PMQ Pizza Magazine May 2021 by PMQ Pizza Magazine

PIZZA MAGAZINE T H E W O R L D ' S A U T H O R I T Y O N P I Z Z A | P M Q . C O M | P I Z Z AT V. C O M

MAY 2021

plant−based revolution Supercharge your sales with plant-based alternatives to traditional meat toppings. PAGE 24

FOOD TRUCK SUCCESS 20

DIGITAL AND DIRECT MAIL 34

DAWN OF THE ROBOTS 42

Corrugated pizza boxes are recyclable. Join our recycling mission. Learn more at http://wrkgo.co/PMQPBR.

Ingredients matter. You make careful choices about the ingredients in your food. WestRock makes careful choices about the ingredients in our boxes. We resource raw materials domestically and manufacture our boxes in North America to meet the highest quality and food safety standards. Find out more at westrock.pizzaexpo365.com.

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WHEN YOU’RE MAKING A THOUSAND DECISIONS A DAY, IT FEELS GOOD KNOWING ONE INGREDIENT ISN’T DEBATABLE. JUST GO WITH THE BEST. END OF DISCUSSION. What’s your declaration of independence? Grande is championing operators who have an independent spirit and shared passion for excellence. By providing the finest all natural, authentic Italian cheeses, along with an unwavering commitment to quality, we’ll continue to advocate for independents and their love of the craft.

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IN THIS ISSUE

MAY FEATURES

ON COVTHE ER

The Plant-Based Revolution

As plant-based proteins and vegan pizza move into the mainstream, our experts offer insights and tips for turning meat-free into a moneymaker for your pizzeria. Photo courtesy VEDGEco

Accounting for Your Money

Direct Mail Meets Digital

Tips From the Team: Patrick Maggi

Dawn of the Robots

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A Publication of PMQ, Inc. 662-234-5481 Volume 25, Issue 4 May 2021 ISSN 1937-5263

PMQ.COM DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES

Domino’s Rolls Out Self-Driving Robotic Delivery Car The fully autonomous vehicle, called R2, is equipped with sensors to help it navigate busy streets and find its way to the customer’s location. pmq.com/dominos-self-driving-car/

Piestro Takes Pizza Robotics to Next Step With Pay-By-Face Technology Piestro, a leader in pizza making automation, has partnered with PopID to let customers pay using facial recognition technology. pmq.com/piestro-pay-by-face/

VEDGEco is First Nationwide Wholesaler of Plant-Based Foods for Restaurants VEDGEco founder Trevor Hitch says his company makes it easier for independent restaurants to add plant-based options to their menus. pmq.com/vedgeco/

Supreme Court Sides With Restaurants on Text Message Marketing SCOTUS says customers can legally send out automated text messages to current or previous customers without violating federal law. pmq.com/restaurant-text-messages/

PUBLISHER Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 CO-PUBLISHER Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 EDITOR IN CHIEF Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com ART DIRECTOR Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com SENIOR COPY EDITOR Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com IT DIRECTOR Cory Coward, cory@pmq.com ext. 133 DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH Blake Harris, blake@pmq.com ext. 136 TEST CHEF/USPT COORDINATOR Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129 SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Ingrid Valbuena, ingrid@pmq.com ext. 137 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER David Fischer, david@pmq.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tom Boyles, tom@pmq.com ext. 122 SALES ASSISTANT Brandy Pinion, brandy@pmq.com ext. 127 PMQ INTERNATIONAL

Two Women Rise to the Top at Little Caesars in Early 2021 Paula Vissing was named COO of the world’s third-largest pizza chain in February, while Erin Martin became chief of staff in April. pmq.com/little-caesars-women/

PMQ CHINA Yvonne Liu, yvonne@pmq.com PMQ RUSSIA Vladimir Davydov, vladimir@pmq.com PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax

Gary Bimonte, Grandson of Frank Pepe, Dies of a Heart Attack Bimonte carried the legendary Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana into the 21st century and spearheaded its expansion outside of Connecticut. pmq.com/gary-bimonte/

IN EVERY ISSUE 10 Moneymakers 14 Eye On the Chains 50 Smart Market 52 The Pizza Exchange

56 57 58 66

Idea Zone Product Spotlight PMQ Resource Guide Pizza Hall of Fame

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PMQ Pizza Magazine (ISSN #1937-5263) is published 10 times per year. Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Periodical postage pricing paid at Oxford, MS. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: PMQ Pizza Magazine, PO Box 9, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-9953. 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.

MONEYMAKERS

PIZZA WITH A SCOOP OF FROOT LOOPS At Fong’s Pizza, with four locations in Iowa, the Loopy Fruits pizza is breakfast and dessert in one singular pie—and it landed Fong’s in the Des Moines Register and Today.com. The specialty pizza features Froot Loops cereal, a sweet cream cheese sauce, mozzarella and a drizzle of Greek yogurt and condensed milk. “We wanted to provide an option that we thought would be fun for children because of the suburban market,” owner Gwen Page told Today.com. “But we also love doing things that are just off-the-wall. Like, what can we do to give people that truly unique experience? That’s what we strive for at Fong’s.” Other pizzas on the menu are Asian-inspired, such as the Coconut Curry (slow-roasted pork, coconut curry sauce, butternut squash, red onion, red pepper and mozzarella) and the Ramen Pizza (Fongolian sauce, ramen noodles, edamame, mushrooms, water chestnuts, red onion, mozzarella cheese, cilantro and crushed peanuts).

THESE CHICKEN WINGS ARE LIT! There’s hot, and then there’s blow torch-hot. The latter is what you’ll get when you order a certain variety of “lit” chicken wings at Charlee’s Pizzeria, a new shop in Syracuse, New York. Mark McLoughlin and Zach Rathburn, childhood friends who grew up in Liverpool, opened their eatery in Armory Square in March, offering traditional New York-style pies as well as a constantly rotating menu of artisan pizzas featuring truffle oil, slow-roasted pork and figs. Chicken wings are a big draw at Charlee’s, especially the maple cranberry bourbon wings. They’re finished off with a blow torch, adding a caramelized flavor and strong visual appeal. McLoughlin and Rathburn equate themselves to mad scientists like Walter White in Breaking Bad. “They’re creating an illegal drug, but we’re in here creating some amazing food in the kitchen,” McLoughlin told The Daily Orange.

The Loopy Fruits pizza earned local and national media coverage for Fong’s Pizza in Iowa.

A customer digs into the artisan chicken wings at Charlee’s Pizzeria in Syracuse, New York.

The cooks at Charlee’s Pizzeria (named for co-owner Zach Rathburn’s daughter) fire up some of their chicken wings with a blow torch to create a caramelized flavor.

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MONEYMAKERS

Gabriele Lamonaca of Unregular Pizza makes his pies with imported Italian flour and local, organic produce.

CASH, CHECKS AND CREDIT CARDS NOT ACCEPTED Would you sell a pizza for a toothbrush or a chocolate cake? That business model works just fine right now for Gabriele Lamonaca of New York’s Unregular Pizza. Lamonaca had intended to open a pizzeria in the Big Apple last year, but the pandemic scuttled his plans. A native of Rome, he began making pizzas in his home kitchen in Harlem and trading them for baked goods and other items offered by his friends. He started posting photos of the pizzas—and the trade-offs outside his apartment—on Instagram, and his account soon grew to more than 8,300 followers while drawing the attention of the New York Post and websites like Time Out and Eater New York. He told Time Out that he started the Instagram account “in the hopes of getting some visibility by the time I open a store.” Lamonaca has the kitchen capacity to make only three or four pizzas a week, and he never repeats flavor combinations. Although he’ll ditch the barter system once he launches a brick-and-mortar store, he’s currently raking in all kinds of goodies, from homemade pastas, desserts and breads to bottles of wine and tins of sardines. A photographer traded a photo shoot for a pizza, while a dentist paid him with a meal of Chinese brandy chicken and two electric toothbrushes. Lamonaca told the New York Post that the trades are always “exciting,” adding, “You never know what you’re going to get in the barter.”

Kala Rama, a news anchor and reporter for WPIX in New York, gave Gabriele Lamonaca some homemade pasta in exchange for a pizza.

PARTNERING UP TO FEED THE NEEDY Graham Faragher, co-founder of Bertha’s Pizza in Bristol, England, is a big fan of the numerous rival restaurants around Wapping Wharf, a local drinking, dining and shopping district. Rather than compete against them, he’d rather partner up while helping feed the city’s people in need. Since January, Bertha’s has been showcasing unusual pies with distinctly British ingredients in collaboration with other Bristol eateries like Gambas Tapas Bar, Box-E and the Ethicurean. A pie developed with Gambas Tapas Bar featured prawns, rocket (the English version of arugula), garlic and pickled radishes, while a Turkish-style pizza, created with street food vendor Murray May’s, boasted a scorched pepper, tomato and aubergine (eggplant) base, spiced lamb and whipped feta with a tahini and lemon dip on the side. A collaboration with The Ethicurean yielded a pie topped with salt-baked celeriac, cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), pickled ewes cheese, wild garlic capers and blackcurrant wood oil. For every carryout order topping £25, Bertha’s Pizza donates a grocery box to help the anti-hunger nonprofit FareShare Southwest feed a local family for a week.

Pizza maker Dan Madley is also known as Bertha’s “gelato magician.”

This specialty pizza, created in collaboration with The Ethicurean, features salt-baked celeriac, cavolo nero, pickled ewes cheese, wild garlic capers and blackcurrant wood oil.

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EYE ON THE CHAINS

This artist’s rendering offers a sneak preview of Pizza Hut’s new Hut Lane for digital pickup orders.

LIFE IN THE HUT LANE

Some customers using Pizza Hut’s new pickup lane might have gotten their order in a limited-edition box featuring a QR code for an augmented-reality version of the classic Pacman video game.

Pizza Hut adapted to customer concerns in the early months of the pandemic by becoming the first national pizza brand to offer contactless curbside pickup. In March 2021, the chain announced another big move: the addition of dedicated digital order pickup windows at more than 1,500 locations. The Hut Lane will cater to customers who want to grab their orders without leaving their cars. The service can be accessed through the Pizza Hut app or website and is also available to customers who order by phone. Upon arrival, customers can simply pull up to the Hut Lane window to pick up their orders. It’s part of Pizza Hut’s strategy to modernize through digital ordering, according to chief customer and operations officer Nicolas Burquier. “We are giving our customers a variety of options to optimize their pizza eating experience as we build on our business momentum,” Burquier says. “Not only do we offer industry-leading, innovative menu items that are only available at Pizza Hut, we also offer several digital-first pickup options for our customers, and the Hut Lane is a great example of that.” Meanwhile, some pickup customers might have gotten a surprise at the window: The chain also introduced a limitededition delivery and carryout box featuring a QR code that led to an augmented-reality version of the classic Pacman video game.

JET’S PIZZA FLIES HIGH WITH TEXT-TO-ORDER

Jet’s new text-to-order tool has already processed more than 1 million orders.

Jet’s Pizza merch keeps the brand relevant with younger customers.

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A new text-to-order tool driven by artificial intelligence will make it easier to order a pie from Jet’s Pizza, the Sterling Heights, Michiganbased chain with 380 stores in 19 states. Jet’s has partnered with Ordr AI to offer the technology, which the chain says is the first AI-fueled feature of its kind for the pizza industry. Jet’s has already processed more than 1 million text orders and begun offering the service in more than 75% of stores, the company said in late March. The text-to-order technology allows customers to text a Jet’s store using the same local phone number they would use to call in an order. The customer can text the entire order in one message, including indicating pickup or the delivery address. The system facilitates payment, processes the order, sends the order to the store, and responds with an order confirmation. Customers can also save their credit card information and set a pin to reuse the same card during future orders. “I think it’s fair to say that text-to-order is the easiest ordering method in all of food ordering, not just pizza,” says Aaron Nilsson, chief information officer for Jet’s America. “It’s the future. It is a premium experience that pairs well with our premium-tasting pizza. No apps to download, no Alexa to buy—just a great experience.”

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EYE ON THE CHAINS Deep-dish pizza is always on the menu at UNO’s Pizzeria & Grill.

OH, CONCIERGE? WHERE’S THE NEAREST VACCINATION SITE?

Employees at UNO’s Pizzeria & Grill will help each other get vaccinated under the company’s new internal concierge program.

Getting its workers vaccinated for COVID-19 has become a high priority for UNO Pizzeria & Grill, with 90 stores in 18 states around the U.S. The company announced in late March that it will offer a $50 gift card to every employee who gets a shot and even announced a new internal concierge system to help them along in the process. Available to employees at all company-owned locations as well as those at the corporate office and the UNO Foods manufacturing plant in Brockton, Massachusetts, the concierge service is comprised of volunteer employees who help their peers set up appointments, provide appointment reminders and share updates about new vaccine sites that become available. In certain circumstances, UNO will reimburse employees for transportation to vaccine centers if they don’t have the means to get there on their own. UNO piloted the program at UNO Foods, and within a few days, 87% of the employees had secured vaccine appointments, the company said.

DONATOS WANTS TO CONQUER THE SUNSHINE STATE New Donatos Pizza locations will keep popping up all over Florida this year as the fast-casual pizza chain plots rapid growth in the state. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Donatos has already opened five stores in Sarasota, Jacksonville Beach and Winter Park in 2020 and has signed multistore development deals with franchise groups for Jacksonville, Orlando, greater Tampa/St. Petersburg, greater Sarasota, Bonita Springs and Marco Island. The company aims to expand its brand in all regions of the Sunshine State, from St. Augustine and Daytona Beach to Broward and Miami-Dade counties and Gainesville. “Our continued development throughout Florida over the past year has stirred interest among people looking for an opportunity to partner with a rapidly expanding concept,” said Jeff Baldwin, Donatos vice president of development and franchising. Another facet of the chain’s growth strategy—offering scaled-down versions of its menu in Red Robin burger chain locations—has also seen success. By the end of the year, Donatos plans to sell its pizza in 200-plus Red Robin locations.

Donato’s is on a mission to open new stores across the state of Florida.

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ACCOUNTING FOR YOUR MONEY

HOW TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND

Now is the time to talk to your accountant about all of the available grants and loans from the American Rescue Plan. BY MICHAEL RASMUSSEN

Q A

What do I need to know about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund? It is now more important than ever to set aside some time, get on the phone or a Zoom call with your accountant and discuss your financials thoroughly. You need to make sure you take advantage of every program the federal government and Small Business Administration (SBA) have been offering since the pandemic started in March 2020. As you’re reading this article, you know your personal tax returns are due on May 15. So, once you have your accountant’s attention, it’s time to rattle some cages! The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) created the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide restaurants with grant funds equal to the restaurant’s pandemic-related revenue losses. Restaurants and bars have been among the hardest-hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and members of the U.S. Senate’s Small Business Committee have pushed for answers on how quickly the program can be launched. We know that, during the first 21 days of the program, the SBA will prioritize applications from restaurants owned, operated or controlled by women, veterans or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. However, as of press time, there has been minimal guidance from the SBA as to how and when business owners can apply. But here’s what we know right now. The ARPA provides $28.6 billion in grants to be administered by the SBA.

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An RRF grant amount is based on 2019 gross receipts less 2020 gross receipts. The grants are capped at $10 million and limited to $5 million per location for multiunit restaurant companies. The law contains provisions for those businesses not in operation through all of 2019, opened after January 1, 2020, or not open yet. The grant will be reduced by any PPP loan you’ve already received. Approved grants must be used to support the business’s ongoing operations. Eligible entities include restaurants, food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers, saloons, inns, taverns, bars, lounges, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms and similar venues. Publicly traded restaurants with more than 20 locations will not be eligible for grants, nor will those that have received a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) can provide relief for owners who have spent money to try to open a restaurant and want to recover some costs toward a future opening. However, the RRF does not permit businesses to use the funds to open a second location. If restaurants do not use all the funding for the eligible expenses before the end of the covered period, those funds must be returned to the government. It is critical to understand that these funds are to be used for specific costs to keep the business operating. The goal is to recover lost revenue resulting from the pandemic and to ensure the restaurant survives through the pandemic’s financial burdens. Specifically, the funds can

be used for payroll, utilities, maintenance, supplies, operating expenses, covered supplier costs, food and beverage inventory, maintenance expenses (including construction to accommodate outdoor seating and walls, deck surfaces, furniture, fixtures and equipment), supplies (including personal protective equipment and cleaning materials), and any other expenses the SBA determines to be essential to maintaining the eligible business. I encourage restaurants to protect and prioritize their employees and allocate as much funding as possible to payroll and related benefits. As owners prepare to receive news about their fund eligibility and distribution, they should look over their financial statements and future projections. It is essential that businesses gather all evidence of their gross receipts and calculate the reduction of the gross revenue received in 2020 compared to 2019. Be aware that gross receipts include all revenue and PPP funds. Lastly, restaurants should project their eligible expenses for the covered period—February 15, 2020, through December 31, 2021—and allocate the costs among any other funds they have received through the PPP or Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). Get your accountant involved to help you understand how all of those programs have impacted your financials.

The grant program covers the period of February 15, 2020, through December 31, 2021, or a date to be determined by the SBA that is not later than two years after the date of enactment of this section of the law. If funds are not used on allowable expenses or if the business “permanently ceases operations” before the end of the covered period, the funds not used for allowable expenses must be returned! I urge you to take this article and read it to your accountant. Understand all of the abbreviations (such as SVOG, PPP or ERTC) and pinpoint how each of them might have impacted your financial situation in 2020 or 2021. This is a very complex area with many moving parts, so be kind to your advisor, but take my advice! Get informed. Do not go off on a vacation this summer when you could be busier than you have ever been coming out of this pandemic, only to later learn about the programs, monies, grants, credits or strategies that your peers took advantage of!

Michael Rasmussen has been contributing to PMQ for more than 15 years. You can visit his website, hitechcpa.com, for additional insight into restaurant-specific tax strategies, accounting and technology programs. H I TE C H C PA . C OM

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M AY 2 0 2 1 | P M Q . C O M

TIPS FROM THE TEAM Patrick Maggi saw his sales triple after he added pizza to his Blues Pizza Truck’s menu.

LEARNING THE TRICKS TO FOOD TRUCK SUCCESS USPT member Patrick Maggi shows you how to take your pizza show on the road to help beef up sales. BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ

Nature is full of good analogies. We all know a green branch is flexible, while a dry branch is rigid and will snap under pressure. Pizzeria operators need to remain flexible to prevent that dreaded “snap.” After the disaster that was 2020, everyone’s looking for ways to sprout again and sustain growth. U.S. Pizza Team member Patrick Maggi, owner of Blues Pizza Truck, Blues BBQ Co. (a stationary trailer) and Maggi’s Pizza & Subs in Damascus, Maryland, is staying green and flexible, as the analogy goes. Over the past few years, Maggi took his show on the road with a brand-new delivery truck. Teaming up with local businesses and knocking on numerous doors to create awareness, Maggi has been able to supplement his brick-andmortar by offering meals on wheels throughout the area. PMQ: What was the first pivot you had to make in your brick-andmortar (B&M) operation? Maggi: Being a carryout and delivery setup, we didn’t have dine-in and didn’t have to make a huge pivot. If you respect the [COVID-19] safety guidelines, people will be comfortable coming back. We did hear some grumbling early on from

some employees about masking up, but mostly from family members. Once the first customer complaint came in, we all masked up right away. Not wanting to wear a mask is not worth losing a customer over. PMQ: When did you decide to get the Blues Pizza Truck? Maggi: We had a barbecue food truck for about 10 to 12 years for catering events, mainly run by my brother. It was doing very well. Then, about three years ago, the truck became a large drain on my brother’s time, so I took it over. I added pizza to the menu, and we started partnering with local breweries and wineries for on-location dining for certain nights or events. We tripled our sales from 2018 to now with the addition of the pizza menu and barbecue truck sales. Then the pandemic hit, and when breweries and wineries started to reopen, we happily rekindled that partnership, to the benefit of all of us. PMQ: What kind of pizzas are available at the Blues Pizza Truck? Maggi: We do some gourmet pizzas, plus the regulars that everyone loves. They are all 10” pizzas. The truck had a

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Patrick Maggi says it’s harder to get a license to operate a food truck because it’s considered a “high-risk” establishment.

“If you have a [brick-and-mortar], I suggest connecting the two operations. Drive business from one to the other and vice versa. But already having a customer base at your B&M that you can direct to your mobile unit is priceless.” — PATRICK MAGGI, BLUES PIZZA TRUCK

different philosophy than the B&M. Of course, at the B&M, you get more families. They don’t want to have to spend $100 on pizza for the family, which is why we offer different sizes. But we don’t want them sharing their pies from the pizza truck. We want them to buy their own—and as many as they can. Rarely do we have two people come up and ask if they can split a pizza. Also, not sharing your food was a good idea in the time of COVID-19, and it also helps in ease of prep and your inventory. Only one size—you don’t have to worry about numerous sizes and people sharing half-and-half pies. This is good for a fast-paced, small workspace environment such as a food truck. Less is more. Plus, the diner mentality for mobile units is one person, one meal. Sharing typically isn’t a thing in this market. PMQ: What is the No. 1 thing to be aware of when opening a mobile unit? Can you offer some words of wisdom? Maggi: A lot of people run out and try to get a home equity line of $150,000 to have a truck built when there are so many units on the market right now. You could probably get one with most everything you need for $25,000 to $30,000. Don’t sell

your soul to get something new when you can find something slightly used that’s just as good. Also, this is a lot of work, more than a brick-and-mortar. Don’t get me wrong—owning a restaurant or mobile unit is extremely rewarding, but it is ridiculously hard work. Most people like the romance of traveling around and cooking and selling food, but they fall out of love when they realize they are working 80 hours a week and only making $8 an hour—if that much—as an owner! Understand the level of work you will have to put in, because that’s the only way to get the rewards out of it. PMQ: Are the health codes for food trucks stricter since COVID-19? Maggi: It is harder to get licensed now since so many people are doing it, so you must make sure to follow the rules. I do know that my trucks get inspected twice as often as my B&M. But it is also a little more difficult to get licensed for food trucks because they tend to be deemed a “high-risk” establishment. Also, be aware of the different health codes in different counties and states. It’s not like the movie Chef, where you can drive from M AY 2 0 2 1 | P M Q . C O M

Maggi’s food truck menu offers just one pizza size to discourage sharing among customers.

state to state without having to register and buy a new license. Just be aware of the regulations in your market areas. PMQ: Should you set up your mobile unit to accommodate prep or rely on a “home base,” such as your B&M or another restaurant’s kitchen? Maggi: Having a home base is the way to go. If you’re having a hard time finding one, usually churches have commercial kitchens you could partner with. It also varies from state to state. For instance, in Virginia, you’re not allowed to prep anything on that food truck. Everything must be precooked and remain hot before cooking. This could affect where you go and whether you even want to go across state lines. This is why I don’t sell in Virginia, even though it’s right across the street from my shop, so to speak. PMQ: How do you market a new mobile unit? Maggi: Do the market research for your area beforehand, especially if you do not have a B&M. I would also start looking for gigs even before you open for business. Line up a customer base built on good faith and quality. Just parking

in parking lots does nothing unless people know where and when to find you. You must create that hype around your brand and your menu before you open to generate buzz and excitement for when you hit the road. Also, if you have a B&M, I suggest connecting the two operations. Drive business from one to the other and vice versa. But already having a customer base at your B&M that you can direct to your mobile unit is priceless. PMQ: Any other ideas for people venturing into the mobile market? Maggi: One thing that has boomed recently for us are wedding receptions. This is perfect for marketing. We get special 10” pans that are engraved with the bride and groom’s name, the date and our logo. Everyone at the reception gets this as a take-home gift, and now you have your name in front of them. Not to mention it’s a pretty unique and reusable item to take home from a wedding. But a big winner for me has been finding distribution centers for large companies, like big-box chains and car manufacturers, talking with their HR people, and getting a contract

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to feed upwards of 1,000 employees a week. If you do that three times a month with three different businesses, it’s a game-changer. I also try to personally work as many catering events as I can. It’s the owner’s touch that people really appreciate. And great employees are always a plus. PMQ: What’s the best tip for any mobile unit operator who has recently opened? Maggi: Having a prepaid gig when you leave your house in the morning is way better than going to a location and hoping you draw a crowd. At a random pop-up, you have to worry about the weather, the number of people attending, even COVID-19 right now. If you have something in writing, it takes a lot of the worry off your shoulders for that event, and you can then focus on quality of your product. I rarely do anything without being prepaid, besides my partnerships with my wineries and breweries, and even then, I still get a guarantee of a minimal deposit for labor and even food waste. To see the full video interview with Patrick Maggi, visit PMQ.com/maggitips!

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24 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

plant− based revolution As plant-based alternatives to traditional meat toppings continue to improve, more pizzerias are putting them on the menu— and scoring soaring sales as a result. BY TRACY MORIN

Rising consumer awareness of environmental concerns, the spread of a worldwide pandemic, a greater focus on personal health and wellness—so many influences have combined to transform vegetarian, vegan and plant-based eating from borderline outlandish to widely embraced. And experts predict this growth will only continue. Last March, Dublin-based Research and Markets reported that “the global market for plant-based meat, estimated at $13.6 billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of $35 billion by 2027.” Perhaps future generations will altogether ditch the notion of protein alternatives being, well, alternative. M AY 2 0 2 1 | P M Q . C O M

Give your customers the plant-based pizza options they crave!

Plant-Based Peppero

Dr. Praeger’s new plant-based toppings are a delicious way to add meatless items to your menu with a winning combination of incredible taste and great visual appeal. peppe Our pepperoni, sausage, and chickenless strips aren’t just for vegans — flexitarians appreciate meatless protein options, too!

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oni

Plant-Based Sausage

Plant-Based Chickenless Strips

Pizza Guys’ execs found a customer-approved foot in the door of plant-based alternatives by partnering with a well-known national brand.

“Plant-based toppings are growing rapidly in the pizza category—we follow Technomic’s reporting closely, and four of the top 10 fastest growing ingredients are plantbased.”

DEMOGRAPHICS AND DEMANDS

According to Trevor Hitch, founder and CEO of VEDGEco in Kailua, Hawaii, as many as 6% of U.S. customers now claim the “vegan” label, a 500% increase over the 1% reported in 2014. However, it’s worthwhile to note that many plant-based alternatives are actually designed to appeal to carnivores looking to cut their meat consumption. This move away from meat is taking hold worldwide. Tommy Leung, owner of Gafell, a Hong Kong-based maker of frozen pizzas and meals, says his customers love the chance to go meatless, thanks to today’s easy replacements. “I would say the majority are not vegan or even vegetarian,” Leung says. “It’s mostly meat eaters that are looking for green alternatives— flexitarians who are looking to cut down.” And Hitch adds that more than one-third of the U.S. population now fits this category. Accordingly, even pizza chains are hopping on the plantbased bandwagon. Toppers Pizza, based in Whitewater, Wisconsin, with 69 stores in 12 states, unveiled its new vegan-friendly menu in late 2020. “Plant-based toppings are growing rapidly in the pizza category—we follow Technomic’s reporting closely, and four of the top 10 fastest growing ingredients are plant-based,” explains Mac Malchow, director of national marketing and menu innovation for Toppers Pizza. “What used to be solely beef in the plant-based world has grown to nearly all proteins. Plant-based pork, chicken and cheese are all rising in popularity, as more and more customers are choosing alternative diets and lifestyles. Most independent and regional chains, including Toppers Pizza, have begun incorporating multiple plant-based toppings into their menus in just the last couple of years—and customers are responding well with their dollars and social engagement.”

PIZZA GUYS

— MAC MALCHOW, TOPPERS PIZZA So many consumers making the switch to plant-based naturally leads to positive environmental impacts, but there’s another benefit to note: As demand for plant-based food grows, so does competition—and that leads to ever more innovation. In this competitive market, if brands don’t nail top-notch taste and texture, they’re toast, so the bar constantly raises. Today’s manufacturers are increasingly creating protein alternatives that not only taste great but satisfy demands for quality nutrition, cleaner labels and even sustainable sourcing. And, considering how relatively young this movement is, one can only imagine the sky-high potential for future developments. PREPPING AND PAIRING

Many chefs have been surprised at the ease and performance of plant-based proteins. When Leung first tested alternative meats from one popular brand, he remembers being blown away. “We had heard all the stories about how it’s supposed to taste just like meat and even bleed when you cook it—needless to say, we were quite skeptical,” he recalls. “But it was true! Even better for us was that we didn’t have to make any big

26 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Give your customers the plant-based pizza options they crave! Dr. Praeger’s new plant-based toppings are a delicious way to add meatless items to your menu with a winning combination of incredible taste and great visual appeal. Our pepperoni, sausage, and chickenless strips aren’t just for vegans — flexitarians appreciate meatless protein options, too!

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SAU SAG E

CHICKENLESS STRIPS

changes to our recipes. Since the [plant-based] meat behaves so much like minced beef, we simply replaced it 1:1, and the results were fantastic.” Using the new protein, Leung first experimented with making plant-based versions of lasagna bolognese and savory pies, then moved on to pizzas, which soon sold out. “Our customers loved it,” Leung reports. “One said he had to go back and check the packaging to make sure it really was plant-based. Even for myself, as a chef, sometimes I can’t believe it’s not real meat.” Now, Leung keeps his finger on the pulse of new alternative meats hitting the market, and he’s already working on making pizzas with plant-based cheese as well. Hitch, who works with a variety of brands as a plant-based wholesaler, agrees that operators can enjoy a 1:1 replacement when working with plant-based pizza toppings. But it’s important to understand the alternatives’ exact flavor profiles and experiment in pairing them with existing toppings to come up with the perfect pizza combinations, says Reza Kamalian, director of operations for Sacramento, California-based Pizza Guys, with 70 locations. “I would recommend taking advantage of co-branding with one of the top brands producing plant-based products to help get through to the customer,” Kamalian says. “Operators should also come up with new recipes to create more buzz.” Meanwhile, Hitch suggests creating a menu board solely dedicated to plant-based add-ons, as well as trying vegan pizzas at other restaurants to become more familiar with the category.

“I would recommend taking advantage of co-branding with one of the top brands producing plant-based products to help get through to the customer. Operators should also come up with new recipes to create more buzz.” — REZA KAMALIAN, PIZZA GUYS

SELECTION AND SAMPLING

More choices for alternative-protein toppings are a good thing, but the downside is that many pizzeria owners may find themselves intimidated by the options, especially if they’re not consumers of these kind of products themselves. That’s where experts can help. And they don’t need to sport a list of fancy qualifications—they can simply be vegetarians, vegans and/or flexitarians in your community. Kamalian advises operators to enlist a test group (comprised of consumers who already eat these kinds of toppings) to help them select what’s best. “Also get yourself educated on what plant-based toppings are and how they are made,” Kamalian adds. “Vegetarian customers are looking for clean, sustainable vegetarian and vegan ingredients at reasonable prices. They also look for variety and, most importantly, quality and taste. The product has to taste good!” TOPPERS PIZZA

The 69-unit chain Toppers Pizza worked with a vegan chef and restaurant owner to create its menu of plant-based specialty pies in 2020.

28 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

VEDGECO

Beyond The Dough

Creating new specialty pizza recipes helps generate buzz for plant-based topping options at your pizzeria.

Alternatively, you can recruit local chefs with plant-based knowledge, as Toppers Pizza execs did when they wanted to craft a vegan menu that would appeal to both the existing customer base and new guests. “When Toppers Pizza made the leap into the plant-based world, we understood our own limitations and experience in this area, and that’s why we partnered with a professional—Melanie Manuel, owner of the vegan restaurant Celesta in Milwaukee,” Malchow says. “We worked closely with Melanie to not just identify specific plantbased toppings, but develop great tasting menu items that we’re proud of and our customers love. I would encourage any restaurant looking to add plant-based toppings to their menu to do their homework and talk with experts to develop food that fits their menu.”

JOIN THE PIZZA VEGAN COMMUNITY AT PIZZAVEGAN.COM!

PMQ is committed to covering the rapidly growing plant-based protein industry, both in print and digitally. The demand for plantbased meats and vegan/vegetarian products has skyrocketed, and some experts predict it will become a $35 billion market by 2027. According to a 2020 survey by OnePoll, 39% of people ages 18 to 25 and 23% of people ages 26 to 41 already exclude animal products from their diets. Other studies show that meat eaters are also enjoying more plant-based meals and embracing the flexitarian lifestyle. The rising popularity of vegan and vegetarian pizza is more than a trend—it’s a movement. And PMQ is staying on top of it with PizzaVegan.com, the only website dedicated to the vegan pizza trend. You’ll find articles about leaders and manufacturers in the plant-based meats industry, vegan recipes for pizzas and other menu items, interviews with vegan consumers and updates on the latest and greatest plant-based products. If you offer plant-based menu items, you can even register your restaurant on our online directory at PizzaVegan.com/pizzerias, so vegan and vegetarian customers in your area can find you!

Visit PizzaVegan.com for regular updates on the vegan pizza movement!

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“[LTOs are] a great way for owners to try out alternative toppings and get customer feedback. You can also offer discounts on plant-based pizza toppings to incentivize customers to try them.” — TREVOR HITCH, VEDGECO

SCREAMER’S PIZZERIA

Screamer’s Pizzeria embraces the plant-based movement by offering a 100% vegan menu at its two locations in Brooklyn, New York. (Learn more about Screamer’s plant-based approach at PizzaVegan.com/articles.)

For example, Toppers, known for its cheeseforward, indulgent menu, created the Buffalo Chicken-less Topper (with buffalo sauce, vegan chicken and mozzarella, green onions and vegan ranch) and the Korean BBQ Chicken-less Topper (with Korean barbecue sauce, vegan chicken and mozzarella, onions and peppers), among other new items. “It’s important to be yourself when incorporating plant-based toppings into recipes and your menu,” Malchow advises. “Your customers have an expectation from your brand, and you should be able to incorporate these toppings just like any new topping you would offer. Taste is still king and should not be sacrificed.” Then, of course, you’ll have to entice customers to try your new offerings. These toppings will likely sell themselves to vegan and vegetarian customers, but flexitarians may need some convincing. Hitch recommends creating a limited-time offer with a specialty pie that loads up on several plant-based toppings—think cheese, pepperoni, sausage and bacon. “[LTOs are] a great way for owners to try out alternative toppings and get customer feedback,” Hitch says. “You can also offer discounts on plantbased pizza toppings to incentivize customers to try them. And samples are always great—they give people a no-risk way to try new things.” Finally, Malchow recommends tapping digital advertising to spread the word among those who already embrace plant-based products. “Advertising continues to be more and more segmented, which provides a benefit to marketing specific toppings or recipes to demographics or preferences,” he explains. “Restaurants should leverage this benefit when introducing plant-based items. Social media, pay-perclick, pre-roll ads—these are all examples of places that can leverage audience targeting.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

30 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

veganpizza@miyokos.com

RECIPE: VEGAN MEAT LOVERS Recipe and photo provided by Murielle Banackissa, MurielleBanackissa.com, and Very Good Butchers INGREDIENTS:

• •

• • • • • • • • • •

1 lb. pizza dough 1 tbsp. medium-grind cornmeal (optional but recommended, to prevent the pizza dough from sticking to fingers) 1 tsp. avocado oil ½ medium onion, diced 1 plant-based burger patty (Banackissa recommends Smokin’ Burgers from Very Good Butchers) ½ package bacon, sliced ½ package pepperoni, sliced ¾ c. pizza sauce ½ c. vegan shredded cheese, plus more for garnish 2 tbsp. diced red onion Fresh parsley, for garnish Black pepper, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Find mo re vegan pizza re cipes at PizzaVe gan.com !

FOR THE CRUST:

Transfer pizza dough to the baking sheet. If using cornmeal, cover the pizza dough in cornmeal. Spread the dough, forming a circle of about 12” or larger, depending on how thick you want the crust. Poke with a fork about 10 times and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust starts to get some color. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the toppings. FOR THE TOPPINGS:

Heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until translucent. Crumble up 1 plant-based burger patty and add to the onion. Cook for another 4 minutes or until the patty starts to brown. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and add slices of bacon. Cook for 6 minutes, flipping them at the 3-minute mark. Remove from the heat. ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA:

Spread the pizza sauce on the crust and top with vegan shredded cheese. Top with the crumbled plant-based patty mixture, bacon slices and pepperoni slices. Sprinkle a little extra cheese if desired and add diced red onion. Bake the pizza at 400°F for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley and black pepper if desired. Enjoy immediately.

32 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Direct Mail Meets Digital When it comes to connecting with customers, digital and old-school efforts each offer their own perks. Why not combine both for a powerful one-two marketing punch? BY TRACY MORIN

While digital marketing offers ease and convenience for pizzerias and their tech-connected customers, direct mail stands out in today’s near-empty mailboxes (versus getting lost in overcrowded inboxes). Therefore, many marketing experts note that taking advantage of both in a single campaign can reap maximum benefits.

34 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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“While the common stereotype in today’s digitized society is to avoid traditional forms of marketing and instead implement digital campaigns, both types of advertising can deliver explosive results for a business when used in combination,” explains Ashley Regan, executive content writer for Sydneybased RGC Advertising. “A layered approach—utilizing traditional and new-age forms of marketing—is so successful because each strategy targets a different market and achieves a different marketing objective, which in combination widens your potential sales volume.” COMBO ORDERS

Regan notes that physical direct mail—such as postcards, fliers and catalogs—has a better chance of reaching a wider demographic, including older individuals who may not use as much technology. On the other hand, although digital direct mail can get ignored or lost in an email box, it can be more effective when the content is personalized to the user, while appealing to individuals who are short on time and prefer digitized forms of content. “Furthermore, a study showed physical direct mail’s response rate is 5.3% higher than the 0.6% response rate for digital direct email,” Regan adds. “As so much marketing has moved online in recent decades, there’s still something to be said about the standout factor of old-school snail mail.” Ultimately, she says, no one marketing channel is the be-all and end-all—if your marketing budget allows for it, utilize as many different channels as possible to maximize results.

“A study showed physical direct mail’s response rate is 5.3% higher than the 0.6% response rate for digital direct email.” — ASHLEY REGAN, RGC ADVERTISING Solomon Thimothy, co-founder of Clickx in Chicago, also believes that snail mail remains a viable offline marketing tactic, since it feels “charming” to tech-savvy customers and allows operators to distribute marketing materials or coupons directly to a geographically targeted market. “Integrating traditional direct mail marketing with digital campaigns elevates your marketing efforts,” Thimothy says. “It exposes you in two different dimensions, which helps ensure that your brand and business will be imprinted on customers.” Finally, direct mail can be used to drive traffic to a pizzeria’s online offerings, according to Krystle Mobayeni, CEO and co-founder of New York City-based BentoBox, which works with pizzerias like Emmy Squared. “Direct mail can be an effective way to get additional diner information when paired with online purchases,” she says. “Using a unique promo code in direct mail will entice diners to make an online purchase. Online purchases are powerful, because they allow the restaurant to capture diner information, like phone number and/or email address, which can then power digital marketing, like email campaigns.”

36 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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ENSURING SUCCESS

Jill Flores, who handles digital marketing for ClickSend in Berkeley, California, offers the following advice for setting up a multichannel campaign. First, outline an objective to help set the tone of the messaging throughout your campaign. Do you want to attract more dine-in patrons after COVID-19 restrictions ease? Do you want to encourage more pickup orders? Do you want to simply sell more pizzas across the board, via dine-in, carryout and/or delivery? Or have you launched a new specialty pizza and want to encourage its sales? In addition, ensure your messaging fits the channel. In text (SMS) messages, keep your message concise, according to your objective—really drive the message you want to promote. “Email is great for longer-form messaging—for example, if you have multiple messages that you want customers to know about,” Flores says. “A good marketing email might have the major promotion your restaurant is pushing, as well as general information like changes to opening times or even local events or staff profiles if you run a community-oriented pizzeria. And

personalized postcards work great for pizza shops, since it’s refreshing to get something other than bills and junk mail in the postbox. Use images of delicious-looking pizza to entice customers to order.” Finally, nail the right timing. No one appreciates inappropriately timed text messages, so Flores recommends using SMS scheduling options. “You don’t have to manually send messages whenever it happens to be the optimal pizza ordering time—you could set it all up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday,” Flores says. “Then, for snail mail, many people check their mailbox when they come home from work. They’re tired, hungry and thinking about dinner, which makes them most receptive to the idea of ordering pizza instead of cooking.” CREATING CROSS-CONNECTIONS

Joby Antony, senior manager of digital marketing for Fingent, with U.S. offices in New York City and Boston, notes that because physical mail is more of a novelty for people today, open rates are high: more than 90%, compared to the average

3 TIPS FOR CREATING A MULTICHANNEL CAMPAIGN

Jill Flores of ClickSend recommends keeping these tips in mind when setting up a multichannel marketing campaign for your pizzeria. 1. Outline an objective to set the tone of your messaging. Know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and who your target audience is. 2. Make sure your messaging fits the channel. Email is better for longer-form messaging, while a personalized postcard will stand out in a mailbox stuffed with bills and junk mail. 3. Nail the timing. Use SMS scheduling to make sure your digital messages go out at the right time without annoying the customer.

38 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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18% for digital campaigns. “But you get only one chance to make an impression, so make the messaging on the campaigns super-attractive and concise,” Antony advises. “Use custom envelopes, include images and make customers feel welcome. This will drive up the costs, but it will totally be worth it.” In addition, Antony recommends including digital avenues on snail mail so that customers can check out your store and services. So, for example, include a QR code that takes them to a custom landing page for the snail-mail campaign. “This is where you ask them for their consent to receive your newsletters and offer mailings—and, unlike with a blind email campaign, these people are truly opting in, so the open rates will be higher,” Antony says. “Add them to your mailing list, start your ad and email campaigns, and maintain a clean list and audience segment by monitoring them closely. Repeat the cycle a couple more times, and you’ll have a dedicated target audience to build on.” You can work in the other direction, too—i.e., enabling an option for your digital recipients to subscribe to your direct mailing services. “It’s crucial that those who opt in to direct promotional mailings from your business get exclusive discounts or promos only for those who subscribe to digital mailings, so your offline marketing tactics will become more attractive,” Thimothy says. “It also becomes the business’ responsibility to make each direct mail personalized and customized to impress subscribers. Solidify your two-tiered marketing efforts by adding a QR code in your digital campaigns, so that customers can scan it and be directed to sign up for direct mailing.” Meanwhile, Flores notes that operators can utilize different formats for different objectives, ensuring that they all play off each other for the best impact. “Once all of your contacts are in one place, you can send and track multichannel communications with your customers,” she explains. “If you notice that your emails are going unread, you might choose to follow up with an SMS, then a postcard. Or use postcards to promote seasonal promotions, while sending text messages when you need to get more pizzas out the door on short notice. Or you could use postcards to help promote your ‘text to order’ pizza service. There are so many ways to set up a multichannel campaign—it’s really up to you, depending on what works well to drive more revenue, and you may want to test a few different strategies!” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

40 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Find your Ispirazione Italiana

What's my Italian Inspiration? I wanted to return Master Pizza to its

original glory days as Cleveland’s favorite pizzeria. So, I brought back beloved recipes, focused on traditional flavors, and I switched to Galbani® cheese—Italy’s #1 brand. It performs perfectly in my ovens and on my award-winning Popeye Pizza. Plus, the Galbani team is always available to discuss new opportunities and ideas with me. It’ss helped put Master Pizza back on top. top. —MICHAEL LAMARCA, CHEF/OWNER, MASTER PIZZA

@GalbaniProfessionaleUS M AY 2 0 2 1 | P M Q . C O M

Dawn of the Robots Alena Tikhova of Dodo Pizza USA is putting pizza automation to the test with the xPizza One from xRobotics. BY RICK HYNUM

42 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Alena Tikhova, CEO of Dodo Pizza USA, was never especially keen on the idea of pizza making robots when she saw them in action at pizza industry events around the world. Now, she has three of them in her shop in Oxford, Mississippi, and she’s testing them out to prove—or disprove—their cost-saving power for pizzeria owners in a small but bustling market.

M AY 2 0 2 1 | P M Q . C O M

Alena Tikhova began testing the xPizza One at her Dodo Pizza location in Oxford, Mississippi, in March. (Below) Tikhova chats with xRobotics founders Roman Sharapov (left) and Denis Rodionov in Dodo Pizza’s dining room.

Tikhova says she was contacted by the team at xRobotics, headquartered in San Francisco, a couple of years ago about piloting their technology, which specializes in spreading sauce and topping pizzas with cheese and all of the standard ingredients. Called the xPizza One, it consists of a machine equipped with sauce, cheese and topping dispensers and little pod-shaped bots that carry the pizza crust from one dispenser to the next. In terms of footprint, it takes up roughly the equivalent of a 6’ make line and can support up to 17 ingredients and most common pizza sizes. If Kirk and Spock were craving a meat lovers pie on the Starship Enterprise, the xPizza One, developed specifically for the pizzeria industry, might be their choice. “I was, of course, skeptical at first,” Tikhova recalls. “I’ve seen a lot of different robotic solutions. They exist, they’re out there. But they seemed too futuristic. Too expensive, too much going on, too hard to maintain. I wasn’t a strong believer.” But after testing the technology over a period of about a month—from March 11 through early April—she’s sold on it. “I liked the idea that this robot is a tool that doesn’t try to do all of it,” Tikhova says. “You see a lot of vending machines. We’ve seen Zume Pizza, which tried to automate the entire process. One thing is, they always fail, because there’s a lot of customization [with pizza]. Another thing is, this machine is still interacting with your staff. You still need a decent amount of people to run the shop. It’s working with you, by your side.” HIGH STAKES

Dodo Pizza has always been a tech-driven company. Founded in 2011 by Russian entrepreneur Fedor Ovchinnikov, Dodo is the fastest-growing pizza chain in the world, according to Technomic, with 677 stores around the globe, including two

“It’s natural to make mistakes [when topping a pizza]. I still make those mistakes after eight years in the business—and the robot doesn’t. It follows the recipe, and you don’t have to worry about it.” — ALENA TIKHOVA, DODO PIZZA USA in the United States—Oxford, Mississippi, and Germantown, Tennessee. (In comparison, Domino’s ranks as the sixth fastestgrowing chain worldwide, and Pizza Hut is No. 7, as reported by Technomic in February 2021.) If the technology works at Tikhova’s shops in the American South, Dodo Pizza aims to install it at all of its stores. The stakes are high, and Denis Rodionov, CEO and co-founder of xRobotics, knew his team had to get it right. After multiple remote conversations with Tikhova about the challenges of running her pizza shops, he flew down to Memphis, Tennessee, and personally put in some hard hours at the Dodo location in Germantown, a Memphis suburb. “He went to work in the store, chopping vegetables, making dough, loading the oven,” Tikhova says. “He was a quick learner, too...and discovered the pain of long hours and monotonous work.” During the visit, Tikhova and Rodionov brainstormed about the xPizza One technology, swapping ideas for fine-tuning it. Then Rodionov went back home. “A year later,” Tikhova says, “he called and said, ‘OK, it’s ready.’”

44 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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The xPizza One is equipped with an array of dispensers for ingredients as well as mini-robots that carry the crust from one dispenser to the next.

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hour in my store of all time—I think it was the Ole MissFor Rodionov, xRobotics and xPizza One were the logical Alabama football game of 2017, when we were so slammed, next step in his own career. “After my previous startup got I couldn’t even breathe—and simulated that one hour with successfully acquired by a large corporation, I gave myself this machine, with all the real orders, people coming in and some time to think about what I wanted to do next,” he says. “I deliveries going out,” Tikhova says. “We did it all with this ended up having a lot of conversations with people from the machine, and I felt how much easier that was. It’s not how restaurant industry—pizza in particular. It was shocking to me much time it saves—it’s how much you don’t have to worry to find out how inefficient and challenging the pizza business about it. I can put a pizza in and go back and grab another was. Pizza shop owners are having a hard time finding help, container of pepperoni or go and talk to a customer. It’s saving while pizza itself remains the most labor-consuming food me so much hustle.” group ordered by Americans most often. I knew immediately, The xPizza One boasts a fully modular design, so the parts then, that I had to do something about it. An affordable can be easily replaced on the spot by pizzeria staff members if kitchen automation technology sounded like something something goes wrong. And, according to Tikhova, it delivers nobody had done before, but it was doable. Here we are now the kind of product consistency that’s essential in the pizza with xPizza One.” business. “It’s natural to make mistakes [when topping a pizza]. The xPizza One is strictly a pizza topping machine. Unlike I still make those mistakes after eight years in the business— some pizza-focused robotic technologies, it doesn’t have a but the robot doesn’t. It follows the recipe, and you don’t have built-in oven; instead, once the bots have topped the pies, an to worry about it. If anything, the consistency of your product employee removes the pizza, takes it to the oven, bakes it, and goes up, not down.” plates or boxes it for the customer. Headquartered in San Francisco, the xRobotics team developed the xPizza One specifically for the pizza industry. But during the initial monthlong testing phase, the machine proved that it could prep up to 100 pizzas per hour. It processed 472 pies and saved Tikhova’s team an estimated 32 hours of manual work—with zero complaints from customers. “It’s made by people who actually worked in the kitchen, understood how it works and didn’t just [design] it out of an office in San Francisco with a vague idea of how the pizza business works,” Tikhova says. “It’s made by people who actually suffered through this work and came up with certain solutions.” “The most mind-blowing experience I’ve had with the machine so far: We took the busiest 46 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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An xRobotics bot carries a topped pizza crust to Tikhova, who will then place it in the oven for baking.

The machine is fully integrated with Dodo’s POS system to fulfill each order as it comes in. Each of the three robots makes its own individual pizza, so they can top three pizzas simultaneously, typically in 90 seconds or less. Thanks to motion-detection technology, they don’t bump into each other—the process is smooth, with colorful lights flashing and a sci-fi-like whirring noise generated by the robots’ motors. “The three little robots know where the other robots are at all times,” Tikhova says. “This robot is getting green peppers, while this one is getting onions. It’s statistically, mathematically perfect.” IS IT AFFORDABLE?

But here’s the big question: Can pizzeria operators afford it? Tikhova says yes. “What I like about this machine is that I don’t pay anything up-front,” she says. “We established how many pizzas per hour I need and how much money I would be saving on labor…Then I pay a percentage of what I would be saving. If I had to pay a lot of money up-front, or if I was on some kind of payment plan that I don’t control, that would be different.” Oxford is a college town, meaning it’s a seasonally driven market. Football season is incredibly busy, with tens of thousands of fans pouring into the little town for big SEC games. Christmas is dead, and the summers are pretty slow. “Say it’s summertime, and I don’t need that many pizzas,” Tikhova says. “My [payment] rate goes down, because I’m making less. My rate goes up and down, depending on how good my business is doing, which is important because I can always afford it.” Maxim Kotin, Dodo Pizza’s head of communications, notes that a lot of the hype around pizza robots is just that—hype.

“In our sector, a lot of startups working in automation put robots in the center of the entire business,” he says. “This strategy is rarely sustainable. If you have a robot making pizzas, burgers or burritos, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have a successful business—especially if this robot is pricey. The robot is just one element of the equation that will define your success. What we like in xRobotics’ approach is that they treat their robot in a more reasonable way—just as a piece of equipment. Very sophisticated, advanced, innovative, but still only a tool. In the right hands, this tool can work wonders.” And let’s face it: Robots are pretty cool, even if you’re not a fan of kitchen automation and the possibility of jobs lost to new technologies. The marketing appeal of pizzas prepped by robots is hard to beat in any town. Dodo’s young collegestudent customers are naturally drawn to the Star Wars-like visuals of small, sleek bots scooting around with pizza crusts from station to station, like little pizza making R2-D2s. “That’s one of the things that sold me,” Tikhova says. “I’m a visual person. I like beautifully designed things. This machine looks like it came from a spaceship. If Elon Musk needed a designated pizza person on our spaceship mission, this is what I’d take. It looks very futuristic, with all the different lights flashing. But it’s not just made this way to be beautiful—it also serves a purpose. The different lighting indicators are communicating the steps. If you’re loading the robot, it’s one color. When it’s ready, it turns green. It kind of screams without screaming at you: ‘You can come unload me now because I have a job to do. I need another pizza to prep!’” Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

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