurant size. Because grease traps can be a relatively costly item, learn the local requirements in advance. Even with increasing environmental health regulations for commercial kitchens, restaurateurs still have the freedom to incorporate any cooking equipment they need to accommodate their restaurant’s goals. Good health and safety practices during the design phase will help make any restaurant concept a reality. Terrence H. Charles is founder of the architectural firm Shelter Design Group (shelter-arch.com).
In addition to considering safety in your initial design phase, you’ll need to keep safety at the top of your list throughout your time as a restaurant owner. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set standards when it comes to your employees’ rights to a safe work environment. The guidelines below were taken from the Principal Emergency Response and Preparedness Requirements and Guidance form. You can find the full version at osha.gov.
Design Requirements for Exits • Make exit-route design permanent. • Ensure that the number of exit routes is adequate based on the number of employees, the size of the building, its occupancy, and the arrangement of the workplace. • Separate an exit route from other workplace areas with materials that have the proper fireresistance rating for the number of stories the route connects. • Ensure that exit routes meet width and height requirements. • Ensure that doors used to access exit routes have side hinges and swing in the direction of travel (depending on occupancy and hazard areas). • Design exit routes that lead to an outside area with enough space for all occupants.
Portable Fire Extinguishers • Select and distribute portable fire extinguishers based on the class, size and degree of workplace fire hazards. Mount, locate and identify the extinguishers so they are readily accessible in an emergency and will not subject employees to potential injury. • Provide only approved portable fire extinguishers. • Maintain fire extinguishers. Maintenance includes monthly visual inspections, hydrostatic testing, annual internal examinations and all associated documentation. • Ensure that the travel distance from employee to the nearest extinguisher is appropriate for the fire class.
Emergency Action Plans Prepare a written emergency action plan. The plan does not need to be written and may be communicated orally if there are 10 or fewer employees. At a minimum, the plan must include: • Fire and emergency reporting procedures • Procedures for emergency evacuation, including the type of evacuation and exit routes • Procedures for those who remain to operate critical operations prior to evacuation • Procedures to account for employees after evacuation • Procedures for employees performing rescue and medical duties • Names of those to contact for further information or explanation about the plan
April 2011 • pmq.com
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On the Radio Andrew Abernathy
Jonathan Goldsmith Jonathan Goldsmith, owner of Spacca Napoli (spaccanapoli.com) in Chicago, incorporates only the most authentic ingredients into the menu items at his Neapolitan-style pizzeria. Even his oven was hand-built by Italian craftsmen to ensure that the pizzas coming out of the kitchen at his pizzeria are akin to the Old World-style pies that sparked his love for the food. PMQ sat down with Goldsmith to chat about his methods and philosophy.
PMQ: Can you tell us a little about your oven? Goldsmith: The oven was hand-built by third- and fourth-generation artisans in Napoli. The first oven built by the family was made in 1870—they don’t know exactly where that oven is. Mine is the first oven built in America by this family. They are truly considered some of the best oven makers in Italy. They’ve built ovens in Japan and throughout Europe. The form of the oven is identical to what you could have seen in Pompeii more than 1,000 years ago. There’s roughly 14,000 pounds of material I had brought over. There are three types of brick, three types of sand and special concrete, and then there are special pieces of steel to help form and frame the oven—everything was brought over from Italy. When
Margherita or the buffulina. People would use what’s
I got things structurally ready to build, I had the family
close to home and introduce it. What’s probably
flown over, and it was built in around seven days.
the most fun for us is that people come in here and
PMQ: How do you choose the ingredients on your menu?
Goldsmith: We try to use the freshest ingredients we
want to share a traditional style of pizza that they celebrated in their hometowns.
PMQ: Tell us about your business philosophy.
can find. Whenever possible, we use ingredients from
Goldsmith: I see my business philosophy and
Italy. We have blended Ligurian virgin oils for our salads.
my pizza philosophy as one and the same. I think
We’re using Italian tomatoes and any cheeses we are al-
the notion of coming together at the table is the
lowed to import. Whenever I’m in Italy, I zoom in on new
essence of what we do. There needs to be a place
choices. The last time I was there, I borrowed a bicycle
between work and home where people can meet—
from my hotel and went to visit a bunch of pizzerias with
little stops that allow for filling and meaningful
just a piece of paper and a pen. Whenever I would see an
actions. I see the pizzeria as offering that. When the
ingredient or a combination that I wasn’t familiar with,
garbage man comes by in the morning, he’ll come
I wrote it down so I could come back and try it out. Most
in and have an espresso. In the summer, we’ll save
were added to our repertoire.
the Parmesan rinds for people whose dogs have
PMQ: How do you keep your menu authentic? Goldsmith: To me, the most important pizzeria in Naples is Da Michele, and they have only two pizzas on the menu—the marinara and the Margherita. Our menu has 12 pizzas on it. We try to honor the traditional flavors. The first pizzas were flatbreads with oils and herbs; later, as tomatoes came into Italy from the New World, along with other cheeses, Italians developed the
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
strong stomachs. Pizza is universal, you know? We see the whole cycle of life in here. We have six-month-olds sucking the crusts and older people coming in together to eat. To me, everyone is the same when they come in here. I’m so excited about what I’m doing right now. I truly love being here. Andrew Abernathy is PMQ’s associate editor and the host of PMQ’s Pizza Radio. To hear the complete interview, go to PizzaRadio.com.
Top 10 Online Podcasts Check out PizzaRadio.com’s top-rated content simply by logging on or subscribing to the podcast on iTunes. Every week, topics cover a range of subjects, from industry news and food trends to marketing tactics and going green. Alan Richman, food and wine correspondent, GQ Alan Richman, the food and wine correspondent for GQ magazine, explains how he researched and compiled a list of the country’s best pizza cities and pies, dubbing pizza the “gourmet food of the recession.” Kevin Hansen, president, Keep Rockin’, Auburn, WA Brush up on franchise development with Kevin Hansen, the president of Keep Rockin’, and hear why this businessman thinks Canada is fertile ground for expanding The Rock WoodFired Pizza & Spirits. Scott Iversen, marketing director, Toppers Pizza, Whitewater, WI Hear marketing tips from Scott Iversen, the director of advertising and franchise development for Toppers Pizza, which markets to 18- to 24-year-olds. Find out how they h make k their h customers loyal fans. Dave Melton, author/Domino’s franchisee, New York, NY A Domino’s franchisee and author of Hire the American Dream, Dave Melton explains how, in an industry with high employee turnover, he has an average employee tenure of eight years; some of his managers go off to become millionaires! John Burr, owner, The Walnut Room, Denver, CO Hear how John Burr combines his love of thin-crust pizza and music in his growing business.
John Arena, co-owner, Metro Pizza, Las Vegas, NV Sit down with the professor of pizza! In addition to running a thriving pizza business, John Arena is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, where he teaches a course on the history and culture of pizza. Sara Hill, culinary manager, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board Hear Sara Hill explain how using hard cheeses can give your pizza a little something extra. Jason Feirman, founder, IDreamofPizza.com, New York, NY Hear Jason Feirman explain what it takes to succeed in today’s blogosphere. Chris Koetke, dean, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago, IL Learn more about food and kitchen safety from Chris Koetke, who explains that safety is a management issue. Matt McClellan, owner, Tour de Pizza, St. Petersburg, FL Matt McClellan invented the 30-Day Pizza Diet, which helped him lose 24 pounds and lower his bad cholesterol levels. Hear how he made a 100% pizza diet work.
PizzaRadio.com
Product Spotlight What’s On the Market ONLINE DRIVE The MenuDrive online ordering and marketing program can help your pizzeria increase sales. A customer places an order on your website that is directly sent to your store’s fax, email, printer or POS system to be fulfilled like any other order. Start the program for only $49 per month, and get one month of service free when you mention seeing MenuDrive in PMQ Pizza Magazine. 877-787-6368, menudrive.com
TEXT IT HANDMADE PEELS Lillsun pizza peels are manufactured with handmade, seasoned hardwood and are produced by the most experienced craftsmen in the business. Since 1951, Lillsun offers standard and custom-size peels ranging from 3’ to 16’ long. 260-356-6514, lillsun.com
Want to stay up-to-date with technology? Ruxter’s text message marketing can help by providing 100 free texts per month. You can connect with your customers and promote specials by sending mobile coupons to phones and mobile devices. 800-763-1953, ruxter.com
MODERN WUNDER OLD-WORLD STYLE Grande offers four versatile styles of ricotta cheese—Dolce, Sopraffina, Tenera and Del Pastaio—crafted in the Old-World traditions found throughout the Italian countryside. Each style has a rich flavor with consistent performance that works well in both savory and sweet applications. 800-847-2633, grandecheese.com
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
The Wunder-Bar Rotary Pizza Sauce Dispenser can sauce up to 350 perfectly portioned pizzas per hour—saving seven to 10 labor hours per week. The linear arm draws from a five-gallon bucket to dispense sauce evenly, and the machine can handle dough sizes from 6” to 18”. 800-722-6738, wunderbar.com
NOT JUST WINGS La Nova now offers pizza sauce in sweet or traditional varieties. The sauce arrives bagged and ready to use, with no heating necessary, and can be used for pizza, stromboli, dipping, calzones and more. 716-881-3355, lanova.com
PERK UP Quality Espresso espresso makers are ETLcertified, and the company has more than 50 years of experience. The Futurmat F3 features a stainless steel frame and arms to withstand heavy usage and a front-mounted water and steam pressure gauge. 786-3697878, ext. 202, qualityespresso.com
INFO BOX The Community Pizza Box from Media Pizza Box gives independent pizzerias a way to get free, custom-printed boxes. Neighboring business sponsor the boxes by offering valuable coupons to target the local community, bringing your takeout offerings value that extends beyond your doors. 631-521-5748, mediapizzabox.com
TEST THE WATER Pangea Water offers natural spring water from the Italian Alps. The water is made with mineral salts, has a low sodium content, and is offered in still or sparkling varieties. pangeawater.com
MOBILE PIZZA KITCHEN Costs too high for a pizza restaurant? No retail space available? Pizza Trucks of Canada vehicles are fully self-contained, health-approved and ideal for small-town operations. One-month delivery and financing are available. 204-297-7667, pizzatrucksofcanada.com
April 2011 • pmq.com
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Boost your signal. Reach your customers. Instantly. With mobile marketing from Ruxter.
proud sponsor of the
Get started for free at ruxter.com/boost or text boost to 63636. 800.763.1953
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Businesss Monthly
ruxter.com
info@ruxter.com
UNBEATABLE PRICES WITH FAST TURNAROUND 18 Hi Speed Web Presses, 450,000 Sq. Ft. Plant, 384 Experienced Employees Quality Printing for Over 42 Years!
MINIMUM QUANTITIES: 100,000 (may be *four separate menus, even quantities, same size, all same time) Paper: Quality 4/4 coated gloss both sides. *Plate charges may apply. FREE: Folding, Proofing, Set Up, Samples and Coupons. SHIPPING NOT INCLUDED 8.5 x 11 – 4/4 – 60# 8.5 x 11 – 4/4 – 80# 11 x 17 – 4/4 – 60# 11 x 17 – 4/4 – 80# 11 x 22 – 4/4 – 60# 11 x 22 – 4/4 – 80#
= $460.00 per 25,000 = $529.00 per 25,000 = $747.50 per 25,000 = $891.25 per 25,000 = $1,138.50 per 25,000 = $1,361.32 per 25,000
PLACE MATS: 4/0 White Bond Offset, 50# 11 x 13 = $2,183.85 per 100,000 11 x 17 = $2,632.36 per 100,000
TEL: (856) 825-8989 FAX: (856) 825-8988 EMAIL: baroneagle15@gmail.com
BARON MEDIA DIVISION BARON GROUP, LLC
April 2011 • pmq.com
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Businesss Monthly
Pizza Puzzler Brought to you by:
PMQ
Contact Linda Green for sponsorship opportunities. Linda@pmq.com • 662-234-5481 x121
Crossword by Myles Mellor 1
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Appetizing Kind of ring Annoyance The way the restaurant looks Innovative idea for attracting passing freeway customers Marketing medium Hot Beer quantities Incur Electrical current type Pro Earth prefix Some restaurant owners’ marketing manual (2 words) Get coverage Disapproval Some pizzeria drivers cover this cost A hesitation Skill Draft alternative Disapproval Boxer’s stat The works Just do OK (2 words) Cry of success Modern
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Decline from a standard level of performance Using URL ending Smells like bad cheese Salad topper Like some skillets __ negotiable Business degree Fanfare Mislead Drink addition Kind of sign Chinese pan Pepsi’s rival Usually a busy time at pizzerias The most profitable way of serving soda Container It’s ___ (2 words) Believer suffix “Savvy?” ____ bird special Working hard (2 words) Email address intro “___ me the money” Aka large Place West Coast city
Find the answer to this month’s crossword at PMQ.com/crossword. April 2011 • pmq.com
59
Advertiser Index April 2011 Display Advertiser
Phone
Website
Page
Above All ........................................................... 866-552-2683 ....................................abovealladvertising.net .............................. 47 Action Images .................................................... 847-763-9700 ...................................... actionimagesinc.biz ................................. 35 Agugiaro .............................................................................................................................. le5stagioni.it ...................................... 27 AM Manufacturing ............................................. 708-841-0959 ............................................ ammfg.com ....................................... 35 Bacio ................................................................. 855-BACIO85 .........................................baciocheese.com...............................38, 39 Baron Media ...................................................... 856-825-8989 ....................................................................................................... 57 Bellissimo .......................................................... 800-813-2974 ...................................... bellissimofoods.com ................................. 17 Burke................................................................. 800-654-1152 ....................................... burkecorp.com/pm ........................... Cover 3 Cassel ................................................................ 800-729-7769 ............................................ autosox.com ....................................... 46 CrustSaver ......................................................... 877-437-4743 ........................................... crustsaver.net ...................................... 58 DoughXPress ...................................................... 800-835-0606 ........................................ doughxpress.com ................................... 46 Fontanini ........................................................... 708-485-4800 ...........................................fontanini.com ...................................... 13 Grande...............................................................800-8-GRANDE ....................................... grandecheese.com ................................... 3 HTH ................................................................... 800-321-1850 ........................................... hthsigns.com ...................................... 56 La Nova.............................................................. 716-881-3355 .............................................lanova.com................................. Cover 4 Liguria ............................................................... 800-765-1452 ..........................................liguriafood.com ............................. Cover 2 Lillsun................................................................ 260-356-6514 ............................................. lillsun.com ....................................... 46 MF&B Restaurant Systems .................................. 888-480-EDGE ..........................................edgeovens.com..................................... 45 Marsal & Sons .................................................... 631-226-6688 ......................................... marsalsons.com .................................... 42 Microworks ........................................................ 800-787-2068 ......................................... microworks.com .................................... 11 Middleby Marshall ............................................. 877-34-OVENS ...........................................wowoven.com ....................................... 7 Moving Targets .................................................. 800-926-2451 .......................................movingtargets.com.................................. 19 PhoneSwipe....................................................... 866-695-5222 .........................................phoneswipe.com ................................... 58 Pizza Prints/The Lucks Company ......................... 800-806-2595 ..........................................pizzaprints.com .................................... 21 Pizza Trucks of Canada ........................................ 204-297-7667 .................................. pizzatrucksofcanada.com ............................. 56 Ruxter ............................................................... 800-763-1953 ............................................. ruxter.com ........................................ 56 Saputo ............................................................... 800-824-3373 ................................. saputousafoodservice.com ............................ 43 SpeedLine .......................................................... 888-400-9185 ...................................... speedlinedemo.com ................................. 30 Stanislaus .......................................................... 800-327-7201 .......................................... stanislaus.com ....................................4, 5 SYS System Filtration.......................................... 908-995-4036 ......................................systemfiltration.com................................. 59 Text Ripple ..........................................................877-9-RIPPLE ........................................... textripple.com ..................................... 58 The Menu Express............................................... 877-250-2819 ..................................... themenuexpress.com ................................ 57 Vin Di Vino ......................................................... 773-334-6700 ...........................................vindivino.com ...................................... 57 PMQ provides this information as a courtesy to our readers and will not be held responsible for errors or omissions. To report an error, call 662-234-5481 x127. 60
PMQ’s Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine
Industry Resource Guide Grab a direct weblink to every advertiser in this guide at www.pmq.com
APPAREL CAMPUS COLLECTION ...... campuscollection.net .................... 800-289-8744 CUSTOM T-SHIRT DESIGNS ................................. Free art with minimum order! Inventory Stock Program ............................ we warehoues your t-shirts for you.
BAKING SCHOOLS AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BAKING .............................................Manhattan, KS 785-537-4750 ....................................................................Fax: 785-537-1493
CHEESE
CHEESE, LOW FAT CASTLE CHEESE, INC. ......................... Rt. 19, Box 378, Portersville, PA 16051 A large variety of healthy alternatives castlecheese@adelphia.net ..................................................1-800-252-4373
COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE
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PMQ’sPizza PMQ PizzaMagazine Magazine– –The ThePizza PizzaIndustry’s Industry’sBusiness BusinessMonthly Magazine
COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT. Technology choices for every taste. p p
Point-of-Sale Online Ordering
p p
Loyalty Programs Automated mated Marketing
PMQ Industry Resource Guide COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT.
CONSULTING
DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS, CONT.
DOUGH PRESSES/ROLLERS
CRUSTS MOUNTAIN HARVEST PIZZA CRUST CO.......................................... Billings, MT Contact: Eric LeCaptain ........... 800-342-6205.................... Fax: 406-248-7336 Sheeted Dough, Self Rising Crusts, Prebake Crusts, Dough Balls, Filled Breadsticks. Specializing in Custom Formulations. eric@mountainharvestpizza.com T.N.T. CRUST . .................................................. Box 8926, Green Bay, WI 54308 Lisa Bartikofsky .................... 920-431-7240..................... Fax 920-431-7249 Large variety of prebaked crusts and Readi-Rise self-rising, live yeast crusts. Experts in customizing formulas. BAKER’S QUALITY PIZZA CRUSTS, INC. ..................................... Waukesha, WI Par-baked, Sheeted, Pressed and Self-Rising Crusts; Custom Crusts; All sizes. www.BakersQualityPizzaCrusts.com ......................................800-846-6153
DOUGH
DOUGH TRAYS/PROOFING TRAYS DoughMate® by Madan Plastics Inc.
DoughMate
®
• Dough Trays – extremely durable and airtight! • Dough Tray Covers – designed to fit! The Leaders in • Plastic Dough Knives – two ergonomic designs! Dough Handling Products • Dough Tray Dollies – heavy duty! • Excellence in Customer service since 1955! The preferred dough tray of the largest pizza companies in the world. Buy direct from the manufacturer with over 20 years experience in dough trays.
Call 800-501-2450 ........... www.doughmate.com ......... fax: 908-276-9483
FLOUR
DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS
April 2011 • pmq.com
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PMQ Industry Resource Guide FLOUR, CONT.
MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT
FLOUR, GLUTEN-FREE BAY STATE MILLING GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA MIX...............baystatemilling.com Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, Custom-blends and Co-Packing Dedicated production area for exceptional purity.........................800-55-FLOUR
FOOD DISTRIBUTORS
GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS
INSURANCE
Think Tank 2.0 www.pmq.com/tt2
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
rum pizza fo The #1 e web! on th
PMQ Industry Resource Guide MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT, CONT.
MAILING SERVICES
MANAGEMENT
KEEP MORE OF YOUR HARD EARNED DOUGH! 3 MONEY SAVING PROGRAMS:
SCHEDULING • ATTENDANCE • DAILY LOG
FAST, PAINLESS SCHEDULING • MONITOR LABOR COSTS • REDUCE TURNOVER • NOTIFY EMPLOYEES • ELIMINATE BUDDY PUNCHING • IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS • WEB-BASED
SAVE TIME AND INCREASE PROFITS!
WWW.TIMEFORGE.COM 866.684.7191
MARKETING IDEAS Conveyor & Deck Ovens All Major Brands Available
Leer Walkin Coolers and Freezers
New & Remanufactured! Pizza Store Equipment and Supplies! Your #1 Source for replacement parts for all major brands of equipment. Just to name a few...Randell · Stephan · American Range · Imperial · Cold Tech · Middleby Marshall Lincoln Impinger · LEER · CTX · True
1-800-426-0323 www.northernpizzaequipment.com 8020 Grand Street · Dexter, Michigan 48130 Hobart Mixers
Randell Refrigeration Prep Units & Freezers
Northern Pizza Equipment, Inc.® www.northernpizzaequipment.com
MAGNETS
JUMBO PIZZA SLICE MAGNETS 399-2966 WE DELIVER
www.magneticadconcepts.com
977 Butternut Dr. Holland
April 2011 • pmq.com
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PMQ Industry Resource Guide MARKETING IDEAS, CONT.
MENU BOARDS, CONT.
Easy, Affordable, Powerful
REWARDS PROGRAM
Increase Sales With Our “Done 4U” System www.OurPizzaClub.com / 866-657-5426
REACH A NEW AUDIENCE EVERY MONTH! FREE 1ST MONTH MAILING with Exclusive Agreement Exclusivity: Lock Out Your Competition • Zip-Code Select: No Wasted Coverage 2nd Thank You Postcard Mailing • Tru Trak™: So you know its working PLUS Optional Demographically Targeted Postcard Mailings!
NATIONAL MENUBOARD ...........................WWW.NATIONALMENUBOARD.COM MAGNETIC & LIGHTED MENUBOARDS, LED & NEON SIGNS Call us Today at 1-800-800-5237 .................Dave@nationalmenuboard.com
MEAT TOPPINGS BURKE CORPORATION ................................................... www.BurkeCorp.com Italian, Mexican-Style and Specialty Fully Cooked Meats Contact: Liz Hertz............ sales_info@burkecorp.com............. 800-654-1152 FONTANINI/CAPITOL WHOLESALE MEATS Contact: Gene Fontanini ..........www.fontanini.com .................. 800-331-MEAT Pizza toppings, Italian sausage, meatballs, sliced gyros and sliced beef
1-800-497-8360 x257
www.ourtownamerica.com
SUGAR CREEK PACKING CO., Private Label Precooked Meat Topping Specialists www.sugarcreek.com .................. 800-848-8205 ............ sales@sugarcreek.com
How to Sell More Pizza... and keep customers coming back for more! t )PX UP NBLF B MPU NPSF NPOFZ GSPN ZPVS 104 TZTUFN t )PX UP HFOFSBUF SFDPSE TFUUJOH QSPöUT GSPN QSFTFOU DVTUPNFST t )PX UP HSBC CVTJOFTT BXBZ GSPN ZPVS DPNQFUJUPST
901-767-2937
loyaltycoach.com
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MIXERS
RIGHT NOW? Our Tested Neighborhood Pizza Mailings Get CRAZY Response! Get Your FREE Local Prospect Count at:
MovingTargets.com/PMQ Call 800-926-2451, ext. 356 Say, “Send Me Your FREE Sample Kit!”
MARKETING, MOBILE
Eighty-Six Slow Sales Mobilize your best customers with a free mobile website and low-cost texting.
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ruxter.com 800.763.1953
MENU BOARDS
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
MOISTURE ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER KRISP-IT LTD. .............................................800-KRISP-IT (800-574-7748) Keep it Crisp with Krisp-It! www.krisp-it.com........................................................nick@krisp-it.com
OLIVES
PMQ Industry Resource Guide OLIVES, CONT.
PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT. BAG SOLUTIONS ................................................. Home of the Pizza Jacket Deliver that pie HOT and DRY! 866-Bag-To-Go (866-224-8646) ........................ www.deliverybags.com Thermal Bags by Ingrid Best Selection of Pizza Delivery Bags Keep Pizza HOT! 800-622-5560 or 847 836-4400, 24/7 ordering ..... www.ThermalBags.com
ON HOLD MARKETING PIZZA OVENS EARTHSTONE OVENS, INC. .. 6717 San Fernando Rd....Glendale, CA 91201 800-840-4915 .........Fax: 818-553-1133 ....... www.earthstoneovens.com All units UI listed. FISH OVEN & EQUIPMENT CORP. 120 W. Kent Ave........Wauconda, IL 60084 TOLL Free 877-526-8720 ....... Fax: 847-526-7447 ...... www.fishoven.com
ONLINE ORDERING
LINCOLN FOODSERVICE PRODUCTS................................... 888-417-5462 1111N. Hadley Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46804 ..................... Fax 260-436-0735 Impinger Conveyor Ovens featuring FastBake and Quest EMS MARSAL & SONS, INC. ....................The new standard in the Pizza Industry Brick Lined Deck Ovens • Standard Deck Ovens • Prep Table Refrigeration 631-226-6688 ......... www.marsalsons.com ........ rich@marsalsons.com PIZZAOVENS.COM Your complete source for buying and selling pizza equipment. www.pizzaovens.com or call toll free 1-877-FOR OVEN
PIZZA BOXES
PIZZA BOX LINERS
PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS
April 2011 • pmq.com
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PMQ Industry Resource Guide
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PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
PMQ Industry Resource Guide PIZZA OVENS, CONT.
PIZZA PANS
ROTO-FLEX OVEN CO. ........................................Contact Richard Dunfield 135 East Cevallos, San Antonio, TX 78204 PH 800-386-2279 .......www.rotoflexoven.com ........... Fax 210-222-9007
i feel preƩy.
oh, so preƩy!
PIZZA SUPPLIES The Marsal MB Series is designed to fit your restaurant’s specific needs. Not only is it equipped with our exclusive burner system and 2” thick brick cooking surface to ensure the most evenly baked crust, but it looks great too. You can customize the exterior decor of your MB Series oven easily either with our prebuilt finishing kits or your own brick of tile design. Attract customers with a great looking oven and a great tasting pizza.
Seƫng the new standard. visit us online at www.marsalsons.com
(631) 226-6688 FAX (631) 226-6890
& sons, inc. Pizza Ovens and Equipment
Manufacturer & Distributor of Pizza Smallwares www.paprod.com 734-421-1060
PLASTIC DOUGH CONTAINERS
Non Stick • Easy to Clean • FDA Approved Plastic Heavy Weight • Last 10X longer than metal! Replace your dented ones TODAY ! Manufacturers’ Direct Pricing For free* sample email us at:
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Call Vito:
718-200-1013 Interviews, features and news from the world of pizza
Food for thought... www.pmq.com/tt2/recipe
with host Andrew Abernathy
www.pizzaradio.com April 2011 • pmq.com
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PMQ Industry Resource Guide PIZZA PEELS
PRINTING, CONT.
LILLSUN ........................................................PO Box 767, Huntington, IN 46750 Setting the Standard ............................................Made in the U.S.A. since 1951 Ph 260-356-6514 ............ www.lillsun.com .......................Fax 260-356-8337
PRINTING COMMERCIAL PRINTING • MAIL FULFILLMENT SERVICES
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REFRIGERATION
SAUCE ARMANINO FOODS ..............................................................Fine Italian Sauces 30588 San Antonio Street, Haywood, CA ..................................... 866-553-5611 Email: customerservice@armanino.biz.....................www.armaninofoods.com
10,000 M E N U S G LOSSY F ULL -C OLOR
8.5 x 11
FREE SAMPLES Super-Low Prices Excellent Service
60#
4/4
$395
Design, Print & Mail Your Menus
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39¢ per home
11x17 80# 4/4 Mailed by store radius or zip code.
888.210.8189 70
SCALES
www.taradel.com
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
PMQ Industry Resource Guide SPICE FORMULATION, BLENDING & PACKAGING
VENTILATION
CALIFORNIA BLENDING, INC. ........ Confidential Custom Blending & Packaging. Bill Mooreheart, Jr. ....................... Serving Industiral Spice needs since 1976. 2603 Seaman, El Monte, CA 91733.............................................626-448-1918 CASTELLA IMPORTS, INC. ................................................ www.castella.com 60 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788 ....................................... 866-Castella MCCLANCY SEASONING ............................ One Spice Road, Fort Mill, SC29715 Contact: Chuck Wiley 800-843-1968 ................................................................... Fax: 803-396-7794
SUPER STICKY POST-IT® NOTES WINGS
SPECIALTY FOODS CASTELLA IMPORTS, INC. ................................................ www.castella.com 60 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788 ....................................... 866-Castella
TAKE AND BAKE TRAYS
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REVENUE with an ad in the
TOMATO PRODUCTS
PMQ Resource Guide
TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES/SERVICE Specializing in voice and data communications service, repair, installation, sequencers and on-hold messaging.
Two-line Listing (Text-Only) Three-line Listing (Text-Only) Add BOLD Add COLOR
$600/year $1,000/year $250/year $500/year
1” GRAPHIC BOX (by 3.5” w) 2” GRAPHIC BOX (by 3.5” w) 3” GRAPHIC BOX (by 3.5” w)
$2,500/year $4,700/year $7,000/year
GUARANTEED LOWEST INDUSTRY PRICE! www.fidelitycom.com.........................800-683-5600
WEBSITES
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662-234-5481 Clifton Moody x138 (clifton@pmq.com) Linda Green x121 (linda@pmq.com) April 2011 • pmq.com
71
Resource Guide Advertiser Index April 2011 Resource Advertiser
Phone
Page
AFC Insurance ......................................................800-411-4144 ............................. 64 Allied Metal Spinning ...........................................800-615-2266 ............................. 69 AM Manufacturing ..............................................800-342-6744 ............................. 63 American Institute of Baking ................................785-537-4750 ............................. 62 American Wholesale.............................................216-426-8882 ............................. 70 AMS Enterprises ...................................................865-524-2087 ............................. 64 Armanino Foods ...................................................866-553-5611 ............................. 70 ArrowPOS ............................................................877-277-8875 ............................. 62 Atlantic Shores .....................................................401-499-3618 ............................. 64 Bacio ................................................................... 855-BACIO85 .............................. 62 Bag Solutions.......................................................866-224-8646 ........................67, 68 Baker’s Quality Pizza Crusts ..................................800-846-6153 ............................. 63 Bay State Milling ..................................................800-55-FLOUR ........................63, 64 Bellissimo ............................................................800-813-2974 ............................. 64 Burke Corporation ................................................800-654-1152 ............................. 66 Cafe Tech Systems ................................................320-281-0711 ............................. 67 California Blending ..............................................626-448-1918 ............................. 71 Campus Collection ................................................800-289-8744 ............................. 62 Caputo .................................................................708-450-0074 ............................. 62 Castella Imports ...................................................866-CASTELLA ............................. 71 Castle Cheese .......................................................800-252-4373 ............................. 62 Century Printing ..................................................800-374-2679 ............................. 70 Chalk Talk ............................................................800-492-4255 ............................. 66 Chef Santo Bruno .................................................813-230-8108 ............................. 63 Color Vision ..........................................................800-543-6299 ........................65, 70 CoverTex ..............................................................800-968-2310 ............................. 67 Crust Saver ...........................................................877-437-4743 ............................. 67 DeIorio’s...............................................................800-649-7612 ............................. 63 Domata Living Flour .............................................417-654-4010 ............................. 64 Dough Xpress .......................................................800-835-0606 ............................. 63 DoughMate ..........................................................800-501-2450 ............................. 63 Dutchess Bakers’ Machinery .................................800-777-4498 ............................. 63 Earthstone Ovens .................................................800-840-4915 ............................. 67 EDGE ....................................................................888-480-EDGE ............................. 67 Escalon ................................................................ 888-ESCALON.............................. 70 Factory Service .....................................................866-285-7613 ............................. 63 Fidelity Communications ......................................800-683-5600 ............................. 71 Fish Oven & Equipment ........................................877-526-8720 ............................. 67 Fontanini ............................................................ 800-331-MEAT ............................. 66 GI. Metal ..............................................................630-553-9134 ............................. 68 Granbury Restaurant Solutions .............................800-750-3947 ............................. 62 Grande Cheese Company ..................................... 800-8-GRANDE ............................ 62 Hudson Refrigeration Manufacturing ...................800-924-7071 ............................ 64 IDS Menus ............................................................800-542-9779 ............................. 66 Incredible Bags ....................................................888-254-9453 ............................. 68 J & G Mills Equipment ...........................................734-469-4504 ............................. 64 Krisp-It ................................................................800-574-7748 ............................. 66 La Nova............................................................... 800-6-LANOVA............................. 71 Le 5 Stagoni .........................................................800-780-2280 ............................. 63 Liguria Foods .......................................................800-765-1452 ............................. 66 Lillsun..................................................................260-356-6514 ............................. 70 Lincoln Foodservice Products ................................888-417-5462 ............................. 67 Lindsay ................................................................800-252-3557 ............................. 66 Live Well & Eat Pizza ...........................................315-624-2748 ............................. 64 Loyalty Coach .......................................................901-767-2937 ............................. 66 M.Press Packaging ...............................................541-548-9889 ............................. 71 Magnetic Ad Concepts ..........................................800-365-3351 ............................. 65 Mario Camacho Foods...........................................800-881-4534 ............................. 67 72
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Resource Advertiser
Phone
Page
Marsal & Sons ......................................................631-226-6688 .................. 65, 67, 69 Master Chef Touch POS .........................................718-326-8888 ............................. 62 McClancy Seasoning .............................................800-843-1968 ............................. 71 Melissa Data ........................................................800-635-4772 ............................. 65 Menu Powerhouse ...............................................888-210-8189 ............................. 70 MenuPro ..............................................................800-747-3690 ............................. 62 Message On Hold..................................................800-392-4664 ............................. 67 MFG Tray ..............................................................800-458-6050 ............................. 63 Microworks POS Solutions.....................................800-787-2068 ............................. 62 Molino Caputo .....................................................201-368-9197 ............................. 64 Mountain Harvest Pizza Crust ...............................800-342-6205 ............................. 63 Moving Targets ............................................. 800-926-2451 ext. 356 ..................... 66 Mr. Peel ...............................................................888-994-4664 ............................. 70 Musco Family Olive ...............................................800-523-9828 ............................. 66 National Menuboard ............................................800-800-5237 ............................. 66 Neil Jones Food ....................................................800-291-3862 ............................. 70 NMI .....................................................................800-994-4664 ............................. 69 Northern Pizza Equipment....................................800-426-0323 ............................. 65 NoteAds ...............................................................800-309-7502 ............................. 71 Off the Wall Magnetics .........................................800-337-2637 ............................. 65 Our Pizza Club ......................................................866-657-5426 ............................. 66 Our Town .............................................................800-497-8360 ............................. 66 P.A. Products ........................................................734-421-1060 ............................. 69 PDQ Signature Systems ........................................877-968-6430 ............................. 62 Peel A Deal...........................................................877-563-5654 ............................. 65 Peerless Ovens .....................................................800-548-4514 ............................. 69 Picard ..................................................................800-668-1883 ............................. 67 Pizza Blends.........................................................800-826-1200 ............................. 63 Pizza Equipment Warehouse.................................888-749-9237 ............................. 67 Pizza Marketing Machine .....................................888-455-6617 ............................. 65 Pizza Tools ...........................................................800-840-7083 ............................. 69 Pizzaovens.com....................................................877-367-6836 ........................67, 69 Prebilt Hosting .....................................................718-275-7765 ............................. 71 Precision Mixers ...................................................877-764-9377 ............................. 66 Presto ..................................................................800-589-7004 ............................. 64 Printed Colors ......................................................239-352-2755 ............................. 70 Promotion Xpress .................................................888-310-7769 ............................. 70 Real New York Pizza Dough ...................................718-951-3555 ............................. 63 Red Gold ....................................................... 877-748-9798 ext. 163....................... 71 Redi Heat .............................................................888-556-2024 ............................. 67 Roto-Flex Oven.....................................................800-386-2279 ............................. 69 Ruxter .................................................................800-763-1953 ............................. 66 Saputo .................................................................800-824-3373 ............................. 62 Somerset .............................................................800-772-4404 ............................. 63 SpeedLine ............................................................888-400-9185 ............................. 62 Star Pizza Box ......................................................800-626-0828 ............................. 67 Sugar Creek Packing .............................................800-848-8205 ............................. 66 Sunset Plastics .....................................................718-200-1013 ............................. 69 Super Sticky Notes................................................800-309-7502 ............................. 71 TNT Crust .............................................................920-431-7240 ............................. 63 Thermal Bags by Ingrid.........................................800-622-5560 ............................. 67 Timeforge ............................................................866-684-7191 ............................. 65 Touch Pro .............................................................877-713-0300 ............................. 62 Ventilation Direct .................................................866-433-8335 ............................. 71 Vesuvio Foods ......................................................800-997-0887 ............................. 64 Wood Stone .........................................................800-988-8103 ............................. 69 WP Bakery Group .................................................203-929-6530 ............................. 65 Yamato ................................................................800-538-1762 ............................. 70
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73
(
time capsule
)
Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana This Coney Island favorite attracts crowds year-round—and from around the world. Zagat once claimed of Totonno Pizzeria Napolitana (totonnos.com), “Only God makes better pizza.” And this legendary pizzeria has certainly received its share of cult-like worship since its beginnings in 1924, when Anthony “Totonno” Pero opened his own pizzeria in Brooklyn’s Coney Island (he had trained for years as a pizzaiolo at the legendary Lombardi’s in Manhattan and had a place across the street before moving to the current location). An Italian immigrant who was a baker in Italy, he developed his own pizza recipe, which is still followed today: “imported Italian tomatoes; a dry mozzarella that’s made especially for us, with very little salt; and olive oil,” says Louise Ceminieri, granddaughter of Anthony, who co-owns the shop with her brother and sister, Frank Ceminieri and Annette Balzano. “The recipe, combined with the coal-fired brick oven we use, creates its own unique taste.” This recipe remains unchanged even despite wildly fluctuating prices (Louise recalls paying up to $127 for four cans of olive oil and $90 for a bag of flour), and she prides herself on not cutting corners—easier since the family owns the building and, according to Louise, “never spent five cents on advertising.” She also partially credits Americans’ insatiable desire for pizza. “Pizza is going to make money, no matter what kind you make, because people love it so much,” she says. It doesn’t hurt, however, that Totonno appears in dozens of cookbooks and guidebooks the world over— the pizzeria even won an America’s Classics award from the James Beard Foundation in 2009. In the ’90s, the pizzeria began expansion, opening two locations in Manhattan by licensing with partners, but the original location suffered a setback in 2009 when a fire destroyed part of the restaurant. However, the family persevered and reopened in February 2010, much to the relief of fans worldwide, and the pizzeria remains the longest-operating in one location in the United States. We had to rebrick and reinsulate the oven, “We an nd I was really afraid that the pizza wouldn’t and tast ta st the same,” Louise remembers. “But we made some test taste piizz p zz before we opened, and I said, ‘Could it be possible pizzas th ha it tastes even better?’” –Tracy Morin that
Clockwise from top: Anthony “Totonno” Pero likely brought this late-1800s photo of himself from Italy; when the building went up for sale in the 1940s, the family bought it; Anthony’s son Jerry (right) poses with a friend outside the shop in the ’60s; Jerry, shown here in the ’70s, was only the second person to make pizzas at the pizzeria.
Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 or more years? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com. 74
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly