PMQ Pizza Magazine March 2015

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | March 2015 | Volume 19, Issue 2

MARCH 2015 | WWW.PMQ.COM

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PIZZA EXPO 2015

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Fresh Mozzarella Knots

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Melrose Park, IL www.caputocheese.com

The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

How I Went Out of Business: Learning Lessons From Failure PAGE 32

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8 Strategies to Boost Your Beer Sales PAGE 44

Topping Combos: 3 Is the Tastiest Number PAGE 54

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | March 2015 | Volume 19, Issue 2

MARCH 2015 | WWW.PMQ.COM

The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

How I Went Out of Business: Learning Lessons From Failure PAGE 32

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8 Strategies to Boost Your Beer Sales PAGE 44

Topping Combos: 3 Is the Tastiest Number PAGE 54

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BRIANNAS

®

Your New Favorite Topping!

John’s Special Pizza

Recipe submitted by John Lorenz of Leavenworth, Washington.

Pizza Sauce 1/8 – 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves 1 pinch of salt and red pepper flakes 1/4 – 1/2 cup BRIANNAS Asiago Caesar Dressing Pizza Extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup chicken, thinly sliced 1/3 cup Italian sausage, crumbled 1/3 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts 1/3 cup purple onion, thinly sliced 1/3 cup roasted red peppers 1 large pizza crust

Directions 1. For sauce, blend BRIANNAS Asiago Caesar Dressing, olive oil, garlic cloves, salt and red pepper flakes in blender until smooth then set aside.

2. For toppings, sauté in olive oil, chicken, Italian sausage, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, purple onion, and red peppers.

3. Evenly spread blended mixture onto a thin to medium style, large pizza crust.

4. Top with sautéed ingredients and 1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite cheese.

5. Pop into a 450-degree oven for 7–10 minutes.

Visit us during the 2015 Pizza Expo at booth #121!

BriannasSaladDressing.com

© 2015, Del Sol Food Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

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pizzamagazine.com

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ONLINE AT PMQ.COM

RECENTLY ON PIZZATV.COM Cooking With PMQ: Tom Lehmann’s Emergency Dough Recipe Sometimes too much business can be bad for business. If your pizzeria gets so slammed that you run out of dough, Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann has the answer: an emergency dough recipe that serves as your “ready-inone-hour” dough solution. Lehmann walks you through the process in this new video at PizzaTV.com.

PMQ BLOGS

(THEPIZZAINSIDER.PMQ.COM)

WHY YOU NEED AN EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK With an employee handbook in place, there’s no need to argue about vacation time, sick days and how many write-ups it takes before a slacker gets fired. Without one, however, some pizzerias can be taken over by aggressive employees with a no-rules attitude.

(SLICEOFLIFE.PMQ.COM)

ADDING YOUR MENU TO FACEBOOK CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE Social media platforms offer an online storefront for pizzeria operators with limited marketing budgets. Appealing photos and engagement with fans are important, but your menu should be front and center so that potential new customers can browse their options.

TAKING THE PIZZA DIET CHALLENGE After years of yo-yo dieting, PMQ test chef Brian Hernandez has set a new course for weight loss: the Pizza Diet developed by Matt McClellan, owner of Tour De Pizza in St. Petersburg, Florida. Follow Brian every week as he blogs about his journey to a better body through pizza.

(BRIANSPIZZADIET.PMQ.COM)

(PIZZAWITHOUTBORDERS.PMQ.COM)

GUIDE TO HIRING: 5 MYTHS ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM Restaurants that employ illegal immigrants can be fined up to $2,000 per unauthorized worker. Knowing who is and isn’t legal gets tricky, and some business owners may not even know they’re breaking the law. Missy Green talks to immigration law experts to clear up the confusion and misinformation.

FIND US ON:

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PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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Contents PMQ PIZZA

ON THE COVER

MAGAZINE | March 2015 | Volume 19, Issue

2015 | WWW.PMQ .COM

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MARC H

Lessons Learned

The Pizza Industry’s

Busine

Why do bad things happen to good pizzeria operators? Five owners who went out of business share their stories of failure so you can avoid similar mistakes.

By Tracy Morin

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How I Wen Out of t Busin Learning Les ess: sons from

PAG E XX

Failure

8 Strateg to Boost Your Beeries Sales

PAGE XX

Topping Com the Tastiest bos: 3 Is Number PAGE XX

FEATURES

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Brew Boosters Experts reveal eight can’t-miss ideas for making your beer program a top-dollar success.

By Tracy Morin

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The Rule of Three You can make delicious and unique specialty pizzas with just three toppings, holding down your food costs and maximizing profitability.

By Tracy Morin

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Bruno’s Way A veteran pizzeria operator and consultant, Chef Santo Bruno is one of the giants of the pizza industry.

By Rick Hynum

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The Rules Have Changed The FDA’s new requirements for menu labeling may challenge operators’ bottom lines, but they could also offer benefits, an expert says.

By Andy Knef

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Growing Pains: Systems and Processes A detailed operations manual is crucial for establishing a management system that can be duplicated in your second store.

By Sean Brauser

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#1 in the Nation Cleveland pizza maker Michael Lamarca is gearing up for competition on the world stage after winning the U.S. Pizza Team’s National Pizza Trials.

By Rick Hynum

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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DEPARTMENTS

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In Lehmann’s Terms: Making Good Use of Scrap Dough Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann offers suggestions for getting your money’s worth out of leftover pizza dough.

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Accounting for Your Money: Labor Violations Can Put Restaurateurs Out of Business When a restaurant runs afoul of the Department of Labor, the penalties can be devastating.

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New York’s Finest: Osso Buco A friend of Chef Bruno’s shares her family recipe for a classic Milanese dish made with veal shanks, veggies, white wine and broth.

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The Art of Marketing PMQ editor at large Liz Barrett walks you through five steps toward achieving higher profits and offers tips for creating a more engaging email newsletter.

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Recipe of the Month: Sicilian Chicken White Pizza Precooked and seasoned chicken toppings offer added convenience and flavor for this white-sauce specialty pie.

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Pizza Hall of Fame: Villa Italian Kitchen Founded in 1964 and still growing, this New York pizzeria used to serve cheese slices and coffee to legendary entertainer Ed Sullivan.

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Click here for featured video: On Cooking with PMQ Chef Santo Bruno whips up a delicious shrimp-and-pasta dish.

Click here for featured video: The Pizza 360 crew chats with Jonathan Porter of Chicago Pizza Tours.

Click here for featured video: PMQ Extra features highlights from the U.S. Pizza Team National Trials in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Click here for the March Biz Tip Video: PMQ’s Daniel Lee Perea reviews the common mistakes that lead to failure in the pizza restaurant business.

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IN EVERY ISSUE 6

Online at PMQ.com

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Product Spotlight

14

From the Editor

101

Advertiser Index

16

From the Inbox

102

24

Sherlyn’s Picks

Pizza Industry Resource Guide

26

Moneymakers

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International Pizza Expo · Las Vegas, NV · March 24-26, 2015

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Your passion inspires ours, and when you taste our tomatoes, you’ll find they’re made with the same uncompromising dedication to quality that drives you. It’s a difference that’ll make you a believer. Stop by booth #1767 at the International Pizza Expo and taste them for yourself. We’ll enter you for a chance to win an entire pallet of your favorites.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes open 3/24/2015 to 3/26/2015. Must be a Pizza Expo registered attendee to be eligible. See entry form at booth #1767 for Official Rules. ©2015 Escalon Premier Brands

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FROM THE EDITOR Winner of 5 ASBPE Awards Winner of 4 GAMMA Awards ISSN 1937-5263

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F P M Q , I N C .

VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 MARCH 2015

Dreamers and Risk-Takers

W

e all make mistakes. I make three, maybe four mistakes before my first cup of coffee every morning. Once I get that jolt of caffeine, I have the energy I need to make even more mistakes.

As error-prone as I am, though, I have never made the mistake of opening my own restaurant. As you know, that’s one of the toughest jobs in the world, and I’m not cut out for it. I’m just a lowly, riskaverse journalist. You do the hard work, I’ll write about it.

For this month’s cover story (“Lessons Learned,” page 32), PMQ’s Tracy Morin asked five former and current independent pizzeria operators to talk about their mistakes—the oversights, the miscalculations, the unexpected complications that led to the closing of their restaurants. It takes courage to admit to one’s mistakes, but it takes even more guts, I think, to talk openly about one’s failures. We are grateful to the restaurateurs who shared their experiences for this story. With candor and insight, they reflect on what went wrong and why so we can all learn from their ordeals.

Some of them spent too much early on or took on too much debt.

Others got blindsided by soaring food costs or road construction that blocked their parking lots. Some problems could have been prevented, while others were beyond anyone’s control. All of the people Tracy interviewed for this story went on to succeed, I might add, in later pursuits.

You can always tell a winner by how they react to failure. The winners don’t give up—they’re always planning their comeback. The men and women in this story made mistakes, but they are all winners.

The American dream is not without its share of risk. We dedicate this issue of PMQ to those dreamers and risk-takers. For your courage, hard work and dedication to the great cause of pizza, we salute you!

PUBLISHER Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 CO-PUBLISHER Linda Green, linda@pmq.com ext. 121 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com ext. 130 ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andy Knef, andy@pmq.com ext. 136 EDITOR AT LARGE Liz Barrett, liz@pmq.com SENIOR COPY EDITOR Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Missy Green, missy@pmq.com ART DIRECTOR Kara Hoffman, kara@pmq.com ext. 135 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com ext. 134 MEDIA PRODUCER Daniel Lee Perea, dperea@pmq.com ext. 139 SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Melanie Addington, melanie@pmq.com ext. 133 CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Sherlyn Clark, sherlyn@pmq.com ext. 120 TEST CHEF/EVENT COORDINATOR Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Linda Green, linda@pmq.com ext. 121 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Clifton Moody, clifton@pmq.com ext. 138 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tom Boyles, tom@pmq.com ext. 122 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Anna Zemek, anna@pmq.com ext. 140 SALES ASSISTANT Brandy Pinion, brandy@pmq.com ext. 127

PMQ INTERNATIONAL PMQ CHINA Yvonne Liu, yvonne@pmq.com PMQ AUSTRALIA-NZ Tom Boyles, tom@pmqaustralia.com

Rick Hynum Editor-in-chief PMQ Pizza Magazine

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | March 2015 | Volume 19, Issue 2

ON THE COVER: MARCH 2015 | WWW.PMQ.COM

The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

How I Went Out of Business: Learning Lessons from Failure PAGE XX

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8 Strategies to Boost Your Beer Sales PAGE XX

Topping Combos: 3 Is the Tastiest Number PAGE XX

Great concepts, solid business plans and detailed projections aren’t always enough for success in the pizza business. In this month’s cover story, “Lessons Learned,” five operators who faced closure talk about what went wrong—and how you can avoid their mistakes.

PMQ RUSSIA Vladimir Davydov, vladimir@pmq.com EDITORIAL ADVISORS Chef Santo Bruno, Tom Feltenstein, Tom Lehmann, Joey Todaro, Ed Zimmerman CONTRIBUTORS Chef Santo Bruno, Sean Brauser, Tom Lehmann, Michael J. Rasmussen PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE

605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax linda@pmq.com 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 2015, Langhorne, PA 19047.

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.

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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FROM THE INBOX

Matthew Giangiulio of Hoopty’s Pizza and Pasta developed this easy-to-make S’mores Dessert Pizza in response to a customer’s challenge.

SWEET AND SIMPLE As avid readers of your magazine, we wanted to share our new dessert pizza. It’s a 12” pizza, created on a dare when a customer asked why we didn’t offer desserts. After running this as a special last year, we’ve added the S’mores Dessert Pizza to our permanent menu.

1 12” pizza crust 8 oz. chocolate sauce (divided into two 4-oz. portions) 8 oz. caramel sauce (divided into two 4-oz. portions) 1½ c. miniature marshmallows 10 oz. graham crackers, crushed 1½ c. blend of 100% dark chocolate, crushed, and Hershey’s semisweet miniature morsels Drizzle 4 oz. each of chocolate and caramel sauces over crust.

Add crushed graham crackers and chocolate morsel blend. Bake at around 550°F for 4 to 6 minutes, to about 70%. Remove pizza from the oven briefly, just long enough to add marshmallows, then return to oven and continue baking until lightly browned and aerated. Drizzle more caramel and chocolate sauces in crisscross motion. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar for added taste.

Thanks for your consideration!

Matthew Giangiulio Hoopty’s Pizza and Pasta Havertown, PA FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 16

PMQ’s test chef Brian Hernandez walks viewers through the steps of making Neapolitan pizza dough in one of our most-viewed videos at PizzaTV.com.

MAKING NEAPOLITAN DOUGH I recently followed your PizzaTV.com video guide to making Neapolitan dough.

I used British 00 flour, but it still came out great. Excellent instructions! Thank you very much!

Helen Loney via Facebook

IZE! RE, WIN A PR TAKE A PICTU in ram contest Join our Instag Q a copy of PM March to win ew ’s tt Liz Barre n editor at large an ic er Slice of Am book, Pizza: A ter, submit a History. To en rself making a photo of you ad pizzeria, uplo pizza in your Q m and tag PM it to Instagra ntest gazine). The co (pmqpizzama March 31. Two runs through d their e selected, an winners will b 2015 n in the May photos will ru e.

Pizza Magazin issue of PMQ

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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Traditional Pizza Flours

Contadino™ “00” NEW Bouncer® Heritage® Hi Gluten Artisan OrganicEssentials® High Gluten Golden Lion® Perfect Diamond® Aristocrat® Winona® Patent Heritage® Spring Patent Artisan Heritage® European Artisan BakingEssentials® Gluten-Free All Purpose

Whole Grain Flours

GrainEssentials® White Whole Wheat Extra Fine GrainEssentials® 100% Whole Wheat OrganicEssentials® Whole Wheat GrainEssentials® Multi-Grain Flour Blend

Pizza Crust Mixes

Easy GrAin™ 53% Whole Grain NEW BakingEssentials® Pizza Crust Mix BakingEssentials® Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix

• Private Label Packaging • Proprietary Blending • Custom Development

Because exceptional pizza starts with exceptional flour.

At Bay State Milling we know flour – no matter how you slice it. Whether traditional, thick crust, thin crust, Neapolitan-style, artisan, whole-grain or gluten-free — we’ve got the products, expert advice and unmatched service that help you delight your customers.

To learn more about how we can help make your pizza perfect, call 1-800-553-5687 or visit www.baystatemilling.com

Visit us at Pizza Expo March 24-26 Booth 1169

© Copyright 2015

For more information on our products, call 1-800-553-5687 or visit www.baystatemilling.com

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IN LEHMANN’S TERMS

Making Good Use of Scrap Dough Follow these tips to get your money’s worth from every last bit of leftover pizza dough. By Tom Lehmann

Q A

What is the best way to handle leftover pizza dough?

You can incorporate scrap dough into your fresh dough at a rate not to exceed 15% of the new dough weight.

Just cut the scrap dough into pieces and add it to the dough mixer about halfway through the normal mixing procedure.

Just make sure the added dough doesn’t push your mixer beyond its mixing capacity. If in doubt, try this: Mix your regular dough in the usual way, then add the scrap dough about three minutes before the mixing process is complete. Put the mixer on low speed and continue mixing for another five minutes to incorporate the scrap dough.

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Tom Lehmann recently retired as the longtime director of bakery assistance for the American Institute of Baking (AIB). He is now an industry consultant dedicated to helping pizzeria operators make more money. Need more dough advice? Visit the Dough Information Center at PMQ.com/ dough.

Q A

Are there other uses for scrap dough?

Yes! You can use it to make side items such as breadsticks or garlic knots. Start by scaling your scrap dough into 2-oz. pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then place the balls on a lightly floured sheet pan.

Cover the pan with plastic to prevent drying and set aside to proof/relax for about an hour or until the dough balls can be easily rolled under your hands on a bench top. At this point, you should be able to roll the balls into strips (or strings) of dough about 6” to 8” long.

To make breadsticks, place the dough strings on a lightly oiled pan and set aside again to proof/rise for about 40 minutes.

Then bake them lightly, just until they begin to develop some color. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the

pan. Once they’ve cooled off, the breadsticks can be stored in any suitable container at room temperature for up to three days.

To finish the breadsticks later, place them onto a screen or tray and pass it quickly through the oven, just long enough to thoroughly warm the breadsticks.

Brush them with melted butter and finish with a sprinkling of a powdered Parmesan-Romano cheese blend with a little dried oregano, basil and garlic salt.

Making garlic knots is just as easy. Form a simple overhand knot with the dough strings immediately after they’re formed. Proof for 40 minutes and bake until they just begin to show crust color. Brush them liberally with a 50-50 blend of butter and olive oil and a generous amount of diced garlic.

Finish with a light sprinkle of powdered Parmesan cheese and serve hot!

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PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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Be Inspired. Be Creative. Be Original.

Calzone with Ricotta and Fresh Berries made with Nutella®

People in more than 200 countries around the world enjoy Nutella®, the original hazelnut spread®.1 Be creative by adding Nutella® to your menu and offer your customers the brand they love. Now available in a variety of foodservice sizes.

Use Nutella® to create unique and delicious pizzas and other creative items your customers are sure to love. ✓ Gluten free

✓ Certified Kosher

✓ No artificial colors or preservatives

✓ No peanuts

✓ 12-month shelf life

✓ Non-GMO ingredients

✓ Re-sealable containers2

To request your FREE Nutella® Starter Kit3 and to learn more about adding Nutella® to your menu, call 410-268-0030 ext. 259 or visit www.nutellafoodservice.com/start for more information. Your FREE Nutella® Starter Kit includes:

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Nutella® Usage Guide Nutella® Information Guide Recipes Inspired by Nutella® Samples to inspire the imagination: - 6 Portion Control packs - 1 - 26.5 oz. Jar

Nutella Fun Facts Presentation Excludes 0.52 oz. Portion Control packs For new customers only. While supplies last.

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ACCOUNTING FOR MONEY

Labor Violations Can Put Restaurateurs Out of Business The IRS isn’t the only government agency keeping tabs on you. Beware the wrath of the DOL. By Mike Rasmussen

Q A

Does the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) have the authority to question my employees?

The DOL can investigate your company for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recently investigated one of our restaurant clients over back wages employees claimed they were owed. The WHD auditor sided with the employees and assessed back wages, penalties and interest charges that could force the restaurateur to close his doors!

Here are some key points you need to know about the FLSA: 1. Wages and Overtime—The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt workers is $7.25 per hour. They also must receive overtime pay at a rate of not less than 1½ times their regular pay rates after a 40-hour work week. (If you’re a multiunit owner and an employee works at two of your locations in a given week, the hours worked at both locations must be combined to calculate overtime pay.)

2. Paycheck Deductions—Deductions from an employee’s wages—for, say, cash or merchandise shortages or employer-required

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uniforms—are not legal if they reduce the employee’s wage below the minimum wage or if they reduce the amount of required overtime pay.

3. Time Off—The FLSA does not require vacation, holiday, severance or sick pay; meal or rest periods; days off for holidays or vacations; premium pay for weekend or holiday work; pay raises or fringe benefits; or a discharge notice, reason for discharge, or immediate payment of final wages to terminated employees.

4. Work Hours—The FLSA does not limit the number of hours in a day or days in a week an employee may be required to work as long as the employee is at least 16 years old.

Part of our client’s problem was poor documentation with its employee manual. Make sure your employee manual complies with WHD rules. Have your employees read the manual and sign a statement certifying that they’ve read it.

Then you can sleep better at night!

Michael J. Rasmussen is the owner of Rasmussen Tax Group (rasmussentaxgroup. com) in Conway, Arkansas. He is also the co-owner of Eyenalyze (eyenalyze. com), a company that provides real-time profit analysis for restaurant owners.

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NEW YORK’S FINEST

A New York chef shares her family recipe for this Milanese classic.

By Chef Santo Bruno

SLNY PRODUCTIONS

Osso Buco Nick Maccarone and Anna Aracri share some kitchen time with Chef Bruno.

I

recently stopped in to see my dear old friend, Nick Maccarone, at his popular restaurant, Carnival (carnivalrestaurant. net), in Port Jefferson Station, New York. Nick is a self-made man who has owned Carnival for 42 years—it has become the local restaurant and pizzeria of choice in the community. He attributes his success to constantly striving for improvement and a focus on customer satisfaction and great food.

While I was at Carnival, I met Anna Aracri, who is also a wonderful chef. She makes her own breads, pasta and dough. I shared a picture of an earlier visit with Nick and Anna in the December issue of PMQ. This month, Anna offers her personal recipe for osso buco, a Milanese dish made with veal shanks, vegetables, white wine and broth. Mangia!

Chef Bruno is PMQ’s culinary advisor, with more than 50 years of international pizza experience. He is the corporate chef for Marsal & Sons and the culinary coach of the U.S. Pizza Team.

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INGREDIENTS: Osso Buco Sauce Veal shanks, 12 oz. each 1 c. all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. pepper ½ tsp. kosher salt 4 celery stalks and some leaves, finely chopped 2 medium to large onions, thinly sliced ½ c. olive oil (divided in half ) 4 tbsp. butter, unsalted 1½ c. grated Grana Padano cheese 1½ c. reduced-sodium chicken broth, hot ¾ c. dry white wine Fresh chopped parsley for garnish 1 piece of cheese rind Additional salt and pepper to taste Anna’s Homemade Pappardelle 2 c. all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 3 tsp. kosher salt Warm water

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SLNY PRODUCTIONS

DIRECTIONS: To make the pappardelle, sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt. Form a well in the middle of the flour and gently mix in the eggs and oil with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid. When it turns crumbly, slowly add warm water, little by little. Form the mix into a dough ball (make sure it’s not too moist).

Place the ball on a floured surface and cover for 1 hour.

Roll the dough ball out on a well-floured surface and pass the dough through a pasta machine until it reaches desired thickness (start with a higher setting and then move down to a lower setting). Cut pasta into desired thickness and length. Add ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and place in a shallow bowl.

Rinse and dry veal shanks and coat on all sides with flour. Heat olive oil in a large shallow saucepan and brown shanks until golden on all sides. Remove the shanks from the pan and cover. Add onions, celery and butter to the saucepan and sauté, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and add more salt and pepper to taste. As onions

and celery begin to soften, return meat and any juices to the pan. Add cheese rind, remaining olive oil and hot chicken stock. Turn meat to moisten and continue to simmer on medium to low heat. Cover and allow some moisture to build.

Add white wine and return to medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to stir and turn meat again. Now reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water and salt for 4 to 6 minutes. Ladle one scoop of pasta water into the sauce. Strain pasta and pour sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle cheese on top, gently stir and top with the veal shanks.

Finish with chopped parsley.

March 2015 pmq.com

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SHERLYN’S PICKS Sherlyn Curry, PMQ’s circulation manager, is often the first to spot new trends and concepts among our subscribers. Here, Sherlyn shines the spotlight on the true leaders and innovators of the industry: PMQ’s readers.

Pieworks pieworks.com

Pieworks (pieworks.com), with four locations in Louisiana and North Carolina, knows the value of catchy pizza names and clever menu descriptions in restaurant marketing.

The HoggWylde features “a hale and hearty harmony of [their] stout sausages,” including andouille and two Italian styles, while the Seahorse boasts “a herd of shrimp scampi across a mozzarella plain.” Customers can also bet on the Five Card Stud, loaded with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mild and hot sausages, and ground beef.

Forma Pizzeria formapizzeria.com

If you’ve got a hankering for wood-fired pizza ready in two minutes, chef Jose Rischmagui (pictured) and his wife, Silvia, owners of Forma Pizzeria (formapizzeria.com), will bring the oven straight to your doorstep. This El Paso, Texas, mobile catering unit makes rounds all over the city and recently opened a brick-and-mortar store in Fort Bliss. Forma also hosts make-and-bake parties; offers whole-wheat, gluten-free and low-calorie crusts; and provides eco-friendly, biodegradable tableware and paper products for catered events.

Atlas Pizza atlaspizzapdx.com

In Greek mythology, the titan Atlas carried the world on his shoulders. The folks at Atlas Pizza in Portland, Oregon, have a slightly easier task—serving up huge, foldable slices worthy of the gods. Guitar-jammin’ pizzaiolo Sean Croghan, known locally for his work with the punk band Crackerbash, manages the store and reportedly named the Sluzrenko (pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeño) in honor of a former bandmate. He even offers soup specials whipped up by his mother on Fridays.

Chicago Dough Company chicagodough.com

Founded in 1976, Chicago Dough Company (chicagodough.com), with two locations in Richton Park and New Lenox, Illinois, maintains its focus on marketing year-round. Known for its pizza buffet and Free Ice Cream Fridays, the restaurant also helps raise funds for local schools and nonprofits, hosting special events and allowing organizations to sell special Chicago Dough discount cards, valued at more than $100. Both locations offer Web-only coupons, including a 50% discount off any one pizza, and weekly text message specials.

Want to be featured in this section? To be considered, subscribe or renew your subscription at pmq.com/subscribe and email Sherlyn at sherlyn@pmq.com.

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PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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MONEYMAKERS

Big Apple Pizza manager Chantale Ley shows a mural she and a local artist created in honor of the hometown football team.

In Honor of a Dynasty

How do you honor a hometown high school football dynasty? Chantale Ley, manager of Big Apple Pizza (havelockpizza.com) in Havelock, North Carolina, does it with art—a handpainted mural on the pizzeria’s front window. The Havelock Rams have won three out of its last four state championship games, and Big Apple has created a new mural for every win. The team lost the 2014 title game in December, but Ley celebrated another strong season with a mural that combined three themes—football, Christmas and Duck Dynasty.

“A lady that works at a local tattoo shop helped paint the tree, presents and ram, and I painted everything else,” Ley says. In return for all of that support, the team’s coaches, players and fans often stop by Big Apple Pizza for pre- and/or postgame pies.

The Dog Days of Winter National Pizza Week went to the dogs this year. During the second week of January, Chicago pizzeria Nellcôte (nellcoterestaurant.com) donated a portion of its pizza profits to One Tail at a Time, a no-kill dog rescue organization. Chef Anthony Dirienzo and his staff whipped up an array of specialty pies for the occasion, including the Spicy N’duja, featuring Calabrian salami, pickled peppers, spinach, garlic and smoked provolone. The promo garnered coverage for Nellcôte in the Chicago Tribune, Eater.com and other major media outlets.

Chef Anthony Dirienzo and Zeeshan Shah cut up in the kitchen at Nellcôte during National Pizza Week in early January.

Quick Tip 1: Keep the Kids Busy!

Create a package of pizza fun for your kids meals— think crayons and coloring sheets, two-sided placemats with games and mazes, stickers, temporary tattoos and crazy straws.

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A sidewalk sign in front of Vinnie’s Pizzeria went viral on social media, with a little help from George Takei of Star Trek fame.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At Vinnie’s Pizzeria (vinniesbrooklyn.com) in Brooklyn, New York, co-owner Sean Berthiaume gives his menu board and sidewalk sign a pop art twist. Every day brings new original artwork and cleverly named specialty pies inspired by movies and TV shows, creating a buzz on the streets and online. Berthiaume’s parody of a scene from The Lion King recently went viral, thanks in part to Star Trek actor George Takei. The image racked up 44,449 likes and more than 10,000 shares on Takei’s Facebook page alone and brought invaluable publicity to Vinnie’s.

Making the Grades

rs students ke Shop offe DJ’s Pizza & Ba owners th wi d re ctu n, pi like Chloe Ga e pizza for fre , nice Clinton Darrell and Ja s. rd ca port As on their re

In their Report Card Challenge, Darrell and Janice Clinton, owners of DJ’s Pizza & Bake Shop in Ocean View, Hawaii, reward local students’ good grades with good pizza. “We’re a small new business and want to give back to the community as best we can,” Janice says. “We also want to encourage kids to excel in school, and what a great way to reward them!” Students get a free slice for every A on their report cards and a large two-topping pie for scoring all As. Every kid gets his picture taken, and the photos go up on DJ’s Facebook page for added exposure.

The Memes of Your Dreams The marketing staff at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, with 25 locations in five states, knows a thing or two about creating great memes. Brixx recently made light of the NFL’s “Deflategate” scandal (in which the New England Patriots were accused of using underinflated footballs in the AFC championship game) to promote the chain’s wine selection. The caption reads, “OK, we admit it. We serve deflated grapes at Brixx. And they come in ½ priced bottles on Sundays.”

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza creates a new promotional meme nearly every day for its social media outlets.

March 2015 pmq.com

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The Kindness of Strangers

At Rosa’s Fresh Pizza (rosasfreshpizza.com) in Philadelphia, a slice is always a dollar, but not everyone pays, thanks to customers who leave extra cash to feed those in need. The initiative started when a paying customer offered an extra dollar to buy a slice for a hungry person. Owner Mason Wartman drew a smiley face on a Post-It note and pinned it to the wall as a reminder to make good on the gesture.

Since then, he says he has given away more than 8,000 slices, courtesy of anonymous strangers. After word spread, Ellen DeGeneres invited Wartman to her talk show and gave him a check for $10,000 to keep the movement going.

This man redeemed the 1,000th free slice at Rosa’s Fresh Pizza, where customers pay it forward for the needy. The Post-Its on the board represent donated slices and often include notes of encouragement.

Quick Tip 2: Support Your Customers’ Causes According to Jay Siff, CEO of Moving Targets, a new study says 91% of consumers are likely to switch to a brand that supports a good cause. In fact, millennials say that’s one of the three most important things a company can do to engage them.

Having a Blast

For its grand opening VIP Pizza Party in Roseville, California, Blast 825 (blast825pizza.com) let representatives from four local charities—Albie Aware, Placer SPCA, Blue Line Arts and Placer Food Bank—“crustomize” a pizza that best represented their organizations. The winner, Placer SPCA’s Sophisticat, featured white sauce, Blast 825’s cheese blend, roasted mushrooms, roasted onions and arugula. The pie was featured at the restaurant for a month and raised $650, which the pizzeria matched for a total donation of $1,300. (Editor’s note: This is a corrected version of a story that ran in our January/February issue with an erroneous headline and photograph. We apologize for the error.)

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Blast 825 got four local charities involved in its grand opening in Roseville, California.

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THE ART OF MARKETING

5

Steps

2

Be More Social—Enlist a staff member to boost your presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure they interact with customers in a personal, friendly and engaging way.

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Treat Employees as Partners— Recognize your staff’s contributions. Give them responsibilities that allow them to feel in charge. They’ll work harder to help themselves—and you—succeed.

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Toward Higher Pizza Profits

1

3

Diversify—Branch out from what you’ve been doing. Add online ordering, a gluten-free pizza or a “healthier” flatbread option—anything that will introduce your pizzeria to an expanded demographic.

Give Stuff Away—Hand out free plastic cups, pens or magnets with your logo. Send free pizzas to teachers, office managers and hotel managers. Reach out to local charities and sports teams.

4

Focus On Food Quality— Ask friends who can be objective to come into the pizzeria when you aren’t there to taste the product and give feedback. Watch out for online reviews, positive and negative, and follow up as needed.

Wan mark t more sa et le Liz Ba ing tips? C s and heck rrett ’s o The P weekly b ut i (thep l z izzain za Insider og, sider .pmq .com )!

2/9/15 4:11 PM

Looking for more marketing ideas and insights? PMQ has you covered! By Liz Barrett

Tips&Tricks 6 Ways to Wake Up Boring Newsletters 1.

h tomers wit s u c g in h c try approa vers should r Instead of e s , n io t s hen it o que choices w serts. a yes or n e e r h t r o wo ks and des in r offering t d , s r e iz appet comes to

Nearly 80% of your readers will scan—not read— your newsletter. Toss out introductory info and get straight to the point.

2. Keep everything short and simple. Sentences should be less than 15 words, paragraphs less than four sentences, stories less than three paragraphs.

3. Avoid sounding like a book. A friendly and conversational tone will make readers want to keep reading.

4. Report interesting and accurate information. If your readers trust you as a news source, they will open your emails in the future.

5. Stay focused. Try not to cover too many topics at once.

6. Test popular newsletter formats, such as lists (like this one—with important information bolded), that cover one topic and are easy for readers to scan and pick up information. You can always link to a site-based article for those who want to read more.

Hold a Spring Bash Spring is right around the corner, and what better way to welcome customers back than with a party? If you have a patio, dust it off; if not, a parking lot will do just fine. Invite your email list, social media fans and followers, and the local press. Give out prizes and samples, host games and dough throwing/pizza eating contests, and raffle off gift certificates (collecting customer info along the way).

March 2015 pmq.com

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Lessons LEARNED Why do bad things — like failure and financial ruin — happen to good pizzeria operators?

Five current and former owners share tales of woe so you can learn from their mistakes. By Tracy Morin

A

sk an experienced operator for advice on starting out in the pizza industry, and a common response is, “Don’t do it!” Between the long hours, rising costs and ever-increasing competition, this industry can be as unforgiving as it is rewarding. Even those who jump into pizzeria ownership with great ideas, solid business plans and detailed projections can find that slipping up in just one area—such as operations or debt management—can lead to the downfall of a business.

Why do some pizzerias, including the good ones, fail?

It’s more complicated than you might think. Read on for the stories of five operators who faced closure and find out where they went wrong so that you can avoid similar mistakes.

CASE STUDY #1: A MATTER OF DEBT Andrew Ellis, owner of Great Lakes Pizza Company (greatlakespizzacompany.net) in Levonia, Michigan, just opened his doors one year ago, but this wasn’t his

first foray into ownership. After building a solid industry background through various positions at Domino’s (dominos.com) over nine years, he decided to open an independent store, Andrew’s Hometown Pizza in Lansing, Michigan. “We stayed open just shy of one year,” Ellis says. “Overall, we were very strong in operations, had solid marketing, offered good price points and delivery service, and experienced nice sales and decent volume (about $8,000 per week).”

Unfortunately, Ellis also spent too much up front— and borrowed too much. With so many payments, he couldn’t get out from under debt, and there were several expenses he didn’t account for. “There’s a distinction in what it costs to get the doors open and what it costs to get going, and I didn’t correctly forecast the process of becoming profitable,” he explains. “Things you didn’t know about add up, and, when you’re on a tight budget, everything is magnified.” For example, food costs were initially higher after opening, so halfway through the year

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After overspending and overbuilding, Nick’s Pizza Pub, owned by Nick Sarillo (center), faced closure in 2011, but the community rallied to save him. He has since clamped down on his food, beverage and labor costs and makes sure to tap into the creativity of his entire staff.

Ellis made adjustments to bring them in line with original estimates. For his new store, he says, he made those necessary changes in the first month or two.

Ellis also notes that he didn’t account for his own time.

All of the tasks he committed to doing “far exceeded what one person was capable of doing in a day,” he says.

“I learned I can’t be all things to my business, that I have to delegate and account for the money it takes for other people to learn and perform those tasks.”

But Ellis believes that lessons from his first venture have made his current pizzeria run more smoothly. This time, he bought and paid for everything up-front, without loans or liens, creating priceless “relief and peace,” he says. He’s also starting out with shorter hours so he doesn’t burn the candle at both ends. “The reasons I failed were all on me—they were my mistakes, and there was a learning curve,” Ellis concludes. “But I really love this business, and when I was away from it, I realized how much I enjoy it. I’m excited as can be to [be back in the pizza industry].”

CASE STUDY #2: PROFITABILITY PITFALLS Thirteen years ago, Scott Hack and a business partner opened Fast Break Pizza in Crestwood, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, and kept it running for about five and a half years. “We weren’t a flash in the pan, but we never really got to the place where the business was self-sustaining,” recalls Hack, who went on to co-found Bracketpress.com, an online pool manager for the NCAA March Madness tournament. “Either I or my business partner was always there because we never had a strong management team 34

“When you’re just starting out, don’t be in a hurry to expand your hours; work up to more hours only when you’re meeting current sales goals.”

—Scott Hack, former owner, Fast Break Pizza

in place. And though we did OK for a bit, the profit wasn’t there.”

Hack believes his top two issues were “shiny objects” and debt management. He committed to a major purchase when he bought a top-notch POS system, but its bells and whistles never gave him the ROI he’d hoped for. Hack thinks a cheaper and more basic system would have done the job, and the POS added to company debt at a time when the lease was increasing. “We spent six months researching POS systems to make the best decision—looking at the numbers, what sales the system could bring in and what money we’d save,” Hack says. “But we didn’t take into account the lease increase and then budget in that cost—plus, seven years ago, the economy wasn’t great.”

Additionally, Hack believes, Fast Break didn’t cater enough to families. Now, as a married father, his view of the dining experience is “drastically different,” he says. “You need good parking and accessibility. We didn’t have booths.

We had a bar. Simple things like that—it never dawned

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on me how they affected the “There’s a distinction certain closure after 16 years, customer experience.” he wrote a letter and sent it to between what it costs In 2008, Hack and his partthe 16,000-plus customers on to get the doors open ner sold the shop to a reguhis email list. He wanted them and what it costs to lar customer, but it wasn’t a to understand what went keep going, and I didn’t distressed sale, thanks in part wrong and explained the iscorrectly forecast the to a solid menu and marketsues with unusual candor. “We process of becoming ing plan. They’d also made overbuilt and overspent, and an impactful change in the then we didn’t cut fast enough profitable. Things you last year of business: altering or hard enough when sales didn’t know about add hours of operation. “Because started to go downhill,” Sarillo up, and, when you’re we had dine-in, delivery and wrote. “The issue is primarily on a tight budget, a full bar, we were open a lot,” with our Elgin restaurant, but everything is magnified.” because we are one company, Hack notes. “But when we —Andrew Ellis, former owner, the failure of Elgin will likely looked hard at sales numbers, Great Lakes Pizza Company impact Crystal Lake as well.... we decided on shorter hours and stopped weekday lunch We do bring in a lot of revebecause sales didn’t support nue, but unfortunately that is it. When you’re just starting not enough to cover our mortout, don’t be in a hurry to expand your hours; work up to gage and the other expenses that accrue from having such more hours only when you’re meeting current sales goals.” large facilities.”

In 2008, sales at the Elgin location began to drop, and CASE STUDY #3: THE CLOSE CALL the pizzeria was bleeding money, Sarillo explained in the In late 2011, Nick Sarillo, founder and CEO/presi- letter. “Fortunately, Crystal Lake was profitable enough dent of Nick’s Pizza Pub (nickspizzaandpub.com), with to cover both restaurants most of the time. As of this year, two locations in Elgin and Crystal Lake, Illinois, was that’s no longer true. The sales drop in Elgin alone has desperate to improve his business. Faced with almost been 30% since last year and close to 40% since 2007, thanks largely to the bad economy and our location next to the road construction....Unfortunately, the bills that we Despite steady growth during Nick’s Pizzeria’s first four years of busihave been pushing back this year are catching up with us ness, owner Nick Sasso was caught financially unprepared when the economy tanked in 2008 and his customer base began to dwindle. now....Barring some sort of miracle, we are going to run out of cash to pay our vendors and team members over the next couple of weeks and will have to close.”

Within a half hour, the letter went viral, Sarillo recalls, and Nick’s received hundreds of supportive calls and emails. More importantly, sales for the week doubled (a $50,000 increase in each of the two restaurants), allowing the company to survive. “We very well could’ve been out of business if not for all of that community support,” he admits.

Sarillo acknowledges he didn’t keep a close enough eye on the balance sheet; no one was paying attention to the company’s amount of debt, which became a “huge burden” when sales dropped, he says. “We weren’t prepared 36

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The original location of family-run Vince the Pizza Prince is still going strong in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but everything that could go wrong did go wrong when the Cianfichis opened a second store in 2004.

to handle the change in economic climate and the road construction project, and that lack of awareness led to a deep hole.”

Now Nick’s is back in the black, and changes have been made to ensure the business stays that way. Sarillo shares numbers with everyone on the team and keeps them involved with sales, costs and profitability.

Each week, a fiscal huddle requires all staff members to review the balance sheet, while a separate weekly huddle for staff executives assesses the overall company. “With this process, we were able to get tighter with food and beverage costs—and with labor, which made the biggest difference,” Sarillo notes. “We also include staff in our marketing, and the team thinks of ideas I never would have. The process we have in place allows us to tap into the creativity of the entire team—using a hundred minds instead of a couple—and I’m astounded by the ideas they come up with. Everyone at Nick’s is a business owner.”

CASE STUDY #4: A SNOWBALL EFFECT Even operators who are highly experienced in running a successful operation can make mistakes, as happened to the husband-and-wife owners of Vince the Pizza Prince (vincethepizzaprince.net) in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Vince Cianfichi’s father started this pizzeria in the 1950s, and it’s still going strong—but the opening of a second location in 2004 was rife with challenges from the get-go.

38

The new location featured a castle theme, but cracks soon showed in the royal facade: Construction bids were triple what the Cianfichis expected. Despite nearly half a million dollars sunk into the building, construction was done poorly, complete with a leaking roof. The castle-like environment dictated 20’-high ceilings that generated massive heating bills in winter. “You have to look at the numbers and think about how many hours you have to be open to pay the bills,” says Rhea, Vince’s wife. “Payroll especially will kill you if you don’t know your rent, lease or mortgage costs—because between hourly pay, unemployment, insurance, Medicare and Social Security, you pay $1.25 for every dollar an employee makes. With even 15 employees, each working 30 to 40 hours a week, that adds up.”

The second location had a liquor license, but with a convenience store down the street selling beer for 25% less, takeout customers (and even dining-in families) rarely ordered brews. Meanwhile, Vince regrets hiring less-than-dedicated managers who didn’t share his vision for a fast-casual operation. “I didn’t have managers sold on the idea and on how the business should run and feel, which was a killer for us,” he says.

Then the property’s landowner sold a parcel for a Dunkin’ Donuts to open up, taking away 60% of the castle’s visibility. “We chose this location because it was high-traffic, but the traffic light in front of our plaza killed us, because people couldn’t get in and out easily,” Vince recalls. “What we thought was a fabulous location turned out to be a dud. And little things eroded us—like our location on a flood plain. Twice we had foot-deep water in front of the store.”

With issues big and small adding up, the Cianfichis decided to close the location after about three years. “If I could do it again, I would have spent less on a smaller place. I bit off a little more than I could chew, and if you can’t control your operation, it’s doomed,” Vince says. “If the building were a third of the size and a mile away, we might still be open.”

CASE STUDY #5: A SMALL POND Nick Sasso and his wife, Kimberli, predicted growth for their small town of Grantville, Georgia, when they opened shop in 2004—and for a while, that prediction panned

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$

“You have to look at the numbers and think about how many hours you will be open. Payroll especially will kill you.

Between hourly pay, unemployment, insurance, Medicare and Social Security, you pay $1.25 for every dollar an employee makes. With even 15 employees, each working 30 to 40 hours a week, that adds up.”

—Rhea Cianfichi, Vince the Pizza Prince

out: Nick’s Pizzeria experienced 20% annual growth in each of the first four years. “We put a substantial amount of money back into the business, but we had too lean of a margin for our small market,” Sasso says. “We probably failed at the outset with our location.”

After the economy tanked in 2008, the customer base started dwindling, and the previous years’ growth vanished. Without enough protection in the form of more capital or credit reserves, the business was vulnerable, and Sasso made the tough decision to close in 2012. “We did most everything else right, but we gambled too much,” Sasso says. “We expected everything to grow as it had the first four years.”

Even today, the town’s population continues to shrink from its height of 3,200, and Sasso regrets trying to invest in a community faced with disadvantageous demographics (i.e., many people on disability, retired or unemployed). “We didn’t want to bail out of a depressed town because we live there, so at times we weren’t objective enough,” he admits. “If I did it over again, I’d probably make a different choice—after all, this is a business, and our choices cost us in the long run.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH Sicilian Chicken White Pizza Recipe provided by Todarini Foods

The Mighty Chicken

INGREDIENTS: 13-oz. dough ball for large 12” to 14” pizza 3.5 to 4.5 oz. classic Alfredo sauce 4 oz. seasoned precooked chicken pizza topping 7.5 oz. mozzarella cheese 3 oz. cooked mushrooms, sliced (sauteed or from a pouch or can) Sauteed onions (optional)

Chicken is the perfect meat topping for pizza makers looking to create a better-for-you pie without sacrificing an iota of flavor.

Low in cholesterol and saturated fat, high in protein, chicken is one of the world’s most popular meats. A 2014 study by Priceonomics found that consumers now eat more chicken than beef.

Precooked and seasoned chicken toppings offer additional convenience and flavor. Take advantage of chicken’s good reputation in your marketing strategy:

INSTRUCTIONS: Hand roll your dough ball to 12” or 14” diameter. Evenly spread Alfredo sauce on the dough and cover with mozzarella cheese. Distribute chicken topping evenly around the crust to make sure there will be chicken in every bite. Add mushrooms sparingly. (Sautéed onions make a great addition. Precooking onions and mushrooms adds another dimension of flavor to the final product.)

Place in preheated oven and bake at 450˚ to 475˚ for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

1.

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Cash in on chicken’s versatility. From traditional yet savory sauces like barbecue and Alfredo to more exotic offerings such as Thai, Jamaican jerk and pineapple/jalapeño flavors, the possibilities for chicken-topped pizzas are nearly limitless.

2. Create a special section on your menu. Many healthconscious guests will search for chicken-topped pies on your menu. Make it easy to find them!

I

3. Promote new chicken pizzas on social media. Shoot high-quality photos of new specialty pies and post them on your social media around mid-morning and mid-afternoon (when customers are thinking about lunch and dinner).

Emphasize the healthy aspect of chicken in your posts.

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Brew Boosters Experts offer 8 guaranteed strategies to sell more suds and become a pizza-and-beer destination.

By Tracy Morin

B

eer, like pizza, remains a perennial American favorite—and it just so happens that the two go hand in hand. Even better, beer—particularly craft and draft brews—can be highly profitable in the pizzeria setting, all while satisfying today’s customer demand for variety and local options. Are you maximizing these profits at your pizzeria? Experts share eight can’t-miss ideas for making your beer program an even bigger success.

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THINK AND ACT LOCAL. Local breweries have a lot in common with many independent pizzerias, offering fresher, greener products that keep money in your community, says Matt Simpson, owner/founder of The Beer Sommelier in Atlanta. He advises focusing your program on local beers, working with wholesalers to provide and choose the best options for your pizzeria. “Local breweries offer year-round styles from light to heavy—something to please everyone—and

their seasonals are also a hit with customers,” he notes.

“Customers are more likely to try them and spend more for them, and local breweries are more likely to offer deals on kegs, meaning that a local draft pitcher may not cost much more than a national brand.”

At Atlanta-based Your Pie (yourpie.com), with 21 locations in the Southeast, founder Drew French focuses on craft beers as part of his company’s core. Local brews pair well with French’s high-end pizza ingredients, and partnerships with area breweries allow both parties to cross-promote within their fan bases. “We help promote local breweries, and they in turn provide us with unique beers while helping promote us,” French says. “It’s all about partnering in your local market and building those relationships. Local breweries are also great about supporting events in the pizzeria—for example, by sending people to educate our guests and staff about their beers.”

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YOUR PIE

A focus on local craft brews complements Your Pie’s menu of pizzas with high-end ingredients and unique flavor combinations.

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TRY A TAP TAKEOVER. Many pizzerias with successful craft beer programs host “tap takeover” events, partnering with a single local brewer for an evening to offer only that company’s beers on tap. Your Pie’s various stores have hosted more than 50 such events so far, often drawing up to 75 customers for unique beer tastings and pizza pairings. Meanwhile, 10 locations have hosted an “Old Beer, Stinky Cheese” night, partnering with Delaware-based Dogfish Head brewery to offer its rare beers paired with unusual cheeses. Additionally, the pizzeria will offer flights of a certain brewery’s styles to encourage sampling and pique guests’ interest.

Slice Pizza & Brewhouse (slicebirmingham.com) in Birmingham, Alabama, takes a similar approach. “Partnering with craft breweries for tap takeovers helps to promote new products coming to the market, while bringing the loyal following of that brewery into your restaurant,” notes Slice co-owner Jason Bajalieh. “For example, Grayton Beer Company recently launched in Alabama, so in December, Slice featured all Grayton beers on tap, which promotes the variety of beers offered by that brewery and gives customers a chance to try something new in the craft beer world.”

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GET CREATIVE WITH TO-GO. Recently, Slice started selling growlers to go as a way to further its craft beer business. The pizzeria partnered with Trim Tab, a local brewery, to design and create the pizzeria’s branded 64- and 32-ounce reusable containers. Customers love being able to purchase to-go pizza and a great brew accompaniment, so these add-ons offer both convenience and extra profits.

The addition of off-premise sales took the pizzeria a few months to achieve, from the city’s approval process to working through logistics and creating the growlers, but Bajalieh says Slice is the only restaurant in town with this option, adding to its must-visit status for local beer lovers.

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SLICE PIZZA & BREWHOUSE

SLICE PIZZA & BREWHOUSE

Simpson advises. “Just like in a casino, the more you can get customers in and keep them there, the more the odds are in favor of the house!”

Branded growlers at Slice Pizza & Brewhouse ensure additional profits for the pizzeria while encouraging customers to take their favorite brews to go.

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BRING IN THE EXPERTS. If possible, invite representatives (such as head brewmasters) from craft breweries to visit your pizzeria and educate guests and servers, Simpson suggests. The reps will appreciate the chance to promote their product (and try your pizza), while customers will crowd in to hear insider info about the beers they love—or are eager to sample. “Even larger craft brewers from out of state often visit markets where they are newly distributed, so be sure to build those relationships and ask for appearances,”

CONNECT WITH BEER LOVERS’ GROUPS. Your Pie locations in Savannah, Georgia, have partnered with a local organization called Brew, Drink, Run, a group of homebrewers who run for their health and enjoy beer for pleasure. These groups attract passionate beer lovers, and most beer lovers also love pizza. Give them a reason to come to your pizzeria—or, even better, to hold their regular meetings there—and you’ve got a bunch of new regulars who will bring their families on other occasions. They’ll also be quite vocal about promoting special beer-centric events at the pizzeria through their websites and social media.

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TEACH YOUR WAITSTAFF TO TEACH YOUR GUESTS. Other types of pairings can also boost beer sales— specifically, suggested beer pairings listed on your menu or ready to roll off servers’ tongues. Slice lists suggested

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“Customers are more likely to try [local beers] and spend more for them, and local breweries are more likely to offer deals on kegs, meaning that a local draft pitcher may not cost much more than a national brand.”

beer pairings directly on its menu for each pizza, while Your Pie created a “pairing wheel” of different beer styles with food suggestions—such as a porter with gelato or a pilsner with the Thai Pie—for both servers and guests.

Make sure that your staff is up to date on everything you offer; they’re the ones who will be helping customers decide on beer purchases, and if they aren’t knowledgeable, sales will suffer. “A server will upsell extra beer by virtue of his knowledge, so staff education is so important,”

YOUR PIE

—Drew French, Your Pie

By being familiar with the range of beer brands and styles on Your Pie’s menu, servers are well-equipped to offer beer suggestions to customers.

Simpson says. “Servers and bartenders must know how to answer questions. They’ll be more trusted by patrons, and they’ll sell more beer. They don’t have to know everything, but they should know more than the average customer.”

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If state laws allow, offer specials on the beers you’re looking to move so you can make room for new ones.

CREATE A VIP CLUB OR MUG CLUB. With this promo, customers purchase an oversized mug (or can work their way up to getting one free by buying a certain number of beers) bearing your pizzeria’s logo. When they bring it back, they get larger pours (such as 16-ounce instead of 12-ounce). It’s a huge incentive for beer lovers to drink more beer, and it works! Give them first dibs on special or limited-time beers at your pizzeria, too.

Offer monthly tastings or food-and-beer pairing nights for local craft beer groups.

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4 Quick Tips Matt Simpson, owner/founder of The Beer Sommelier in Atlanta, offers additional tips to skyrocket your suds sales:

Use giveaway swag events to attract customers, doling out free pint glasses, hats, keychains and T-shirts from breweries and wholesalers. You can do these any night of the week, so plan them for slow nights. Your guests will love it!

Don’t underestimate the importance of proper glassware and clean tap lines. You don’t want to serve foul-tasting beer. If you ignore the basics, you can just as easily lose money on your beer program. Don’t mar your reputation with beer lovers by overlooking the little details.

STAY IN TOUCH. Simpson points out that email lists are imperative for connecting with your beer loving customers. “Alert them about new beers coming up, including seasonals and special releases, and they’ll begin to look forward to those updates,” he advises. “These limited releases have a ‘get it while you can’ allure that sells more beer—and food.”

Meanwhile, Your Pie wisely uses social media to keep its fans abreast of new beer offerings, which are constantly evolving to accommodate new selections, enticing customers to return more often. “In addition to in-store signage and chalkboards, we’re very active on social media to let people know what’s new on tap,” says French.

“We’ll even post pics of the new tap handle or beer with the updates. It’s all about educating the customer!”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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toYours

y

Our Kitchen

Diversifying your Pizza Menu with Pasta

Italian food is by far the most popular ethnic cuisine in America – more than the next four cuisines combined.1 Pizza and pasta are significantly responsible for that enduring popularity. Leading research firm Mintel recently published a report about the pizza restaurant segment, revealing a number of interesting findings on why menuing pasta makes a smart strategy for pizza restaurateurs.

Pizza restaurants that have grown the most of late are those in fast casual and full-service formats, where a broader array of toppings and ingredients are offered, and a broader menu of non-pizza items are available, from pastas to salads to sandwiches.

According to the report: “The key to stay relevant in this segment is making sure the brand and the menu (beyond pizza) are constantly evolving.

Pizza will remain popular in the US, but it’s up to operators to keep the dining experience interesting and relevant.” 2 A full 20% of consumers want to see more pasta dishes on the menu at pizza restaurants; 5% more than gluten-free crusts. One of the core reasons for NOT ordering pizza is they are just not craving it at the time. Again, strong support for the need of a diverse menu.

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Industry giants like Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa Murphy’s and California Pizza Kitchen understand this, and all benefit from pasta on the menu. It’s why pasta is the #3 non-pizza item on pizza restaurant menus, behind only sandwiches.1 As the number one brand of pasta in Italy and the US, and a category expert, Barilla is a key pasta provider to successful pizza restaurants. We work with each restaurateur to deliver the best possible products for their specific demographics, challenges and goals.

“

The key to stay relevant in this segment is making sure the brand and the menu (beyond pizza) are constantly evolving.

”

Learn more in our next edition. This is the first in a series of six editions Barilla will share on best practices for menuing pasta in the pizza segment.

For more information and foodservice-ready pasta recipes, visit barillafoodservicerecipes.com 1 Source: Mintel Menu Insights, 2015

2 Source: Mintel Pizza Restaurants US, November 2014

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APOLLONIA’S PIZZERIA APOLLONIA’S PIZZERIA

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They say good things come in threes. Here’s how to create simple, delicious—and profitable—specialty pies using just a trio of toppings.

By Tracy Morin

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

sk any Italian for his secret to delicious pizza preparation, and he will likely stress simple, flavorful, high-quality ingredients—a different approach than many Stateside pizza chefs, who often go by the American credo “bigger is better” and pile on the toppings.

Granted, many of your customers won’t settle for anything less than a fully loaded Supreme pie, but you can also make delicious and unique specialty pizzas with just three toppings, thus holding down your food costs and maximizing profitability.

Simpler is often smarter, notes Italian-born Leonardo Landini, owner of Landini’s Pizzeria (landinispizzeria.com) in San Diego. “The more toppings you add, the more you lose the flavors of each ingredient,” he explains.

“When there are too many flavors happening at once, the customer doesn’t enjoy any one thing.”

For some pizza makers, three is the tastiest number. We talked to several who feature deliciously simple three-topping pies on their menus and got their tips for creating unique specialty pizzas without piling on the expensive meats and veggies.

APOLLONIA’S PIZZERIA

APOLLONIA’S PIZZERIA

The Rule of The Dirty Agent pizza at Apollonia’s Pizzeria is customizable; this version is topped with duck and bacon sausage, roma tomatoes and onion.

 Rattlesnake sausage jazzes up this incarnation of the Dirty Agent, a Hollywood-themed pie at Apollonia’s Pizzeria in Los Angeles.

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LANDINI’S PIZZERIA

At Landini’s Pizzeria, the Maialona combines hot dogs, hot salami and Italian sausage for the perfect pig-focused pie.

START IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN When Landini wants to whip up a new recipe for his menu, he doesn’t venture far to find the ingredients.

“From an owner’s point of view, it’s best to look at what you already have in-house,” he says. “You keep costs down by working with ingredients you’re already using.” For example, when Landini noticed he was using Brussels sprouts for a salad and pancetta for a specialty pie, he multipurposed both for a pizza—called the Rustica—that combines the two ingredients with a balsamic vinegar reduction on a white pie base. Recently, he dreamed up a new menu item, pastizza, by simply filling two layers of his dough with pasta in the middle, creating a product that’s similar to focaccia and is already heating up sales—even though Landini laughingly calls it a “calorie bomb.”

THINKING LOCALLY When you’re seeking inspiration for simple combos that allow minimal toppings to shine, it’s often helpful to work seasonally and locally to source ingredients. Local and regional producers can provide you with ideas you may never have thought of on your own. “Knowing the ingredients that are available in our area—or that are trending nationwide—provides the brainpower behind our pizzas,” notes Tom Blaze Lattanzio, the founder and owner of L’inizio Pizzeria (linizio.com) in Queens, New York, which focuses on fresh, organic and local produce.

“If it’s a hearty, feel-good, stay-warm time of year, I source 56

from my local butcher. Sometimes less is more, and using the best and freshest ingredients adds the most memorable flavors and feeds the soul.”

BENDING THE RULES Pizzeria operators overseas have been rethinking the pizza making craft for years. Pepperoni and mushrooms isn’t enough for connoisseurs in Brazil, where crave-worthy toppings include green peas, beets and quail eggs. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut raised British eyebrows in 2012 with its unusual hot dog-stuffed crusts (drizzled in mustard, no less). Americans have recently begun following suit, bending the rules and creating unique topping combinations inspired by fast-food favorites. At the New Yorkbased Ribalta (ribaltapizzarestaurant.com), for example, the Americana pizza is topped with hot dogs, mozzarella and French fries. This combo—while perennially popular in ballparks across the country—is unique enough on a pizza to warrant plenty of attention, including from the media: The popular food-focused website Eater published an article on the pizza last December, with the buzzbuilding headline, “Ribalta Has Perfected the Art of Hot Dog and French Fry Pizza.”

Across the country at Landini’s, the classic American wiener inspired another pizza original: The Maialona combines hot dogs, hot salami and Italian sausage for an oinking extravaganza. “People in America love meat, especially hot dogs,” Landini says. “‘Maialona’ translates to ‘big pig’ in Italian, and this has everything people love

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L’inizio Pizzeria offers minimal toppings and an impressive presentation on the Ripieno Carciofo, with whole baked artichokes stuffed with homemade ricotta, adorned with roasted red peppers, over creamed spinach.

L’INIZIO PIZZERIA

Three’s a Charm

“Intense flavors seem to be spreading. Bold sauces and strong seasonings have emerged from Texas and Louisiana and are more in demand nationwide as the consumer craves more flavor.”

—Vincent Todaro, Todarini Foods

on one pie. Plus, the hot dog pairs surprisingly well with our crust.”

Call it an Italian-inspired “bun.”

Alternatively, you might jazz up a hot dog-based pie with traditional condiments, such as ketchup, mustard or relish. Or top burger-themed pizzas with pickles and onions. By considering the nonpizza foods that are popular in American culture (or by looking at popular flavor/ingredient combos from other countries), you’ll find no shortage of inspiration.

HIGHLIGHTING THE UNIQUE OR UNUSUAL Landini loves the blend of sweet and spicy, or sweet and bitter, when creating his specialty pies; for example, he may combine spicy jalapeños, creamy ricotta and sweet pineapple on a pie.

Meanwhile, textural variety can be accomplished through the addition of crunchy elements, such as nuts or, for a dessert pizza, crumbled biscotti.

Justin De Leon, owner of Apollonia’s Pizzeria (apolloniaspizzeria. com) in Los Angeles, showcases his most unique ingredients on simple pies so that the “star” can stand out. “Complement and contrast, but if you have something really unique on a pizza, you want to give it the spotlight,” De Leon says. “You need to know when enough is enough—consider what you really need on the pizza without going overboard. Step back and ask, ‘What am I trying to achieve?’” And, if you find that you’ve gone awry on 58

Looking for some attention-grabbing gourmet toppings and innovative three-topping combos? Chefs in the Los Angeles area continue to wow culinary thrill-seekers with their pizza making derring-do. Here are some examples: Many customers turn up their noses at anchovies, but the White Anchovy, a favorite at Pizzeria Mozza (pizzeriamozza.com) in Newport Beach, may change their minds.

It comes topped with salt-packed alici di menaica anchovies, a sprinkling of pulverized Fresno chilies and tomato slices. LA Weekly says the pie shows “how devilishly delicious the pungent anchovy can be.”

The California Pizza Kitchen (cpk.com) chain fires up taste buds with its Habanero Carnitas, featuring slow-roasted pulled pork, cilantro pesto and spicy habanero salsa.

The Huffington Post hails the rustic Milo and Olive (miloandolive.com) as “the best restaurant in Los Angeles.” The Santa Monica bakery/pizzeria produces its own pork belly sausage for a signature pie of the same name, a red-sauce marvel topped off with escarole and mozzarella.

At Olio Pizzeria (oliopizzeria.com) in Santa Barbara, customers can’t get enough of the Umbra, a simple yet savory—and everso-posh—blend of Umbrian black truffles, crimini mushrooms and Robiola cheese.

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?

In terms of three-topping combos, mushrooms pair deliciously with pineapple and ham for a twist on the Hawaiian and with black olives and feta cheese for a specialty Greek pizza.

—Pete Wilder, To-Jo Mushrooms

one combination, keep experimenting; often an ingredient that clashes with certain flavors or textures will pair seamlessly with another.

TELLING A STORY De Leon, a photographer and artist, likes his menu items to tell a story—and his most unique pie, The Dirty Agent, tells a tale that all locals can understand. Because he’s based in Los Angeles’ entertainment-saturated Miracle

Mile area, he based this pie on the predatory nature of Hollywood and its denizens. It’s topped with organic red onion and tomato, plus the customer’s choice of rattlesnake sausage, duck and bacon sausage, or alligator sausage. “The snake and alligator are predators, while the pig and duck are prey,” he explains. “But even taste-wise, they differ; those who want a leaner meat (similar to a chicken breast) can choose the ‘predators,’ while the duck and bacon sausage is more like a bloody steak. Because the sausages are so unique, people think about them as ‘gotta try’; customers are immediately intrigued.”

Operators can easily get bogged down with all of the pizza possibilities out there, but limiting yourself to minimal toppings can actually be liberating—and educational.

When you’re forced to keep it simple, you’re able to easily discern what flavor combos are most appealing and which ones are best left as behind-the-scene experiments. Why not try drilling down to the basics for a pie or two on your menu?

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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You’ll see new customers because of the variety.

You’ll keep seeing them because of the quality.

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Visit us at the International Pizza Expo - Booth #1035 RuleofThree_v4.indd 61

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DANIEL LEE PEREA

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 Chef Santo Bruno has helped countless restaurateurs launch pizzerias around the country and once cooked for Hillary Clinton.

Chef Bruno joins Brian Hernandez in the PMQ test kitchen to make Pasta Gamberi Mediterranean.

DANIEL LEE PEREA

Bruno s Way ’

An outspoken Sicilian with old-school values, Chef Santo Bruno has helped countless entrepreneurs launch successful pizza operations. By Rick Hynum

C

hef Santo Bruno is not a tall man, but he’s one of the giants of the pizza restaurant industry. A Palermo native who grew up on the mean streets of Brooklyn, he’s Sicilian through and through—built like a bull, tough as an ox, but big-hearted, too, with an impish sense of humor and a love of mischief. And when he’s not crooning some old Italian tune or flirting with the ladies, he’s telling you what he thinks about pretty much anything and everything. After 50 years in the pizza business, both as a veteran operator and as corporate chef for Marsal & Sons, the man is not afraid to speak his mind.

“What I see out there now, I don’t see pizzas anymore,” says Bruno, an avowed traditionalist. “You’ve got pizza with cream, pizza with rabbit, pizza with caviar for two thousand bucks in New York City—it’s out of control.

Pizza is cheese, tomatoes, pepperoni, maybe mushrooms,

onions, anchovies. Today you mention anchovies, and people say, ‘I don’t want no anchovies!’ [They want] apples and bananas and chocolate. It’s just out of control.

“I’m the type of guy, I like to do things the old-fashioned way,” he adds. “If it works for me, leave it alone.”

And Bruno’s way definitely works. By his count, he has owned or co-owned 35 restaurants and helped countless other entrepreneurs launch pizzerias around the country.

He has also cooked for former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and made appearances on The Food Channel, the History Channel and Martha.

LIFE ON KNICKERBOCKER AVENUE As the youngest of 10 siblings, Bruno immigrated with his family to the States in the dark days after World War II. “We came to America to have a better life,” he recalls.

“Right after the war, there was nothing in Europe. No way

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LIZ BARRETT

(Above) Chef Bruno pals around with PMQ editor at large Liz Barrett.

(Right) Bruno is also the culinary coach for the U.S. Pizza Team.

my father could have fed 10 kids. So everybody came to this country. I was seven years old. We landed in Brooklyn with all of the Italian [immigrants].”

Bruno grew up on Knickerbocker Avenue, a roughand-tumble neighborhood with strong Italian roots. He washed dishes and learned to cook at after-school jobs in local eateries. By 18, the streetwise youth was ready to launch his own pizzeria. But in those days, particularly in Brooklyn, the rules for starting a restaurant were a little different. “You didn’t have to use your own money,” Bruno notes. “You went to the cigarette machine vendors and the jukebox owners and the soda vendors, and they would lend you money. You’d go to the food suppliers, and they’d lend you money, too. How did you pay these people back? You installed their machines [in your restaurant], and they’d keep all the profits [instead of the usual 50/50 split]. The food supplier would charge you a little more on the cheese or tomatoes—you couldn’t

SLNY PRODUCTIONS

Chef Bruno sits down for a plate of Paglia e Fieno with Carl Ferrara of Marsal & Sons.

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complain, and you had to guarantee you’d stay with them for eternity.”

A soda cost a nickel in those days, Bruno points out, and a slice went for 12 cents. “There were no sandwiches, nothing like that at the time. A guy would come in every morning and say, ‘How much cheese do you need today?’

‘Give me two blocks.’ You used all that cheese, and you were done for the day. You didn’t buy $6,000 worth of food every morning. You didn’t need $200,000 [to start a restaurant]. I opened my first store for $7,000. It was the old-school way.”

“YOU GOT A PROBLEM, CALL BRUNO” Bruno underwent formal training at the prestigious Culinary Center Scuola Alberghiera in Palermo. As he learned and matured in his trade, corporate America caught wind of his growing reputation, and he eventually went to work for the Welbilt Corporation, which later purchased the Garland equipment company (now part of Manitowoc Foodservice). He became one of the country’s foremost authorities on pizza ovens and moved in 2002 to Marsal & Sons, a cutting-edge manufacturer of gas, brick and electric pizza ovens for the restaurant industry. As the company’s corporate chef, he’s also its roving ambassador, jet-setting from coast to coast, offering turnkey solutions

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PAUL DAVID O’HANLON

DANIEL LEE PEREA

(Left and right) Chef Bruno recently paid a visit to the PMQ Test Kitchen and spent some time with publishers Steve and Linda Green. The master chef is known for authentic Sicilian dishes such as Pasta con Sarde, made with anchovies, sardines, pine nuts, fennel and raisins.

to restaurateurs, providing menu development consultation and helping pizzaioli fulfill their dreams of financial independence. “You got a problem, call Bruno,” he says, with utmost confidence.

One common problem he encounters is poor oven maintenance. Too many operators fail to maintain their pizza ovens, he says, and live to regret it. “It’s always breaking down on a Friday night because you don’t take care of it,” he says. With that in mind, Bruno shares some tips about oven selection and maintenance:

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 Versatility counts. An oven that makes only pizza may not be productive enough for your operation.

“You want an oven that not only does pizza but [handles] roasting, baking, bread, even your breakfast,” Bruno says. “I cook pasta in the oven. People don’t believe it, but I do.”  Maintenance matters. Treat your oven like you’d treat your car. “Make a deal with your service company to come in and check your ovens every two months,” Bruno advises.

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dd Understand your thermostat. Get the thermostat calibrated in order to ensure the best performance from your oven. “Just because you set it at 500°, it’s not necessarily cooking at 500°,” he notes. dd Keep it clean. If you don’t want your pizza to taste like old tennis shoes, clean your deck oven every day.

“Use the vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dirt and soot, and clean the orifice where the gas comes in, especially if you use propane,” Bruno says. “The chimney, the stack where the smoke comes out—keep it clean. People don’t do that. They wait until it breaks down, then they have to pay through the nose.” dd Stay salt-free. Although some may recommend salt as a natural cleaning agent, using it on your pizza oven would be a mistake, Bruno warns. “Salt will eat the metal out, and everything will fall apart. Don’t use seltzer water, either. Scrape it, brush it and wipe it with a wet rag. That’s it.”

Known for his impish sense of humor, Bruno also loves to croon old Italian tunes and flirt with the ladies.

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 Bruno, a seasoned traveler, is shown here with his wife, Susanna,

CHEF SANTO BRUNO

and their son, James, during a trip to Italy in 2004.

THE BEST MARKETING STRATEGY Bruno splits his time between New York and his home base in Tampa, Florida, where he has operated several pizzerias over the years, including Al Bruno and Bellisimo Ristorante. A dedicated family man, he made his new home in Florida after meeting his second wife, Susanna, there. He has three grown children (Louis, Tanya and James) and maintains close ties with his brothers and sisters, all of whom are good cooks, he says. His oldest

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brother, Jack, is a master chef in Italy and once cooked for the late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi. “I’m still learning from Jack,” Bruno says.

And other pizzeria operators are still learning from Bruno. He believes good customer service is the best marketing strategy, and he stresses it everywhere he goes. “Treat people right,” he says. “Make them feel at home. Give them a glass of wine while they’re waiting. Don’t curse at them. Tell them how great they look, how beautiful they are. Make them your friend. Don’t forget their names.

This is the best marketing.”

It may sound like common sense, but Bruno knows that too many operators ignore these basic cardinal rules.

“Everybody claims to be the best,” he says. “To me, the guy who’s the best is the guy who rings the register the most. If he’s making more than me, he must be doing something right. You know who makes the best pizza by who makes the most money.”

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor-in-chief.

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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By promoting recipe discipline, the FDA’s menu labeling requirements could help pizzerias control food costs, but only time will tell how sales will be affected. By Andy Knef

N

utritional labeling requirements for pizza restaurant menus will challenge operators’ bottom lines, but they could end up having a beneficial effect, too. That’s the take-away from Betsy Craig, CEO and founder of MenuTrinfo, one of the nation’s leading consulting firms for menu nutrition certification. “Ultimately, menu labeling will have a positive impact on the restaurant business,” says Craig, whose company is one of only five in the nation offering nutritional consulting to restaurants. “Whether that restaurant consists of one location or 150, this mandate offers the opportunity to create more exacting measurements on recipes and operational processes. By following recipes more closely, restaurants can maintain and keep down food costs— which is not to say this new government-imposed regulation won’t be a tough way to keep discipline.”

After several years of political wrangling and industry-wide debate, the FDA recently posted its final rule for nutritional labeling in chain restaurants. Stand-alone restaurants won’t be impacted by the rule. Those covered under the mandate, set to go into effect in 2016, are chains with 20 or more locations, doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items. The rule, which is an offshoot of the Affordable Health Care Act, requires covered restaurant companies to list calorie information for standard menu items on menus and menu boards and to offer succinct statements about suggested daily caloric intake. Other nutritional information—total calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, sugars and protein—will have to be made available in writing on request.

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According to the NRA, nutritional menu labeling can play a role in improving the nation’s overall health, but restaurant operators worry about how it will affect their bottom lines.

“This mandate should help franchises follow processes and recipes. The kitchen will have to follow recipes precisely, or it will open the operation to all kinds of craziness. When the recipe calls for ½ cup of sugar or salt, it means ½ cup, no more or less.”

—Betsy Craig, MenuTrinfo

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has been a clear voice in this debate, advocating for restaurant operators. A recent NRA website post stated, “Menu labeling has the potential to improve our nation’s health by allowing guests to make informed choices about the foods that are appropriate for their diet.” But the NRA also warned, “Inaccurate or unreliable information could compromise consumer trust in menu labeling and hurt brand loyalty.”

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WIGGLE ROOM FOR PIZZERIAS Due to the sheer number of possible toppings and topping combinations for whole pizzas, the final rule gives pizzeria operators a little bit of wiggle room. Operators can list calories by the slice but have to state how many slices each whole pizza contains. They can also list a range of calories for different pizzas, allowing for the multitude of toppings customers may ask for.

Although the FDA is giving restaurants until the end of 2015 to implement the rule, some proactive companies are already gathering their numbers. That includes Atlanta-based pizza chain Mellow Mushroom (mellowmushroom.com), which bills itself as the “originator of classic Southern pizza born in the free-wheeling hippie culture of the 1970s.”

“When people come in, they do care about what they’re eating but not primarily from a caloric point of view,” explains James Knight, general manager of the chain’s Broad Street location in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “They’re more likely to ask what our pizza is made of or, if they’re vegan, to ask questions related to those concerns. They’re not stressed about whether our food is high in calories, but whether it’s organic.”

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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What the Rules Say Love it or hate it, menu labeling is coming for the larger pizza chains. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized its two rules on menu labeling last November, and pizzeria operators are still grappling with the implications. Here’s what you need to know about the requirements: The new menu labeling rules do not go into effect for restaurants until the beginning of 2016.

The rules do not apply to operations with fewer than 20 stores. If you’re a single-unit operator or own a small chain, you’re exempt.

Multiserving dishes like pizzas can be labeled by the slice rather than by the pie, and calorie ranges can be listed for pizzas with numerous topping options.

#

“I don’t think nutritional labeling will hurt sales, but I can’t be sure until it’s implemented. The numbers will look kind of big [to customers], and some eyes might be opened.”

—James Knight, Mellow Mushroom

Restaurant operators must provide additional nutritional information in writing at the customer’s request.

streamline and standardize—and this works only if you’re dealing with specifics in procedures and processes. When the recipe calls for ½ cup of sugar or salt, it means ½ cup, no more or less.”

But the ruling doesn’t foreshadow the end of creativity in an inherently creative endeavor, Craig adds. “I’m Italian, and my favorite dishes aren’t made from a cookbook,” she says. “But the FDA’s regulation allows for special, off-themenu opportunities to change recipes and experiment. You can still offer those 30-day specials and be creative. In the final analysis, pizza is one of those foods that’s a signature item. People come out for an indulgence.”

Knight says he doesn’t know if the new calorie listing mandate will impact sales, but he adds that the ruling won’t affect Mellow Mushroom’s tight quality control and recipe discipline.

Craig’s company is the official nutritional consultant for the National Pizzeria Council, chaired by executives from some of the top brand names in the industry, including CiCi’s Pizza (cicispizza.com) and Rosati’s Pizza (rosatispizza.com) in Chicago. Craig believes the FDA rule will help pizzeria operators improve quality control and potentially hold down food costs. “From a business standpoint, this mandate should help franchises follow processes and recipes,” she says. “The kitchen will have to follow recipes precisely, or it will open the operation to all kinds of craziness. This is a corporation’s basic function—to

THE EFFECT ON MOM-AND-POPS So what about the typical mom-and-pop pizzeria that’s not affected by the ruling? Craig advises everyone in the restaurant business to be aware that increased nutrition transparency is a trend that won’t go away. Smaller independent operators should embrace the spirit of the ruling and look for ways to make nutrition information a marketing advantage, she notes. “The national health statistics propelling these changes are very real and alarming.

Two-thirds of the country is overweight. Menu nutrition data is simply information, and customers will decide for themselves how to use it. We’ve done labeling with packaged goods for 20 years, and it’s a trend that’s here to stay. The foodservice industry will be better off if it tries to understand how to make the requirement into a positive. For people like me, who eat out constantly, this labeling will provide a service.”

Menu labeling will not apply to food trucks, bars or grocery stores.

Restaurants will be allowed to offer daily or seasonal specials without providing a calorie count.

Menus and menu boards must include a statement about recommended daily caloric intake.

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March 2015 pmq.com

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PIZZA SHOW

KNOCKOUT PRINT!

“Until this latest version, the FDA was not being specific.

One pizza restaurant might label a serving size as a square, while another might include the whole pizza, so you’re talking about the difference between 1,600 or 200 calories.”

—Betsy Craig, MenuTrinfo

The rule may be good for the consumer, but there will be a learning curve for restaurants, Craig admits. “This transition is not going to be smooth or easy. However much time operators have allotted to gather the nutrition data and post it, you can be sure it will take twice that much time to get the job done. For restaurants that haven’t even started down this path yet, I have a deep concern. They need to get someone to help them with the process. Restaurant owners are not trained nutritionists.”

Looming speed bumps aside, Craig believes the FDA’s final rule is an improvement over previous versions— especially for the pizza industry. “Now we have specific language in the rule,” she says. “Until this latest version, the FDA was not being specific. One pizza restaurant might label a serving size as a square, while another might include the whole pizza, so you’re talking about the difference between 1,600 or 200 calories. We finally arrived at a definition of a serving meaningful to the common person. We’re calling it a ‘discrete serving unit,’ and it describes what the portion looks like when you pick up a piece of pizza. Now we know what to do.”

For pizzeria managers like Knight, however, that course of action seems a little less clear. “I don’t think nutritional labeling will hurt sales, but I can’t be sure until it’s implemented,” he says. “The numbers will look kind of big [to customers], and some eyes might be opened.”

Andy Knef is PMQ’s associate editor.

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GROWING PAINS: SYS T E M S A N D P R O C E S S E S Writing your own how-to book—a detailed operations manual from food prep to ordering and inventory—is key to successfully opening a second location. By Sean Brauser

I

believe preparing to win is the only real way to win.

Luck is simply a function of hard work and preparation. In last month’s article in the “Growing Pains” series, I outlined the critical must-haves for preparing to expand to a second store. As I explained, you must first know that your current store can run day to day without you. You must honestly and accurately assess the popularity and profitability of your first store and develop a marketing plan and a written business plan.

And, most importantly, you must have systems and processes in place to be able to successfully duplicate the success of your first store. These systems and processes will be the focus of this month’s article, and when you

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are finished reading it, you will definitely have your work cut out for you!

Yes, systems and processes are boring—no doubt about it, especially for a big-picture, type-A personality like me.

But I know that my business could never survive without them. I used to feel like they were just buzzwords or a necessary evil. Now I rely on them—they form the backbone of my company, and they support all 36 Romeo’s Pizza stores.

CREATING AN OPERATIONS MANUAL When I first bought Romeo’s, I asked pizza consultant Big Dave Ostrander to come to my humble store and

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$

ROMEO’S PIZZA

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Romeo’s Pizza provides every kitchen employee with a detailed and comprehensive food prep manual to ensure consistency at all locations.

You will never save your way to prosperity. True success and wealth building comes from growing your company in sales and profits.

help me understand what I needed to do to expand the operation. He immediately asked if I had an operations manual. “What do I need a manual for?” I replied. “I know how to do everything here, and I have trained my managers in the way I want it done.”

Big Dave looked at me and said some very profound words. “If you want to expand and grow,” he said, “you have to create a system that runs your business and then teach people to run the system.” And that starts with an operations manual.

Essentially, your operations manual documents everything that you do and the way you want it done. Writing it is a time-intensive task, but it is absolutely necessary to successfully duplicate your restaurant. With an operations manual, you lay down the rules for the all-important systems and processes you will need to succeed and grow.

And remember, it’s a living, breathing document. It is constantly changing, evolving and improving. I now realize

that I have never stopped writing mine. And it has allowed me to duplicate the success of my restaurant many times!

Every pizzeria’s operations manual should include certain key chapters, including:

1

FOOD PREP At Romeo’s, we actually have an entirely separate manual just for food prep. Whether you choose to go that route or include food prep in your operations manual, it needs to be comprehensive. Every recipe, every menu item and every food preparation technique needs to be documented. Our manual includes pictures and even some video links using QR codes; employees love being able to use their phones to scan the QR codes, which are linked to training videos on our website. Hence, they can watch the videos right there on their phones.

Your food prep manual needs to be accessible to all employees in the store. Staff members should be able to look up recipes and verify they are making menu items correctly. Additionally, the food prep manual (or the food prep section of your operations manual) must be protected and kept track of by the staff and management on every shift. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if this information got stolen, but it is very important to protect your intellectual property.

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An employee manual should lay out the rules for time off, handling customer complaints, dress codes, on-the-job injuries and related issues.

2

PERSONNEL ISSUES The next chapter of your operations manual should be all about systems and processes relating to people. An employee manual is crucial to hiring the right people and keeping them accountable for their actions. What are the rules? What is your dress code? How do workers request days off, and how do you handle call-outs?

All of this needs to be documented, and every employee should sign a document stating that he or she has read and understood the material.

This section of the manual should also cover social media policies, injured worker policies, in-store relationships and customer complaint policies. By establishing these rules at the beginning, they become the expected behavior, and employees will embrace them.

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Every recipe, every menu item and every food preparation technique used by your pizzeria needs to be documented in your operations manual and protected as intellectual property.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS The third part of your operations manual should focus on customers. How do you want your phones answered? How long is an acceptable pickup or delivery time?

What are the remedies if a customer complains or an order is filled incorrectly? Every situation involving a customer needs to be addressed. This will also become a marketing rulebook for all of your stores as you move forward.

You need to walk through your pizzeria in your mind as a customer 10,000 times. Imagine how you want that entire interaction to go. What do you want them to see or not see? What do you want them to hear, to smell or possibly to taste? How do you want your counter people or servers to treat a customer? Be very specific, and use this as your training guide for all new employees.

4

ORDERING AND INVENTORY SYSTEMS At Romeo’s, we created an ordering system that automatically calculates what we need to order based on par levels. We also calculate and understand the food cost of every item on our menu to the penny. Using our POS system, we are able to calculate variances quickly per item to identify waste or theft. This is a vital system that needs to be a part of the operations manual.

5

EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING SYSTEM This system, which can also be built into your POS system, needs to show a forecasted labor percentage versus a forecasted sales number. Each store manager will need to know how to schedule workers, how to add employees, and when to cut employees. You will need to communicate the expected level of labor dollars based on multiple sales forecasts. At Romeo’s, we created a labor grid that

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ROMEO’S PIZZA

3

Pizzeria owners should spend their time working on their business while employees work in the business.

shows how many labor dollars each manager has to spend each week based on their forecasted sales. This system puts you in control of labor instead of forcing you to be reactive to labor needs. The grid has saved us millions of dollars, literally, in labor costs over the years.

BUILDING A MANAGEMENT TEAM Once you have completed this manual, you need to think about building your management team. If you plan on continuing to grow, consider hiring a district leader or district manager. With only two stores, that may seem too expensive, but this person can also serve in the restaurants as a manager while taking care of both stores. Your operation’s success will hinge on your managers’ ability to adhere strictly to the operations manual. You need a district leader to keep those managers accountable. That person also frees you up to focus on marketing and developing your brand.

KNOWING YOUR OWN ROLE As a multiunit owner, your job will begin to change and evolve. You will still be working in the business at times, but the majority of your time should be spent working on your business. You need to focus on building your brand, developing better systems and processes, and

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developing your management team. You will have to begin outsourcing some of the tasks that you have done yourself in the past. Instead of processing payroll, now you should be analyzing it. Instead of doing the bookkeeping, hire someone to do that so you can do local store marketing.

Someone once told me—and this was some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten—to step back and analyze what tasks I do best and prioritize them in terms of having the greatest financial impact. Then I should focus 80% of my time on those tasks only. Remember, you will never save your way to prosperity. True success and wealth building comes from growing your company in sales and profits.

Now that you are a multiunit operator, you must realize that your time is more valuable than ever before. Are you spending that time or investing it? You can never get time back, so you need to use it for money trade as profitably as you can.

To expand your company, you must have a system in place that allows your employees to run the system while the system runs the business. Your job as a multiunit

Create a labor grid that shows how many labor dollars each manager has to spend each week based on their forecasted sales.

This money-saving system puts you in control of labor instead of forcing you to be reactive to labor needs. owner is to grow your brand, identify new sales opportunities, and constantly improve the systems you have created. This is truly the path to multiunit success. Get to work on your operations manual and build the systems and processes that will make it happen!

Sean Brauser is the founder and CEO of Romeo’s Pizza (romeospizza.com), a 36-unit chain headquartered in Medina, Ohio.

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March 2015 pmq.com

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DANIEL LEE PEREA

Michael LaMarca’s winning entry in the U.S. Pizza Team Trials featured spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic salt, balsamic glaze and a four-cheese blend.

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Culinary winners at the recent U.S. Pizza Team Trials include (from left) Dave Sommers of Mad Mushroom, 2nd place; Michael LaMarca of Master Pizza, 1st place; and Ali Haider of 786 Degrees, 3rd place.

Featured video: Check out these highlights from the U.S. Pizza Team National Trials in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1 IN THE

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MELANIE ADDINGTON

NATION Michael LaMarca wins first place in the U.S. Pizza Team’s National Pizza Trials.

Next stop: the World Pizza Championship in Italy. By Rick Hynum

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MELANIE ADDINGTON

DANIEL LEE PEREA

M

ichael LaMarca knows how to get kids to eat their spinach—just put it on a pizza. His Popeye Pizza tastes so good, it sailed to first place in the culinary category of the U.S. Pizza Team’s National Pizza Trials, held earlier this winter at Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. The prizewinning pie also earned LaMarca, owner of Master Pizza (masterpizza.com) in Cleveland, a spot on the U.S. Pizza Team and a free trip to compete with the team in the World Pizza Championship this spring in Parma, Italy.

“The experience was amazing,” LaMarca says. “It was such an honor to win…against such amazing competitors. Anyone could have been the winner—that’s how good the competition was.”

Competition winner Michael LaMarca shows his Popeye pizza to the judges.

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DANIEL LEE PEREA

DANIEL LEE PEREA

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(Top to bottom) Brian Scott of Community Pie tops off a pizza in the culinary competition; Jason Samosky, owner of Samosky’s Homestyle Pizzeria, is a regular on the pizza competition circuit.

MELANIE ADDINGTON

DANIEL LEE PEREA

t

Competitors in the U.S. Pizza Team Trials learn the rules for the culinary event.

LaMarca made his winning entry, the Popeye, with spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic butter sauce, balsamic glaze and a blend of four cheeses. Second place in the culinary category went to Dave Sommers, owner of Mad Mushroom (madmushroom.com) in West Lafayette, Indiana. Sommers’ pizza featured a creamy Gorgonzola sauce topped with asparagus and seared beef filet, finished with a merlot sauce drizzle.

Third place went to Ali Haider of 786 Degrees Wood Fired Pizza Company (786degrees.com) in Los Angeles. Haider baked a Neapolitan-style pizza that fused Indian herbs and spices, tikka masala tandoori chicken, mango chutney, mozzarella, sweet peppers, fresh cilantro and Himalayan sea salt.

In the acrobatics competition, meanwhile, Dave Sommers took home first-place prizes for Fastest Box Folding (25 seconds) and Fastest Pizza Making (37 seconds). LaMarca placed second in Fastest Box Folding (30 seconds), and Stan Miller, owner of World Famous Piezons Pizza in Fulton, Mississippi, captured third place (32 seconds). Mad Mushroom’s Rick Wheeler won second place in Fastest Pizza Making (43 seconds), while Miller took third place (62 seconds).

Two competitors tied for first place in the Largest Dough Stretch. Dylan Morris of Allen’s Stone Baked Pizzeria (allenspizzeria.net), located in Warner Robins, Georgia, and Brian Scott of Chattanooga’s Community Pie (communitypie. com) both recorded stretches of 31.375”. After a stretch-off, Morris took top honors. Third place went to Wheeler, with 31.125”.

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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DANIEL LEE PEREA

(Left to right) Frank Baird (left) brought several members of his Franco’s Pizza team—including Veronica Obenour and Ross Croucher—to take part in the competition. A wide variety of high-quality pies made this contest a tough call for the judges.

LaMarca says he’s gearing up to compete next on the international stage in Parma. “I have already begun playing around with the pizza I won with in Tennessee and scaling it down to fit some of the criteria that the judges use in the World Pizza Championship,” he says. “I’m also researching the ingredients I used in Tennessee and learning how they are typically prepared by Italian chefs.

Hopefully, I can find a nice balance of the two and come out with a pizza the judges will find extraordinary!”

The U.S. Pizza Team consists of expert pizza makers and dough spinning acrobatic performers from pizza restaurants across the United States. Team member Jamie Cul-

liton won second place in Individual Freestyle Acrobatics at the 2014 World Pizza Championship, and the squad took first place in the Team Acrobatics competition at the same event in 2011. PMQ Pizza Magazine, the pizza restaurant industry’s leading trade magazine, created the U.S. Pizza Team in 2000.

The team is sponsored by Grain Craft, California Milk Advisory Board, Gordon Food Service, LaNova, Paradise Tomato Kitchens, Bag Solutions, Fontanini Meats, Lillsun, Marsal and Sons, Univex, PizzaInsurance.com and Presto Foods.

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor-in-chief.

Upcoming PMQ Webinars April 8, 2015, 3PM EST

Sponsored by

THE TOMATOES OF NAPLES “Il Pomodoro Di Napoli” Featuring: Don Letendre of Famoso Pizza Brad Otton of Sette Bello’s

May 6, 2015, 3PM EST GLUTEN FREE DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN BAD PIZZA “Adding Gluten Free to Your Menu” Featuring: Mark Dym of Marco’s Coal Fired Pizza Anthony Carron of 800 Degrees

REGISTER NOW! to participate in these informative webinars at

pmq.com/webinar/ 90

Sponsored by

Hosted by: Daniel Perea & Brian Hernandez

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH! AT THE 3RD ANNUAL

OVEN SPECTACULAR This one-day event will buff your business skills like no other. Experts will discuss dough, cheese and ovens — all essential elements for a great pizza. Want to know which oven to buy for your shop? Test and compare the industry’s top pizza ovens, all under one roof! Walk away with the confidence that you’ve found that perfect match for your pizzeria. Space is limited, so register today! Event is FREE to pizza operators!

Details Matter Learn from Noel Brohner, consulting Pizzaiolo to some of the top restaurants in LA, and Jeff Yankellow, Artisan Baker and Chairman of The Board of the Bread Bakers Guild of America. This interactive class will demonstrate every step of the pizza making process from mixing to shaping to baking. Learn how every small detail adds up to make the most consistent pizza you can day in and day out. Noel and Jeff will cover a variety of styles from thin to thick and from traditional to trending. They will be available to answer any questions you have.

PIZZA LOOK GUY FOR S ING OVEN OME LOVIN ’!

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p solid y izzaiolo de et sha sires pe oven f or lon ly reliable g term tionsh ip. relaGet re ad up an y to heat t hi d kee alive p the ngs w fire heater ith me! s that Slow the bu c rn aliv an’t keep apply. e nee d not

Chef Frank Milward Come and find out - Advance your perspective on what it takes to produce great pizza! Why is Wood Stone Hearth & Open flame pizza different?

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See ovens from Middleby Marshall , Lincoln, XLT, Marsal, Woodstone, Beech, Montague, Italfornia and MORE…

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Jumping for Joia

Blowin’ in the Wind Everyone likes free stuff—especially money—and custom-printed inflatable cash machines from Banner Marketing make it easy to win every time. Customers will line up for the opportunity to grab bills or coupons flying around in the cash machines. Custom designs are available. 805-528-5018, bannermarketinggroup.com

Influenced by today’s cocktail trends focused on complex, sophisticated flavors, Joia is an all-natural soda and mixer with unique flavor combinations of fruits, herbs and spices. Lightly sweetened with evaporated cane sugar, Joia delivers distinct taste and refreshment, by itself or as part of a cocktail. 612-483-9100, joialife.com

Bags for Every Need Delivery Bag Depot has every type of delivery bag a pizzeria could need.

All bags are made with premier 600 Denier PVC materials with nylon lining for durability and heat retention. From pizzas and sandwiches to catering orders, Delivery Bags Depot can help you make the perfect delivery. 844-468-2247, deliverybagsdepot.com

Don’t Miss the FireShow New York Brick Ovens Company has introduced the FireShow, a gas-fired, revolving brick oven for super-high production and a consistent product. Features include a flame centered for a warm display, small footprint and high output. Easy to use and train on, it’s the oven of choice for the Pizza School of New York! 800-683-6053, nybrickovens.com

Dressings to Thrill Brianna’s Fine Salad Dressings are made with hearthealthy canola oil and contain no added MSG, trans fats or high-fructose corn syrup. Eleven of the 15 flavors are gluten-free, two are fat-free, nine are certified kosher, and one contains no sugar. Customers will appreciate Brianna’s “homestyle” flavors. 979-836-5978, briannassaladdressing.com

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The Dragon Cut Shorter and wider than standard mozzarella shreds, Dragon Cut Shreds from Galbani produce a more natural-looking melt with better coverage so pizza makers can do more with less. And its great yield means the gorgeously browned, caramelized sweetness stays where it belongs—on your pizza! 877-522-8254, galbanipro.com

PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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Y a

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Do you know what your guests are thinking?

You can count on GMA Research for a quick, accurate, and affordable way to find out what your guests really think.

Our team of experts has specialized in foodservice and hospitality research since 1970.

For a free consultation on how GMA Research can help you, contact Don Morgan, Senior Partner.

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PMQ ADVERTISERS HEAD TO VEGAS FOR PIZZA EXPO 2015, MARCH 23-26!

BOOTH# AM Manufacturing 1535 Antimo Caputo 144 Arrow POS 849 Bacio Cheese 1229 Bag Solutions 772 Bay State Milling 1169 Bellissimo Foods 935 Briannas Dressing 121 Bonici/Tyson Foodservice 257 Burke Corporation 635 Caputo Cheese 466 Check Corp 825 Cover Tex Corporation 234 Custom Foods Inc. 1957 Deliver Media 1728 DeIorios 541 Doughmate 334 DoughXpress 707 Earthstone Ovens 1269 Escalon Premier Brands 1767 Ferrero USA 620 Fish Oven & Equipment 1557 Fontanini Meats 1035 GI Metal USA Inc. 872 Globe Food Equipment 956 Grain Craft 719 Granbury 1213 Grande Cheese 1013 HTH 912 Hoshizaki 219 I.C.E. Inc. 2111 Kiki Gluten Free 1409 La Nova 1435 Lactalis 1835 Liguria Foods 1313 Lloyd Industries Inc. 1067 Magnetic Attractions 1366 Mail Shark 1640, 1642, 1644 Marsal & Sons, Inc. 1113 Manzo Foods 1872 McClancy Seasoning 1245

BOOTH# Message on Hold 837 MF & B Restaurant Systems 1919 MFG Tray 220 Microworks 934 Middleby Marshall 913 Molino Pasini 757 Monini/Mutti/Molini Spigadoro 128 Moving Targets 813 National Marketing (Mr. Peel) 957 Neil Jones Food Company 1335 New York Brick Oven 2348 Northern Pizza Equipment, Inc. 920 Off the Wall Magnetics 369 Ovention Ovens 3138 Pacific Coast Producers 1849 Peerless Ovens 1923 & 1925 Perfect Crust Pizza 2225 Pizza Equip. Pro/Global Industries 763 Pizza Insurance 425 Pizza Pro Insurance 2230 Pizzaovens.com 1218 Pizza Solutions 2024 Polselli 1772 Precision Mixers 1846 Red Shift Company 665 Rocktenn 513 Saputo Cheese USA 547 Signature Systems 2013 Sofo Foods 1319 Somerset 1357 Stanislaus Food Products 529 Thunderbird Food Machinery 1151 Todarini 1813 To-Jo Mushrooms 967 Univex Corporation 1123 Varimixer 2143 WaverCostumes.com 2042 Wood Stone Corporation 2072 XLT Ovens 972 Zagistics 2051

PMQ Pizza Magazine provides this list as a service to our readers. While we strive to maintain accuracy, errors can sometimes occur. Please consult pizzaexpo.com for any last minute changes.

94 PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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PMQ Pizza Magazine The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly

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L E T ’S

A T I L Y !

O T O G Join the U.S. Pizza Team on a trek through the food valley of Italy!

The U.S. Pizza Team will return to Parma, Italy, for the 2015 World Pizza Championship May 22-28, 2015 All PMQ subscribers and friends are invited to accompany us on this year’s trip— everyone is welcome!

After team member Jamie Culliton won 2nd place in last year’s Acrobatics category, the U.S. Pizza Team is primed to bring home some gold in 2015. Join the entourage for pizza, wine and beautiful Italian scenery.

For more information on costs and travel arrangements, email Brian Hernandez at brian@pmq.com or call (662) 234-5481, ext. 129.

TEAM GOLD SPONSORS

TEAM SILVER SPONSORS

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ADVERTISER INDEX MARCH 2015 Advertiser

Phone Website

Page

Aflac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . aflac.com/business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 AM Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219-472-7272 . . . . . . . ammfg.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Antimo Caputo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201-368-9197 . . . . . . orlandofoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Bag Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-BAG-TO-GO . . . . deliverybags.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Barilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866-349-4386 . . . . . . barillafoodservicerecipes.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53 Bay State Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-553-5687 . . . . . . baystatemilling.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bellissimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-813-2974 . . . . . . . bellissimofoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Best Choice Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-604-3111 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Brianna’s Dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . briannassaladdressing.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2 Caputo Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708-450-0074 . . . . . . . caputocheese.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . Front Cover Tip 1, 2 Delivery Bags Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844-HOT-BAGS . . . . . deliverybagsdepot.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Delivery Bags USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-501-2247 . . . . . . deliverybagsusa.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Edge Ovens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-480-EDGE . . . . . edgeovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Escalon Premier Brands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-ESCALON . . . . . . escalon.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 EZ Dine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-853-1263 . . . . . . ezdinepos.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Fontanini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-331-MEAT . . . . . . fontanini.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Forno Bravo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-407-5119 . . . . . . . fornobravo.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Galbani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . galbanipro.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 47 GI Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-952-8350 . . . . . . gimetalusa.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 GMA Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425-460-8800 . . . . . . gmaresearch.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Grande Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-8-GRANDE . . . . . grandecheese.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Hoshizaki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-438-6087 . . . . . . hoshizakiamerica.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 3 HTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-321-1850 . . . . . . hthsigns.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 La Nova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716-881-3366 . . . . . . lanova.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 4 Liguria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515-332-4121 . . . . . . liguriafoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Lloyd Pans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-748-6251 . . . . . . . lloydpans.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Marsal & Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631-226-6688 . . . . . . marsalsons.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Master’s Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mastersgalleryfoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Menu Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-250-2819 . . . . . . . themenuexpress.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Microworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-787-2068 . . . . . . . microworks.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Middleby Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-34-OVENS . . . . . . wowoven.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Monini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203-513-2763 . . . . . . . monini.us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Moving Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-926-2451 . . . . . . movingtargets.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 NAPICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . napics.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Neil Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-291-3862 . . . . . . njfco.com/italian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Nutella Food Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nutellafoodservice.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Our Town America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-497-8360 . . . . . . ourtownamerica.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Ovention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855-298-OVEN . . . . . . oventionovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Peerless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-548-4514 . . . . . . peerlessovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Perfect Crust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-783-5343 . . . . . . perfectcrust.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 PDQ POS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-968-6430 . . . . . . . pdqpos.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Pizza Skool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517-395-4765 . . . . . . . traintogreatness.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Pizza Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855-289-6836 . . . . . . pizzasolution.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Pizzaovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877-FOR-OVEN . . . . . pizzaovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 RockTenn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816-415-7359 . . . . . . . rocktenn.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Saputo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-824-3373 . . . . . . . saputousafoodservice.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Social High Rise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855.95.SOCIAL . . . . . socialhighrise.com/pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Sofo Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-447-4211 . . . . . . . sofofoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Somerset Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 978-667-3355 . . . . . . . smrset.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sorrento . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sorrentohof.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Stanislaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-327-7201 . . . . . . . stanislaus.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 Sunray Printing Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320-492-3017 . . . . . . sunrayprinting.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Takeout Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845-564-2609 . . . . . . takeoutprinting.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Todarini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855-279-6977 . . . . . . . todarinifoods.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 43 To-jo Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610-268-8082 . . . . . . to-jo.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Tyson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . bonici.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Univex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-258-6358 . . . . . . univexcorp.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Woodstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-988-8103 . . . . . . woodstone-corp.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 XLT Ovens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888-443-2751 . . . . . . xltovens.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13 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.

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE Grab a direct weblink to every advertiser in this guide at PMQ.com

ADVERTISING

CHEESE CONT.

Have you been iserved?

TM

For more information call (888)-761-3281, or scan the QR

BAKING SCHOOLS AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BAKING .........................................................Manhattan, KS 785-537-4750 ................................................................................Fax: 785-537-1493

BAKING STONES FIBRAMENT-D BAKING STONE.....................................................www.bakingstone.com 708-478-6032 ......................................NSF approved baking stone for all ovens by AWMCO

CARD PROCESSING

CHEESE

Made by us from our own cows’ milk!

Mozzarella & More!

We ship anywhere.. giftboxes, orders, etc.

Call- 715-286-4007 www.gingerbreadjerseycheese.com 102

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT.

WE’RE IN TOUCH WITH YOUR POS NEEDS. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Integrated Inventory Management Marketing Systems Result Mapping Online Ordering System and much more!

817.299.4500 sales@BreakawayPOS.com www.BreakawayPOS.com All The Tech Your Pizzeria Needs • •

Tablet and Traditional Point-of-Sale Integrated online & smartphone ordering

• •

Self Serve Kiosk ordering Automated customer loyalty marketing

800.750.3947

CALL FOR A DEMO TODAY!

www.granburyrs.com

Incredible Affordable Pizza POS! $

CUTTING BOARDS - EQUAL SLICE

The POS software of choice for thousands of pizzerias over more than a decade. Detailed features and demo software available at the Point of Success web site.

599 ®

(800) 752-3565 www.pointofsuccess.com

DESSERTS Request your FREE Nutella® Starter Kit* and learn more about adding Nutella® to your menu!

Call 410-268-0030 ext. 259 or visit www.nutellafoodservice.com/start for more information.

Your FREE Nutella® Starter Kit includes: ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Nutella® Usage Guide Nutella® Information Guide Recipes Inspired by Nutella® Samples to inspire the imagination: - 6 Portion Control packs - 1 - 26.5 oz. Jar

For new customers only. While supplies last. ©Ferrero 2014 *

DOUGH

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE DOUGH CONT.

DeIorio Foods

DOUGH TRAYS/PROOFING TRAYS

@DeIorios

blog.DeIorios.com

DeIorios.com

DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS

• Dough Trays – extremely durable and airtight!

Outlasts All Other Dough Trays • Dough Tray Covers – designed to fit!

• Plastic Dough Knives – two ergonomic designs!

• 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 25 years manufacturing in dough trays.

Call 800-501-2458 ........... www.doughmate.com ......... fax: 908-276-9483

When Dough Matters!

Eliminate racks, lids and tins with our stackable, airtight and cost effective Dough Trays.

1-502-969-2305 www.DoughTrays.com COST EFFECTIVE

STACKABLE

AIRTIGHT

DURABLE

ORDER DIRECT

4601 COMMERCE CROSSINGS DR., STE 300, LOUISVILLE, KY 40229 | p: 502-969-2305 | f: 502-810-0907

WWW.DOUGHTRAYS.COM

DOUGH PRESSES, ROLLERS

Order online 24 hours at www.milleniaplastic.com, or call 407.804.1193!

Most items in stock ready to ship!

800.835.0606 ext. 205 | www.doughxpress.com

DRESSINGS

dough presses, dough dividers/divider rounders, dough dockers, carts and accessories

BRIANNAS

®

Your New Favorite Topping!

Visit BriannasSaladDressing.com for Recipe Ideas! © 2015, Del Sol Food Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

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

FLOUR

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE FLOUR CONT.

FRANCHISING Should You Franchise Your Restaurant?

Call today to receive your free DVD on “How to Franchise Your Business” and learn about one of the most dynamic methods of expanding your business in today’s marketplace.

®

FRANCHISE CONSULTANTS

708-957-2300 • www.ifranchisegroup.com

GARLIC SPREAD • Made with 100% Pure italian Pecorino roMano • cho hoPPed natural garlic • Butter Blend • whiPPed By design softens quicker & sPreads easier

For recipes and availability in your area visit

www.mgspread.com • zazzmar@aol.com Full line of Flour: Pizza, Pasta, Bread, Pastries, Gluten Free, & Whole Grains Imported Exclusively by: Manzo Food Sales, Inc. Tel. (305) 406-2747.........www.manzofood.com

GELATO

FOOD DISTRIBUTORS True Artisan Gelato

(888) 316-1545 www.stefanosgelato.com

GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS W H O L E S O M

E

&

D E L I C I O U S ™ WHOLES

OME & DELICIOUS

™

INSURANCE PIZZAPRO .............................................................Low cost pizza delivery insurance program Contact Julie Evans (717) 214-7616..............................................................www.pizzapro.amwins.com

FINANCING

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT

MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT MIDDLEBY MARSHALL

OVENS MIXERS

RANDELL

PREP TABLES

AMERICAN RANGE

WALK-INS

SOMERSET

PARTS SMALLWARES

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1-800-426-0323

www.northernpizza.com

IMPERIAL

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MAGNETS

MARKETING IDEAS CONT.

MAGNETS 7.9¢ ea.

MANAGEMENT

• Business Card Magnet • Pizza Slice Magnet

ing C ring Cater Dine In•Carryout•Cate

• Free Design Work

on St. isson 2503B N. Harris 6 16 7-161 207-16 Arlington, VA 2220

• 2,000 minimum

0 200 020 703-237-0 a.com za.com nza www.pie-tan

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

MEAT TOPPINGS

800-521-4773

BURKE CORPORATION ...................................................................................... www.BurkeCorp.com

www.magneticattracations.com/BCM

Beef & Pork Pizza Toppings, Italian & Breakfast Sausage, Meatballs and Specialty Fully Cooked Meats

Contact:Jamie Reynolds..................Sales_Info@BurkeCorp.com............................. 800.654.1152

INSTANT ONLINE PRICING

MAILING SERVICES

CLICK TO VIEW PRICING

GET ONLINE PRICING

ONLINE PRICE QUOTE

INSTANT ONLINE PRICE QUOTE

PRESTIGE FOODS ............................314-567-3648 ........................MEATTRADER@MSN.COM Low Closeout Pricing! Call for this week’s special. For Deals That Go To Your Bottom Line.

AFFORDABLE

PRINT & DIRECT MAIL

No Money Down, Pay Weekly on All Mailings!

TODARINI FOODS .................Featuring Italian ChickenTM & Sicilian ChickenTM Pizza Toppings www.todarinifoods.com ........................................................................................ 855-279-6977

(888) 915-8369 www.GetMailshark.com

MENus • MAGNETs • PosTCARDs • sCRATCh-offs • DooR hANGERs • Box ToPPERs • NEW MovERs

MARKETING IDEAS

MIXERS USED HOBART 60 QT. MIXER FOR SALE AT US $4980.00 PLUS SHIPPING. Call Lynn at 214-552-3218.............................................................................. or e-mail tbfm@tbfm.com

Precision HD-60 Pizza Mixer 7-Year Unconditional Parts Warranty on all gears and shafts in the planetary and transmission!

Holdsbowl! art 80-qundles a Ha . bag 50 lb our! of fl

www.pizzamixers.com • 1-877-R-MIXERS

60 QUART—HEAVY HEAVY DUTY

Pizza Mixer

Handles 50 lb. bag of flour • Direct gear drive transmission Rigid cast iron construction • Best warranty in its class

Globe Food Equipment Co. | www.globefoodequip.com

Mixing, Dividing, Rounding, and Spinning www.univexcorp.com Tel. 800-258-6358 Fax. 603-893-1249

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MOBILE CATERING TRUCKS/UNITS

ON HOLD MARKETING

ONLINE ORDERING

MOISTURE-ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER/SUPPLIES

MUSHROOMS PASTA

We don’t take a canned approach to mushrooms.

Mushrooms

Avondale, PA | 610.268.8082 to-jo.com | info@to-jo.com

OLIVES

For foodservice-ready pasta recipes, visit www.BarillaFoodserviceRecipes.com PIZZA BOXES

Doing It The American Way! CUSTOMIZE YOUR PIZZA BOX 7” to 36” Custom Boxes and Odd Sizes Available TAKE YOUR IMAGE TO THE NEXT LEVEL

UP TO 4-COLORS NO PLATE FEES*

* C A L L U S F O R D E TA I L S

888.400.3455 ext. 107 2001 East Cooley Drive, Colton, CA 92324

www.wpackaging.net

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS

Metal is the right choice.

Aluminum is lighter and longer lasting that wooden peels.

Introducing the ultimate perforated pizza peel to easily sift away excess flour.

Tailored to your preferred length, shape and functionality.

100% made in Italy and available in America, close to you with the service you need.

Pro fe & r ssion est au al too ran ts, ls for sin piz ce z 19 erias 86 .

GI.METAL USA, INC Phone (630) 553 9134 www. gimetalusa.com info@gimetalusa.com

Be Smart.

Wood is over.

MADE IN ITALY

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA BOXES CONT.

PIZZA OVENS CONT. MARSAL & SONS, INC. ................................................ The new standard in the Pizza Industry Brick Lined Deck Ovens • Standard Deck Ovens • Prep Table Refrigeration 631-226-6688......................... marsalsons.com ........................ rich@marsalsons.com 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

PIZZA BOX INSERTS

FRESH PIE Pizza Box Liner/ Insert

WOOD STONE CORPORATION......................................Stone Hearth & Specialty Commercial Cooking Equipment..................................... 1801 W. Bakerview Rd ............Bellingham, WA 98226 TOLL Free 800-988-8103 .....................Fax: 360-650-1166 ...........woodstone-corp.com

Carrie Yanke-Customer Service Rep 724-657-3650 • ccd.pop@ccd-pop.com Check our our informational blogs!

www.creativecolordisplay.com PIZZA BOX LINERS

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS

YOUR ONE-STOP BAG SHOP • UNBEATABLE BAGS AT UNBEATABLE PRICES PRICES AS LOW AS

$13.49

$10

ATE FLAT R ING SHIPP

1-844-HOT-BAGS

Satuisafaractnitoened! g

www.deliverybagsdepot.com

pmq.com/Recipe-Bank/

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.

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA PREP TABLES

PIZZA OVENS CONT.

Stone Deck, Pizza Dome, and Bakery

www.univexcorp.com Tel. 800-258-6358 Fax. 603-893-1249

WWW.XLTOVENS.COM TO ORDER CALL (316) 943-2751 | TOLL-FREE: (888) 443-2751 | FAX: (316) 943-2769

PIZZA PANS

Inventor of

The Quik-Disk™

The best screen replacement since 1989.

LLOYD INDU STR IES ®

100’s OF SMART PIZZA PRODUCTS ONLINE!

Buy Direct and Save $$ • www.lloydpans.com • 1-800-748-6251

AMERICAN MADE

Pizza Screens • The Ultimate in Bake Disks Pizza Pans... Round, Square, & Rectangular Sauce/Cheese Rings • Pan Covers Pizza Cutters/Knives

see more at

www.marsalsons.com

(631) 226-6688

PIZZA SUPPLIES

• Pizza Preparation and Delivery Products •

P.A. PRODUCTS, Inc. BAKEWARE SPECIALISTS

33709 Schoolcraft • Livonia, Michigan 48150 (734) 421-1060 • FAX: (734) 421-1208 www.paprod.com

National Marketing, Inc.

www.nminc.com 800-994-4664

734-266-2222

Fax: 734-266-2121

Manufacturers’ Direct Pricing • Call or order online • We export

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REFRIGERATION

SAUCE ARMANINO FOODS ....................................................................................................Fine Italian Sauces 30588 San Antonio Street, Haywood, CA...........................................................................866-553-5611 Email: customerservice@armaninofoods.com ............................... www.armaninofoods.com

PRINTING

Call Today For Immediate Always Special Pricing to the Pizza Industry Pricing

877-604-3111 INSTANT ONLINE PRICING

Serving the Pizza Industry for Over 30 Years

MENUS • FLYERS • BOX TOPPERS • POSTCARDS • DOOR HANGERS

CLICK TO VIEW PRICING

We Will Beat Any Advertised Menu Deals...Guaranteed!!!* Takeout Menus • In House Menus • Boxtoppers • Magnets • Flyers • Kid’s Menus Custom Placemats • Business Cards • Post Cards • Rack Cards • Stickers • Thank You Cards Doorhangers • Banners • Gift Certificates • Table Tents • Posters • Signs & More GET ONLINE INSTANT Visit our Website for our Free Reports, Photo Library &PRICE Restaurant Marketing IdeasPRICE ONLINE ONLINE No shading/shadow No shading/shadow PRICING www.takeoutprinting.com • 845QUOTE - 564 - 2609

Gray, no shading No shadow

QUOTE

212 - 252 - 3846 • 877 - 25 - PRINT (77468)

check out our ad on page 97

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One Color

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(888) 915-8369 www.GetMailshark.com

MENus • MAGNETs • PosTCARDs • sCRATCh-offs • DooR hANGERs • Box ToPPERs • NEW MovERs

SECURITY

SOCIAL MEDIA !

Social Media / Online Reputation

WARNING Management Requires Professionals

Don’t Risk Trying It Yourself Call the experts 800.926.2451 ext. 318

PRODUCE

movingtargets.com

ONIONS FRESH FROM OUR FARM TO YOUR OVEN. Trusted Grower • Celebrated Service Bulk, Sliced & Diced Options

www.riverpointfarms.com

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE SPICE FORMULATION, BLENDING & PACKAGING

TOMATO PRODUCTS CONT.

SPICE FORMULATION, BLENDING & PACKAGING CONT.

TAKE AND BAKE TRAYS

TRAINING

TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES/SERVICE Specializing in voice and data communications service, repair, installation, sequencers and on-hold messaging.

GUARANTEED LOWEST INDUSTRY PRICE!

www.fidelitycom.com.........................800-683-5600

TOMATO PRODUCTS

VINYL REPAIR

Restaurant Upholstery Experts RepaiR Remodeling Custom Build

561.981.6200

www.vinylrepairmaster.com

WINGS

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PIZZA HALL OF FAME www.pizzahalloffame.com

Villa Italian Kitchen From Broadway beginnings in 1964 to 400 locations today, this fast-growing pizzeria served cheese slices to Ed Sullivan in its early years. By Tracy Morin

(Clockwise from top) Villa Pizzeria got its start on Broadway in New York, next to the Ed Sullivan Theater; plain cheese pie remains a top seller for the pizzeria; Michele Scotto poses at his pizzeria and on the waterfront in 1964.

N

aples, Italy, native Michele Scotto opened Villa Pizzeria (now called Villa Italian Kitchen) in 1964 with a handful of authentic old-world recipes and a commitment to hospitality and quality ingredients. Located next to the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York, the pizzeria innovated off the bat (offering delivery in its inaugural year) and swiftly gained kudos from celebs and civilians alike. “Back then, guests had never tasted anything like Michele’s family’s Neapolitan-style pizza with fresh handmade dough,” says Andrew Steinberg, senior vice president of operations of Villa Enterprises Management (villapizza.com), based in Morristown, New Jersey.

“Ed Sullivan used to come in and buy a 15-cent coffee and 25-cent slice of cheese pizza before every show.”

Villa eventually grew, opening its first airport location in 1994, first international location in Naples in 1996, and first mall location in 1997. Today, three generations of the Scotto family are involved with running the company.

Steinberg notes that brothers Biagio Scotto, president, and Anthony Scotto, CEO, are the perfect duo, managing

the development of multiple brands in multiple real estate venues, franchising, and growing their family’s successful “under the radar” company for years. “I’m so proud of my sons,” Michele beams. “Biagio used to deliver pizzas and knew how to make money when he was just a boy; Anthony was always the people person. Together, their personalities and strengths fit together to make my oncesmall pizzeria into a global multibrand hospitality company.”

The company still holds on to Michele’s traditions, handmaking pies with fresh dough, whole-milk mozzarella and homemade sauce; top sellers include the plain cheese pie and its signature Stromboli. While celebrating 50 years in 2014, Villa opened 70 new locations last year (reflecting a 25% growth), bringing its total to 400 locations, but the business carries on as a family affair. “I used to work at my pop’s pizzeria in New York when I was old enough to walk,” recalls Biagio. “Now my own daughter is working with operations, so someday maybe a fourth generation will be involved!”

HAS YOUR PIZZERIA BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR 50 OR MORE YEARS? IF SO, CONTACT US AT TRACY@PMQ.COM. 114

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Visit us at the Pizza Show Booth # 219

Rolling in the Dough with Hoshizaki’s Pizza Prep Tables

CPT67

Featuring The Newest Addition with Patent Pending Air Flow Design

CPT46

“A Superior Degree of Reliability”

halloffame.indd 115

800.438.6087

CPT67-D4

CPT93

www.hoshizakiamerica.com

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Links to Extra Content Featured Video: PMQ Biz Tip: Why do bad things happen to good pizzeria operators? PMQ’s Daniel Lee Perea reviews the common mistakes that lead to failure in the pizza restaurant business.

Featured Video: Cooking with PMQ: Chef Santo Bruno whips up a delicious shrimp-and-pasta dish.

Featured Video: Pizza 360: The Pizza 360 crew chats with Jonathan Porter of Chicago Pizza Tours.

Featured Video: PMQ Extra features highlights from the U.S. Pizza Team National Trials in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

March 2015

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