PMQ Pizza Magazine Nov/Dec 2005 by PMQ Pizza Magazine

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FEATURES

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

44 The Emerging Chinese Pizza Market

Checking in with the World of Pizza, this time we look at one of the largest markets in the world: China. You might be surprised how the county’s 1.8 billion residents are taking to pizza.

A Kid-Friendly Environment

48 A Taste of Brazilian Pizza

The World of Pizza now includes South America, which is experiencing a pizza explosion in Brazil. Our reporter finds out why.

52 Pasta in Practice

Fresh homemade pasta is shaking up The World of Pizza, even in the UK. This report from the UK pizza magazine Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food shares one British operator’s practicing pasta passion.

56 All Hell is Breaking Loose Hell Pizza, that is. Get the scoop on this emerging pizza chain in New Zealand that is burning up that country’s burgeoning pizza market.

64 Figaro’s Dances to a Different Tune Dessert Island

This chain of pizzerias based out of Salem, Oregon, has recently undergone a makeover that has reenergized their bottom line. Check out how savvy marketing and even a little humor can make a difference.

70 Walker Family Pizza: Got Them Ol’ Pizza Blues Pizza is indeed a family affair for this Bella Vista, California, store. Owner David Walker has developed a marketing niche based on being a good neighbor in the community… and serving up some rocking blues with his pizza.

74 The Mother of All Pizzas They take their Neapolitan pizza seriously in Naples, Italy...and here in America. Check out why operators here feel safe proclaiming theirs, “The Mother of All Pizzas.”

80 Creating a Grab-and-Go Concept with Desserts

Italian desserts have been the icing on the pizza cake for years. One owner in Ellsworth, Maine, saw even sweeter profits ahead by prominently displaying his tasty dessert dishes.

84 The Moveable Feast: Buffets In Lake Delton, Wisconsin, a buffet has proven to be such a big summer hit, one owner is mulling a year-round offering.

92 All the Fun and Pizza You Can Eatza In Scottsdale, Arizona, this pizzeria’s family-friendly atmosphere proves to more than mere child’s play.

Figaro’s Hits A High Note

6 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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Packing a Punch Into Your Perfect Pizza Control-released powders add a variety of flavors to any crust without altering texture.

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DEPARTMENTS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

Insurance: After the Storm

110

10 From the Publisher

Big Dave Strategies: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Steve Green tells you what’s in store for this issue.

12 Pizza Press

78 Idea Forum

A roundup of pizza news spanning the globe.

More products and ideas and how they can benefit you.

14 From the Horse’s Mouth

83 Pizzeria Internationale

Real pizza operators give the skinny on real issues they’ve dealt with firsthand.

Sample a multicultural taste of pizza-related recipes from PMQ readers.

16 Steps to Success

96 Is Good Help Hard to Find?

The Slutsky brothers share their techniques for increasing your guests’ checks, starting with that after-pizza cup of coffee.

Terry Morey of AIMHIRE explains what employers should be looking for when looking for the best employees to hire.

18 Changing Menu Prices without Enraging Your Customers

104

Joey Todaro of La Nova Wings tells us how to adjust prices without giving your customers heartburn… or sticker shock.

20 In Lehmann’s Terms Tom Lehmann, The Dough Doctor, explains the nuances of dough.

24 Big Dave Strategies: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Big Dave Ostrander gives the lowdown on pizza promotions, from the best to the downright awful.

28 Tapping into the Power of Believable Marketing

Mike Attias, of EZ Restaurant Marketing, discusses the best form of advertising: tasty food.

32 Barter Barons

Marketing guru, Karon Karington, sheds light on what may be an over-looked part of your business: how to barter for services.

36 Put to the Test

PMQ’s newest feature gets you, the pizza operator, to weigh in your opinion on pizza products and how they work in your stores. 8 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Printing 101 Takeout Printing’s Michael D’Agostino gives you the rundown on basic printing principles and what to look for in a professional printer for your menus.

108

Columbia: The Next Pizza Frontier Chef Bruno, international man of mystery, shares pizza knowledge and recipes from his pizzeria and travels.

110

After the Storm: A Peek Inside the Claims Process PJ Giannini talks about insurance issues important to every pizzeria owner.

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PMQ’s Pizza Industry Resource Guide PMQ’s listing of the best pizza resources and products.

129

Advertiser Index A quick guide to find the specific advertisers you’re looking for.

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Meet the People of PMQ Meet the staff who make this magazine possible. Serving the pizza industry...Serving you.

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A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER BY STEVE GREEN • PMQ PUBLISHER PMQ MAGAZINE Publisher Steve Green sg@pmq.com ext. 123 Co-Publisher Linda Green linda@pmq.com ext. 121 EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Tom Boyles tom@pmq.com ext. 122 Managing Editor Jim Dees jim@pmq.com ext. 129 Assistant Editor Lucas Leigh lucasl@pmq.com ext. 126 DESIGN/PRODUCTION Creative Director Eric Summers eric@pmq.com ext. 124 Art Assistant Rebecca Hollis rhollis@pmq.com PR/Web Coordinator Krista Hinman krista@pmq.com ext. 135 PMQ Webmaster John Ferguson webmaster@bizhub.com ADVERTISING Ad Sales Director Michelle Smith michelle@pmq.com ext. 127 Senior Acct. Sales Rep. Andrew Ouart andrew@pmq.com ext. 136 Ad Sales Nadia Ahmed nadia@pmq.com Traffic Manager Rosalind Smith rosalind@pmq.com ext. 130 ADMINISTRATION Accounting Shawn Brown shawn@pmq.com Circulation Manager Sherlyn Clark sherlyn@pmq.com ext. 120 USPT Coordination Caroline Felker caroline@pmq.com ext. 125 PMQ INTERNATIONAL PMQ China Weihua Xiao weihua@pmq.com Australia Publisher Stephen Millar smillar@pmq.com.au Italian Liaison Enrico Fama enrico.fama@pizzanew.net United Kingdom Liaison Steve Woods uk@pmq.com Latin Liaison Julia Bussade bussade@olemiss.edu French Liaison Julien Panet jpanet@pizza.fr EDITORIAL ADVISORS John Correll Correll Concepts LP Tom Lehmann American Institute of Baking Joey Todaro La Nova Pizzeria Ed Zimmerman Success Foods Marketing Big Dave Ostrander Big Dave Consulting Chef Santo Bruno Exec. Chef, Marsal & Sons CONTRIBUTORS Mike Rasmussen Franchise Tax Group Jeff & Marc Slutsky Authors/Consultants Joey Todaro La Nova Pizzeria Kamron Karington The Black Book Tom Lehmann American Institute of Baking Big Dave Ostrander Big Dave Consulting P.J. Giannini Pizzasure.com Mike Attias ezRestaurantmarketing.com Chef Santo Bruno Exec. Chef, Marsal & Sons Michael D’Agostino Takeout Printing Terry Morey AIMHIRE

IT’S SHOW TIME!

ovember 1st and 2nd is just a couple of weeks away and we here at PMQ couldn’t be more excited. Having just returned from Sydney, Australia, to witness the Caboolture Cheese Best of the Best pizza competition, I was thrilled to hear the energetic buzz about the New York Pizza Show that’s even going on Down Under. We’ve been receiving calls and email from both exhibitors and attendees with questions and interest in the show. With more than 20 super seminars, U.S. Pizza Team tryouts, seven countries participating in the America’s Plate competition, at least seven finalists in the American Pizza Championships, appearances from the Italian Pizza Acrobatic Team and an amazing line-up of exhibitors, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first pizzeria in America, located right there in New York City - Lombardi’s Pizza. We look forward to seeing all of our loyal readers, international friends, supportive advertisers, exhibitors, associates and new friends in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center for the New York Pizza Show. REMEMBER NOVEMBER!

THE WORLD OF PIZZA You’ll see a little extra international coverage in this issue of PMQ as we would like to show just how far pizza has spread in the past 100 years. PMQ spends a lot of time and resources traveling to Italy, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand exploring what the world of pizza is doing in all corners of the globe. In the process, we see lots of new ideas and approaches to pizza and meet some very informative experts. In this issue, we are featuring articles from China, New Zealand, the UK and Brazil in addition to features from across the U.S. We are also announcing the launching of www.pmq.cn, a website dedicated to the rapidly growing pizza industry in China. If you visit the site, you’ll be hard-pressed to understand it…unless you can read Chinese. That’s because we have employed Weihua Watson to develop this new addition to the PMQ family. We hope you will enjoy this international content and understand a little more about what is happening in the World of Pizza. U.S. PIZZA TEAM CONTINUES TO AMAZE A big, gracious thank you to all of our U.S. Pizza Team sponsors. Because of them, the U.S. Pizza Team has been able to travel all across the nation demonstrating the fun, flare and excitement of pizza. As I write this, the team is on the road performing Maryland, New Jersey and headed to San Antonio, Texas, in about 10 days. In their wake, they are creating headlines and appearing on television at just about every stop they make. We can’t wait to see who will be part of the 2006 U.S. Pizza team. If you would like to tryout, be sure to register for the trials at the New York Pizza Show. For more information, call Caroline Felker at 662-234-5481 ext. 125, email caroline@pmq.com or visit www.uspizzateam.com. PIZZA CRUISE The Pizza Cruise is a go, but due to Hurricane Katrina and changes in cruise ship schedules out of New Orleans, the trip has been rescheduled for 2007 and will depart from Port Canaveral just outside of Orlando, Florida. You can read more about the excitement of the Pizza Cruise on page 73.

Cover Illustration by Eric Summers GOLD SPONSORS

CONTACT US PMQ Magazine 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax linda@pmq.com PMQ Magazine is published bimonthly in the months of January, March, May, July, September and November. Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ Magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

A BIG THANKS TO OUR 2006 US PIZZA TEAM SPONSORS!!!!!

SILVER SPONSORS

10 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

PMQ AUSTRALIA

PMQ CANADA

PMQ U.S.

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Slice of the Pie: Mr. Pizza gives us the skinny on China, page 44

Tuesday November 1, 2005

The Pizza Press A Division of PMQ Magazine

Volume XXCIIVI, Issue 22

50 Cents Publisher: Stephen Green

Real Pizza News from the Real News Source...PMQ

ATTEMPT AT LARGEST PIZZA RECORD WCFCourier.com IOWA FALLS, Iowa - Bill Bahr, an assistant manager at Pizza Ranch, attempted to make the largest rectangular pizza in the world.The unofficial measurement of the pie was 129 feet by 98.6 feet. The pizza had over 9,500 individual pieces, which amounted to almost 50,000 slices, the report said. Bahr and more than 20 teams assembled the pizza and cooked it on a grain bin platform in the parking lot of Iowa Falls-Alden High School. The attempt was to set the current Guiness Book of World Records' largest rectangular pizza. The only other record for a large pizza is for a circular pizza.

HELL PIZZA ASKS WHO SHOULD BE SENT TO HELL Sydney Morning Herald Hell Pizza has been running a promotion in New Zealand following the Bali sentencing of Australian Schapelle Corby to 20 years in jail for smuggling 4.1kg of marijuana in her boogie board bag, a report from the Sydney Morning Herald said. The pizza company is

offering a free boogie board and a “holiday that could last a lifetime” to Bali, as a grand prize in a poll asking which politicians should be “sent to Hell for their sins,” the report said. If the winners can get a picture of themselves, with Corby, they will receive an additional prize of NZ$500.

COMPUTER ENGINEER EATS LEFTOVER PIZZA; LOSES JOB A computer engineer in Colorado who was turfed for eating leftover pizza won an Internet contest that sought the most outrageous firing story. “One day I saw that a different group in my company had just finished up a potluck and had some pizza left over,” he wrote. “I thought they would end up throwing it away and I was kind of hungry and went for it...I took a slice of pizza.” But the workers who threw the potluck had already made arrangements to split the pizza up and take it home. They went and told their manager about Garrison’s pizza heist. “Apparently the employees were planning to take it home and were offended by my action,” he said. “I wasn’t told about any of this until a month after the incident.” A month later, Garrison’s employment was terminated because of the pizza “theft.”

SHOT PIZZA MAN FINISHES DELIVERIES TBO.com TAMPA, Fla. - Thomas L. “Taz” Stefanelli, a pizza delivery driver for Hungry Howie's, was shot in the leg during a confrontation with an armed robber, a report at TBO.com said. Stefanelli delivered four more pizzas before returning to work and getting in an ambulance. The bullet went through his left hip and came out just below his buttock, the report said. “The cops found the bullet in my pants pocket,'' Stefanelli said Monday. “It hit my wallet and dropped.'' Stefanelli's first order turned out to be

12 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

a vacant house. “I heard the hollow sound like nothing was inside,'' he said. “I thought it was just another prank order.'' When he turned around, a teenager was walking toward him pulling a green mask over his face. Then he saw the .32-caliber revolver, the report said. “I took my right hand and pushed the gun off my face,'' Stefanelli said. “I took my left arm and raised the pizza bag up and pushed him to the ground.'' The teens ran away from the scene and Stefanelli drove off in his truck. He drove to a police community office that

was closed. Then he felt the pain in his leg, the report said. “I looked down and saw the hole in my shorts and the blood,'' he said. He delivered his next order where he asked to use the phone. He called his boss and told his boss to call the police, but he said it would be a few minutes because he had to finish his deliveries first, the report said. “I told him I want a raise and I want hazard pay,'' Stefanelli said. “He laughed about the raise but gave me $50 for hazard pay.''

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INDUSTRY

JOIN US AT THE NEW YORK PIZZA SHOW! Here is just a sampling of the great exhibitors you’ll find at the 2005 New York Pizza Show.

A-One Touch Registers/Next POS A. Camacho Accolade Technologies AcuTemp Adessie Air Flow Signs AM Manufacturing Company AMS Enterprise Assurance Bag Solutions Bellissimo Berry Veal Brothers RailRoad Inn Buona Vita Burke Corporation Cannoli Factory Caputo Flour Carmi Flavor & Fragrance Cassell Promotions & Signs Cattleman's Barbeque Cellone Bakery CFM Concepts Chart Industries Chicago Metallic Cluck U Chicken California Milk Advisory Board Coloring Book Solutions Con Agra CoolOrder.com Costanzo's Bakery Delivery Concepts Dexmet Diamond Touch Discovery Products

Dixie Southern Foods Escalon Premier Brands Ferrante Bros. Inc./Nick's Sausage Fontanini Italian Meats and Sausages France Pizza Frank's Red Hot Freedom Systems Freeport Paper French's Food Service G.I. Metal GTI Design Happy Chef Uniforms Heng Chang Paper Industry Inter Olive(Pizzatrade.net) KDNY La Nova Wings LFI Marsal & Sons, Inc. Marriott Vacations Medallion Labs Media Soft Solutions Message on Hold Mozzarella Fresca Mountain Service Distributors MTS Sundblade Musco Olive Company My Pizza Promo Nica Business Solutions Off The Wall Magnetics Olympus Flag & Banner Pelle Pizza PFS Pizza E Pasta Pizza Leveler (The)

PizzaOvens.com Pizzatools.com PMQ Australia-NZ PMQ Canada PMQ China Precision Mixers Quantum Topping Systems Rizza Foods RediHEAT Renato Ovens Restaurant Alliance Revention Rogers & Sons Roma Foods Roto-Flex Rubbermaid Saputo Cheese USA, Inc. Sherman Specialties Signature Systems, Inc. Slomin's Security Speedline Solutions St. Ives Stuff-It Enterprises Take Out Printing Throw Dough Tomanetti's Pizza Tower Isle's Tru Label, Inc. Vesuvio Foods Vision Marketing WinTarget Connections WoodStone Ovens Your Bag Lady www.pmq.com — PMQ 13

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FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH Everyone does business a different way. In this department, PMQ poses two to three questions each issue to a group of owners/operators from across the country so you can see what others think about certain topics. In this department, you get the word straight from the horse’s mouth. If you have a question you would like to have asked or would like to volunteer and voice your opinions, email Tom Boyles at tom@pmq.com.

Stan Miller World Famous Piezons Fulton, Mississippi

HAVE YOU EVER ATTENDED A PIZZA TRADE SHOW? IF SO, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND ATTENDING ONE AND WHY? Stan Miller — Yes, I do attend shows. It’s a great way to meet people in your industry, advertising, equipment, suppliers and other operators like yourself. Bruno Tini — Yes. Highly recommend. Not only is it a forum for all us pizza guys to exchange information, but it’s a place where you can see all the old stuff revamped, see new ideas and equipment that are released and the vibe one gets just from being with people on the same level is unmatched. Jim Savoia — Yes, I have, and I would recommend for all operators to do the same at any time there’s a chance. When you have the opportunity to meet and greet other operators and learn all that's available from the sources, you can only grow your business. Each person, food or equipment is worth the trip to any trade show. Brad Rocco — Yes, I regularly attend as many pizza trade shows as I can. I would strongly suggest attending as many as your schedule permits. There is no better way to see what is current in our industry. Whether you’re looking for new equipment, new promotional ideas or food products, you can find it all in one place at one time. We also compete with our pizza when given the chance. Some pizza trade shows also have pizza competitions.

Bruno Tini Caruso's Pizza Jannali Jannali, New South Wales, Australia

Jim Savoia — No we have not. Our location has been priced by Val-Pak with a cost of $299 to $500. We purchased our first ad with them in August 2005. However, we have had tremendous response from newspaper ads. Brad Rocco — In general we do send direct mail very often. It is quite expensive. We do participate in mass direct mail prod-

DO YOU SEND DIRECT MAIL? IF SO, HOW OFTEN AND HOW MUCH DO YOU SPEND ON DIRECT MAIL? Stan Miller — Sometimes. It’s rare and I should do more. Bruno Tini — Just started on this one. Not established yet, but I am comfortable to spend around 1 percent, being $350 per week. 14 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Jim Savoia Bova's pizza & subs Florence Kentucky

Brad Rocco Bexley Pizza Plus Bexley, Ohio

ucts like Money Mailer or Val-Pak. Those are much more affordable and accomplish the same goal, that is to reach a customer or potential customer via the U.S. mail. WHAT IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DIRECT MAIL PIECE YOU HAVE EVER SENT? Stan Miller — The Green Book. Bruno Tini — Introductory offer to our new store; “One FREE Small Pizza Of Your Choice…Just fill in the details to redeem...” Jim Savoia — Our location has seen rapid growth the last three months. We continue to deliver the highest quality product we can produce, along with service to our customers that is outstanding! Brad Rocco — We do direct mail occasionally. Most P.O.S. systems have direct mail capabilities. Our most successful direct mail promotion is our Preferred Customer Holiday Gift. We mail a Holiday Gift Certificate to our top 200 customers at the end of the year. Our computer can determine who these customers are and print mailing labels for our direct mail piece. We get an incredible response, almost 80 percent. It firms up customer loyalty and is well worth the time and effort. HOW HAVE SALES BEEN FOR YOU FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS? Stan Miller — Sales have been regular. We always take a dip in the summer. Bruno Tini — Sales descended to an acceptable low. Now we are seeing a mildly ascending trend back to the highs, indicating great trade ahead. Brad Rocco — Our sales are up 4 percent over last year. Summer, of course, is our slowest period. Our sales increase significantly in the fall. – PMQ –

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MARKETING

STEPS TO

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Jeff and Marc, or click Ask the Experts to ask Jeff and Marc a question.

SUCCESS

BY JEFF & MARC SLUTSKY • STREETFIGHTER MARKETING n his book, The Seven Steps to Success: A Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, Greg Ubert outlines some very specific business concepts and strategies that would apply to nearly any business. Mr. Ubert is the founder and president of CrimsonCup® Coffee & Tea based in Columbus, Ohio. CrimsonCup® roasts specialty-grade coffees and supplies independent coffeehouses throughout the country. But what makes this organization unique is that they don’t merely wholesale coffee to their retail customers. They teach them how to be successful selling specialty coffee. Mr. Ubert urges his coffee retailers to know what their business is about before they get started. To be successful, you must know your focus. For example, to be successful in a coffeehouse, he strongly advises them to stay away from sandwiches and soups. The amount of time and resources devoted to food items would interfere with focusing on the elements that provide a coffeehouse a competitive edge in its neighborhood. What sets a good coffeehouse apart and makes it profitable is serving great espresso-based drinks. That’s their “bread and butter.” Likewise, Mr. Ubert urges his retailers to avoid drip coffee, because it forces the coffeehouse to compete directly with food establishments. Drip coffee has lower profit, lower perceived value and, generally, requires free refills. Remember, people can buy coffee at restaurants and grocery stores. They would go to a coffeehouse to enjoy something they cannot get at home: a great espresso-based drink. The universal lesson here is: regardless of the type of business you’re in, you must really know where you make your profits and what makes you unique in the marketplace. What is the “equivalent” in your business to the espresso-based coffee drinks? Ask yourself: Which products or services that you offer, make you unique? Which products or services that you offer allow you to command a premium price? Which products and services that you offer will motivate your customers to buy from you instead of your competition? One of the seven steps in the book is: Focus on Customer Service. This is a key to any business success. Part of customer service is to let your customers know about those special products and services that you offer. In the coffeehouse

The universal lesson here is: regardless of the type of business you're in, you must really know where you make your profits and what makes you unique in the marketplace. 16 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Photo by _Herb Wilson - PMQ

environment, the suggestion is to get a drip coffee drinker to try an espresso-based drink. Your employees should try the special of the day. Nothing sounds better to customers than to hear that the staff person praises the very product that is being suggested. If you encourage your employees to try the special, they are more likely to offer it to a customer. Another suggested way to subtly add-on to the sale is when a customer orders a cup of drip coffee, the server should ask, “Do you want room for cream?” If they say yes, then he or she should ask if they like their drink sweet. From there it’s just one small step to move that person to the profitable espressobased drink. The bottom line here is that those people in your business who come in contact with your customers should be asking questions. They need to find out more details about what they really want and need, instead of just assuming that what they order is good enough. In many cases, those customers may not even know you offer certain types of products and services. By not making them of aware of your best values, you are doing the customer and your business a disservice. – PMQ –

Jeff and Marc Slutsky are co-authors of five books including StreetFighting. They are executives of StreetFighter Marketing in Columbus, Ohio, which specializes in teaching how to promote, market and increase sales without spending a lot of money. Jeff and his brother, Marc, have a variety of audio and video tapes. For further information contact Jeff or Marc at: 800 (SLUTSKY) 758-8759 • 614-337-2233 fax 467 Waterbury Court • Columbus, OH 43230

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"ECAUSE DIRECTIONS WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF A NAPKIN ARE A RECIPE FOR COLD PIZZA

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OPERATIONS

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Joey Todaro, or click Ask the Experts to ask Joey a question.

CHANGING MENU PRICES

WITHOUT ENRAGING YOUR CUSTOMERS B Y J O E Y T O D A R O • L A N O VA

he topics just get harder and harder, you know? This is certainly one of the tough ones. Every brand handles price changes in a different manner. As an independent, we take the impact of price increases very seriously and understand that we need to be very conscientious about the effect on our customers. La Nova has built our reputation on quality items at a premium price point. For us, increasing an already high cost versus our competition is a sensitive subject. We don’t do traditional advertising and we rely on combining items into packages to drive our business. That being said, I want to discuss two different strategies that we think are effective and insulate our business against loss due to increases in prices. We understand what the cheese market can do to the bottom line and when core item pricing goes up, no one can afford a hit to the bottom line in a business that is so margin sensitive. As we have seen and will continue to see, even a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina can have a huge trickle-down effect. When fuel costs go up, all of our item costs go up and then somehow we need to recoup that margin without losing business. The two strategies we suggest are the following: Incremental Steps and Raise and Deal Pricing.

As we have seen and will continue to see, even a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina can have a huge trickle-down effect. When fuel costs go up, all of our item costs go up and then somehow we need to recoup that margin without losing business. 18 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

These are terms that we use to describe them and they are fairly simple directions. Incremental steps works for us specifically. Raise and deal pricing is what we have suggested to our partners on the La Nova Wings side of our business, which has seen great success. Having the experience of working as a manufacturer of an item that has tripled in cost over the last 10 years has really helped us understand how to avoid scaring customers away while maintaining quality and brand strength. Incremental increases are what we have always done here at La Nova. Rather than raising our core item cost $.50 or $1.00 one time only and holding it, we raise it $.10 or $.20 quarterly and allow the customer to ease into the increased cost. There are a few things to be aware of here. Identifying what your core items are is extremely important. If your cheese and pepperoni pie accounts for 40 percent of your total business, then it is probably a smart idea to make that an item you slowly move up. Understand what 10 items drive the greatest percentage of your total business and make sure you raise them accordingly and all at once. The reason for the blanket change is you have to create new menus every time you increase prices. There should be a serious cost there since you are giving a menu to each and every customer, right? Be aware of that and change and create new menus only as frequently as you feel you can afford. One other helpful hint is to have your menu saved in an electronic format that is easy to change and adjust so you can save design and creation costs. Buy them in the best possible quantities and shop your printing aggressively. Raise and deal price changes also help to avoid customer backlash. You would again identify the core items that really drive your business and raise the prices for all of them at the same time. Then what you do is take those items and cate-

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If you must raise prices due to increased food costs, finding a way to offset the cost (such as packaging with wings and discounting the combo by the same dollar you raised on the pie) will minimize the possible negative reaction of your customers

gorically discount or combo them during non-peak business times. If you raise your C&P pizza $1 due to crazy cheese costs, then you can do two different things to be able to react to customer feedback. Make Tuesday or Wednesday evening your Pizza Night where you sell the pie on off peak times at the original price point. It will help drive business during times when you are slower and you will reap the better revenue when it counts. Another option is to combine that core item with some sides that make good margin or are popular (wings, of course!) and discount the combination of the whole package the same $1 that you raised the pizza. It will increase your average ticket and offset the discount while also allowing you to give customers a relief option if they inquire about higher prices. Direct them to the combination and sell the marginal discount as a great deal. There is no way to avoid some customer reaction. At La Nova we have always believed that the customer we desire is one that is willing to pay for a quality product. We have preached this for years and it works for us. As long as you are purchasing quality items and giving your customers value for their dollar, we have proved as an independent operator again and again that your business can still grow. Pizza is the best value for the money as far as we are concerned. I hope that you follow this strategy and have great success in your own operations. I understand every market is different and there are serious competitive concerns, but I also will preach that quality will persevere against cutting costs and quality all day long. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PMQ â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

Joey Todaro is the grandson of La Nova founder Papa Joe Todaro and President of La Nova and La Nova Wings. He has spent the majority of his life in the pizzeria and buffalo wing business, and is responsible for overseeing stores that average $100,000 per week in sales. www.pmq.com â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PMQ 19

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FOOD

IN LEHMANN’S

TERMS

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Tom Lehmann, or click Ask the Experts to ask Tom a question.

BY TOM LEHMANN • AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BAKING

UESTION: How do I calculate the cost of my dough? ANSWER: Many of us have spread sheets that will automatically calculate our dough cost for us, but many of the small operators don't have that nifty tool available to work with, so they must revert to the old, tried and true method of long hand dough cost calculations. Here is how I've always done it. Set-up the table below on a clean sheet of paper and run off some copies: Now, if you want to figure out what it costs to make your dough, including such things as labor, overhead, etc. use the rule of 2.5 times the unit dough cost to get a realistic picture of what it is actually costing you to make the dough, in this case it would be 2.5 X 7.8 cents = $0.195 (19.5 cents) per dough piece. In working with this table it is important to remember to show the ingredient amounts in pounds as a decimal. To do this, divide the ingredient weight in ounces by 16. If an ingredient amount is say, 3 pounds and 7 ounces, the decimal amount will be 3.438 pounds (rounded from 3.4375 pounds). The ingredient unit cost is the ingredient cost per pound. If,

for example, you purchase a 50-pound bag of sugar for $19 (delivered to your door), the unit cost will be $0.38 (38 cents) per pound. For the water cost, take your average water bill and see how much water you're using. It may be reported either in cubic feet (62.43 pounds of water per cubic foot, or in gallons (7.963 pounds per gallon). Not all of that water is being used in making your dough, but since a good part of it is either going into the dough or used in cleaning dough related equipment, pots and pans/dinnerware the dough is an appropriate place to charge it against. Hey, somebody has to pay for it. You can follow the same outline for calculating the cost of your sauce or anything else with multiple ingredients. This is the way we used to do it way back when…well lets just say before the day of the hand held calculator or computer with all of its labor saving programs. QUESTION: I'm trying to make a special Chicago-style pizza crust and I'm having a problem getting the crust the right color. I've added eggs and corn flour, but I still can't get the yellow, almost orange color I'm looking for.

DOUGH FORMULATION AND COST Dough Type: __________________ Date:________________ Ingredient

Ingredient %

Flour (Acme) Salt Sugar Yeast Water

100.00 1.75 2.00 1.50 60.00

Ingredient Amount (pounds) 50.000 0.875 1.000 0.750 30.000

Ingredient Unit Cost

Bowl Cost

$0.15/ # $0.20/# 0.38/# 0.60/# 0.005/# _______ 82.625#

$7.50 0.18 0.38 0.45 0.015 _______ $8.525

Totals: Cost/Pound: (bowl cost divided by ingredient amount): $0.103177 Unit dough/crust weight: 12-ounces (0.750#) Unit dough cost: 0.750 X $0.103177 = $0.0773827 each (call it $0.780 or 7.8 cents each). You will need to do this calculation for each of your dough weights to get the unit cost. Now, if you want to figure out what it costs to make your dough, including such things as labor, overhead, etc. use the rule of 2.5 times the unit dough cost to get a realistic picture of what it is actually costing you to make the dough, in this case it would be 2.5 X 7.8 cents = $0.195 (19.5 cents) per dough piece.

20 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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The Best of Both Worlds The Pizza World is changing. Old World Traditions remain important but New World Realities have emerged. In response, Buonamici International is pleased to offer you the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. At Buonamici, our Distributors understand that Customer Service and Quality Ingredients are still the cornerstone of our existence, but we also recognize a need for creating Innovative Products and Foodservice Solutions to help your business grow. To find out more about Buonamici International, our Distributors and our product lines, please log onto www.buonamici-intl.com or call Ross Violi at 800.347.0695.

Meet the Progressive Face of Foodservice

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Pizza doughs are best under-mixed to some extent. That is, it is really not desirable to fully develop the protein in the flour into gluten. If this is done, the resulting dough can become excessively tough and elastic, making it difficult to shape due to the snap-back or memory properties of the dough.

ANSWER: The color you are looking for is not the result of eggs or corn flour, but rather the result of adding egg-shade (AKA egg coloring) to the dough. QUESTION: I'm new to the pizza business and I'm now looking at vertical and spiral type mixers. There are so many to choose from. With all the different speeds these mixers have, what is the correct speed to mix the dough on? ANSWER: First let’s discuss a little bit about the mixing of a pizza dough. Pizza doughs are best under-mixed to some extent. That is, it is really not desirable to fully develop the protein in the flour into gluten. If this is done, the resulting dough can become excessively tough and elastic, making it difficult to shape due to the snap-back or memory properties of the dough. Typically, pizza dough is mixed just to the point of developing a smooth dough appearance. There will be a significant amount of further gluten development in the dough, but this will come about as a result of bio-chemical gluten development, during the fermentation period of the dough (several hours at room temperature or 18 to 72 hours in the cooler). When the gluten is developed in this manner, the dough has a very relaxed feel and is easy to form without excessive snap-back or memory. To achieve the proper mixing of the dough, we have found that, using a 2-speed, vertical mixer, it is best to use low (1st.) speed to blend the ingredients together, then switch to 2nd speed for the rest of the mixing. When using a 3-speed mixer, the mixing sequence might be a little different. Use low speed to blend the ingredients together. This helps to prevent ingredients from becoming air-borne when you change up to the next higher speed. Continue mixing at low speed until the dough just begins to take on a smooth, satiny appearance. Now, change to 2nd speed to mix the dough for a minute or so to finish it. With a 4-speed mixer, you should again use 1st speed to 22 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

blend the ingredients together, then go to 2nd speed for the bulk of the dough mixing. I don't ever remember using 3rd or 4th speed on a 3 or 4-speed mixer to develop a dough. If you do, you will probably be rudely reminded by the mixer that this is not something that it likes to do. First, it will stall, or slow down in speed, then if you still haven't gotten the clue, it will begin to overheat and trip out the thermal overload switch in the motor. Once this happens, grab yourself a cup of coffee and take a break, it will be several minutes before the motor cools down and the overloads are automatically reset. Until then, you're without a mixer. If you insist on this course of mixer abuse, you will soon notice that your mixer's thermal overloads are tripping out sooner, and more frequently. Hello, Mr. Mixer Repair Man, I've got this problem with my mixer. Keep in mind that these are only guidelines for mixing a pizza dough, the exact make and model of mixer that you have, the age of it, its overall mechanical condition, and the formulation of your dough will dictate the best speeds to mix your dough. Remember to always begin mixing at low speed to blend and wet the ingredients as this will reduce/prevent splashing of ingredients, then go to the next higher speed only if your mixer will handle the load without overheating or stalling, and mix the dough just until it takes on a smooth, satiny appearance, any more mixing than that will only make life more difficult for both you and your mixer. Got more dough questions? Be sure to check out The Dough Doctor’s New York Pizza Show Dough Seminar. – PMQ –

Tom Lehmann wrote his first publication on pizza for the AIB in 1979, and has since written several more in addition to writing monthly articles for PMQ Magazine and other pizza publications. Tom is Director of Bakery Assistance with the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas (www.aibonline.org). He can be reached at 800-633-5137 ext. 165.

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MARKETING

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Big Dave, or click Ask the Experts to ask Big Dave a question.

BIG DAVE STRATEGIES.

THE GOOD. THE BAD.

THE UGLY

B Y B I G D AV E O S T R A N D E R • F O O D C O S T P R O

uccessful pizza marketing can be summed up in three words. Awareness, Trial & Repeat. In my 30 plus years of Guerilla Pizza Marketing I’ve seen, and implemented, some truly brilliant as well as some ugly strategies. In no particular order I’ll share some of my most cost effective marketing ideas as well as some that I’ve seen while on location at clients’ locations. When you travel from coast to coast, year after year the best of the best ideas surface. Great marketing ideas must have one thing in common. They must produce Awareness, Trial & Repeat. The results must be measurable in dollars and produce substantial ROI (Return on Investment). Along with creating more mega sales, I personally factored in two more criteria when evaluating and implementing new tactics. Will it be fun for my crew and customers, and will it demoralize my competition and make them wish they thought it up and implemented it first? At the top of my personal favorite list would be my Customer Appreciation Night. I got the original idea from Jeff and Mark Slutsky’s book, Streetfighter Marketing, in 1990. I slept with this book for a year. Surf over to: http://www.pmq.com/bigdave_winter-fall-1998.shtml to get the entire feel and flavor of the strategy. The next promotion brought me in the highest ROI and biggest bang for the buck. I call it Employee Bounce Back

24 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Certificates. The entire implementation of the strategy was carried out by my crew on their off-the-clock time. I spent less than $400 in cash and enjoyed a $92,000 annual increase in sales. The ROI was 400 /1. Check out the entire story at: http://www.pmq.com/bigdave_spring98.shtml If you make really great pizza and have the guts to have it compared to every other pizza in your market, you must try my Ultimate Pizza Guarantee. In a nutshell the guarantee is total risk reversal for the consumer. Here is the wording I used and printed on every piece of print advertising, including pizza boxes, I distributed. Big Dave’s Ultimate Pizza Guarantee I feel a strong commitment to quality. I believe that no one needs to settle for an inferior pizza. Therefore, if you ever purchase an unsatisfactory pizza from any pizzeria in our area, call me at once on my personal line, (989) 739-9660, and I will immediately exchange the uneaten portion of their pizza with a Big Dave’s Pizza, of the same size and toppings...for FREE! Big Dave Ostrander (Limit, 1 Guarantee per address) This reinforced my brand and positioned Big Dave’s Pizza as the best in town. We captured hundreds of new customers at the expense of our competition. Kamron Karington also used a terrific guarantee. “Try Red Rock Pizza. Should you be

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I bought into an advertising booklet that had a year’s worth of savings in the form of deep discounts. One offer after the next. The booklet had about 20 pages and was distributed to every home in my zip code. The really dumb thing I did was ignore the rule of putting an expiration date on the coupons... Guess what happened. People were bringing in the low-low-cost offers years after they were printed. disappointed for any reason, I will refund your money – to the penny – no questions asked.” These statements take the fear and hesitation out of ordering from you. It broadsided my competition and can’t be one-upped. All of the details can be found at: http://www.pmq.com/bigdavewinter_1999.shtml as well as www.profitwithpizza.com I dovetailed the guarantee with The Big Dave’s Pizza Challenge. We held a blind tasting / sampling event from time to time in my dining room. We ordered pizzas from all of my competitors. All of the pizzas, mine included, were held in the same environment. We then presented volunteers with two slices and asked them to vote on the best. The ID was on the bottom of the plate. I had an independent company do the documentation and facilitate the event. We never once scored below 95 percent popularity. The participants signed an affidavit attesting they were not prompted or coerced in any way. The results were used and published by the media. These quasi testimonials from real customers gave the Big Dave’s Pizza brand huge credibility and positioned us as the people’s choice. I could go on and on with tactics I dreamed up that were brilliant and had big ROI, but in order to meet a prince you have to kiss a lot of frogs. I kissed more than a few. Here are a few examples of bad promotions. I bought into an advertising booklet that had a year’s worth of savings in the form of deep discounts. One offer after the next. The booklet had about 20 pages and was distributed to every home in my zip code. The really dumb thing I did was ignore the rule of putting an expiration date on the coupons. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to distribute them all and be stuck with out of date printed pieces and eat the cost. Guess what happened. People were bringing in the low – low cost offers years after they were printed. Some of my employees filched handfuls and gave them out to friends and family. The last thing you want to do is argue with a Hell’s Angel type character at the counter because he is presenting you a five-year-old coupon that you know was a money loser. These offers were so low that people bequeathed these books in their wills. Have an expiration date on everything, or don’t whine if they show up years down the road. Don’t be pressured into producing a food item that you won’t have on the menu. One of my best friends and fellow restaurateur in my

hometown was the president of the Oscoda Chamber of Commerce. He dreamed up a chamber event that had a Country and Western theme. One of the highlights was a Chili Cook off Competition. He called me a week or so prior to the event and asked me if I would make five gallons of chili and be a part of the contest. I graciously declined and he would not take no for an answer. My cooks could not boil water, let alone make scratch chili. They were pizza experts but that was it. I explained my predicament to him; I’d be out of town consulting at the time of the contest. Chili wasn’t on my menu. Cooks wouldn’t know where to start. I didn’t want to embarrass his competition or myself. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and reminded me that, “If I ever wanted to use any of his equipment or facilities ever again for catering, I’d better have five gallons of chili ready for pickup on Friday night, 6 p.m. or else.” I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I called my food rep and ordered five five gallons of frozen Whitey’s Premium Chili. I instructed my head cook to thaw the chili and slowly heat it up. Please don’t scorch it. The chili was picked up by the chamber at 6 p.m. and guess what? We won the blue ribbon first prize. After the newspaper published the results we were slammed with people who wanted to buy our award winning blue ribbon chili. Do what you do best. After I ‘fessed up to my friend, they never ran another chili contest. I gave the Blue Ribbon to Whitey. Ugly promotions are great ideas that work, are on the edge, and end up biting you in the rear. The first one that comes to mind is my Big Dave’s Pizza Bucks. I remember when I got my first “Bill Clinton phony Dollar Bill.” I took the bill to my local quick printer and asked him to create a bill with the same feel and look as the farce bill and superimpose my photo and logo on a bill. The finished products were extraordinary. The $1 and $3 bills were perfect. I had “In Big Dave we Trust”, a rendering of my exterior where the White House was, a funny serial number (ICU812) and my signature on the front. I used these babies often. When we were late on delivery, delivered to a motel, just because, payroll envelope stuffers for my corporate clients, etc. They were keepsakes. They created word of mouth and people loved them. I used them over and over for six years until the phone rang one day. It was Secret Service Special Agent Leo Wisniskey from the Department of Justice calling. He was calling on behalf of US Assistant Attorney General’s Office and wanted to set up an appointment with me to discuss a piece of evidence that had come into his possession. I immediately knew that this was going to be an ugly meeting and anything I said could and would be used against me in a court of law. As expected, when Leo arrived, he left his sense of humor in the parking lot. He proudly showed me a Pizza Buck in a Ziploc® bag that was marked evidence. He started to interrogate me on my knowledge. I told him that I was going to tape record the conversation and have a witness present during his questioning and would not answer any of his questions in the first person. I would only give him vague and hypothetical answers, admitting no guilt or exact knowledge. His demeanor got a little meaner. He told me the currency in question was in violation of several federal laws. I told him that my attorney would be in contact with him and his boss and would be my spokesperson. He left so angry and discombobulated he forgot his briefcase. I had his car pulled over by the police www.pmq.com — PMQ 25

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The patented Big Dave Yellow Pagectomy...tearing your competitors’ ads out of the hotel phonebooks, while placing your menus in the room.

20 miles down the road and sent one of my drivers to return it to him in person while he cooled his heels in a parking lot. Having faced down some of the world’s best intimidators, I wanted to stand my ground and push this issue. My attorney set me straight. Having dealt with the particular US Attorney in question, he told me that we had better make a deal and cease and desist. After all, we had used the Bucks for over six years and they had done their job. He also advised me to be ready for a search warrant to be issued for my business and home. Expect two vans of agents to arrive at my home at three in the morning and completely toss my house, garage, four out buildings and several barns while Linda and my sons wait in the driveway. When that was done they would break for breakfast and repeat the same thing at my restaurant. Sometimes you have to pick your fights. My lawyer arraigned for my stash of Pizza Bucks to be turned over to the Feds in lieu of an agreement that the case would be closed. The person (competitor) who turned me in has been a recipient of serious payback karma. Moral: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The all-time ugliest promotion I ever did involved motels in my town. I asked for and received permission to place in-room menus in most of the motel rooms in my town. After watching sales soar to these locations, I upgraded the printed cardstock to plastic table tents. My manager and I visited most of the motels in my town and showed them the new, improved, cleanable version. We asked them to allow us to pull the old menus out of the rooms and replace them with the spiffy ones. They gave us master keys and we went from room to room (excluding occupied stayover guests) and put the pretty ones in the place of the old ratty ones. Somewhere around the tenth room, I opened the drawer of a nightstand and took out the phone book. Then I went to the Yellow Pages section and tore out all 26 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

of the pages under the pizza heading. Several hours, and hundreds of rooms later we had successfully completed our first annual Yellowpagectomy. Sales to motel rooms soared tenfold. Then I wrote an article about it, describing in detail the ROI. One of my competitors also gets PMQ. He started a door-to-door campaign to expose my questionable behavior. He stirred the pot and I was summoned to a special meeting of the Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce. I was sure they weren’t going to give me the ‘Businessman of the Year Award’. I never could make the meeting due to my travel schedule, but a few years later was the Grand Marshal for the Fourth of July parade. One of the best quotes I ever got was from a wise old Fire Chief. He said, “There is nothing more cunning and ugly as professional jealousy.” I’m sure many of my competitors were disappointed (and they told me so) they hadn’t thought of the idea first. No one has title to Yellow Pages. They are public domain. Oh yeah, never write about dirty trick tactics unless you are prepared to be slandered. See http://www.bigdaveostrander.com/articles/confessions.htm. Final thought, I was awarded Fire Fighter of the Year Award. If you show up at my seminar at the New York Pizza Show, I’ll show you how to become a Pizza Guerilla Marketer and share many more examples of the Good, Bad and the Ugly. – PMQ –

In 1990, two years after Big Dave’s Pizza was ranked the 25th busiest pizzeria in the USA, Big Dave Ostrander started his consulting, speaking and training career. As a consultant and trainer, Dave is responsible for some of the independent pizzeria market’s most successful sales. forces. Dave is a regular columnist in PMQ, and author of Big Bucks with Big Dave.

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but no one can imitate the original Fontanini family recipe. They’re generations away from it. So always ask for the ORIGINAL brand of Fontanini Pizza Toppings – they’ll keep your customers coming back for more. More often. They are like no other!

For a FREE sample call 1-800-331-MEAT.

Italian Meats

Try our authent ic Italian S ausage Pizza To ppings! Meatballs

attiassepoct2k5

9/28/05

3:00 AM

Page 1

MARKETING

THE CREDIBILITY PYRAMID: Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Mike, or click Ask the Experts to ask Mike a question.

TAPPING INTO

POWER

THE OF BELIEVABLE MARKETING B Y M I K E AT T I A S • W W W. E Z R E S TA U R A N T M A R K E T I N G . C O M

28 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

are fooled into believing unsubstantiated, boastful advertising claims will drive the masses to their front doors. Nothing could be further from reality. James Bond would never need to sport a caveman’s club to get his girl. He resorts to more subtle means. What others say and think about our businesses is six times more powerful than what we say about ourselves. The press carries instant credibility for those featured within its pages and broadcasts. Don’t we all believe what we read in the paper? You can bet most people do. Your challenge is to make yourself attractive to reporters by offering something of value to their readers. When the Dr. Atkins, no-carb diet plan first started, we decided to tap into all the media hype. We took our most popular protein items and created a “No Carb Menu.” We mailed out press releases announcing the tie in. The response was overwhelming. Not only did we receive full color photos in the local paper, we were approached by 20/20 for a Dr. Atkins segment. We didn’t make the 20/20 cut, but we have created quite a following for our no-carb meals with a lot of help from the press. Customer testimonials rank high along with press power. As I tend to be a strong supporter of targeted marketing, testimonials add instant credibility to my journey to dominating a new niche. Word of mouth has proven to be a good source of free advertising. If your customers like your product, they’ll direct others to you. Photos by Rebecca Zerilla - PMQ

e have become a jaded society when it comes to advertising claims and promises. I once read about a pizza parlor in New York with a sign that boasted,”Best Pizza In The City.” As you walked down the street the next four pizza parlors, in a race to outdo each other, claimed: Best Pizza In The State, Best Pizza In The Country, Best Pizza In The World and Best Pizza In The Universe. The last pizza joint on the street boasted, Best Pizza On The Block. I have a feeling the last guy was the busiest because he understood the importance of credibility in your marketing. Like a male gorilla in the wild puffing out his chest to prove his dominance, businesses across this great land have nothing more important to lay claim to than “No. 1”, “Best” or “World’s Greatest.” Last time I checked my calendar, I didn’t have time to check all the pizza parlors in the world. How about you? Some believe the Egyptians derived strength and power from the pyramid. I believe as entrepreneurs we can gain strength from the power of the credibility pyramid. The credibility pyramid consists of five marketing tools available to all businesses: advertising, public relations, testimonials, referrals, and samples. At the base of our pyramid is advertising. Most businesses spend 90 percent of their time, energy and money on advertising. Like the base of an ancient pyramid, we are relying solely on the support of advertising to build and sustain our businesses. Our thinking is flawed. As the average man’s exposure to advertising messages moves into the tens of thousands each day, we must shout louder to be heard. And a loud voice carries a large price tag out of reach of the average pizza business. Advertising is the least credible form of marketing. What we say about ourselves is perceived as self-serving. You’ll never hear McDonald’s claim a mediocre burger and great fries or Jaguar admit it has a gorgeous vehicle that breaks down a lot. Who knows? A little self-deprecating honesty might just bump up sales. Like a nightclub full of stud wannabes stumbling over themselves to impress the babe at the bar, business owners

attiassepoct2k5

9/28/05

5:12 PM

Page 1

MARKETING

THE CREDIBILITY PYRAMID: Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Mike, or click Ask the Experts to ask Mike a question.

TAPPING INTO

POWER

THE OF BELIEVABLE MARKETING B Y M I K E AT T I A S • W W W. E Z R E S TA U R A N T M A R K E T I N G . C O M

28 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

e have become a jaded society when it comes to advertising claims and promises. I once read about a pizza parlor in New York with a sign that boasted,”Best Pizza In The City.” As you walked down the street the next four pizza parlors, in a race to outdo each other, claimed: Best Pizza In The State, Best Pizza In The Country, Best Pizza In The World and Best Pizza In The Universe. The last pizza joint on the street boasted, Best Pizza On The Block. I have a feeling the last guy was the busiest because he understood the importance of credibility in your marketing. Like a male gorilla in the wild, puffing out his chest to prove his dominance, businesses across this great land have nothing more important to lay claim to than “No. 1,” “Best” or “World’s Greatest.” Last time I checked my calendar, I didn’t have time to check all the pizza parlors in the world. How about you? Some believe the Egyptians derived strength and power from the pyramid. I believe as entrepreneurs we can gain strength from the power of the credibility pyramid. The credibility pyramid consists of five marketing tools available to all businesses: advertising, public relations, testimonials, referrals and samples. At the base of our pyramid is advertising. Most businesses spend 90 percent of their time, energy and money on advertising. Like the base of an ancient pyramid, we are relying solely on the support of advertising to build and sustain our businesses. Our thinking is flawed. As the average man’s exposure to advertising messages moves into the tens of thousands each day, we must shout louder to be heard. And a loud voice carries a large price tag out of reach of the average pizza business. Advertising is the least credible form of marketing. What we say about ourselves is perceived as self-serving. You’ll never hear McDonald’s claim a mediocre burger and great fries or Jaguar admit it has a gorgeous vehicle that breaks down a lot. Who knows? A little self-deprecating honesty might just bump up sales. Like a nightclub full of stud wannabes stumbling over themselves to impress the babe at the bar, business owners

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In our catering business, I am always offereing and promoting free sample meals for catering committees. If they just taste my food, I know my chances of bringing on a new client double. This will work in just about any business. You’d better believe when a major retailer sees my testimonials from Dillard’s, Wal-Mart and Circuit City, they know I understand their industry and can deliver on my promises. This one little niche has added a $14,000-one day annuity to our business. I have personally sold enough books to qualify as a bookstore. No, I’m not talking about collecting money for them, but rather referring books to my friends, clients and associates. I can move books if the author has something that excites me. Most buying decisions for first-time product purchases are influenced by the experiences of your trusted friends and colleagues. My first new car was a VW Fox. My good friend and resident car aficionado highly recommended the car. He was on target. That car was reliable, peppy and I drove the wheels off of it. You can tap into the power of referrals. Whether you formally ask your customers and clients for referrals or you approach a non-competing business for an entrée to their customers. A consultant friend of mine carries around a list of one hundred companies he wants to work with. Once he has proven himself to a new client, he hands over the list and asks if they have any contacts at his “wish list” companies. This one little technique keeps him in high demand.

We have informally been referred into many local businesses. Hotels, doctors, schools and a children’s museum have informally referred us to their customers. Recently, we approached a museum about offering a ‘Science Scout’ certificate to all kids visiting the museum. The certificate was good for a free kid’s meal, in the name of the museum, but paid for by us. This promotion has more than paid for the $47 investment. You see, what happened was an indirect referral. We trust our friends and favorite suppliers. That trust is transferred to you and your business instantly, just as in the case of the museum. At the top of the credibility pyramid, you’ll find sampling. Anytime your customer or client can experience what you have to offer, with no cost and no risk to them, you have the highest likelihood of gaining a new customer. I learned this technique in third grade by accident. Our school was selling chocolate covered almonds as a fundraiser, and I was in love with these almonds. I figured if everyone I tried to sell to tasted just one, they would want a box or two. It worked like gangbusters. I came in second place in the candy drive (Not to make excuses, but first place went to a team of two students). Imagine buying a car without a test drive. It would never happen. In our catering business, I am always offering and promoting free sample meals for catering committees. If they just taste my food, I know my chances of bringing on a new client will double. This will work in just about any business. You just might need to get a little creative. If you grab your pennies too tightly, you won’t have any room to hold your dollars. A consulting client of mine was against sampling. "Too expensive – we’ll get taken advantage of by people looking for a free meal." Maybe so, but the extra business you gain more than makes up for the few you lose. A recent catering client booked a $10,000 job last fall and rebooked for this fall. I’ll let you in on a secret. This company received a free sampling three years ago and opted to use someone else. As you can see this client took me a little bit longer to get a return on my investment – quite a good one for a sampling that cost me less than a hundred dollars. Sampling, referrals, testimonials and public relations might never take the place of advertising in your business, but try to place these building blocks of the credibility pyramid at your base. These powerful blocks should be used to support your advertising, not tossed aside as worthless. You’ll find once you do that you’ll be able to profit handsomely from the power of your very own credibility pyramid. – PMQ –

Mike Attias operates a restaurant in Nashville, TN, and helps restaurant owners increase their sales by adding or expanding a catering profit center through his company The Results Group. You can download his FREE Report: Tapping Into Your Hidden Catering Profit$ at www.ezRestaurantMarketing.com Tongue-in-cheek or self-deprecating humor is a good way to draw attention to your product. Be careful not to take it too far, however. Pay attention to the feel of local standards to find the line.

30 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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MARKETING

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by Kamron, or click Ask the Experts to ask Kamron a question.

BECOMING A

BARTER BARON BY KAMRON KARINGTON • BLACK BOOK

magine having your own printing press in the basement. And you can print money – at will. Well, you already have one. Let me explain. I go out for breakfast every morning. It doesn’t cost me a penny! I pay with pizza. I go out for a nice dinner every week. Again, I pay with pizza. And you can pay with whatever you serve at your restaurant. Imagine – buying thousands of dollars worth of services and lifestyle for 25 cents on the dollar. Plus, you can do this without sacrificing one cent of your existing business. All it takes is a little ambition on your part. Starting today you can create all the money you want – out of thin air. And, as much as you like. Hustle down to your printer (or print them yourself) and get “free pizza” cards or gift certificates printed up. See if your printer will take trade for the cards. Always put an expiration date. I recommend one or two years. Why expiration dates? Let me tell you a secret. Come closer, I need to whisper… 20 percent to 35 percent of all trade – will never be used. That means your real “hard cost” in the deal is about 83 percent OFF retail. What happens is that people will put the certificates away to use some other time. Then they totally forget about them. I always honor them no matter what the expiration date, but a lot of them simply never get used. You will be amazed at how easy it is to trade restaurant meals for just about anything you want. Everybody likes to eat out. Barter is simple. You are trading your goods for the goods or services of another. Multi-national corporations do it all the time. You can even triangulate. You trade for 10 oil changes. Then you trade some of the oil changes for yard work, or whatever.

32 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

The opportunities are limitless. It’s the next best thing to being on “Let’s Make a Deal.” Only here, there’s never a booby prize, just stuff that you want. And, one of the many benefits to trading is that the certificates will trickle in over time. So, you’ll essentially be getting what you want now and paying (interest free) over time as the certificates are redeemed. It doesn’t get any better than that. I’ve traded for airline tickets, oil changes, car repair, expensive meals, car stereos, concert tickets, basketball tickets, radio ads, TV ads, magazine ads, bug spraying, yard maintenance, window cleaning, carpet cleaning, hotel rooms, artwork, equipment repairs, computers, maid service, coffee, movie rentals, movie passes, car washes, contact lenses, dental work, groceries, windshield repair and a ton more. So, there’s a partial list of trading opportunities. And, I’m sure I’m forgetting just as many as I’ve listed. HOW TO GET STARTED Print up your certificates or cards. You can have “FREE” cards, “Complimentary” cards, or “VIP” cards. VIP cards will make the user feel a little more special. Each card needs to have a value on it. Either a hard number such as $20 (always use a $ dollar sign on these cards) or, “Good Up To $20.” Include address, phone number, a place to put an expiration date, and a place for your signature. I ask anybody and everybody about trading. In essence, I’m insisting that if I do business with them – they must do business with me. Start with an oil change. Just see how giddy you get when you trade $3 worth of food-cost for a $25 oil change. Then trade

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with you. Find someone else to trade with. Let’s say your bug sprayer charges you $30 per month to spray your store. Let’s also say the bug sprayer orders a pizza every month. You pay him $30 in cash. And he pays you $15 in cash. If you trade the bug sprayer two pizzas instead of paying $30, here’s the math: You’ll be out the profit on the one pizza he buys — say, $11.50. Plus you’ll be out $7 food cost on two pizzas. Total cost to you – $18.50. But, you’re ahead $11.50 on the deal because you just traded $18.50 for $30 dollars. Hey, I’ll trade someone $20 for $30 any day, and as often as I can. I have always allowed my managers to trade, within reason. But, I insist they call and ask for permission – each time (or they’re fired!) You’ll also find that your crew will get pretty giddy when you hand out FREE lunches to McDonald’s (that you’ve traded for). Your star delivery drivers will light up when you hand them a FREE oil change certificate, or a car wash. I spiffed my crew with: Airline tickets, movie passes, oil changes, McDonald’s meals, FREE coffee cards, restaurant meals, concert tickets, and car washes. Like I said, I’ve also fired people for trading. I’m not interested in footing my managers bar-tab, or car repairs. Especially when they don’t clear it with me first. Trading opportunities are all around you. You can trade for things, and then trade those things to others. You can get goods or services from someone in exchange for catering to their customers. I got my teeth cleaned a few times in exchange for delivering pizza to my dentist’s new clients. The only limit is your imagination. Anyway, I wanted to cover barter because in a way, it is marketing. You are reaching out and talking to people about your product, and generating new customers. So, find all those various everyday expenditures, car washes, movies, yard care, oil changes, etc., and set them up on continuing trade. You will save a bundle of cash! You can trade your product for all sorts of items, including movie tickets and mechanical work.

for some hamburgers. Then, go from there. Here are some other excellent leads for bartering: Radio stations almost always trade “mentions” or spots in exchange for restaurant credits so they can wine and dine clients. Treat the sales manager to a free lunch or dinner and let them know you are interested in trading should the opportunity arise. Try calling the nearest oil change place and ask if they’d be interested in trading an oil change for a couple of lunches for the crew. Call right before lunchtime. Most car dealers get pizza, chicken, Chinese or sandwiches for their sales staff on Saturday. Call the sales manager and offer to trade for car repairs. It may take two or three phone calls, but call your local exterminator and you’ll find someone who will spray your store in exchange for meals. Go to the manager of the nearest video rental store or movie theatre. The radio stations will trade tickets for meals. And, so will the concert promoters. Go to a couple of the small “Mom and Pop” places. They’re usually going to be specialty stores. Approach the owner or manager. Just imagine – never paying cash for landscaping, oil changes, dinners, movies, pool service, window washing, bug spraying – you name it – again. You can easily gain over $10,000 per year in added lifestyle – for only $300 per month in “food-cost.” You can easily trade your way up to a better lifestyle with barter. You can keep thousands of dollars IN your pocket. Plus, you’ll have more customers that can tell their friends about your place. Why do others want to trade with you? For the same reason you want to trade with them. They save paying retail by trading with you. Don’t start trading with someone who already spends a ton of money 34 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

TIPS FOR TRADING Negotiate the lowest price you can. Then talk about doing a trade. That way you get the best possible price and pay with non-discounted pizza. Most trade is done “retail for retail.” But I’ve done lots of trades where I’m getting something for 75 cents on the dollar in exchange for pizza valued at full price. Always start with the manager. If the manager of an oil change business fills my car with oil in exchange for lunch for the crew – I’m happy. If the manager refers you to the owner, then move up the ladder and talk to them. Keep your “free” cards with you at all times. I’ve worked trades in the most unlikely places. I stopped into a windshield repair place to get a bull’s-eye in my windshield fixed. It was about 11 o’clock in the morning. They quoted me $20, I suggested that I hook them up with lunch instead and – viola, a trade was done! Like I said, everybody likes a good restaurant meal. It’s not like you’re trying to trade gravel, or air fresheners for something. You can instantly ramp up your lifestyle with trade. In fact, I traded for maid service one time. So, start creating money out of “thin air” and spend it with wild abandonment! Start trading – today! – PMQ –

Kamron Karington began his marketing career in 1983. In November 1994, Kamron ended up buying a run-down pizza restaurant, quickly transforming this struggling $3,000 a week business into a $1.6 million a year powerhouse (shutting down five competitors in the process.) In 2003, Kamron released the “Black Book” — a 300-page marketing course revealing the secrets to his massive success — which has gone on to become the top selling pizza-marketing course in the world.

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FOOD

PUT TO THE TEST

PIZZA OPERATORS TEST GRILLED JULIENNE ONION STRIPS

while back, PMQ asked if there were any operators out there who would be willing to test new products and services and offer feedback. The results would be readers getting honest opinions from actual operators and suppliers learning if their products would be suited to pizza. If you own a pizzeria and would also like to be added to our panel of test shops, or if you have a product or service you would like to Put to The Test, email Tom Boyles at tom@pmq.com. Our guinea pigs have already been hard at work testing products and this is the first installment of “Put to The Test.” PMQ had the opportunity to meet with Mary Humann, who represents the National Onion Association, last fall at a food editors’ conference. Mary told us about some new onion products and coordinated with supplier Jon-Lin Foods to take us up on the offer to test their Chef-Sensations® Grilled Julienne Onion Strips in actual pizzerias. Eureka Pizza, Tomasso’s Pizza, Rotolo’s Pizzeria, Fox’s Pizza Den and Flyer’s Pizza all received pre-packaged samples of the onion strips and either incorporated them into existing recipes or experimented to come up with something new. The onion strips are sliced and then slow-cooked in natural juices for caramelization and flavor. They are then flash-frozen and packaged for ready-to-use ease right out of the bag. “We have great hoagies and sandwiches, especially our Philly cheesesteak,” commented Ernie with Rotolo’s Pizza. “The caramelized onions went great on the sandwiches and

The caramelized onions went great on the sandwiches and when we had a pizza order that wanted onions, we used them there too and customers loved it. when we had a pizza order that wanted onions, we used them there too and customers loved it.” Scott Anthony of Fox’s Pizza Den said, “It was great on our steak and veggie hoagies and the steak pizza. I did not use it to create anything new, but tried to integrate it into my own menu to enhance the flavors of existing products. We tried it on our Pierogie pizza, but the caramelized color of the onions did not lend much to eye appeal even though the taste was good. Because it was a frozen product, it wasn’t good for salads either.” Mike Tomasso of Tomasso’s Pizza in Boca Raton, Florida said he used them at a street festival for his sausage and pepper subs and cheesesteaks. “It was excellent for the subs and a great timesaver.” For more information about Jon-Lin Chef-Sensations® Grilled Julienne Onion Strips, visit www.jon-linfoods.com or call (877) JON-LIN1. For more information on onions, visit www.onions-usa.org. – PMQ –

THE OPERATORS’ FIELD REPORT At the end of the test, the operators were asked to fill out a survey form rating the product with a ranking of 1 to 5 (1 being poor and 5 being excellent). Here are the results. Rotolo’s Pizza Fox’s Pizza Den Eureka Pizza Flyer’s Pizza Tomasso’s Pizza Ease of Use 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 Taste/Flavor 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 Texture 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 Consumer Approval 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 Overall 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 36 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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INDUSTRY

CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF PIZZA AT THE NEW YORK PIZZA SHOW’S

OPENING NIGHT PARTY I t’s not just any party, it’s the 100th anniversary party for pizza in America! Come join the pizza industry in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of Lombardi’s Pizza, the first pizzeria in the U.S. John Brescio, owner of Lombardi’s, will be present to speak about their beginnings and where they are today in addition to being inducted into the Pizza Hall of Fame (www.pizzahalloffame.org). Shortly after his induction, those who have signed up for the Slice of History Tour will depart for Lombardi’s to sample their famous and unique New York-style pizza…but that doesn’t mean the party’s over. This opening night party starts at 5 p.m., just after the closing of the first day of PMQ New York Pizza Show (www.newyorkpizzashow.com). There will be entertainment, plus food and drink while you wind down from the opening day of the East

38 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Coast’s biggest and best pizza show. The PMQ staff will be there along with exhibitors and attendees so you can make contacts and build relationships. Last year’s event brought exhibitors from around the world and thousands of attendees from throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, and 11 other countries. This year’s event is expected to draw even more attendees. “When we returned home from the Pizza Show in New York all we could say was WOW!” said Monte and Colleen Harrison, owners of The Pizza Place in Brookings, Oregon. “My husband and I had such a great time and met some fantastic people. We also were extremely impressed with the staff of PMQ. We spoke with Kamron and Big Dave and they made us feel like we were 'one of them'. We attended the dinner at Lombardi's and it

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The PMQ staff will be there along with exhibitors and attendees so you can make contacts and build relationships. was fantastic. New York was much better than I thought it would be and we are already planning to attend next year. We also met a couple from Texas that we plan to keep in touch with. New friendships, new ideas — that’s what it’s all about. Thank you so much PMQ and all the staff for a great show.” Presented by PMQ Magazine, the New York Pizza Show has become THE show for pizzeria owners, operators and managers nationwide looking to boost their sales and vanquish their competitors. Produced exclusively for pizza professionals by experienced pizza experts, it's not only the industry's best pizza equipment show, it's also about marketing, promoting and growing your pizza restaurant to become a dominant force. “Being a fourth generation pizzeria owner, I thought I knew it all, but I learned a great deal at the show. PMQ did a fantastic job! I can't wait to see everyone again at the 2005 show!” said Becky Ballew, owner of Brother’s Railroad Inn in Independence, Kansas.

We know you have already started making your plans to attend this year’s show, but don’t plan on leaving early. Join us for the opening night party. Have a drink, grab a bite and celebrate the 100th birthday of Lombardi’s Pizza with John Brescio, PMQ and several thousand of your peers and industry providers. Don’t forget, pre-registration is only $50 if you register early and $75 at the door. For information on registering for the Slice of History Tours (Lombardi’s Pizza and John’s on Bleecker Street), send an email to tom@pmq.com, but hurry because there are only 50 seats for the tours and last year sold out early. – PMQ –

www.pmq.com — PMQ 39

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INDUSTRY (Right) Brian Edler sets the World Record in Italy at the 2005 World Pizza Championship.

TEST YOUR SKILL AT THE

U.S. PIZZA TEAM TRIALS IN NEW YORK CITY

ime is running out to win your free trip to Italy’s World Pizza Championships and become part of the U.S. Pizza Team as this year’s members of the acrobatic squad will be determined November 1-2, 2005 at the New York Pizza Show. Last year, there were a record number of contestants entered in the Largest Dough Stretch and Fastest Pizza Maker competitions and the Individual Acrobatic Dough Tossing event had more contestants than any year before. Winners of each competition earn a spot on the U.S. Pizza Team and an expense-paid trip to Salsomaggiore, Italy, for the World Pizza Championships, which takes place April 3-4, 2006. In addition to traveling to Italy, several members of the team are requested at food events across the country throughout the year. In the past year, team members have been summoned and paid to perform at over 10 events across the country ranging from Italian food festivals and trade shows to arts festivals in Canada and Australia. One pizza team fan said on the website, “I traveled five hours with three of my six children to see Chris (Green) and Jerry (Newmann) do an acrobatic routine. I just wanted to let

Last year, there were a record number of contestants entered in the Largest Dough Stretch and Fastest Pizza Maker competitions and the Individual Acrobatic Dough Tossing event had more contestants than any year before. 40 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

you (PMQ) know that it was worth the drive, and my kids enjoyed the performance as well. We arrived four hours early, and had the opportunity to chat and learn from both guys. Chris is an excellent teacher and Jerry is awesome too. I'm 43 years old and have been in the business only a few years, and read your site often. We hand toss our pizzas, but lack all acrobatic skills. Seeing it done live was priceless. Keep up the good work, and thank you.” If you would like to tryout for the U.S. Pizza Team at the New York Pizza Show (November 1-2, 2005) call or email Caroline Felker at 662-234-5481 ext 125 or caroline@pmq.com. Even if you don’t want to tryout for the team, be sure to catch the competitions. You can also contact Caroline to get additional information about having the U.S. Pizza Team appear at your location for special events, grand openings or festivals. See you in New York City.

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A HEARTY THANKS TO THE 2006 U.S. PIZZA TEAM SPONSORS! GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

www.pmq.com â&#x20AC;&#x201D; PMQ 41

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INDUSTRY

WHO WILL WIN THE 2005

AMERICA’S PLATE? Southwest Regional Pizza Championships

“Make Your Best Pizza” Competition

Jason Manderville Donnely’s Pizza Gus Nassar Rome’s Pizza Anthony Russo New York Pizzeria Marleen Arnold Simple Simon’s Pizza

California Pizza Championships

Bill Stockman Pizza Haus Scott Letz Abbondonza’s Armando Sarlo Armando’s

Naresh Worlikar American Pizzeria Darren Highsmith Fiorini Café Dino Migliore Chicago Pasta House

Long Island Pizza Festival

North American Pizza & Ice Cream Show (NAPICS) SOFO Foods Invitational Roma/Vistar Pizza ChampionshipFinals Houston, TX Oct. 8-9 Tim Duffey DeFelice Bros. Pizza Jason Samosky Samosky’s Homestyle Pizzeria

Alamo Pizza Festival

Keith Yonker The Casa Restaurant Group

San Antonio, TX Oct. 14-16

Australia

Italy

France

Maria Caliendo Prince Umberto’s Pizza

United States

The

Defending 2004 American Pizza Champ: Sean Brauser Romeo’s Pizza

AmericaN

PIZZA

New Zealand

CHAMPIONSHIP

2004 America’s Plate Winner Andy Parisi Parisi’s Pizza Australia

42 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Switzerland

Canada

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WORLD OF PIZZA - CHINA As you may already know, PMQ not only studies the pizza market in the U.S., but also travels and learns about our industry in places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, the U.K. and many other parts of the world. In the past year, Weihua Xiao, our Chinese liaison working in the PMQ office, has been interviewing and learning about the Asian/Chinese market and developing www.pmq.cn in preparation for its launch. The site is now live and interest in PMQ, the industry and marketing pizza is buzzing overseas. In the course of the next year, in addition to this article, you will be reading more from Weihua about the emerging pizza industry in Asia. We hope you will enjoy these installments and possibly learn something from our fellow pizza operators overseas. Tom Boyles, Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy of Dino Ciccone - Eastown Pizza : Photo illustration by Eric Summers - PMQ

MR PIZZA: THE EMERGING CHINESE

PIZZA MARKET B Y W E I H U A X I A O • P M Q S TA F F

n the past 15 years, pizza has been a very popular western food in China. Today, you can find famous American pizzerias such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s there. They are everywhere in the major cities of China. Every day pizzerias in the United States try to increase their sales and try to figure out how to save labor and food costs to increase revenues. Take a moment to think about this…China’s population is close to 1.4 billion. Think about how profitable pizza operators would be if every resident of China ate one pizza a week. At most Pizza Hut’s in China, you can almost guarantee a 30-minute to an hour wait for a seat at dinnertime and on weekends. Pizza Hut is the biggest and most successful international company in China so far. Even though Pizza Hut is the industry leader, there are many other local Chinese pizzerias that are very successful and unique. Their distinction from the larger chains is their own recipes that create popular demand. Good service and hospitality also contribute to success. An example of increased popularity has been Mr. Pizza.

44 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

The average ratings given to Mr. Pizza by popular websites and newspapers lately has been four stars. Their pizza is known for having a light taste and being different from most of the heavy and greasy pizzas typically found. This has been the pizza of choice due to the Chinese customer’s eating habits. Mr. Pizza provides a hand-tossed dough and is guaranteed 100 percent fresh! According to Mr. Pizza’s CEO Huh Jun, “Now we have six shops in Beijing and one shop in Zhongguancun, which will open around September 1st. Most of our shops are relatively big and have 100 to 250 seats because in China, delivery is not popular yet and most pizza consumption is done at the shop. But, I am thinking of a better and faster delivery service with a scooter while the other competitors are using bicycles for delivery.” SUCCESS COMES WITH GREAT EXPERIENCE Huh Jun was born in 1960 in Seoul Korea. “My major while in college was dairy technology and I have MS degree

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Photos courtesy of Huh Jun - Mr. Pizza

mrpizza

“If we could find success in China, we would also be able to extend our marketing to the other Asian countries easily.” — Huh Jun of Mr. Pizza China.

from Chungang University in Seoul. After I finished my master’s course, I joined the Lotte group (the food giant in Korea) in the planning dept. I worked for Lotte for several years. In the beginning of 1996, one of my friends asked me if I would be interested in China and he introduced me to a gentleman who was going to build a dairy factory in Shanghai with a $7 million (USD) investment. At that time, it was my dream to build a nice dairy factory by myself and I made up my mind right away to help him. After I finished building the factory and training people, I couldn’t fathom any reason to stay with that company since I had done everything I could do for them. At that time, an American guy called me and asked me to help his confectionery business in Shenyang. He is the oldest son of the owner of the Shawnee Inn Pennsylvania. I moved to Shenyang and worked for the company (Shawnee Cowboy Foods Co., Ltd.) as a plant manager at the beginning and finally as a general manager. But business was not so great and it was one of the toughest periods of my life. Finally, I suggested to the chairman to give up the business. Right after I finished the whole procedure of bankruptcy in the beginning of 2002, I

I think my job as CEO of the company is to make the staff happy. If the staff is not happy, they can never show the customer a smile. got a proposal from the owner of Mr. Pizza in Korea and I moved to Beijing and took over my current seat. The first time I met the chairman of Mr. Pizza, I said I am not a suitable person who can run the restaurant business even though I have had much experience in running food manufacturing companies in China. But, I said, if he really wanted me to run his business in China, I can’t guarantee any great success of the business like he has done in Korea, but, what I could promise was that I will always do my best not to fail.” “I am very open minded and relatively westernized,” Huh Jun said. “I like most sports and wild life. I studied in the U.S. for a technical training course of confectionery as well. There is a big difference between the dairy and pizza business. When I worked for the dairy company, I was more focused on technical matters rather than marketing. In addition to the technical side, I have paid more attention to service, location and other things like interior design etc. However, almost 10 years of experience in a manufacturing company helps me to understand the way of thinking and the real lifestyle of Chinese people. Not only is the basic understanding of food technology helping me a lot when I am trying to develop a new product, but also many Chinese friends who are still working for dairy and food business in China are giving me lots of good ideas and information.” OPENING A STORE IN CHINA “Actually, I was not here when we (Mr. Pizza) first came to China, but as far as I know, since 1999, the pizza market in Korea has gotten tough and we realized that it would be more difficult to create new customers in Korea. When there was an economic crisis in Korea, many people were laid off because of the structural adjustment of Korean companies. They wanted to have more stable jobs with small investments. The fast food business was one of the most attractive alternatives for them. There were lots of new small restaurants during 1998 and 2000, and of course it was a great chance for us to increase our shops. With more new shops appearing, the business is getting tougher in the long run because there are too many choices to the fixed number of customers.” Huh said. “And China was the most attractive place for the new investment. If we could find success in China, we would also be able to extend our market to the other Asian countries easily. We do believe that the Chinese market will be the largest market in the world and if we can be the leader of the Chinese market, we will be the leader of the world pizza market.”

46 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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“In China, most of the Chinese customers haven’t tried pizza and they can hardly judge which one is better between ours and our competitors. In addition to the taste of the products, I am more focused on service attitude. Secondly, I am trying to make a very strong and stable company. I am not hiring any managers or staff from the outside. The shop managers of my company start as part-time at each shop and I am so proud of it.” “We are totally different from our competitors in dough making and cooking,” Huh said. “I think that’s the reason why Mr. Pizza is the only Korean pizza maker who is competing with Pizza Hut and Domino’s in Korea.”

WE ARE DIFFERENT AND WE ARE SPECIAL “We are totally different from our competitors in dough making and cooking,” Huh said. “I think that’s the reason why Mr. Pizza is the only Korean pizza maker who is competing with Pizza Hut and Domino’s in Korea. In fact, Pizza Hut has around 350 shops, Domino’s has around 240 shops and we have 230 shops in Korea. We are growing more than 20 percent annually whereas Pizza Hut is only around 10 percent. We strongly emphasize the taste and texture of dough. Every shop in this company shows the customer the dough tossing in the kitchen. Sometimes we do a dough tossing show. The best selling pizza is Potato pizza and the price of a 10-inch is about seven dollars. Our main customers are 20 to 35 years old, white, office ladies and university school students. But I am expecting the age of our customers will be much lower soon. The number of orders totally depends on the location of the shop and the time of the week and weekend.”

MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING “I think my job as CEO of the company is to make the staff happy. If the staff is not happy, they can never show the customer a smile. I think the CEO is not merely a chief executive officer; he should be a chief encouragement officer, especially for our business. I am pretty sure that the various kinds of training gives the staff some selfimproving opportunities and is very important. I am trying to be the one who makes my staff feel comfortable. I am trying not to point out any of their mistakes right away. Basically, I am visiting my shops at least two times a week and I am trying to be the one who can be warmly welcomed by my staff,” Huh Jun said. “The restaurant business in China is very new and there are not too many suitable young people here. I think, the major role of Beijing’s Mr. Pizza is to train the people, show the potential franchisee business model and set up the raw material for not only the other areas of China, but also for the other Asian markets and finally for the rest of the world.” To learn more about Mr. Pizza China, go to www.mrpizza.com. To find out more about pizza marketing in China, go to www.pmq.cn or contact weihua@pmq.com. – PMQ –

www.pmq.com — PMQ 47

brazilstory2k5novdec

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WORLD OF PIZZA - BRAZIL

CASA MIA: A

TASTE OF

BRAZILIAN PIZZA B Y J U L I A B U S S A D E • P M Q S TA F F

t is the summer of 2005. The University of Mississippi, where I have been teaching Spanish and Portuguese since 1996, is on recess. Right before the final exams, I had the urge to see my family, so I hopped on a plane to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where it’s supposed to be the beginning of winter, but the temperature is still around 80ºF. It’s particularly warmer in my hometown of Itaperuna, four hours Northwest of Rio, where my parents live. When I went out with my friends for the first time, they asked me, “So, what’s new?” I began telling them about a new project where I was translating a pizza magazine into Portuguese. “A pizza magazine?” they all asked in sync. The conversation progressed and we continued to talk about pizza. With all the pizza talk, we started getting hungry, so we drove to a restaurant specializing in… (you guessed it!) pizza. We sat down and I started looking around. I noticed that they used a wood-burning oven and had it right out in the front of the restaurant. We followed every single step as they made their freshly prepared pizzas. We could see the way they kneaded the dough, sliced the tomatoes, spread the cheddar around the edge and then carefully placed them in

48 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

the oven. We could see everything the chef did to the pizza. It was quite fascinating and really added to the ambiance to seeing our food come together right there in front of us. This pizzeria is not a one-man show, but there was only one chef who assembled and cooked each pizza. He calls them his masterpieces and they are all unique. I decided to approach the already very approachable chef in the open kitchen, and found out that he was not only the chef, but the owner, the purchaser and the manager of 11 employees. I set up an interview with him for the next day. His name is Henrique César Rodrigues Simões and he calls himself the “pizzaiolo” of Casa Mia (his restaurant). His wife, Norminda, who is a dentist, joined us right in time to explain that the restaurant got its name from the repeated question about its location. When they started talking about Casa Mia owners Norminda and Henrique César Rodrigues Simoes pose with their impromptu garden, where they grow their own herbs.

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Henrique swears by his wood-fired oven. According to him, the wood cooks faster, keeps moisture and flavor better and is more economical, keeping his costs down as opposed to gas or electric.

opening a restaurant, their friends would ask them, “Where is it going to be?” They would promptly answer, “In our house, in the play area off our garage.” That’s where the Italian name Casa Mia came from. Henrique has more than 17 years of experience in the pizza business. He came to Itaperuna from São Paulo and according to him, all good pizzas in Brazil are made in wood-burning ovens. We talked about the advantages of the wood over gas or electric ovens and he explained to me that the economical side of it is a huge factor. The wood he uses is either from eucalyptus trees or from very affordable wood scraps. He went on to explain that the wood oven is a lot faster than any other kind. When well-heated, it bakes a large pizza in a minute and a half. The wood also keeps the pizza more moist. Two hours before they open their doors, he lights up the fire. As he fired up the oven, around 4:00 p.m., we watched large pieces of wood blaze with orange flames. I approached the oven door to take a closer shot with my camera and my face was immediately seared, so my first instinct was to refrain myself from going any further and I stepped back. Henrique points out that the oven interior is made of soapstone and to my amazement he placed each pizza straight on the stone, without baking sheets. When it was time to serve his masterpieces, he placed them in a round heated tray, also made of soapstone. Henrique explained that watching his customers’ reactions to his pizzas is what motivates him to continuously create the mouthwatering meals. He says that it’s the main reason why he has an open kitchen. He also wants his customers to see what he is doing to the food that they are about to eat. When I thought I had been wowed enough, he and his wife took me around the restaurant where, in an improvised flowerbed, they collect all the green stuff that they freshly add to each pizza. They grow the most common culinary herbs and vegetables like mint, chicory, oregano, basil, sage, green onions and rucola. They say each time they go to the front or the back of the restaurant, their regular customers know that they are in for a fresh, organic treat. Norminda explained that the concept of handcrafted pizzas was created to stop the insanity of the fast food chains, which have been growing steadily in Brazil since the 1980’s. The handcrafted pizza and food by the kilo were implemented as a way to attract their customers back to their business. They call it the “slow food” mentality, which is based on the fact that you should appreciate and slowly savor a very enjoyable meal. 50 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

This pizzeria is not a one-man show, but there was only one chef who assembled and cooked each pizza. He calls them his masterpieces and they are all unique. Casa Mia is the talk of the town, so I asked Henrique to reveal his secrets. He confessed that his biggest pleasure is seeing his customers’ expressions when they first see the pizzas, and that it’s a lot of work that can only be accomplished if you really love and care for what you do. He also emphasized that television will never be a part of his restaurant, simply because he wants it to be a place where people enjoy each other’s company and conversation. During colder nights — or maybe I should say less warm nights — there are candles on every table. I especially liked their soft music in the background. They play everything from Brazilian bossa nova to American pop hits. Henrique and Norminda have not only convinced me that their restaurant is unique, but have also given me another reason to see my family and friends, so it was time to say goodbye with something like “¡Hasta la pizza, babe!” – PMQ – While Henrique is particular about cooking all the pizzas, he employs several local people to bus tables and help with prep.

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WORLD OF PIZZA - UNITED KINGDOM

PASTA IN

PRACTICE B Y S T E V E W O O D S • P I Z Z A PA S TA A N D I TA L I A N F O O D S M A G A Z I N E

n this pasta feature from the UK, we look at an enterprise that actively enjoys preparing and promoting its pasta dishes. Steve Woods tells us about his Cambridge restaurant, Trattoria Pasta Fresca where they take great pride from their passion for homemade pasta. A LOVE OF FRESH PASTA Trattoria Pasta Fresca has been trading on the same Cambridge site at 66 Mill Road since 1989. As owners, myself and my wife, Annalisa, both have Italian backgrounds, and consequently have always eaten pasta as a major part of our diet. However, homemade fresh pasta was generally reserved for special occasions, such as Christmas and weddings. My first experience with fresh pasta at other times was while backpacking around Europe with two Italian friends. We traveled light, but always carried the survival kit, namely some spaghetti, a block of Parmesan, salt and olive oil! Whilst attending a small vineyard wine festival outside Bordeaux, we were invited to stay with a local couple. Money was tight, and so as a ‘thank you’ we offered to make and cook them a fresh pasta meal. This was received enthusiastically, but word soon travelled around the village, and we ended up making pasta for around 50 people cooking from a

52 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

small four burner gas hob! Much fun was had by all, though, and the relaxed attitude and laid back atmosphere meant we were able to feed all, and with fresh pasta cooking so quickly, yes, we did finish cooking before Christmas! In the 1980’s, some large companies were experimenting with themed pasta restaurants, but the dishes were Anglicised, and to be frank the pasta was not as we, personally, would have liked. The other pasta offerings were in the more traditional Italian restaurants, with pre-cooked pasta with a basic sauce offered as a small part of the menu. Our passion for pasta made us start to think. Wouldn’t people enjoy a relaxed, informal ‘Trattoria’ setting, and have the pasta and sauce made for them as we would at home? We then found out that our current site was for sale, and low and behold it was the same building in which Annalisa’s family had run a gelateria, back in the 50’s. The omens seemed good, and Trattoria Pasta Fresca was born. THE PASTA Our concept is simple. We make all our own fresh pasta. Each portion is individually cooked to order, just as at home. All our sauces are traditionally made and slow cooked over several hours, again to give the authentic home made taste.

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We have often been described as a “hidden secret” with our non-main street location, but find ourselves being recommended by national newspapers, and have received a number awards over the years, including PAPA’s Pasta Restaurant of the Year, which is a great compliment. The other criteria we have are to use the best ingredients possible. Making pasta this way is very labour intensive, and there is little point in going to all that trouble if people don’t notice the difference! Why save a few pence on ingredients if it spoils the end product? So we use 100 percent durum wheat, and at least five fresh eggs per kilo of pasta. FAVOURITES Three dishes have always been on our menu, namely fresh spaghetti with home made pesto (Annalisa is now definitely the pesto queen, having taken my crown), the classic spinach and ricotta cheese-filled tortelloni (which we serve in a creamed mushroom sauce), and fresh spaghetti with ragu (the traditional sauce from Annalisa’s home village, Valvori). However, we are always looking to provide interesting and innovative dishes. The last few years have

seen the filled pastas becoming the most popular, with a pumpkinfilled pasta tossed with sun dried tomato strips, olive oil and chilli, our current favourite. In the past, we have served quail, apple and calvados filled pasta in a red currant sauce, hare and Barolo wine-filled pasta in a bitter chocolate sauce. Currently we also have wild boar and pancetta-filled pasta in thyme butter, and at Christmas we often make fresh black pasta filled with lobster served in salsa verde, and chestnut and mascarpone filled pasta in a wild mushroom sauce. HIDDEN SECRET We have often been described as a ‘hidden secret’ with our nonmain street location, but find ourselves being recommended by national newspapers, and have received a number awards over the years, including PAPA’s Pasta Restaurant of the Year, which is a great compliment. Cambridge has a transient population, but it is nice that our old customers include us as part of their schedule on return visits. One summer, an Italian family found us, and ate with us every day and evening for their two week stay! Recently a family flew in from Ireland for two days and came to us on recommendation! All our chefs are trained in house, as we have yet to hear of anywhere else doing quite what we do, as we do. Often new chefs will try to convince us of the ease of bulk cooking methods, but it doesn’t take long for them to change their minds. We will continue with the original plan to enjoy evenings of providing good home cooked foods and wine, at reasonable prices, in a relaxed style. Having just started our 15th year with many of our original customers growing old with us, I think we can rightly feel we must be doing something right. – PMQ –

All of Trattoria Pasta Fresca’s pasta is hand-made daily, to the customer’s specific order, to give it that home-made flavor.

54 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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Hell Revamp US

9/28/05

3:09 AM

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WORLD OF PIZZA - NEW ZEALAND

B Y T O M B O Y L E S • P M Q S TA F F

t was back in 2003 when PMQ first heard of an up-and-coming pizza chain in New Zealand that was raising Hell and getting a lot of attention. Publisher Steve Green visited this emerging chain and then came back to tell me about it. After looking at the photos and concept, I was quite eager to get their story, but the owners asked that we hold off on it for a while until they were ready. Systems are now in place, franchises are being sold left and right and Hell Pizza is ready to tell about their deal with the Devil. What really grabbed my attention about this franchise was not only the fact that they have sold 30 franchises in the past year and a half, but their attitude, energy and marketing strategies. Hell Pizza rose from the ashes in 1996 through the creative thinking of one guy with a vision. That vision

Illustration by Eric Summers - PMQ

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was to create a fun, hardcore, elastic brand in what he thought was the boring world of mainstream pizza. In 2003, they sold their first franchise and the business was off and running. First, let’s look at the owners and how Hell Pizza came to be and then we’ll get into some really hot marketing ideas. BACKGROUND The owners of Hell Pizza are Callum Davies (age: 32), Stuart (Stu) McMullin (age: 33) and Warren Powell Otis (age: 37). The initial idea came when Callum, at the age of 20, bought a run down pizza shop. In 1996, Callum re-branded the concept as Hell and floated the idea past his buddy Stu. “Playing the Devil’s advocate, I trashed the concept, but he went ahead with it,” Stu said. “In 1999, I approached Callum and we opened the second location, but we still weren’t thinking of franchising at that stage, just having fun with a brand. The idea of franchising didn’t happen until 2002, and that is when Otis became a partner in our company. “Each of us has our own specialty and contribution to the company,” Stu says. “Callum has been at the coal face of running a business from zero to hero. He does the branding, marketing, and recipes. Otis’s specialty is franchising. He handles all of the legal aspects and occupational safety, HR, etc. I had an IT and corporate banking background, so I gave the company more structure, ops sys-

Photos by Tom Boyles - PMQ

Because POS systems can be intimidating, Hell uses a little humor to help employees with errors and ordering. They wrote their own program, which is included with franchise packages.

58 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

tems, and created the IT architecture along with a company called Spikefin for our in-house POS system. The brand is as strong as it is not only because of the strength of the directors, but also because of the types of franchisees we bring aboard.” FRANCHISING AND THE NUMBERS Stu said that the first step in creating their franchise was having a solid backbone. “We had a great name, great pizza and great marketing – our challenge was bringing these together whilst still being true to the original concept,” Stu said. “The skeleton was having a solid IT and operations systems in place. We brought in a consultant at the cost of about $5,000 to $6,000. This was big money for a couple of pizza boys. He basically told us what we already knew…that we didn’t have the structure or systems. He told us we needed to create operations manuals, structure in advertising and solid business plans. Some of the surprises we ran into along the way were setting up systems for food complaints. Before we started franchising, we handled them on an individual basis. As a franchise system, we needed a documented process to make sure every customer was satisfied. When it came to the IT stuff, we had to modify our systems, make sure everything was backed up with a UPS and have backup software, antivirus etc.” Once 80 percent was in place, they decided to start selling franchises. The guys at Hell Pizza aren’t greedy like many franchisors. To buy a Hell Pizza franchise, the franchise fee is $26,500 and franchisees pay 5 percent royalty and 3 percent marketing fees. Stu says it costs about $220,000 to open the doors. The franchise fees give new owners a project plan to build their store, equipment lists, intensive trainCo-owner Stu McMullin took me on a ride in the World’s Fastest Hearse (certified by Guinness Book of World Records). This mobile advertising demands attention and created smiles and pointed fingers everywhere we went.

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BY PIZZAHUMOR.COM CARTOONS JERRY KING

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One cool thing visitors to a Hell Pizza will notice is the mask displayed in each store. Hell Pizza uses a company that produces movie props to create the masks for their stores. Every mask bears a resemblance (though obviously skewed) to the store’s owner.

to be in the UK and Australia by the spring of 2005. Each store sells an average of 1,000 to 1,200 pizzas per week and pizza sales comprise about 60 percent of the menu. Hell offers takeaway, pick-up and delivery. Average order times Mondays through Wednesdays are 10 minutes for takeaway, 15 minutes for pick-up and 30 to 40 minutes for delivery. About 10 percent of orders come from the Web with some stores achieving as high as 23 percent. “The foundation of Hell was built on producing high quality food that is Hell specific,” Stu says. “All the sauces, pasta sauces, cheesecakes, bases, etc. are original Hell recipes. Flavor profiling is incredibly important in this business, so if a customer is hooked on your flavor they won’t be going anywhere else. We want them in Hell for life!”

In addition to the Hell hearse, Hell Pizza utilizes several other unorthodox methods of delivery/advertising such as the Hell police cruiser and the Hell scooter (above and right). Plans are in the making for the “Satanbulance.” Learn more about this strategy in the section on “Vehicles” below.

ing, systems (POS, Ops and IT software), but don’t start writing that check just yet. Stu says they turn down nine out of 10 applicants. “We look for people who are passionate about pizza,” Stu says. “They also have to be committed to working in the shop. We don’t want or need absentee owners. We also look for people who really get the brand and won’t be scared of the concept or some of our marketing because we really push the envelope with some things. Some of our ad campaigns are fun and really out there. I am sure some of the things we do scare some people away and offend some, but get over it…any news is good news and a lot of those who are easily offended aren’t our customers anyway.” Hell Pizza is only located in New Zealand right now with 30 locations, but the rest of the world needs to watch out. They are working on a test location and looking to move in to Australia. Stu said master franchises are ready to be sold right now. They are also aggressively looking into Korea, the UK and the U.S. Stu says it is their goal

MARKETING Now comes the fun part. I have to say, out of all of the pizza marketing I have seen, I really loved some of the things Hell Pizza does. As Stu said, many of the things they do can be a bit edgy and offend some, but only those who don’t get it. I love the idea of getting attention through cutting edge marketing, so here are a few of the strategies Hell has employed. Vehicles One of the first things I was told about Hell Pizza was their hearse. When I asked Stu about it, he said we could take a ride. When I first saw it I was floored. What they have done is taken an old 1970’s Cadillac and converted it into the ultimate mobile marketing tool. The car is decorated with the Hell Pizza logo, racing wheels and it has “The Quickest Way to Hell” painted down the side with their Web address. There is even a coffin in the back! They deliver special orders in the car and drive it around town gaining attention wherever they go. I have never had so much fun taking an afternoon drive. As we cruised, everyone we passed, both walking and in cars, were pointing and smiling. Now, that’s marketing. But this isn’t all they have done with the car. They equipped it with nitrous (NOS), making it the world’s fastest hearse…certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Talk about fast delivery.

Hell Pizza can’t resist poking fun at whoever they can. The company bought the space (left) next to this advertisement (right) and decided to be a little irreverent. The ad didn’t stay up long, but it garnered a lot of attention and sales for the pizzeria. PMQ is not endorsing risque advertising like this, but we would like to demonstrate the “shock value” effect Hell Pizza employs to obtain word-of-mouth advertising. Not that you should try something like this, but think about alternative ways you can get people talking.

CENSO RED The “Censored” block above was not part of the original New Zealand design.

60 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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Hell Pizza’s t-shirts, which sport slogans such as “Eat Me,” “Bitchin’ in the Kitchen,” and “Providing Oral Pleasure Since ‘96,” have proven to be an immensely popular item and have been spotted as far away as Great Britain and the United States.

They also have two 1970’s police cars, complete with police lights and sirens. They also have the Hell logo and it has “To Protect and Serve Damned Tasty Pizza” painted on the side. It is an attention-getter as well, but I asked Stu how they used it. “We just purchased the cars locally,” Stu said. “We plan on driving around near other pizzerias and pulling over their drivers and people walking out with pizza from our competitors. We’ll be issuing tickets for serving or eating bad pizza,” he laughs. I mention that he is sure to get tickets for impersonating an officer. “Yeah, I know,” he returns. “But the publicity, media attention and word of mouth we will gain will be worth so much more than the tickets we pay. We are also in the process of getting an old ambulance from the U.S. We are gonna call it the Satanbulance!” Hot-rod hearses, police cars and ambulances aren’t the only mobile marketing tools they use. They also have beach buggies, Mini Coopers and three wheel scooters that are painted with their logo they use to deliver pizza. The scooters are a great way to deliver pizza in that they are very fuel-efficient and attract a lot of attention with the logoed shells they have. Stu says they import them from Japan and have a sign company (Cannon Signage) that hot-rods them up. He says each scooter costs about $3,000 each and only use about $5 in petrol a week. They are also easy to park on sidewalks, making deliveries faster.

Stu said one of the fun things Callum did with the beach buggy was to load it up with water balloons, dress the shop staff up in devil masks and drive around water bombing Eagle Boys Eagle mascots in front of their stores. “Yeah, we would pull up with one guy filming and nail the guy dressed in the costumes,” Stu said. “We made a video out of it (on the Web site). It was hilarious…you have to have some fun in business.” Signage The Hell concept just begs for catchy and flashy signage and this is one area they have not overlooked. In addition to catchy signs with “Meet Your Neighbors from Hell” above most locations, they also have the number 0800 666 111, which they advertise as The Number of the Feast. Their themed stores feature industrial interiors with pumping sounds. They have also used edgy promotions in billboards in other areas. In one location they found a sign with a woman on her hands and knees advertising a company. They bought the sign next to it and put two Hell Pizza employees holding a pizza paddle behind her getting ready to…well, put the pie in the oven. Needless to say, they were forced to take it down, but not before it

Up to 23 percent of their orders come through their Web site. The site updates the wait times for orders every 30 seconds so customer will know how long it will be before the pizza arrives. If orders are backed up, customers can choose another location to get it there faster. With over 30 franchises opening recently, Hell Pizza has given New Zealanders plenty of chances to “Meet the neighbors from Hell.” Advertising in New Zealand is quite expensive, but through creative and sometimes controversial advertising, Hell Pizza has found a way to create a buzz and word-of-mouth marketing.

www.pmq.com — PMQ 61

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One of Hell Pizza’s more successful, if controversial, ads is this “Meatlovers” ad depicting a Hell pizza poking from an opened condom wrapper.

captured a lot of attention. “Yeah, we p*ss a lot of people off, but they don’t order from us any way,” Stu says. Condom Giveaways Thinking out of the box, Hell ran a promo for their popular meat lovers pizza. It illustrated a broken condom wrapper with a slice of pizza sticking out of it. The byline read “Our pizza for Meat Lovers”. It is unorthodox, but still a good way to burn their name in customers’ minds. Merchandising “Everything in Hell is for sale,” Stu says. “We have Evil Beenies, T-shirts, Devil Ducks, boxer shorts and other stuff for sale. Our customers have driven us to do it. Our shirts have things like ‘Giving oral pleasure since 96,’ ‘Bitchin in the Kitchen,’ and ‘Eat Me’ on the backs. Customers kept asking if they could buy them, so we now offer them. I had a friend in the UK who told me he saw one of our shirts there. We are about to run a promotion where when you order our hottest pizza you get a free pair of boxer shorts – you may need them later in the evening! We are constructing coffin display cases to showcase the merchandise. Everything in the shop is for sale, even the artwork. I also love bumper stickers. We have a lot of different stickers made up and you will see them all over town.” Web Site One of the most successful things Hell employs is their Web site (www.hell.co.nz), which was created by Spikefin (www.spikefin.com). Up to 23 percent of their orders come through their Web site. The site updates the wait times for orders every 30 seconds so customer will know how long it will be before the pizza arrives. If orders are backed up, customers can choose another location to get it there faster. Stu says that Web orders take top priority and are sent through first. The site was the #1 food and beverage site in New Zealand, out-performing pizza giant Pizza Hut. CONCLUSION Exploring Hell Pizza was one of the most fun assignments I have had. Sure, they are a bit out there, but that is what I like about them. The company was built by a group of young, energetic guys and their concept reflects that energy. They understand the value of getting attention and use every opportunity to get people talking. They have created their own in-house POS system that employs humor and the Hell concept to train employees. They have shocked consumers into paying attention. In the process, they have forced other pizza chains to pay attention. It’s not to say you have to go to these measures, but it does demonstrate how thinking outside the normal boundaries and trying new things gets your name out there to the public and your pizza in their mouths. All I can say is, if you see one of their locations…go to Hell. - PMQ -

Hell Pizza offers a variety of merchandise, such as the horned “Evil Beenies,” Devil Ducks, t-shirts, boxer shorts and other branded merchandise. Read the section on “Merchandising” to learn more.

62 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

We look for people who are passionate about pizza. They also have to be committed to working in the shop. We don’t want or need absentee owners. We also look for people who really get the brand and won’t be scared of the concept or some of our marketing because we really push the envelope with some things.

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figaros2k5julaug

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7:11 PM

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Photos courtesy of Figaro’s

FEATURE

FIGARO’S DANCES TO A DIFFERENT TUNE B Y J I M D E E S • P M Q S TA F F

igaro’s of Salem, Oregon, started with the “take-andbake” concept some 24 years ago, but Marketing Director Jerry Doty, reports, “that’s part of what we are, but that’s really not who we are now.” “When take-and-bake was first introduced it was a novel concept,” Doty says. “Since we added ovens (10 years ago) the customer can now have it either way. Now we can compete with any type of pizza place. Our motto is still ‘this is the best pizza you can have at home.’” With total sales of $25,000,000 last year, the company feels its concept is as fresh as its pizza. Doty reports that Figaro’s business, particularly in its larger markets, is now a “50-50 split” of customers eating in and taking home. Among its many promotional plans, the company is launching a major push into the bustling Chicago market.

64 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

“We use a master franchisee. Some concepts call this an area developer business model in which a company or individual purchases from us the rights to develop a particular market. Steve Kleczewski is our master franchisee for Cook and several surrounding counties in Illinois. He will open several stores himself as well as attract and then assist individual franchisees in the metro Chicago market. He has plans to open 50 stores in the Chicago area in the next six years.” The company has reasonably high expectations for the Midwest and beyond. A recent poll of Figaro’s customers found that 69 percent had not eaten a pizza anywhere else in the past 30 days. Doty said his company believes its concept doesn’t take much heat from traditional frozen pizza sold in grocery stores. “With frozen pizza, there’s simply no comparison,” he

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Figaro’s started out as a take n’ bake pizzeria. Since they added ovens ten years ago, they can now compete with any pizza place.

says. “Frozen pizza is full of preservatives and very lightly topped. Ours are made fresh with no MSG and with abundant toppings.” Figaro’s offers 12 to 14 toppings, enabling a customer to eat 4,000 different pizzas, or as Doty says, “a different pizza every day for 11 years.” The company is further breaking with tradition by offering take-and-bake for delivery, becoming the first chain to do so. “We’ve only implemented take-and-bake by delivery for about a year and a half,” Doty said. “It hasn’t really taken off yet. Only about 5 percent of our deliveries are take-and-bake. It will take some time to grow into a hot delivery item.” To arouse interest in take-and-bake delivery, Doty says some stores will offer take-and-bake for a dollar less. “We feel that’s fair since the consumer is doing some of the work,” he said. Figaro’s has positioned itself to try such non-traditional tactics after the company underwent a complete makeover in 2001, when a partnership group, headed by former video rental magnate Ron Berger, purchased the chain. The new owners added new menu items, changed the slogan and instituted a new store design. In keeping with the company’s operatic theme, the new slogan is “flavors that sing.” The Italian historical legacy is illustrated in the new Tuscan color palettes, which are accented in all the new stores (40 opened last year). The opera connection is further highlighted in the store’s radio ads, which feature music from Mozart’s “The Barber of Seville.” The stores also use humorous posters, one of which features “The Three Cheeses.” “I hope Pavarotti doesn’t mind,” Doty said with a chuckle. PUTTING THE ‘FUN’ IN FUNDRAISING Figaro’s uses many of the standard pizza industry marketing tools including glossy newspaper inserts, direct mail pieces of coupon books and postcards. However, in keeping with the company’s penchant for innovation, Figaro’s has also instituted a different approach. 66 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

The company produces its own “newspaper” to get the word out about its menu and any specials it’s offering. “This is a unique piece we do called ‘Pizza People’ which is a newspaper about the store,” Doty said. “The idea of it is you take pictures of your customers and staff and it comes out as a tabloid-sized broadsheet that folds down just like a newspaper. That gets mailed out and people look at that and say, ‘Wow, that’s Jimmy, my neighbor, I didn’t know he goes to Figaro’s.’ It just feels differently from a glossy newspaper insert that everybody does. We also feel like it gives us a grass roots-type feel, like we’re part of the community.” Doty say the company also explores ways to cross-promote with other businesses near their stores. “We work with our franchisees on how to approach other businesses for cross-promotions. For example, we might have somebody go into a local hair salon and say, ‘Look, we’d like to buy you lunch tomorrow. How many people are going to be here?’ Then we’ll leave some certificates behind for them

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Figaro’s is looking to the future with plans to open 30 to 60 new stores per year by using a formula that will ensure “quality growth.” to give out to their customers. The idea is to get our food into as many people’s mouths as possible.” Doty said the company has also had success with a promotion called “Fun Night,” which most stores offer four to six times a year with a portion of the proceeds going to a local charity. “Fun Night is where we select a charity, say, the Boy Scouts, and we donate a percentage of an evening’s sales to them,” Doty explained. “The boys promote it, they go and pass out fliers. They go out and sell the thing and then they turn a slow night like a Tuesday into a much more busy week. We’re happy to give away some of that money to them because we make more, they make more and everybody’s happy. It also gives us a chance to reach a consumer we might not ordinarily reach.” In addition to local charity work, the whole chain comes together once a year to raise money for a national cause. Two years ago, Figaro’s made a contribution of $10,000 to America’s Second Harvest which is dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. Last year Figaro’s contributed 10 cents from every pizza sold to the International Franchise Association’s Education Foundation Scholarship Fund which goes to further the education of an armed forces veteran. QUALITY GROWTH Figaro’s is looking to the future with plans to open 30 to 60 new stores per year by using a formula that will ensure “quality growth.”

68 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Figaro’s targets high-traffic neighborhoods, shopping centers, freestanding pad sites and other non-traditional locations where its stores occupy between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. “We use a mathematical modeling tool that evaluates each potential site based on 14 criteria,” Doty said. “This would include loan costs, labor costs, the number of competitors, what the strip center is like, what the other tenants are like, these type things.” A field service rep from the home office works with the franchisee during opening week and a mystery shopping service is employed to come in and patronize the new store to report on any deficiencies. “Our stores are shopped every other month by the Jancent Company out of California,” Doty said. “The beauty of it is we get an email from them the next day, which of course we pass along to the franchisee immediately. It rates them on the complete customer experience: how clean is this store, what is the service level like, what is the product like, the pricing, what do you think about the concept. If we’re rolling out a new promotion, for example, we can have the shopper buy that particular item. Basically, we try to give our franchisees every tool possible to help them run a successful operation,” Doty said. All that attention to detail, coupled with the company’s innovation, keeps Figaro’s singing a happy song. – PMQ –

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walkerfamily

9/28/05

3:16 AM

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FEATURE

WALKER FAMILY PIZZA:

GOT THEM OL’

PIZZA BLUES B Y F R A N C I E B R O W N • P M Q S TA F F

avid Walker, owner of Walker’s Family Pizzeria in Bella Vista, California, has a laid back, Beach-BoysCalifornia style that ensures his restaurant’s success. Walker Family Pizzeria is a Blues-oriented pizzeria. “We went with Blues because it’s a cross-cultural, crossgender entertainment option,” David said. It’s a venue that you can take your kids to listen to blues and odds are, there isn’t going to be a physical altercation. There’s not going to be too many people who have had too much to drink.” David has a regular Blues Night every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Every band that performs there must turn in a demo CD that David screens to make sure the band is the right fit for his restaurant. They currently have about 15 different bands that they can pick and choose from on any given Friday night. For a restaurant that only seats about 90, Blues Night regularly brings in around 110-120 people. David pays every band $250 for three hours. He doesn’t charge a cover, preferring to make all of his money off sales of his food and drinks. On Blues Night, David doubles his staff up to four cooks and three front-end people and two to three delivery drivers for his delivery population of about 12,000. Even with extra staff, David, who sings vocals, doesn’t get on stage. “A lot of the bands are constantly trying to get me to jump up there with them, but I’m usually just too busy to do it,” David said. MARKETING To fully understand his marketing concept, you have to know a little bit about David’s family. David and his wife Shawna have three children, all of whom serve some small part in the restaurant. “What I do while I’m in the store is pri-

70 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

marily PR… PR, PR, PR,” David said. “My wife, Shawna, is the goddess of the kitchen. She cooks and does all of our purchasing, bills and bookkeeping.” His son, 13-year-old Briston, can be found in the store two to three days a week washing dishes. His oldest daughter, 11-year-old Lexi, is an aspiring waitress, taking orders every chance she gets, while his fiveyear old daughter, Bryna is around for the cute factor. His children help him out with some of his marketing. David made up a few pizzas and put them into individual slice boxes and loaded the pizza, some menus and his kids into the car. They went from neighborhood to neighborhood, knocking on doors and giving out slices of pizza and menus. “If I can’t get them in with my print and radio ads, then damn it, I’m going to take it to their doors to try it,” David said. “People really liked the generosity of having something free and, of course, having my kids deliver it to their door really helped as well.” David takes a slightly different approach to advertising than most other pizzerias. Yes, he does the same Yellow Page ads, the same newspaper, radio and television ads, but unlike most people, radio ads are his chosen form of advertising. “At the beginning, I hit the radio very hard,” David said. “I advertised on the six local stations with a really hard regiment—three spots a day per station—just to get my name out to the public.” He has no way of measuring how the radio ads work, except for his customer comment card that asks where they heard of the pizzeria. Towards Christmas, he slows down and goes into what he calls a maintenance schedule, only advertising on two stations a couple of times a week. “I think the time of year isn’t right to spend that kind

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of money. People are thinking of Christmas and how much that will cost them,” David said. “People aren’t eating out as much as they will come January, which is when I’ll start spending that advertising money again." COMMUNITY BENEFIT SUPPER On August 11, 2004, a fire broke out in Jones Valley, only a few miles from David’s hometown of Bella Vista. Started by a man mowing dead grass in the heat of the day, it cost the state of California $8.8 million to contain and burned 80 houses, threatened 350, and caused widespread evacuations. The day the fire started, David and his staff took pizzas, sandwiches and drinks out to the firefighters and the evacuees. Within a week of the fire’s start, David masterminded what he called the “Bear Incident Community Dinner.” Using a circus tent behind his restaurant, David raised $6,000 for the fire victims. “We put together a lasagna, pizza and spaghetti dinner, complete with various desserts,” David said. “You name it, and I had it donated. I charged $15 per head and raffled off $3,000 worth of donated gifts. Florists, masseuses, dinner houses—they just threw gift certificates at us.” Rather than donating the money to an organization to be handed out, David put the money into $100 gift certificates at Home Depot and then gave them to the Jones Valley firefighters to hand out. “My reasoning there was that the firefighters would know who was really effected by the fire and who would benefit the most from the certifi-

72 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

For a restaurant that only seats about 90, Blues Night regularly brings in around 110120 people. cate,” David said. “I did explain what I was doing to the people at Home Depot, but by that time, they’d already been hit up by others in the area trying to raise funds for the fire victims. That’s one reason why I had my dinner so quickly after the fire started. I knew if I waited, every single Tom, Dick and Harry was going to ask for donations.” THEN, NOW AND SOON In the late 1800s, the restaurant’s building was a stage stop and later converted into a lumber mill. “When we bought it, it still had wagon lights and things on the ceiling of the building,” David said. “The wood paneling made me think of Deliverance all over again.” They cleaned the building up and decorated the walls with surfboards, wakeboards and bamboo awnings. Part of the décor includes an old VW Bug bolted to the wall and the bed of an old pickup truck to hold the big screen TV. Come May, David and family plan to break ground to build a “beer garden.” A beer garden is an outside patio complete with a bar: they’re even planning on decorating it with hops and barley. Along with the garden, they’ll have an open barbeque pit so they can offer barbeque pizza. – PMQ –

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KATRINA FORCES DATE CHANGE

B Y T O M B O Y L E S • P M Q S TA F F

www.pmq.com — PMQ 73

VPN article

9/29/05

10:21 AM

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FEATURE

THE MOTHER OF

ALL PIZZAS B Y L U C A S L E I G H • P M Q S TA F F

aples, Italy, has a craft—a genuine purpose to its name—pizza. Taking one of the most diversely celebrated dishes of the world and condensing it to the original Neapolitan style is now the law of the Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN). Since some of the ingredients can be hard to come by in the United States and the culture of Neapolitan pizza-making is considered an art, it has been officially recognized by the Italian government that only twelve pizzerias in the United States are up to par with the rules of a ‘true’ Neapolitan pizza practice. According to VPN President Peppe Miele, if it is a true Neapolitan pizza, its crust will be hand-formed dough made of Caputo flour, its sauce should be made from imported San Marzano tomatoes and then covered with fresh slices of buffalo milk mozzarella cheese and baked in an 800° brick oven. “Neapolitan pizza is a culture that we in Verace Pizza Napoletana try to uphold in America because it’s truly the mother of all pizzas,” Peppe said. “In the 1700’s and 1800’s, pizza was considered a peasant food because it was so cheap to make, but it became popular in Europe because it was a light meal and its ingredients were so varied.” Peppe has the passion and know-how for the famous Naples dish and he’s anxious to share his skills with others. Peppe founded the VPN in the United States in 1996. He is the man in charge of training new chefs and carrying out Naples’ pizza

74 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

tradition. His restaurant in Marina del Rey, California, Antica Pizzeria, is the only genuinely certified Neapolitan trattoria in Southern California, with sales around $1.2 million last year. Peppe said they use several different marketing applications in his restaurant including local media, newsletters, flyers, and a website, but that just pleasing the customer is the best advertisement around because “when someone likes what they taste, they tell their friends, and also come back for more.” Peppe admitted that word-of-mouth marketing tops any other strategy money could buy. Peppe said that some people love Neapolitan pizza’s flavor and texture, but people who have traveled Europe and Italy appreciate it most. “People trying Neapolitan pizza may not understand it unless it’s someone who is familiar with the Italian culture. The toppings are different and less abundant, and there’s no such thing as pepperoni. The crust is also thin and cooked in a wood-burning oven instead of gas or electric, so the taste is simpler and much healthier than American pizza.” The rules were set forth by the Italian government in 1997 after professor Carlo Mangoni, a nutrition specialist at the Second University of Naples, was contracted to compile a sort of rule book specifying the true techniques and qualifications of Neapolitan pizza. The 42-page treatise covers everything from calorie counts to the actual Homeric origins

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Neapolitan pizza is a culture that we in Verace Pizza Napoletana try to uphold in America because it’s truly the mother of all pizzas. of pizza. But, the most important context of this document is in the recipe area that tells about the ingredients and the methods of crafting an authentic Neapolitan pizza. The rules say a certified VPN pizza must be baked on the raw volcanic stone surface of a bell-shaped, wood-fired oven. As a result, the pizza takes on a crisp, bubbly crust and a tangy array of flavors. Only five styles have been noted as truly genuine by the VPN, including Parmigiano-Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and the classic Margherita, a pizza specific to Italy and most popular in true Neapolitan trattorias. It includes San Marzano tomatoes (or plum tomatoes as a substitute), extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and Pecorino Romano. The colors of the Italian flag must be represented on the Margherita. According to VPN’s strict rules governing Neapolitan pizzas, the lower crust must be cracker-like. “The bottom must be approximately the thickness of a credit card, while the outer crust should be about the size of a quarter, and very dense,” Peppe said. “The crust will have black bubbles characteristic to a wood-burning oven and Neapolitan pizza.” Since Italian ingredients, such as San Marzano tomatoes, which only grow in the San Marzano valley of Italy, can be pricey and next to non-existent in the United States, some other acceptable ingredients have been noted: California-grown plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (Peppe makes his own mozzarella from boiled curd, milk, salt and water), and any premium brand of flour is acceptable, such as Caputo flour from Naples, Italy. “Using American products instead of Italian products is acceptable,” Peppe said, “but because the soil composition, the climate, and the water is different in both countries, the taste will be slightly different. We want to see certain tastes and ingredients, but we are not going to force members to buy the more expensive product when these Italian products are simply unavailable in the United States.” For example, Peppe explains, until recently, Caputo’s flour was not readily available in Los Angeles, but now that it is, “I use it because it is renowned as the best flour in Italy.” He said his clients have already recognized a difference in the pizza since the change, with some guests even asking to buy the Caputo flour for baking at home. “That just goes to show you that Americans are increasingly aware of what goes on in Italian cooking,” Peppe said. He adds, “Using real Italian products, when they are available, gives the restaurant owner a special market position over others in the industry.” At Peppe’s restaurant, a 12-inch pie of eight slices starts at nine dollars with the basic toppings of the Marinara, which has fresh tomato, garlic, and oil. The most expensive pizza on Antica Pizzeria’s menu is his specialty pie, Mergellina, which consists of Scallops, shrimp, chopped tomatoes and arugola, which sells for about 13 dollars. A true VPN pizza is made with certain ingredients which can only be imported from Italy, such as San Marzano tomatoes. True San Marzano Valley tomatoes are marked on the packaging with a certification label.

76 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

VPN President Peppe Miele and Jose Barrios, the Mastro Pizzaiolo who teaches the VPN training courses.

Over the course of the next few months, Peppe Miele plans to put his training skills to use in a new facility that is under construction in California. He wants to be able to train more restaurateurs interested in the Verace Pizza Napoletana. He currently trains at his restaurant, Antica Pizzeria, but can only take one student a week because of space and time. For $1,300 students can expect to work and train in the restaurant under Peppe’s guidance for three days and nights. For $2,200 students can work for a full week. Peppe is eager to show how Neapolitan pizza has shaped in the United States. He headed up an American delegation of VPN members at the annual Verace Pizza Napoletana Pizzafest at the Mostra D’oltremare in Naples, Italy, on September 8-18, 2005. The “ultimate pizza festival” took place in the hometown origin of Neapolitan pizza. There was an outdoor event with Vesuvius in the background. “It is fantastic for VPN members from the United States to have our own booth showing that Neapolitan pizza has international appeal without so many worries of compromising the quality,” Peppe said. Peppe is also interested in taking VPN on the “ultimate road trip,” he says. Verace Pizza Napoletana has commissioned mobile state of the art kitchens, fully equipped with wood-burning ovens. “It’s actually a container, like cargo holds on ships, which open up into a kitchen with a canopied seating area where participants can watch the pizzas being made,” Peppe said. He explained that the containers will serve as a mobile showcase for Neapolitan pizzas. The first events will be held in Europe this year. “We want to be able to reach people who aren’t likely to have a Neapolitan pizzeria in their area and this will be a good way to do that. Sort of a moveable feast,” Peppe explained. Besides running his restaurant, being an instructor of Neapolitan pizza-making, and running the business of the Verace Pizza Napoletana, Peppe is also in the process of creating a newsletter/journal that will go to American pizzerias interested in VPN, informing them of what’s going on in the Neapolitan world of pizza. It will include new members, events, vendor information, and success stories dealing with the authentic Naples dish. For more information on the VPN or if interested in becoming a member of the Neapolitan pizza culture, visit their website at http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org. – PMQ –

VPN article

9/29/05

5:26 PM

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mppcalendar

9/28/05

5:45 PM

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PMQ’S IDEA FORUM - IDEA #170

CHECK OUT ALL THE PREVIOUS IDEA FORUMS ONLINE AT WWW.PMQ.COM

CALENDARS LAST

365 DAYS! A Your advertising dollars work hard all year long. Your menu, your specials, your logo and your message in your customers’ faces, which keeps your restaurant on their mind.

great marketing tool used for years by companies/service providers that rely on repeat business has been the imprinted yearly calendar. Done correctly, meaning if the calendar is a ‘keeper’, there is no better and cost effective way to ensure your name and message is always in front of your customers. Set your pizzeria apart from the rest by getting out of the flyer drawer. When they choose to hang your calendar you are no longer just another advertiser, you are now an invited guest.

THE REASONS IMPRINTED CALENDARS WORK ARE SIMPLE: • Seeing your name on a regular basis sends a subjective message. It’s your food they want. • Your message is always handy. When your customer wants to order they know exactly where to find you. • As your customer receives your calendar gift you benefit immediately from increased good will. • Calendars distributed during December and January with pick up and delivery orders are a direct, low-cost method to advertise with results all year long. Now, there is an even better reason for making an imprinted calendar your pizzerias’ most important marketing tool. My Pizza Promo Inc. has created a stunning wall calendar with a full page for your personalization. Your advertising dollars work hard all year long. Your menu, your specials, your logo and your message in your customers’ face which keeps your restaurant on their mind. The calendar is titled “The Essence of Italy” and reflects the true feel of Italy, seductively suggesting Italian food. Beautiful, romantic and timeless, this calendar is a true ‘keeper’ with high profile marketing that your customers will use repeatedly and love. On average, it can cost at least six times as much to find a new customer than it costs to influence an existing customer to increase their order frequency. No advertising is cheap if it’s thrown out and no advertising is expensive if it works. Being at your customer’s home and/or office assures that you are always top-of-mind when it’s time to order. Existing customers are your most receptive and valuable asset. Let My Pizza Promo Inc. influence them to remain loyal and order more often. Call My Pizza Promo Inc. at 1-866-889-8745 or visit www.mypizzapromo.com for more information. Ask also to receive your FREE 2006 Marketing calendar. It’s full of special marketing suggestions and prompts you to plan ahead for all important selling opportunities. – PMQ –

78 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

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italian desserts

9/28/05

3:20 AM

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FOOD

CREATING A GRAB-AND-GO CONCEPT

WITH DESSERTS B Y L U C A S L E I G H • P M Q S TA F F

o order is complete without a hint of dessert. Italian desserts have satisfied the sweet tooth of people all over the world for centuries, and for your pizzeria, there’s no easier way to make a little extra. Usually composed of whipped cream or Marscapone cheese, crepes, and liqueur, these tasty treats are considered an art form because of the lavish presentation and mouth-watering ingredients. They are made to be enjoyed. If you’ve ever tasted rich cream mixed with rum flavors or soaked in espresso, you know it’s heaven-sent. It’s also a good add-on to any order, especially carryout, according to Paul Schneider of Finelli Pizzeria in Ellsworth, Maine.

These tasty treats are considered an art form with many because of the lavish presentation and mouth-watering ingredients. They are made to be enjoyed. 80 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

His New York style pizzeria/deli was voted number one in the state of Maine by nearly a 3 to 1 margin in a poll conducted by the Bangor Daily News in April, 2005. Paul said money can be made by simply adding desserts to your menu. At Finelli Pizzeria, they make less than half of their desserts. The rest are ordered from a company in Kenilworth, NJ called TasteIt Presents. “They have the best tiramisu and almond cake I have ever tried, and I’ve tried a lot,” Paul said. The biggest loss to most businesses comes in the rush and excitement of making a sell. Most employees get so lost in the sell that add-ons don’t occur. That is the turning point for your business, or the difference between thousands of dollars a year. Just asking could make all the difference in numbers, or, as Paul has done, display your desserts right in the middle of the floor to leave the customer with no question that, “Yes, I do think I’ll have a dessert this time.” Recipes are plentiful on the Internet. The PMQ recipe bank (located at www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/pizzacookbook/recipe.cgi) has some along with sites like www.mangiabenepasta.com/

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Italian desserts such as canollis (above) are proving to be a popular, profitable addition to many pizzeria menus across the United States, and indeed the world. Presentation is the key to a successful Italian dessert. Display cases like the one here can create mouth-watering temptations that can’t be resisted.

desserts.html. Recipes using Marscapone, the Italian version of cream cheese, is a must when creating such classic dishes as Tiramisu, Zuccotto, and Mascarpone cheesecake. Some other Italian desserts that shouldn’t be forgotten are gelato, canolli, and spumoni. Paul said the biggest profit for desserts comes from their homemade chocolate canolli that cost only about $70 to make (for 100 canolli) but turn almost $300 in sales in less than two weeks. But, Paul warned that adding desserts to the menu is only smart if you can properly display them. “I bought a dessert cooler that sits in the middle of the floor. Customers come in and they see the desserts—they see the tiramisu and the canolli—it creates a grab-and-go concept, and people buy them by the bag full,” he said. Canolli is the most frequently served Italian dessert in the United States. It is traditionally a Sicilian dessert made from fried pastry shell sprinkled with sugar and wrapped around a ricotta filling, or, more often in the U.S., various flavored pastry creams. If you’ve ever had a freshly prepared cannoli, odds are you haven’t forgotten the splendid flavors, which range from chocolate and caramel to vanilla and pecan and everywhere in between. Customers love to top their meal off with a light dessert. Five percent upselling on a $5 dessert means an extra $12,000 a year to a pizzeria with a thousand customers a week, so you can see the added bonus there. Gelato is a versatile dish that can be easily made at home or in the store using a few simple ingredients in combination with milk, eggs, sugar, water, and fruit. It is basically a lighter Italian ice cream made from milk instead of heavy cream—so it’s healthier. According www.pmq.com — PMQ 81

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SOME POPULAR ITALIAN DESSERTS INCLUDE: • Tiramisu (Right) Marscapone cheese, ladyfingers, coffee liqueur, cocoa • Canolli Fried pastry shell, ricotta, various flavorings • Gelato Milk, eggs, water, sugar, fruit; Ice cream texture • Spumoni Layered flavors of ice cream and rum-flavored whipped cream to historians, gelato has been in existence since the late 1500’s, first created by Bernardo Buontalenti for the court of Francesco de' Medici. It is more flavorful and downright better than ice cream. Spumoni, another popular Italian dessert, is a frozen ice cream concoction usually layered with two flavors of ice cream and sandwiched in the middle with rum-flavored whipped cream and candied fruits or roasted nuts. The ice cream is sometimes fluffed with whipped cream, which creates a light, flavorful texture. The spumoni is cut into thick slices and usually served with a flavor-enhancing fruit or chocolate sauce that captures the dessert’s essence. This is an easy chance to get creative and add yet another option for your customer and your register.

82 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Strufolli is a delectable Neapolitan dessert traditionally served at Christmas. They are small fritters (sometimes called Italian honey balls), which are made from basic ingredients of flour, eggs, sugar and butter. They are formed into marble-sized balls, and fried to a golden crispiness. The Struffoli are then simmered in a honey/sugar glaze and sprinkled with colorful confetti sugar. For a sweet treat at Christmas, they are usually baked several days in advance to pass out to friends and family on the days leading up to Christmas. These delightful little dough balls have a light texture, and before they disappear, add a sweet aroma to the air. They can also add a hunger-inducing fragrance to the air of your restaurant, as can any dessert. When people come in and smell something sweet, dessert instantly comes to mind. Another great way to boost your dessert sales is to have a dessert tray laid out and, if you have the extra staff, it would be ideal to have someone walk around with the tray. Some people will wait until after their meal, but in some cases, they will want to know right off the bat what’s being offered for dessert. A subliminal message, if you will. Don’t pass up the chance to make big money in sales on a hassle-free addition to your menu. – PMQ –

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PIZZERIA INTERNATIONALE

CHOCOLATE CANNOLI PAUL SCHNEIDER FINELLI PIZZA ELLSWORTH, MAINE

aul came up with several good ideas for serving desserts. “Desserts create a graband-go concept, so they must be displayed properly [so the customer can see them],” Paul said. His recipe for canolli has people buying them by the bagful. “I pay $66 for 200 chocolate-covered Canolli shells from Golden Canolli Company out of Somerville, Massachusetts. The chocolate covering gives them a longer lifespan on the shelf, so they won’t get soggy if they sit there for a day or two.”

INGREDIENTS & COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Yields about 70 or 80 canolli

Instructions:

• Chocolate coated canolli shells • 5 lbs ricotta (Polio brand works best because it’s dry) • 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar • 3 drops of cinnamon oil • 4 tsp. of white vanilla

Fold the ingredients of ricotta, sugar, cinnamon oil, and white vanilla together carefully—being sure not to mash the cheese, which may liquefy it. Fill shells and enjoy.

www.pmq.com — PMQ 83

buffets

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MARKETING

DANNY’S 90-94 GRILL AND PIZZA

THE MOVEABLE FEAST:

BUFFETS B Y J I M D E E S • P M Q S TA F F

successful buffet is almost rocket science in that it requires much more thought than simply setting pizzas out under heat lamps. One operator in Wisconsin has embraced the buffet concept in a big way by offering an all-day buffet during the summer months, scaled back to weekends the rest of the year. “We’re in a strictly tourist area,” explains Dan Fitzpatrick, co-owner of Danny’s 90-94 Grill and Pizza, a 134-seat pizzeria in Lake Delton, Wisc. “We’re surrounded by resorts and hotels. We have indoor water parks here, some of the largest in the world. We have a new mega-resort, Mt. Olympus, that offers an indoor water park and roller coasters and a hotel. But Lake Delton itself, combined with the Dells which is nearby, still only constitutes about 3,000 people. It’s a small town.”

We went up about a buck on everything and it was a non-event. Everybody knows gas prices are going up, everybody knows milk is going up, everybody knows transportation costs are going up. If you do it in conjunction with what is going on in the country, people accept it. 84 PMQ — THE Marketing Magazine of the Pizza Industry

BIG MENU, BIG WORK Dan says he and his family (his dad manages the books and the website, mom works the morning kitchen) decided to offer the best buffet possible. The menu is eclectic and extensive. The varieties of pizzas include, BBQ Chicken, Hawaiian, Veggie, and a Garlic and Chicken Club. Six are kept out on the buffet at any given time with two baking during rush hours. Any unsold pizzas are tossed at the end of the day. The non-buffet items include pork tenderloin, a Rueben sandwich, a four piece chicken dinner, beer-battered shrimp and chicken tenders. Dan reports that the fish items are the most expensive and pasta the cheapest. “Pizza and chicken are our biggest sellers,” Dan says. “We buy our chicken from a fresh chicken program from Golden Plump. We buy their pre-marinated broasted chicken, we bread it and cook it in our pressure fryer then we put it out on the buffet. “We offer three different types of crusts on our pizza,” he continues, “and four different sizes. We have a hand toss, which was our original pizza that we opened with in 1999. In 2001 we introduced a thin and crispy and a deep dish.” A large menu requires a large crew to keep things moving. During his peak season – the summer – Dan says he employs 20 people to run the operation. When school starts, Dan uses around eight employees. The diner’s labor costs are budgeted at 22 percent with food costs budgeted at 30 percent. The diner’s buffet sales ran around 50 percent as

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opposed to individual sales during the peak summer months. “One normal shift is about ten to twelve people and we run two shifts a day,” he says. “This year we may be toying with running the buffet during the week starting at lunch, then pit stopping and then reopening it for dinner, but right now it’s up for discussion.” The diner performs a major switch-over on the buffet around 3:30. The staff breaks it down, then has it back up at four o’clock with a full salad bar, soups, and a variety of pizzas, and non-pizza items including chicken, fish, shrimp and pasta, rice and vegetables. “The hardest times are the lull times,” Dan declares. “When it’s quiet you’ve got to keep your food fresh and rotated and keep flipping your pans. In a tourist area like ours, in peak season, we don’t really have a lull time. But we’ve found that if people do know that you have an all day buffet, our middle of the afternoon hours are much busier now than they ever used to be. It’s helped increase our business between two and four.” Dan says on his buffet table he uses steam from below and dry heat on top. There is no bottom heat on the pizzas and the overhead heaters have to be watched carefully as they can dry food out if items are kept out too long. As for the costs of buffet tables, Dan says, “They range widely. I deal with Mike Matoska at www.vollrathco.com.” Dan’s diner does deliver but it’s not a big part of his business, he says. “We have one delivery driver but we don’t go any further than three miles outside the store. We sell all the pizzas to the driver who pays for them at the end of the night. We mostly offer it for the tourist trade in the area.” JIMMY YOUR BUFFET Dan says that the best marketing is having good food that customers refer to their friends in the time-honored tradition of wordof-mouth. “We focus on word-of-mouth and travel guide books,” he says. “Also, there is in-room advertising for the resorts. We did some coupon books last year, but we’re going to get out of that. We’re going to have a good value price on our buffet and not worry about coupons. This is a heavy couponing town but the customers are already here; why coupon them? We offer all they can eat and they get a free beverage. In our drink area, we have two large Pepsi machines with eight heads on each one with a variety of things to drink plus milk and coffee. We’re already at $8.99, it’s a great value as it is, and the buffet is all you can eat with a free drink. There’s no reason to do a coupon.” Dan assures customer loyalty by being unique. The restaurant is known for a large 1950’s-era car that is in the front of his building. The car also figures prominently in the restaurant’s website art work. Another of his innovations is the dessert pizza. “We take our hand-tossed crust, we put apple or cherry pie filling on it and then strudel topping. We bake it and then when it comes out, it gets frosting on the top. We get eight to 12 slices and it eats like a pie. Dessert pizzas are fairly popular in this area. We just developed this last year and put it on the buffet.” Other dessert items include an Oreo Brownie Hot Fudge Sundae with three scoops of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and Oreo topping. Other sundaes are offered with 15 toppings to choose from including a Caramel Cashew Sundae and a Hot Fudge Pecan Sundae.

Variety is a key to bufffet-style pizza dining, as evidenced by this buffet from Incredible Pizza Company.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT The entire business world has had to deal with exploding fuel costs and certainly the pizza industry feels the crunch dealing with their distributors as well as buying gas for their own delivery vehicles. Dan says he knows from experience that customers will more readily accept price increases — he recently went up one dollar on most of his items — if they know it’s done for legitimate reasons. So how did his customers react to the abrupt increase? “They didn’t even notice. It was a non-event. We took a price

www.pmq.com — PMQ 85

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increase on all our items across the board because we run a full menu. We went up about a buck on everything and it was a nonevent. Everybody knows gas prices are going up, everybody knows milk is going up, everybody knows transportation costs are going up. If you do it in conjunction with what is going on in the country, people accept it. We were at $7.99 a few weeks ago and we just raised the buffet price to $8.99.” AGENTS OF CHANGE Raising prices hasn’t been the only change at the diner. The diner has been at its present location since 1995. This year the business did a remodel, making the dining room a little larger. With Denny’s and other establishments with the words “diner” in the area, Dan and his parents decided to rename their place the 90-94 Grill and Pizza. They also took two old logos and melded them into one common logo. “We feel like the changes were good for us and helped to more clearly define our brand name,” Dan says. Danny's Diner started in Madison, Wisc. and moved to Lake Delton in 1996. Danelli's Pizza and The Breakfast Buffet were added in 1999. In May 2005, the operating name was changed to Danny's 90-94 Grill & Pizza with a new dining room and expanded buffet. The all-day-buffet is served daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. During the rest of the year, it's served on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. The buffet starts at 9 a.m. with a breakfast buffet. At 10 a.m. it is reworked as a brunch buffet and the dinner items are added at 4 p.m.

BUFFET SCIENCE Running a successful buffet is something of a science that improves through experience; seeing what works and what doesn’t. For example, one technique is to check the pizzas on a buffet every 15 minutes or so to maintain freshness. “There is some trial and error to it,” Dan says. “We are very vigilant about our rotating and our quality control. You have to be. If food gets soggy or stale, that can hurt your business quickly. The key is preparation and vigilance. Some of our morning crew arrives at the store at 5 a.m. to meet distributor trucks and to get our baked goods going. There are lots of hours involved and you’ll only be successful if you’re prepared to put in the time.” Dan Fitzpatrick has put in the time and it shows in his business, his recent expansion and of course, on his bottom line. “We seem to have found our niche here and judging from the positive feedback we’ve been getting, we must be doing something right.” Visit Danny’s Diner’s website at www.dannys9094.com

WWW.PMQ.COM

86 PMQ — THE Marketing Magazine of the Pizza Industry

– PMQ –

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Hundreds of Moneymaking Ideas

ONE INCREDIBLE SHOW. “

Being a fourth-generation pizzeria

owner, I thought I knew it all! But I

learned a great deal at this show. PMQ did a

FANTASTIC JOB!

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— Becky Ballew, Owner, Brother’s Railroad Inn, Independence, KS

the new york pizza show

DELIVER S … 200-PLUS EXHIBITS Profitable products and services from A to Z

PIZZA UNIVERSITY Moneymaking seminars from top industry experts

ASK THE EXPERTS Leading consultants help solve your toughest problems

THE U.S. PIZZA TEAM ACROBATIC FINALS America’s top “pizzathletes” in a dough-slinging showdown

2ND ANNUAL AMERICA’S PLATE Pizza makers from 8 countries compete for THE world’s best gourmet pizza

SLICE OF HISTORY RESTAURANT TOUR Visit and learn from NYC’s most legendary pizzerias

JOIN US for cocktails and celebrate Lombardi’s 100th anniversary at our opening night social immediately after the exhibit hall closes Tuesday.

PMQ HEADQUARTERS Meet PMQ’s publishers, editors and staff

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE LARGEST PIZZA SHOW ON THE EAST COAST! REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.NEWYORKPIZZASHOW.COM AND SAVE! REGISTER BY PHONE AT (203) 925-2100 EXT. 117

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R E T S I G E R

! Y A D O T

HOTEL INFORMATION New York Pizza Show attendees will receive SPECIAL rates at the following hotels: SHERATON NEW YORK 811 7th Avenue Single Rate: $259 The lights ... the thrills ... the drama. Be a part of the NYC spirit at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, located on 7th Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets in midtown Manhattan. Just steps from the excitement of Broadway theatres, prestige of Carnegie Hall and worldclass shopping of Fifth Avenue, Sheraton’s location is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the best that New York has to offer.

HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA 401 7th Avenue Single Rate: $169 With its superb midtown Manhattan location, New York's Hotel Pennsylvania is ideal for business, meetings or vacations in the Big Apple. Located directly across the street from Amtrak's Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, it’s just one block away from Macy’s Herald Square and the Empire State Building and within easy walking distance of the Javits Convention Center, Times Square and the Theatre District.

NEW YORK PIZZA SHOW SCHEDULE OF EVENTS MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 7-8:30 p.m. – Slice of History tour (John’s on Bleeker St.)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Registration 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Pizza University 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Exhibit Hall 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Ask the Experts’ Think Tank 10 a.m. – 12 noon – America’s Plate U.S. Finals 10-11 a.m. – U.S. Pizza Team registration 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – U.S. Pizza Team competition 4:30-4:45 p.m. – U.S. Pizza Team Awards 5-6:30 p.m. – Opening Night Reception 6 p.m. – 2005 PIE Award Presentation 7-8:30 p.m. – Slice of History Tour (Lombardi’s)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. - Registration 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Pizza University 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Exhibit Hall 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Ask the Experts 10 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – America’s Plate Finals 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – U.S. Pizza Team competition 2:15 – 2:30 p.m. – U.S. Pizza Team Awards

Ways to Register for

ACCOMMODATIONS: GO ONLINE TO www.ambassadorstechnology.com/housing/fwd/piz05

E-mail: newyorkpizza@ambassadors.com

CALL (866) 889-9643

pizzaparty2k5nov

9/30/05

3:42 PM

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oin PMQ, The New York Pizza Show and thousands of industry experts, leaders and operators in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Pizza. On November 1st, just as the first day of the show concludes, the party begins! Entertainment, international pizza tossing performances, Frank Sinatra performers, Pizza Dances, the PIE Awards and a birthday party for Lombardi’s Pizza with John Brescio…what more could you ask for?

Event Sponsors

THE ITALIAN ACROBATIC PIZZA SQUAD CELEBRA the TE LOM Come see a rare U.S. appearance , but er S s e M y R E O v Join u BARDI’S 100T F e e R u E l e P v B H BIRT ’ s in by the six-man Italian acrobatic pizza A u d R l yo owner AT not O of Lom welcoming J HDAY mer erson K SIN b ohn B FRAN ll, maybe ra perfor natra imp h the team. If you like the individual dough a celebra resc te the 1 rdi’s Pizza in Si We k Sinat wit k tossing, wait until you see what a u n o N k 0 a y YC and io, L 0 r n o th i n F m h h a t y b t r d e o a F a r n u o r d best crooner a ro, will s make yo ut at six-man team can do with a choreo- in Am i’s is recogniz of pizza in Am help o a eric ed ll eric , graphed dough tossing routine. seen hase Vacc s that wi hanging for our a, so this is a as the first piz a. e d C n zeria n in u r h a t d is o u l t to stry. th a ric el also be . smoo nd w inducte John and Lo celebration silky is alive a izza Show m d into th P e Pizza bardi’s will Frank ew York Hall of N Fame. the

AMERICAN PIZZA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER CROWNED In the past year, PMQ has been working with several competitions and food distributors to create a network of pizza competitions to determine who the best pizza makers in the country are. All of these competitions culminate with the winner of the American Pizza Championships that takes place during the first day of the show. We will officially crown the American Pizza Champion at the party. Who will it be?

FOX’S PIZZA DEN ACCEPTS THE PIE AWARD Each year, PMQ recognizes one pizzeria group as a leader and Pizza Industry Enterprise of the Year. This year it is Fox’s Pizza Den and founder and owner Jim Fox will be on hand to accept the award and talk a little about how Fox’s excelled in the past year.

THE PIZZA DANCE Also performing at the Pizza Party Celebration will be Tony Modica. Tony has performed all over the world showing audiences the thrill of the Pizza Dance. Join the fun and excitement as Tony pumps up the crowd and shows you how it’s done. – PMQ –

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REGISTRATION FORM (photocopy for additional buyers)

The New York Pizza Show November 1-2, 2005 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York City

Registration for the New York Pizza Show sponsored by:

4 WAYS TO REGISTER: Mail: NY Pizza Show c/o ExpoLogic 820 Park Way Broomall, PA 19008

1. ATTENDEE INFORMATION: ❏ Yes, register me for the New York Pizza Show. ❏ BONUS! Yes, begin or renew my free subscription to PMQ Magazine. (Signature required at bottom of page for free subscription)

Name __________________________________________________________________________________ Restaurant/Company Name ____________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________________________

Fax: 610-328-1548 City _______________________ State ______

Online: www.newyorkpizzashow.com

Call: (203) 925-2100 x117

Country ________ Postal Code___________

Business Phone ____________________________ Business Fax_________________________________ E-Mail Address __________________________________________________________________________

2. Business Classification: 1.❏ Pizzeria - Independent 2.❏ Pizzeria - Chain 3.❏ Pizzeria - Franchise 4.❏ Restaurant - Independent 5.❏ Restaurant - Chain 6.❏ Restaurant - Franchise

7.❏ Catering 8.❏ Hotel/Lodging 9.❏ Institution 10.❏ Convenience Store 11.❏ Grocery Store 12.❏ Deli

3. Locations

4. Areas of Responsibility

1.❏ ❏ 11 2-5 2.❏ ❏ 2-5 6-10 3.❏ ❏ 6-10 4.❏ 11-22 ❏ 11-22 21-50 5.❏ ❏ 21-50 6.❏ 50-plus ❏ 50-plus

(check that apply) ❏ all Purchasing

1.❏ 2.❏ 3.❏ 4.❏ 5.❏ 6.❏

Purchasing ❏ Marketing Marketing ❏ Operations/Mgt. Operations/Mgt. ❏ Broker Chef ❏ Chef Dealer/Distributor ❏ Other

5. Register Me For: 1.❏ Exhibits and Pizza University $50 per person $ 75 on site

6. PAYMENT OPTIONS:

I WANT MORE!

Name on credit card

ALSO REGISTER ME FOR:

_________________________________________________________

“A Slice of History Dine and Tour” 2.❏ Monday, Oct.31, John’s of Bleecker Street, $25 per person 3.❏ Tuesday, Nov. 1, Lombardi’s, $25 per person

Pay by check: Make checks payable to New York Pizza Show

Pay by credit card: Type of credit card: ❏ MasterCard ❏ Visa ❏ American Express

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eatzapizza

9/28/05

3:24 AM

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MARKETING

EATZA PIZZA: ALL THE FUN & PIZZA

YOU CAN EATZA B Y L U C A S L E I G H • P M Q S TA F F

atza Pizza, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based franchise, has taken an entirely new approach to its “all-you-caneat” pizza buffet concept. Since first opening its doors in the Phoenix market in 1997, 77 Eatza Pizza restaurants have opened or are under current development in 11 states. Eatza Pizza’s new approach includes a greater emphasis on customer service, the introduction of an expanded buffet with over 18 feet of pizza, fresh pasta, Zatos (a breaded and fried potato proprietary recipe), a salad bar, and even fried chicken and macaroni and cheese for children and diners who may not want pizza. New colors, uniforms and logos also brand the store’s concept. The new branding also includes the addition of 700-1,000 square feet dedicated solely to gaming, which helps entertain children (and probably some adults too).

92 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

BUILDING FROM THE BRAND UP Eatza Pizza’s public relations consultant, Tony Kingsbaker, said, “It’s been a two or three-pronged approach.” After the company was purchased by a new owner in December, 2003, new restaurants are being introduced rapidly with nearly 65 new units on the drawing boards. “They recognized the fact that the restaurants needed a face lift, so they went into all of their existing stores and redesigned the look and flow of the buffet, and completely revamped their look to create a totally new image,” Kingsbaker said. “Our media relations efforts centered on approaching national publications,” Kingsbaker said, “including national pizza trades and restaurant magazines.” “The biggest thing we were able to do was to establish close ties with the

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One of Eatza Pizza’s biggest draws is its family-friendly atmosphere. Great food, games for the kids and a generally fun atmophere keep the families coming back again and again.

media,” he added. “We recognized the fact that we needed to cultivate relationships with people in the media, because that’s a very important part of reaching out to our public.” Kingsbaker said that initial efforts involved working with the local media (in Phoenix, Arizona) to reposition the company in its home market. “We addressed the local media first and then developed media relations programs for regional and national trades.” Eatza Pizza’s vice-president of marketing, Kim Gouch, said the most important part of the re-branding process was spending time understanding the atmosphere and ambience of the restaurant. “We researched consumer data and merchandising trends to help us develop our new look,” Gouch said. “We took a whole new approach on the color palette with more vibrant tones: tomato red, various shades of yellow, and accent colors of aluminum, black, and polished wood,” she added. Gouch affirmed that setting the mood via a unique color palette was crucial because customers “need to feel like they are in a soothing atmosphere.” GETTING PEOPLE THROUGH THE DOOR—AND KNOWING WHO AND WHY One of Eatza Pizza’s primary goals was getting the customer into the restaurants and then exceeding their expectations. According to Gouch, several things needed to be accomplished in order to achieve these goals. “One of our main goals was to create a greater variety,” she said. “Most people come to Eatza Pizza because they want pizza, but they also want a variety of choices. That’s why we offer at least 18 different varieties of pizza, along with the salad bar, Zatos, desserts, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese, which has a great appeal to chil94 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

dren. In addition to offering variety, we also offer value and the gaming concept, which is also an important component to our success,” Gouch said. Measuring the effectiveness for Eatza Pizza’s strategies come in several forms, Gouch said. “We keep up with who’s coming, how often, and what they like by offering customers a one-on-one survey when they pay for their meal. We also track customers with the ‘Repizza card’, which is collected when a customer pays for his/her meal.” Although Eatza Pizza was unable to provide any statistical information regarding customer traffic and sales averages, Gouch did say they have seen a high return rate. “Where we used to see the customer once a month [prior to the re-branding], we are now seeing them come back an average of four times a month,” she said. Eatza pizza has also employed a coupon delivery system on their receipt printouts they give to customers. The coupons offer the customer one dollar off their next buffet ($5.99 for adults, $4.69 for children under 10, and free for children under three). The coupon expires after seven days, but Gouch said they are seeing high redemption rates adding to the number of repeat customers. PIZZA, GAMES, AND ENTERTAINMENT Eatza Pizza’s 12-inch pies are always fresh since it is corporate policy to throw away uneaten pizzas that have been out of the oven for more than 20 minutes. Although Eatza Pizza makes almost any

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Most people come to Eatza Pizza because they want pizza, but they also want a variety of choices. That’s why we offer at least 18 different varieties of pizza, along with the salad bar, Zatos, desserts, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese, which has a great appeal to children.

combination of ingredients available on their pies, the most popular seem to be pepperoni, sausage, and cheese, along with their specialty pies. Specialty pies include: a Sicilian deep dish, a garlic cheese bread pizza, chicken Alfredo pizza, and Tostaco—“a pizza that is like a burrito, with beans, cool ranch sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato, and sprinkled with corn chips.” Eatza Pizza’s game component has proven to be an important aspect of drawing customers. “Families with children can come into our restaurant and have a good time while still paying less than $25 for a meal,” Gouch said. “The children can roam back and forth from the game room, where they can play games that disperse tickets redeemable for prizes, while mom and dad catch up on the latest sports or news from one of our many televisions that are located throughout the restaurant.” The customer who wants to enjoy a more serene restaurant atmosphere can easily avoid the game room because the restaurants are set up with low dividing walls that keep the gaming area separate from the rest of the dining room. INFORMING THE PUBLIC Eatza Pizza has made the right moves in promotion, from employing a seasoned management team that recognizes the importance of public relations and marketing. Kingsbaker said the best way to let the public know what’s going on within the restaurant is to not saturate the mailboxes of writers and editors with uninformative press releases and information, but to recognize what the media’s interest-

ed in. He also emphasized the importance of media training for senior management employees who interact with the media. “We primarily use print,” Kingsbaker said, “because it is difficult to tell the Eatza Pizza story in 30-second sound bites, as in television or radio ads. Gouch said incorporating different mediums for different markets also plays a big role in the effectiveness of advertising. “I won’t use one cookie cutter approach across the board because it’s not always effective,” she explained, pointing to the fact that the company has tried every type of medium for advertising and hasn’t found one more successful than any other. “The key is in knowing the general trends of the specific market,” Gouch said. “We look at market penetration for statistics—who’s watching TV, who’s listening to the radio, and to which stations. Just by understanding the general trends of the marketplace, you can certainly apply different media vehicles that help you get the attention you need.” Involvement in charity organizations is also an important factor for the company. They are working on a new charity program for community affairs that they hope will help generate television exposure. “It’s a program that involves underprivileged kids in Haiti. It will be a very visual program that will tug at people’s hearts,” Kingsbaker said. Earlier this month, Eatza Pizza announced it has recently been awarded the franchise rights for its 100th store. More information on Eatza Pizza can be found at their website: www.eatzapizza.com – PMQ –

www.pmq.com — PMQ 95

terrymorey2k5novdec

9/28/05

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OPERATIONS

IS GOOD HELP HARD TO FIND? BY TERRY MOREY • PROFITMAX omeone is finding and hiring the best employees in your market. Why isn’t it you? You’ve been in business long enough to discover that the constant hiring, training, and replacing of employees is expensive, limits the quality of your food and service, and takes far too much of your time. So why haven’t you solved the problems of hiring, training, and keeping high quality employees? Many operators cite the problems of high employment, a shrinking pool of workers, changing applicant attitudes, increased competition from other retail segments, lack of glamour in the food service industry, and low wage structures. Then there is my favorite reason, “My community is different.” And the real danger of each of these excuses is that they are all true! So, it is easy to accept them as the final answer. If these reasons are true, then you may think that there is no solution to the problem of finding good employees and keeping them. There is a solution, but you may be looking in the wrong place. You do not have the ability to change the circumstances of your community or nation; you can’t change the environment that prospective applicants grew up in, or their desires and goals. But there are some very important things you can change, your attitudes and the way you are hiring, training, and motivating your staff. No, it’s not easy, but once you have solved your staffing problems the rewards will make a tremendous difference in your restaurant, and in your lifestyle. If you thought you were already doing everything right, you wouldn’t be reading this article. If you want to see what a difference using better techniques with your staff can make, spend some time in the most successful pizzerias or restaurants in your area. Step back from your restaurant for a little while and take a closer look at the success of other restaurant operators in your marketplace.

96 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Your most successful competitors are successful because they consistently deliver outstanding food and service, and the only way they can do that is by having outstanding employees. Spend some time in their restaurant. Watch their staff. Talk to employees and ask them how long they have worked there, how they like their jobs, and how they were trained. (Don’t try to hire your competitors’ superstars. You haven’t yet created the environment you need to be successful in keeping these outstanding employees.) Now that you know that your competitors have a crew of outstanding people, you know that it is still possible in today’s tough labor market to hire and keep superstar employees. Now put together a plan to create your own team of superstars for your pizzeria. STEP 1 Hiring is not the first step. The first step is creating an environment that will encourage the superstars you already have or may soon hire to stay at your restaurant. The first step is reducing unplanned turnover. If you keep more of your superstars, you will not

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BY PIZZAHUMOR.COM CARTOONS JERRY KING

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need to hire and develop as many new superstars to achieve excellence. So how do you keep your superstars? There are many proven things that you can do that will make an immediate difference in your pizzeria. Begin by recognizing what is really important to your employees, and understand that what is most important may be different for each employee. As a matter of fact, what is most important to each employee changes over time. Abraham Maslow, a renowned psychologist, found that every individual has basic needs that serve as motivational keys. As the most basic of these needs are met, the next level of needs becomes the most important. Understand these needs, and you have the key to creating a strong and positive work environment. These needs are, in order of importance: 1. Survival Needs – Such as air, food, water, and shelter. Do you know if each of your employees is able to provide the basics for themselves and those depending on them? It may not be your responsibility to provide this basic level of income, but if your employees cannot satisfy this need with their job they will be focusing on other ways to survive, not on their day-to-day work responsibilities. Maddox Ranch House, in northern Utah, dramatically decreased turnover and employee absenteeism by providing day care on the premises. For working mothers, childcare may be a survival need. 2. Physical and Emotional Safety – Means a safe environment. Safety reduces your operational and insurance costs, and lets your staff know that you care about them. An important aspect of safety is job security. Your employees’ need for safety is not satisfied if they feel insecure about their job. Seize opportunities to recognize the things your employees are doing right; let them know they are valuable and appreciated. By focusing on job security and employee esteem at Hi-Health Supermarts, we dramatically decreased turnover and increased sales by 100 percent in 90 days. 3. Social – Employees have a need to interact with others. Once their survival needs and safety needs are met, their social needs become a top priority. Allowing employees to satisfy their basic need for social interaction will increase overall productivity, employee satisfaction and loyalty, and reduce turnover. Build bonds between employees at work by having company activities or by just allowing employees to talk to each other a little when they are on duty. 98 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

There are some very important things you can change, your attitudes and the way you are hiring, training, and motivating your staff. No, it’s not easy, but the rewards will make a tremendous difference in your restaurant, and in your lifestyle once you have solved your staffing problems. 4. Esteem – Everyone has a need to be appreciated and valued. Show them the importance and value of what they are doing, and make sure they understand how their job ties in to the overall goals of your business. You may have superstars in your crew just waiting to be developed. Tom was an experienced employee performing at a minimally acceptable level for our company. Management focused on Tom, and began a dialog with him emphasizing his abilities and unfulfilled potential. At first Tom didn’t believe that we were sincere in the interest we were expressing in him. He felt his abilities had never been recognized in the past. But, we were persistent in reinforcing our strong positive opinions of his ability, and asking him to participate more fully in helping us achieve our goals. When Tom finally began to believe in himself and in our opinion of him, amazing things happened. Overnight Tom became one of our best employees. Within 90 days we offered Tom a position as manager at one of our lower volume stores. In less than 6 months Tom’s store was one of our best performing locations. 5. Self-Actualization – Employees want to be the best they can be at something. Help them realize that the skills and tasks they are performing on a daily basis are steps toward achieving their full potential, and let them take initiative on projects as they are ready. They may make some mistakes, but so did you. When you learn to be successful at helping your employees with these things, you will find that you have created time that you can use for more training, for more marketing, and for spending time with your spouse and your family.

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You will reach the point where you own the business instead of the business owning you. Now if all this attention to your existing employees sounds like a lot of work, it is. But as you satisfy your employees’ basic needs at each level, you will create ongoing satisfaction and loyalty, reduce turnover, and you will save the time that you would have spent in hiring and training new employees. And, the bonus is, you will have a better-trained staff with more superstars and you will give better food and service to your customers. Still don’t believe me? Go spend a little more time watching your best competitors. There are excellent tools available from several sources to help you put a system in place to identify your employees’ needs and personality requirements, and to structure your time so you will be effective implementing these new employee support initiatives. STEP 2 Now let’s talk about hiring. Even when you succeed in reducing turnover, you will still need to hire some new employees. So how can you make sure your new employees will have the potential to be superstars? Clone your existing superstars. Ask your existing employees to recruit new applicants. When you create a good working environment, your superstars will bring their friends, who will often be superstars too. Recruit through clubs and organizations. Applicants who are

100 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

spending time in these voluntary activities are often high achievement individuals and usually have a positive outlook on life. Use structured tools to help you with the interviewing and hiring decisions. There are simple tools available that with only a few questions will help you identify applicants who are similar to the superstars you already have for each job. Identify the job characteristics, identify the superstar characteristics, identify the applicant characteristics, and match them. These tools have been tested over many years and proven effective, and they may help you avoid potential discrimination in hiring charges. Hire the right people, train, and take care of your employees, and they will dramatically improve your restaurant and the quality of your life. Do it now! – PMQ –

Terry Morey is a recognized expert on hiring and training food service employees. He has hired thousands of co-workers, and created highly successful teams for new restaurants and operations restructuring. He has traveled nationally conducting human resource workshops, and written several books and manuals on hiring, training, and motivating employees. For more information about the systems and tools he uses, contact him at AIMHIRE Toll-Free 1-877-AIMHIRE or email to tmorey@hiresuperstars.com.

terrymorey2k5novdec

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pizzaperfection

9/28/05

3:27 AM

Page 1

FOOD

PACKING A

PUNCH INTO YOUR PERFECT

PIZZA

B Y F R A N C I E B R O W N • P M Q S TA F F

ver wanted to add garlic to your crust to give it that little bit of extra flavor but found that you couldn’t add it without overpowering everything else or ruining the action of the yeast? Well, now a company out of England gives you a way to add not only garlic, but just about any flavor you might want to try. According to Corinne Page, director of communications for Taste Tech, the flavors are possible because of new technology that has been developed. Using a new controlled-release mechanism, you can now add flavoring to your dough in a powder form. Corinne said that the controlled release system captures essential oils, oleoresin extracts and key ingredients within a microfilm of hardened vegetable oil (or something similar) and transforms them into free flowing powders, which retain all the aromatic flavors of the original spices. The flavors are designed in such a way that they stay encapsulated until either heated to a certain temperature or are activated in some other way (such as through chewing). Keeping the flavor contained until a certain temperature has been reached allows the yeast activity in your dough to be completed. “Controlled-release, with regard to use in pizza, would use the cooking process to release the active ingredients,” Corinne said. “For example, pizza spice flavoring is

Using a new controlledrelease mechanism, you can now add flavoring to your dough in a powder form.

a free flowing powder that can be incorporated into the dry mix for the pizza dough or mixed into the pizza topping. The pizza spice flavoring remains intact in the pizza. When the pizza is cooked, the encapsulant melts and releases the pizza spice flavoring directly into the pizza base and/or topping, providing the extra aroma exactly when it is required.” The flavoring should be used at a level between 0.2 and 0.6 percent as flavorings, give or take some, depending on how you want it to taste. A wide variety is available (pizza spice, jalapeno, chili, oregano, basil, black pepper, bread aroma, butter, cheese, garlic, mixed herb, mushroom, onion, pepperoni, pineapple and salami) for pizzeria owners. “The powders can be tailored to suit different product applications by altering the melting point, release mechanism, particle size and flowability,” Corinne said. With a shelf life of six months, the flavored powders give you more freedom to experiment with different tastes and varieties of your dough. Think about how you could expand your menu. Since the flavors don’t have to be mixed into the dough, but can be sprinkled on top, you could offer your traditional crust and your customers special order what they want. With this burst of flavor, your customers will come to appreciate your pizza in a whole new way. You can contact Corinne by phone at 44 117 979 3223, or by email, corinne@creativecomm.co.uk.

102 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

– PMQ –

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michaeld2k5novdec

9/28/05

6:02 PM

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OPERATIONS

PRINTING 101 B Y M I C H A E L D ’ A G O S T I N O • TA K E O U T P R I N T I N G

“

n educated consumer saves money by knowing the difference…” In my daily travels and meetings with restaurant and pizzeria owners, I seem to get the same questions about the whole printing process, but that’s the key word…process. It’s not just printing, folding and shipping. It’s a process! We don’t just press a button and presto…menus galore! There is a lot to know about menu printing. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers. WHAT KIND OF PAPER SHOULD I USE TO PRINT MY MENU? Printing paper comes in various sizes, colors and weights. Most menus are either 8.5 x 11, 8.5 x 14 or 11 x 17. Even though paper stock comes in hundreds of different colors, 90 percent of takeout menus are printed on white paper, whether it’s flat (dull) or glossy stock (shiny). Paper comes in different weights; 20lb., 60lb., 80lb., 100lb., etc. The page this article is printed on is 60 lb glossy paper, the cover of this magazine is 100lb. glossy paper; feel the difference. To keep it simple remember the higher the

number, the thicker the paper. The thicker the paper the more regal your menu looks and feels. Get different menu samples from different printers before you decide to print. Don’t ever rush into printing your menu. It is your number one marketing tool…but please stay within your budget and order what you can afford and the quantity you will need. Don’t order 25,000 or 50,000 menus to save a few pennies. If cheese suddenly goes up and you need to raise your prices and reprint your menus you will be stuck with cases of old menus in your basement. Order 10,000 menus at 7 cents a piece instead of 25,000 menus at 6 1/2 cents a piece. Do not be penny wise and dollar foolish. HOW MANY INK COLORS SHOULD I USE? Without ink, no printing will ever get done. When talking about ink there are two processes we need to explain, offset printing and four-color process. Offset printing is done using a conventional press usually with two separate colors of ink. The basic colors used by the majority of printers for this process are: black, red, burgundy, navy blue, light blue, green and yellow. Other prime

FOUR-COLOR PROCESS PRINTING Four-color process printing is traditionally the most common printing method for menus and collateral material. It involves the use of four basic colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, seen below) to make the gamut of colors the eye can view. Cyan

104 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Magenta

Yellow

Black

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ink colors picked from a color chart are expensive and have extra clean up and setup charges. If you are looking to save money, stick with the basic ink colors and keep it simple. This is how the offset process works; two ink colors are placed in bins, (we will use red and green ink for this example.), water is added to thin out the ink, the ink then goes on rollers, and the rollers meet with metal plates with the image of the menu on it. The plates transfer the two-color images to the paper. After the paper dries it is folded. That is how you get a two-color pizza menu. This is also referred to as one- and two-color process. Some of the busiest pizzerias in the country use this type of low cost one- and two-color take out menu. Four-color process is done a little bit differently than the offset. It involves 4 ink colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (known in the industry as CMYK). CMYK combines to make hundreds of colors. Imagine having four gallons of food coloring and loading it into a large printing press. A computer tells the printing press exactly what color to put in each individual dot per inch (or dpi) of a picture. If a picture is 300 dpi, it has 300 dots of color per square inch. The higher the number the better resolution your picture or font will be. With this process you can make a full color, photo quality menu. This is why we call it four-color or full color process. To get the best out of your full four-color photo quality menu, always print on the thickest glossy paper you can afford. Not only does it look great, but it feels good in your customer’s hands. WHAT ARE PLATES AND NEGATIVES? Earlier, when we spoke about the offset press, I mentioned metal plates. When your digital file from your disk or graphic designer is ready to print, they shoot an actual negative of your menu, which is then exposed to the metal plates. For example, your pizza menu is on white paper with red and green ink. One plate would have the registration for what is green, while the other has what is going to be red. Two colors, two plates and two negatives. Both plates are attached to the rollers and receive their respective ink colors and they plant their image on the paper…and there you go! Another menu is born! Save money. Don’t ever pay for plates and negatives. They should be included in the printing price. They cost the printer between $7 and $10 per job to produce. That is like you charging your customer for a bag with a slice of pizza. HOW SHOULD I FOLD MY TAKEOUT MENUS? Folding is simple; there are three basic menu folds: A bi-fold, trifold and four-fold. Bi-fold is folded in half. Your basic small 8 1/2x11 pizza menu uses this fold. Tri-fold is folded in three (with the left flap folded over then the right). This fold is popular with brochure printing,

menu printing and mailers. A four-fold is folded in half and then in half again. This fold is especially great if you want to add a coupon page or catering page to your menu piece. Don’t ever pay for folding. This is another extra hidden charge that should be included in your printing price. Many new printing presses today print and fold all at once. So, why pay? WHAT ARE STOCK PHOTOS AND SHOULD I USE THEM ON MY MENU? Stock photos are pictures bought by printers from photographers and are overused in print projects. Stock photos are great if you are a tire salesman and need a picture of a pair of tires for your business card. People cannot tell one tire from another. When it comes to pictures of your food to be placed on your menu, with your name on it, I would think twice about using stock photos. Most menu printers who offer stock photos have a handful of pictures of pizza slices, salads, pies etc. They recycle the same old pictures on thousands of menus. This is your menu, your brand, and your grandma’s pizza recipe. Show it off. Solutions…hire a local photography student or professor at your local college or university to take photos for you. You can even barter pizza dollars for the work done. Craigslist.org or www.elance.com are also great places to find local photographers nationwide. Before you hire a photographer for a photo shoot, take a look at past jobs performed. Make a deal for a flat rate and get, in writing, the negative rights and full reprint rights to all photos taken. No matter what a printer tells you, stock photos cannot be copywritten by you. You do not own the rights to the photos on your own menu. Your printer can put that photo on any menu they choose and you have no say. Pay a little more and own your own photos. It will be a wise investment. WHAT IS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER? HOW DO I FIND A GOOD AFFORDABLE ONE? Graphic designers are digital artists, using the computer screen as their canvas. They take your menu ideas and put them in digital format. They know sophisticated print programs and know how to setup proper files for print. Finding a good graphic designer should not be a hard task. The 2001 dot-com collapse put lots of talented designers out of work. Many designers work closely with printers for jobs but work from their homes. Ask your printer to recommend a designer. Some of the best and reasonable designers are college students. They have no overhead and love the extra money. It is easier to barter with students for work. Your other option is www.craigslist.org or www.elance.com to find a designer nationwide. Before hiring a designer make sure they specialize in menu design and menu engineering. Always get samples of past menu design jobs. Always negotiate a flat rate per job. Get all the specifics

A basic example of how plates are used to composite an image. The amounts of each color are determined by the exposure on the plate. Cyan Plate

Magenta Plate

Yellow Plate

Black Plate

www.pmq.com — PMQ 105

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of your job in writing, to not cause confusion in the future. Work closely in the design process of your menu. Have an idea of what you want on your menu by collecting 10-15 menus from local competitors. Show your designer what your competition is printing and design a better menu. Beware! Don’t ever pay by the hour for a designer. Some designers demand $75 - $100 per hour. The best architects in the country don’t make that much money. Your designer is building a menu not a skyscraper.

WHAT IS A CAMERA-READY FILE? A camera-ready file is when the printer receives a disc that is ready for print and setup to their specifications. A document created with a home office print program or a word document does not qualify as camera-ready. These programs are not compatible with a commercial printer. Consult a good graphic designer or ask your printer to recommend one. Save time…before working on any new print project, talk to your printer and ask exactly what files you

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106 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

will need and how the designer should set them up. HOW LONG FOR MY MENUS TO BE READY? WHAT IS THE TURNAROUND TIME? Time for a print process varies widely. It depends on the quantity of your print job, how far you live from your printing (shipping time) and how long it takes you and the designer to get that camera-ready file. New menus always take longer than reprints, because a lot more detail has to be put into a new menu. The actual turnaround time of a job should not be when you first contact your printer. The actual print turnaround time starts when you see your final menu proof until you receive your menus. The average turnaround time for a menu job should be no longer than 10 to 14 business days. If a printer tells you four to six weeks, find someone else. Everyday that goes by that you don’t have your new menus will cost you money. Try to find someone close to your business. If you live in California, get someone from the West Coast. If you live in the New York area, order from someone there. Also, take time to plan your new menu. Do not wait for the last minute. Beware of printers who take a long time to print your menu. They are not concerned with your time and time is money … Remember your takeout menu represents your passion, your business and your food. Your business is unique and your menu should be also. Your menu is the most important marketing tool in your promotional toolbox. Knowing the process and working closely with professional printers, designers and photographers will help you to design the best menu you can afford. This is a very important process that many pizzeria and restaurant owners overlook. Take your time and enjoy the process. – PMQ –

Michael D`Agostino is the co-owner of Takeout Printing and Restaurant Consultants, located in New York City. He has 22 years of experience in the restaurant business. For questions, comments or information, contact Michael at: Web address: www.takeoutprinting.com. Email: takeoutprinting@aol.com Phone: 212-252-3846

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chefbrunonov2k5

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MARKETING

After stealing the trophies from the World Pizza Championship, Chef Bruno stashed his stolen booty in the back of a tricycle to make his getaway. Shortly after this photo was taken, a ruthless gang of fifth-graders from the Bronx jumped him and took his ride.

COLUMBIA: THE NEXT

PIZZA FRONTIER BY CHEF BRUNO • MARSAL & SONS

t a recent Washington D.C. hotel restaurant show, I was preparing food and saw many mouths watering in anticipation except for one person that I noticed staring at me and not eating. I felt a bit uncomfortable seeing this well-dressed man watching me with such curiosity. I asked him if he wanted a slice or if he’d like to check out the oven. “I would like to talk with you when you have time,” he replied. Although I was very busy, I asked him to give me a minute. He sat and waited for a while, and I continued to cook and talk to potential customers. I couldn’t help being impressed by his patience and demeanor. Finally he and I walked around to find a place to sit and talk, but nothing was available except a shoe shine stand. The gentleman gave the shoeshine man a $100 bill and told him to come back in 20 minutes. Needless to say the shine man was pleased. The gentleman introduced himself as Alfredo Hoyos Mazuera, from Pereira, Columbia. He told me he was the largest poultry producer in Columbia. “So you’re in the chicken business?” I responded, which got quite a laugh out of Mr. Hoyos. He was actually interested in starting a pizza chain in that country. My surprise turned to astonishment when he told me there was no mozzarella in his part of the world. I have seen the problems of pizza supplies, or lack thereof, before. An even bigger surprise was when he said he had all the machinery ready to make the mozzarella. I could tell Mr. Hoyos was a very intelligent man, so I decided to help him in making his mozzarella, which is not my normal procedure. The training began in the factory of his poultry business.

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My new friend from Columbia was very pleased, but I still advised him the mozzarella wouldn’t be perfect the first time; he would learn a lot of technique along the way. “Remember,” I told him, “just like pizza dough, practice makes perfect.” We opened the first store, which we named Frisbee Chicken, in Pereira, a very beautiful city where the people are most cordial. They even surprised me with a birthday party and cake when I was there. Today Frisbee is the largest pizza chain in Columbia. When it was time for me to leave, I was very sad. We drove to Cali, which is the MOST beautiful city I’ve ever seen. I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel for two nights and was introduced to many locals by Mr. Hoyos, which opened a lot of doors for me in Columbia. The trip was great and I have returned twice since. If you are ever in Columbia and go to Frisbee Chicken, you’ll know who the engineer is. And by the way, the people don’t sleep in straw beds! Ciao Chef Bruno PS: In case you are wondering about my procedure for making your own mozzarella, see my article from the March 2004 issue of PMQ or read it online at http://www.pmq.com/mag/2004march_april/cheese.shtml. – PMQ –

Chef Bruno is corporate chef for Marsal & Sons, Inc. He has traveled all over the world bringing the joy of pizza. He also had his driver’s license revoked in six countries, forcing him to travel via bicycle, donkey or camel.

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OPERATIONS

Visit www.pmq.com and look under PMQ Column Contributors to see previous articles by PJ, or click Ask the Experts to ask PJ a question.

AFTER THE STORM

A PEEK INSIDE THE CLAIMS PROCESS B Y P J G I A N N I N I • A S S O C I A T I O N A G E N C Y, I N C .

y now you know that this is not legal advice and I don’t want you to rely only on this article when you make decisions – so be prudent and get local specific help as well. As I write this, the USA Gulf Coast is inundated. Flooded in almost Biblical proportions. If the sheer human suffering we are witnessing daily hasn’t touched your heart, then you better check into the local coronary unit for exploratory surgery to see if you actually have one. With some luck and the grace of God, most of us will never experience the horrible devastation that our fellow citizens are going through right now. I apologize in advance. I just could not find a good way to transition from this tragedy into what I write about and do for a living – insurance. So, I’m just going to jump into it – here goes: The insurance mechanism we all rely on is going to be severely tested by this tragedy – again. I’ve seen some interesting estimates regarding the loss amounts – insured and uninsured and the concerns about the solvency of the insurers being hit the hardest (see sidebar). I’ll leave that one for another time. What I want to do here is look at the claims process. What happens after the storm and what you can expect? HOW THE PROCESS WORKS: Let’s set up the example: A hurricane hits your area. Winds are a major factor, so is the rain. There are downed trees, wires, buildings etc. Your place is damaged, so you call your agent or company and you give them your particulars. Now what? I’m making the assumption that #1 – you have insurance and #2 – it covers the damage to your property. Quick note: Most policies will cover hurricane damage even so called “basic form” policies. The thing that’s almost always excluded is flood. To get flood coverage you must buy flood insurance. Danger warning: The flood insurance that’s available to

110 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

most small business owners (National Flood Insurance Program) does not cover business interruption. If the damage is wide spread, you are going to have to wait. After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida, some folks waited months before they saw any money from insurance. In the interim, you have rights and responsibilities under most insurance policies. You can’t ‘abandon’ your property. You have the responsibility to protect the property from further damage. Example – if the roof is ripped off – you have to cover it. If the windows are blown out – you have to board them up. If the door is bashed in – you have to secure the building. You can’t sit back and let the situation get worse. You must do all you can to prevent further damage. Now, the insurance company will reimburse you for these temporary measures. But, you’d better keep detailed records. That means receipts for materials and any labor (including your own!) to affect the temporary repairs. Get estimates for the permanent repairs ASAP. Do not wait for the insurance company’s people to get there. If you do, you will only delay the process. Once you get the estimates give a copy to the insurance company’s rep. Keep the original for yourself. You may need to make copies later on. Are you with me so far? Good. If you got this far you are on the road to recovery. NOTE: You do not have to get three estimates – get an estimate from the people you want to do the work. Let the company rep deal with those people. In the end the trust and faith you have in the repairman really matters. FOR THIS PART OF THE LOSS. . . What about the interruption of your business? Here we need to look at the policy you bought. If you bought what is commonly known as a “Business Owners Policy” you should be in good shape. This type of policy usually includes coverage for “Business Interruption.” If you bought any other kind

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Q: HOW DO YOU MAKE THE WORLD’S BEST PIZZA MAGAZINE EVEN BETTER?

A: PUBLISH

8 TIMES PER YEAR! Beginning in 2006, PMQ Magazine, the pizza industry’s business magazine, will step our publishing schedule up to eight issues per year. This means more exposure for our advertisers, as well as more of the top marketing strategies that our readers have come to expect. PMQ Magazine: Serving the Pizza Industry. Serving You.

JANUARY/ FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL/ MAY

JUNE/ JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER

Welcome to the Pizza Pages buyer’s guide for the pizza industry. This is the phone book for your business. Also included is a post-show review of the New York Pizza Show.

Pizza operators have told us that the Idea Forum is the most popular section in PMQ. This issue features the best Idea Forums from past years plus new ones for 2006.

As technology changes, so does business. This issue will feature new programs, software, hardware and usage of POS systems in the pizza industry.

We will discuss how to market and create healthy offerings for your customers. Also, a landmark feature on how to open your first pizzeria.

Back-toschool, sporting events and pizza go hand-in-hand. Learn how to leverage your products at sports venues and around major sports events.

Can you start a franchise? We’ll show you how. Pizza Power will analyze what happened in the past year in the pizza business.

Are your employees stealing you blind? This issue will also give readers an overview of the annual New York Pizza Show, which takes place in November.

This special issue will focus on recipes and menu ideas from around the world. We will talk about new menu items, trends, new pizza offerings and catering entrees.

Now you can affordably reach the pizza industry all year long! For instant Media Kit information, go to www.pizzamagazine.com or call: 662-234-5481 ext. 121 Linda — ext. 127 Michelle

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Most policies will cover hurricane damage, even so called “basic form” policies. The thing that’s almost always excluded is flood. To get flood coverage you must buy flood insurance. of policy, start looking now. It may be covered, or, may not be covered. If you don’t have this coverage, stop reading now – go fix this. Come back later. I’ll wait. . . Ok, now that you have the insurance, let’s talk about what you can expect after a loss. Once again, the first thing to be determined is ‘is the loss covered’? Translated: is the thing that caused the business interruption covered by your policy? Example: The place burned down. Is fire covered by your policy? In most cases, yes. So, the business interruption that results from the fire is covered too. Now, different policies cover this in different ways. The really good ones pay for up to 12 consecutive months with no stated limit in the policy. The basic ones will include some top end limit and maybe even some monthly limitation as well. Example: $120,000 policy limit with a 1/6th monthly limitation. That means that they will pay no more than $20,000 in any one month, and, no more than $120,000 for the entire term of the policy. What if your busy season needs something more like $50,000 in that one special month? The short answer: tough luck! No matter what the policy form, you will be made to prove your losses. Sorry, but you can’t just say, “Ok, give me the money.” You will have to provide documentation for what you claim. Typical losses are proved by documents that include: • Income tax returns • Bank records • Sales tax returns • Purchase records Don’t even THINK about doing this alone. Get your CPA involved in this FAST. If your CPA begs off – FIRE HIM! This is the time you need strong reliable help most. Once the company rep agrees with your estimate of the loss, you will be required to execute a form called a “proof of loss.” This form does two important things: 1. It defines the claim you both agree to. It is the definitive document of your claim under your policy. 2. It is the actual legal document of your claim. Until the Proof of Loss is finalized, it’s all just talk and negotiation. So now the paperwork is done. What happens? How and when do you actually get some money? Important point: Maybe you should have gotten some money before this! You may be eligible for an advance payment on a claim that is not finalized. Remember that any advance will be deducted from the final claim amount. Let me give you a real life example. One of my customers had a fire on Christmas Eve (my hand to God, the truth). The fire was not that bad but it could have crippled his holiday business if not dealt with quickly. I did some world-class arm-twisting and got a company rep there on Christmas Day. (Ok, the guy they sent didn’t celebrate Christmas anyway). We knew several things: 1. The fire was a covered loss 2. My customer had one of the “good policies” 3. We were going to pay a “healthy” claim What I did was get the company rep to approve a payment for about half of what he thought the claim would finally be. This gave my customer some hard cash to get the repairs started with and allowed room for error/course correction later on. The company rep 112 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Photo courtesy NASA.gov

was no fool. He actually saved his boss money on the “business interruption claim” by getting the recovery process on the fast track. And my customer was really happy to get back into the swing of things for the holiday season. Good deal for all concerned. I’ll go out on a limb and say that at least 50% of the time there should be some kind of advance payment. But it should be no surprise. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. So, do your homework and open your mouth. Speak up for your self and ask for an advance. Ok, now, let’s go back to the flood thing. Sorry to say this, but flood insurance is tough to sell. Statistically, you folks just don’t want to buy it. And funny enough, where it’s really needed, it’s pricey and then you really don’t want to buy it! So, just be aware. If you don’t buy flood insurance, you won’t get paid for flood damage. And for the ones who actually buy flood insurance, remember that the kind most small businesses can get will not cover business interruption. So back to the hurricane scenario: the roof blows off— covered. Then floodwaters demolish the rest of the building— not covered. The business interruption caused by the roof blowing off—covered. The month long outage until the flood waters recede—not covered. No doubt about it, this will be one messy situation and there will be very few happy campers when it plays out. Unfortunately there is precious little you can do as one small purchaser of business insurance. What you can do is make sure before the problems come, you take a good hard look at your circumstances with the help of an insurance agent that knows your industry and your financial team (CPA and lawyer). Disclosure: I am prejudiced. I favor using an independent agent instead of someone that works for an insurance company. Those guys have only one thing to sell, and they will sell it. Independents have choices, which gives you choices. Review your insurance, make some choices and get your documentation in order. It won’t stop a hurricane, but it will let you handle the aftermath in an orderly manner. Note: I did a “disaster preparedness quick & dirty checklist” for the Pizza Trade Association. If you’d like a copy, send an e-mail with “check list” in the subject line to Info@PizzaTrade.Org or call them at 866.749.9287. My standing offer: If you have any questions, call me (201.945.3100). I’ll do my best to help you out and I’ll put you in touch with a PizzaSure.Com representative in your state. – PMQ –

PJ Giannini is an author, national seminar speaker, consultant and licensed insurance agent. PJ is founder of Association Agency, Inc. and has spent over 15 years as a commercial insurance niche marketer.

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SPECIAL SECTION - NEW YORK PIZZA SHOW EXHIBITOR SHOWCASE

NEW YORK PIZZA SHOW

SHOWCASES Here are a few New York Pizza Show exhibitor showcases to give you just a small sampling of what you can expect to find November 1-2, 2005. See page 13 for a listing of other exhibitors at the New York Pizza Show. Q’s 2nd ANNUA PM

REMEMBER NOVEMBER!!! Burke Corp. Always make it your best® with Burke’s fully cooked meats; specializing in Italian sausage, beef and pork toppings, meatballs, pepperoni, bacon, ham, and chicken strips. Additionally, we offer a variety of specialty meats: Hand-Pinched Style® toppings, chorizo, gyro topping, andouille sausage, Mexican-style meats, and shredded beef, pork, or chicken.

Costanzo's Bakery Our Golden Brown pan baked sub rolls are known for the highest quality and flavor consistency. Taste the difference of our kaiser rolls and our mini subs that are fully baked and pre-sliced ready for sandwich making. Enjoy the Taste!

Roger and Son’s Roger and Son’s has been family owned for over 50 years. We are a full service foodservice equipment distributor. We stock a complete line of pizza ovens, mixers, refrigerators, freezers, ranges, display cases, dishwashers, walk-in-boxes, etc. We stock all major manufacturers. For more information, call 212-226-4734

Wood Stone Wood Stone manufactures the world's finest stone-hearth ovens in 3 distinct oven families: 4 traditional round Mountain Series models, 4 rectangular Fire Deck ovens, and 2 small Bistro ovens. Fuel choices include wood, gas or wood/gas combinations. We also produce solid fuel broilers, wood and gas rotisseries and 2 tandoors. 1-800-988-8103 visit our website at www.woodstone-corp.com. Buona Vita, Inc. At Buona Vita, Inc., we take pride in providing our valued customers only the finest Italian Specialty Products. Using only state-of-the-art equipment in a HACCP-compliant environment and the finest raw product, we provide our customers with nearly 600,000 pounds of Meatballs, Italian Sausage, Braciola, Pizza toppings, and other specialties per week.

DiamondTouch POS Extraordinary Solutions for Ordinary Problems! DiamondTouch is the leader in Pizza POS. From easy order entry to tightly-integrated delivery management… from innovative security to unsurpassed management tools… DiamondTouch has the extraordinary tools you need to solve your ordinary problems and run your operation smoothly and efficiently.

114 PMQ — The Pizza Industry’s Business Magazine

Nick’s Sausage Manufacturer of premier sausage products featuring Italian, specialty and breakfast sausage and pizza toppings. Available raw and fully cooked.

Off The Wall Magnets Magnets! Promote your “takeout” or “delivery” phone number will fridge magnets—2,500 business card magnets printed, full color (four color process), are just $.10 each. Direct mail magnets, magnet menus, and die cut magnets available. Please call for a sample kit. Marsal MB Series For the baking power and look of an old-fashioned brick oven that just won't quit. The Marsal MB ovens are gas-fired and have a baking chamber that is brick-lined. This, along with our left to right burner system and our 2" cooking surface combine to give a faster cooked, darker, crispier pie. DELICOUS PICTURE BANNERS… Does looking at pictures of food make you hungry? Custom Photo Banners from Cassel Promotions and SIGNS will drive in more customers when they see your mouth-watering, signature pizza or other menu items. Digitally printed in delicious full color at direct wholesale prices. Send your images to scott@autosox.com or ask about stock images. Call 1-800-7297769 or visit www.autosox.com.

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Tower Isle’s Tower Isle’s is the original and leading manufacturer of the Jamaican-style patties in the USA. The patty is a turnover with beef or chicken filling. Served in over 95 percent of pizzerias in New York City. Easy to handle, from the freezer to a hot oven. Can be reheated or served with mozzerella, pepperoni, etc.

Chart Chart-MVE beverage and bar equipment includes bulk CO2 systems, bulk syrup systems, and CO2 Monitoring systems. The CarboCharger 300 or Carbo-Mizer 450 systems are perfect solutions for fast food or convenience store operations. Chart's Carbo-Series products are the preferred dispensing solutions.

Precision Mixers Precision Mixers are manufactured to withstand the toughest of mixing environments, with savings at the time of purchase and the longest warranty in the industry. Pizzerias and restaurants can mix with confidence. The HD-60 Pizza Mixer comes standard with a 7year warranty on all gears and shafts in the transmission and planetary, regardless of the reason for failure. No one comes close.

Cattlemen’s Barbeque Sauce With over 30 Years of Expertise, CATTLEMEN’S® Barbecue Sauce is the Secret of World Champion BBQ Masters and the #1 Choice of Professional Chefs*. CATTLEMEN’S – What just might be the world’s best barbecue sauce.™ (* Source: Restaurant Survey Data)

AM Manufacturing Since 1961, AM Manufacturing is the world leader in dough processing equipment. AM produces dough dividers, dough rounders, pizza presses, dockers, as well as offering our engineering services for pizza line rebuilds and upgrades. AM also provides labor-saving equipment for the tortilla and bagel industries. Brother’s Railroad Inn Bleu Cheese It’s a recipe that’s pleased Brother’s Railroad Inn patrons for 55 years. Loads of bleu cheese, unique spices and vinegar, swirled into mayonaise and sour cream. The result is a delicious and intensely rich Bleu Cheese Dressing & Dip that’s so thick it comes in a jar rather than a bottle. For more information, go to www.brothersrri.com. La Nova Wings From the company that brought chicken wings into the pizza industry, direct from Buffalo, New York. La Nova offers Chicken Wings, Sauces, Chicken Tenders, Boneless Chicken Bites, & Chick-n-Nachos. Let us help you expand your appetizer menu and drive sales and profits.

YourBagLady The company introduces PizzaHot™, the first insulated take-out bag for resale, that keeps one or two 18” pies hot up to 30 minutes. The suggested resale is $2.95. The bags can be imprinted with the stores’ name, address and phone number, to help increase customer loyalty and brand name. Medallion Labs Medallion Laboratories has provided quality analytical services to the food industry for over 30 years. Medallion’s expertise includes nutritional labeling for the retail market, microbiology, allergen testing, sensory and shelf life studies, as well as pilot plant capabilities. Technical customer service provided by Medallion’s staff of specialists makes us unique to the industry.

Perfect Fry Perfect Fry Company has vent less counter top fryers with auto lift systems. Perfect Fry also has counter top display warmers. For information, please call John at 516-694-1026.

Rubbermaid Rubbermaid Commercial Products is the industry’s leading provider of products that help ensure clean, safe and profitable facilities: cleaning equipment; waste containers; pedestrian safety products; material handling equipment and carts; smoking litter management; and food preparation and storage equipment. Our products are available worldwide, through premier commercial distributors. Learn more: www.rcpworksmarter.com. Frank’s RedHot Sauce Frank's® RedHot® Sauce combines the zest of full-bodied cayenne pepper flavor with vinegar and garlic. It is the secret ingredient that has made Buffalo Wings famous since 1964. It's no wonder Frank's RedHot is the # 1 choice of chefs*. *The # 1 choice of chefs, with 22.8% volume share. (Wyoming Study, Fall 2004)

Speedline Pizza POS The most effective cost control and loss prevention measures begin long before the point of sale. That’s why a mature POS gives you the tools to manage your business proactively. Plan for profit! Don’t leave the show without seeing the new Operations Planning toolset from SpeedLine. Request a free demo at 1-888-400-9185 or www.speedlinesolutions.com.

ROMA ROMA has hundreds of trusted name brand food products as well as an exceptional line of our own brands like Piancone, Assoluti, and Roma. Look for these products brought to you exclusively by ROMA! If you’re looking for a distributor who specializes in Italian foods, call us today! 800-880-9900 or 800-562-7662 or visit our website at www.vistarvsa.com, and www.romafood.com

www.pmq.com — PMQ 115

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PIZZA INDUSTRY

RESOURCE GUIDE Grab a direct weblink to every advertiser in this guide at www.pmq.com

AGENT/TRANSLATOR ITALIAN Carol Dami............................................ ...............+39-045-8980250 Quality service provided by an experienced interpreter and business contact in Italy who can translate and communicate on behalf of your company in Italian and English. Good rates, quick turnaround and professional service. +39-045-8980251 fax ....................... . .......info@eurodami.it email

CHEESE CUTTERS CHEESE EASY - Cheese Cutter....................................1-800-370-1802 Check Our Website ............................................www.cheeseeasy.com

CHECK RECOVERY

APPAREL

T-Shirts • Caps • Golf Shirts • Shorts • Pizza Boxes • Yard Signs

APPETIZERS “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces - Add excitement to Pizza, Pasta and Wing sales by using TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces in your recipes. For more information and recipe ideas, visit our dedicated foodservice website at www.tabascofoodservice.com, or call 1-888-HOT-DASH.”

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

CHICKEN

CALZONE/PANZAROTTI MAKER AABURCO, INC.....................................................................................Piemaster 13421 Grass Valley Ave., Grass Valley, CA 95945 Phone: 800-533-7437 (PIES)...................................www.piemaster.com SOMERSET INDUSTRIES, INC. ........1 Esquire Rd., North Billerica, MA 01862 978-667-3355....800-772-4404 ..Fax: 978-671-9466......www.smrset.com

CHEESE A & M CHEESE CO. ................................We Specialize in Custom Blends Contact Craig Hawker .........419-476-8369..........Fax: 419-476-3133 CHIANTI CHEESE..........Grated or shredded parmesan/romano. Full Italian Specialty cheese line ........800-220-3503 ....chianticheese.com

Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Saputo is a leading cheese supplier to the Pizza industry, specializing in mozzarella and provolone in loaves, dice, shreds, and blends. Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, Blue and Gorgonzola are also available. Our cheesemaking expertise and national production assure top-quality, fresh cheese is delivered to your satisfaction. Let Saputo be Your Cheese of Choice! 800-824-3373.....................Fax: 847-267-0224..............www.saputo.com

RIZZA FOODS ................................................................... 212-842-2300 339 E 58th Street, New York, NY 10022 ..................FAX: 212-842-2301 allied2U@aol.com............................................www.rizzafoods.com

CHEESE, LOW FAT CASTLE CHEESE, INC...........Rt. 19, Box 378, Portersville, PA 16051 A large variety of healthy alternatives Contact Willy Jacobs .....castlecheese@adelphia.net......1-800-252-4373 116 PMQ

CHICKEN WINGS “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces - Add excitement to Pizza, Pasta and Wing sales by using TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces in your recipes. For more information and recipe ideas, visit our dedicated foodservice website at www.tabascofoodservice.com, or call 1-888-HOT-DASH.”

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE COMPUTER SYSTEMS/PRINTER REPAIR

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT. SP-1 doesn’t COST money, it MAKES money! 15-Second Training • Eliminate Mistakes • Reduce Theft Quick and Efficient • Increase Your Orders Call today for a free video and demo • 1-800-454-4434 • www.selbysoft.com

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE 15” NEC LCD Flatscreen Touch Screen Monitors ......................$495 Star TSP-643 Printers ....................$259 Star SP-216 Printers.......$216 800-944-8934 • 253-584-0113 Fax Printer Ribbons ...................$2 Bulk Prices: NCR rolled paper, Epson/Citizen/Star printer ribbons ABC SUPREME TOUCH SCREEN POS ....................2 Stations, 3 printers, 1 cash drawer, 2 flat screen touch screen monitors .....................$3,995 Angel Software..................................................................800-842-4153 CUSTOM COMPUTING ................ Affordable, Reliable POS Solutions www.touchexpress.com ..................................sales@touchexpress.com 317-579-2525 ................................................ 317-579-2535 fax VITAL LINK ............................8567 Vinup Road, Lynden , WA 98264 www.vitallinkpos.com................................... loconnor@vitallinkpos.com 360-318-9946 ........................................................ 360-318-9025 fax

Low-Cost, Fast & Reliable-P.O.S. Touch Screen System • “CRASH PROOF” • Fast & Easy To Use • Built-in Credit Card • Delivery Dispatch • Table Service/Bar • Pick-Up/Take-Out • Caller ID • Advanced Ordering ...............................................................877-713-0300

CONSULTING

NOBODY DELIVERS PIZZA BETTER! From easy order entry to tightly integrated delivery management... from innovative security to unsurpassed management tools...

NOBODY does pizza POS Call right now for a free demo. better than DiamondTouch! 800.750.3947

Microworks POS Solutions, Inc. FINALLY! A cost effective touchscreen POS solution will handle YOUR COMPLETE OPERATION. Call for your free evaluation copy or download from our web-site today!

800-787-2068 • 585-787-1090 www.microworks.com

CRUSTS BAKER’S QUALITY PIZZA CRUSTS, INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Waukesha, WI Par-baked, Sheeted and Self-Rising Crusts; Dough Balls; Custom Crusts; All sizes. www.BakersQualityPizzaCrusts.com . . . . . . . .800-846-6153 www.pmq.com 117

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE CRUSTS K. B. PIZZA CRUST CO. INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Franklin, PA Bakers of Par-baked Crust, dough balls & Sheeted dough Ph 1-888-KBCRUST . .www.kbpizza.com . . . . . .Fax 814-437-2397 MOUNTAIN HARVEST PIZZA CRUST CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Billings, MT Contact: Eric LeCaptain . . . . .800-342-6205 . . . .Fax: 406-248-7336 Sheeted Dough, Self Rising Crusts, Focaccia, Breadsticks, Prebake Crusts, Dough Balls, Custom Formulations Available.

DOUGH TRAYS/ PROOFING TRAYS, CONT. DOUGHMATE®by Madan Plastics, Inc.

DOUGHMATE ®

Dough Trays, Covers, Food Trays, Plastic Dough Scrapers, Dollys Dough Storage and Transport Solutions. www.doughmate.com………800-501-2458………Fax: 908-276-9483

DOUGH PRESSES

PASTA FRESCA...Introducing True Neapolitan Style Pizza Dough Made with Italian 00 Flour, Dough Balls, Crusts, Self Rising, Custom Formulations, email: goodeats@pastafresca.com, 1-888-465-4994, www.pastafrescainc.com T.N.T. CRUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Box 8926, Green Bay, WI 54308 Lisa Bartikofsky . . . . . . .920-431-7240 . . . . . . . .Fax 920-431-7249 Large variety of prebaked crusts, Readi-Rise self-rising, live yeast crusts and new self-rising wedges. Experts in customizing formulas.

CUSTOM SPICE FORMULATION & PACKAGING MCCLANCY SEASONING ..................One Spice Road, Fort Mill, SC29715 Contact: Chuck Wiley 800-843-1968 .........................................................Fax: 803-548-2379

DELIVERY VEHICLES DOUGH ROLLERS SOMERSET INDUSTRIES, INC. SOMERSET 1 Esquire Rd., North Billerica, MA 01862 978-667-3355 ...800-772-4404 .....Fax: 978-671-9466.....www.smrset.com

DOORHANGERS

DRIVE-THRU WINDOWS

EDUCATION

DOUGH DIVIDERS/ ROUNDERS

FOODSERVICE REPORT ...................................................................914-591-4297 1 Bridge St #44, Irvington On Hudson, NY 10533 ......www.foodservicereport.com

EQUIPMENT REBUILDS

DON’T HAVE THE DOUGH TO INVEST IN A NEW LINE?

REBUILD and UPGRADE DOUGH BRIDGFORD QUALITY PIZZA & BREAD STICK DOUGH PRODUCTS 19oz. Gourmet Semolina Dough Balls, 16oz & 18oz easy roll dough balls; Sheet pan ready-rectangular Pizza Dough Sheets & Bread Stick Doughs Special offer: $2 discount on Gourmet Semolina Pizza Dough for 90 days. Call for information. 800-854-3255.....................................................Fax: 866-744-4536 PASTA FRESCA...Introducing True Neapolitan Style Pizza Dough Made with Italian 00 Flour, Dough Balls, Crusts, Self Rising, Custom Formulations, email: goodeats@pastafresca.com, 1-888-465-4994, www.pastafrescainc.com

DOUGH TRAYS/ PROOFING TRAYS MOLDED FIBER GLASS TRAY CO. ..............................www.mfgtray.com 6175 US Highway 6, Linesville, PA 16424 Contact Customer Service .......800-458-6050........Fax: 814-683-4504 118 PMQ

Investing in a new bakery or pizza line can get into some serious dough! If your line needs an upgrade into 21st century technology, contact AM Manufacturing. Rebuilding and upgrading your line might be the solution to improved production rates and performance. AM engineers have the experience to review your vision and offer solutions, so you can realize your maximum profit potential. Since 1961, AM Manufacturing has the experience to optimize your operation by upgrading, rebuilding or replacing your current equipment. Call us today and weigh your future options.

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE FINANCING

DOUGH ADDITIVES

CONTINENTAL FINANCIAL Finance and Leasing Specialists For the Pizza Industry Phone: 312.230.0088 800.323.4112 Fax: 312.230.0043 800.323.5512 www.continentalfinancial.com steven@continentalfinancial.com

FLOUR

NORTH DAKOTA MILL . . . . . . . . . . .Specializing in Pizza & Pasta Flours P.O. Box 13078, Grand Forks, ND 58208-3078 800-538-7721 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ndmill.com

www.krisp-it.com

FOOD DISTRIBUTORS 800-347-0695 buonamici-intl.com Contact Ross Violi for a distributor near you. FOOD SERVICE DISTRIBUTORS

HOT SAUCES “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces - Add excitement to Pizza, Pasta and Wing sales by using TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces in your recipes. For more information and recipe ideas, visit our dedicated foodservice website at www.tabascofoodservice.com, or call 1-888-HOT-DASH.”

INSURANCE

Property • Liability (Including Delivery) Workers Compensation Contact Craig W. Concklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.concklin.com 1-800-451-1565 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: 630-629-0486

“Your Delivery Driver Insurance Specialists”

FRYERS/ VENTLESS ventless, hoodless odorless …relentless!

(Hired/ Non-Owned Monoline Auto Coverage)

The Friar’s Temptation the countertop deep fryer

1-516-694-1026

Ask for John

Call Tom Fryer Toll-Free: 877-312-9860 Fax: 312-986-0491 www.hibi.com(Chicago) deliveryinsurance@hibi.com

www.perfectfry.com

AUTOFRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GARY SANTOS 257 Simarano Drive Marlboro, MA 01752 1-800-348-2976 ext 102 . . 508-460-5090 fax . . . . . www.autofry.com

P.J. Giannini

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE LICENSING

MACHINERY • OVENS • EQUIPMENT

MAILING SERVICES

Blue Grass Mailing Service • Delivery Area Mapping for Carrier Route Mailings • Residential & Business Saturation Mailings • Non-Customer Mailings - Merge/Purge Your Customers with All Households in Your Market Area Bill Nichols

800-928-6245

MACHINERY • OVENS • EQUIPMENT

1-800-426-0323 Fax: 734-426-5801

ONE STOP SHOPPING For High Quality, affordable new and reconditioned equipment, name brand parts, small wares, and much more! MIDDLEBY MARSHALL Oven, Conveyor of Excellence BAKER’S PRIDE OVEN The classic deck oven

MF&B RESTAURANT SYSTEMS, INC.

REMANUFACTURED CONVEYOR PIZZA OVENS All ovens come with a ONE YEAR parts warranty. We also carry a full line of new, used, and hard to find parts. Visit our website at:

www.ovenguys.com

NEW AND USED EQUIPMENT Prices to fit your budget, equipment to fit your needs. LINCOLN OVENS Quality and Efficiency

VICTORY REFRIGERATION

1-800-426-0323 Fax: 734-426-5801 120 PMQ

or call us at:

724-628-3050

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MACHINERY • OVENS • EQUIPMENT, CONT.

MAGNETS, CONT.

PIZZA PREP 96” Pizza Prep 18” marble top $2775. 72” Pizza Prep 18” marble top $2075. 48” Pizza Prep 18” marble top $1575. Deli Case 72” $2675. Deep Fat Fryer $645.

ROYAL

PRECISION HD-60 PIZZA MIXER

6-Burner Oven

“YOU CAN’T BREAK IT”

1,050 2,150

7-Year warranty on all Gears and Shafts in the Planetary and Transmission

675

$7,95000

6-Burner Griddle $

Fryer

MARSAL & SONS DBL. STONE DECK OVENS MOD. SD660 $9100 • SCOTSMAN - WALK-IN COOLERS ROYAL - TRUE - MKE -TRULSEN - GLOBE

We will not be undersold on any Name Brands.

Hudson Refrigeration 800-924-7071 Catalog and Pricing. Manufacturing www.hudsonwholesalers.com

MAGNETS

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MARKETING IDEAS

MARKETING IDEAS, CONT.

MEAT TOPPINGS BURKE CORPORATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-654-1152 P.O. Box 209, Nevada, IA 50201-0209 . . . . . . . . .www.burkecorp.com Contact Liz Hertz . . . . . . . .515-382-3575 . . . . . .Fax 515-382-2834 FONTANINI/CAPITOL WHOLESALE MEATS Contact: Gene Fontanini www.fontanini.com . . . .800-331-MEAT Pizza toppings, Italian sausage, meatballs, sliced gyros and sliced beef SUGARDALE FOODS, INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Massillon, OH Ham, Bacon & Pepperoni for all applications Contact Mark Slaughter . . . . .800-860-6777 . . . .Fax 330-834-3690

Pepperoni, Fully Cooked Bacon & Meat Toppings, Hams and Deli Meats

Home of Sweet Applewood Smoked Flavor

One Sweet Apple-Wood Lane Cudahy, WI 53110 Contact: Dan Kapella 800-486-6900 Fax: 414-744-4213

www.patrickcudahy.com

MOISTURE ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER KRISP-IT LTD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-KRISP-IT 15 East Palatine Road, Prospect Heights, IL 60070 Contact: David Pearlman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: 847-808-8878

MENU BOARDS NATIONAL MENUBOARD..........................www.nationalmenuboard.com Lighted and magnetic menuboards, neon signs, food photos, and sandblasted signs.....1-800-800-5237 ..sales@nationalmenuboard.com 122 PMQ

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE MENU BOARDS, CONT.

OLIVES, CONT. LINDSAY® California Ripe, Spanish Green, Sicilian, Green Ripe, Stuffed Olives AIB Superior Rated, ISO Certified, OU Kosher Bell-Carter Olive Co. Contact: TJ McGrath, 800-252-3557 3742 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549, www.lindsayolives.com

MUSCO FAMILY OLIVE CO. Premium California Ripe Olives, Sicillan-style, Green Olives, Stuffed Olives, Deli Olives®, Zesti OlivesTM, 100% California & Kosher certified. www.olives.com

17950 Via Nicolo, Tracy CA 95377 Contact Judy Cernoia 800-523-9828 SEVILLE IMPORTS, INC...Spanish Green & Ripe Olives direct from growers, also worldwide sourcing for canned mushrooms and pineapple products. 888-401-9880....Fax 262-970-0307....e-mail:Dave@Sevilleimports.com

The Art Of

Custom menu boards designed to your specification

Menus

CHALK TALK

The Leading Manufacturer of Chalk Menu Boards in the World! Chalk Talk

1.800.49.CHALK

prices

start as low as

$695

PASTA PASTA FRESCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-888-465-4994 www.pastafrescainc.com...flat & filled, gnocchi & specialty items email: goodeats@pastafrescainc.com

PESTO SAUCE PASTA FRESCA ..........1-888-465-4994 . .www.pastafrescainc.com Ask about our Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Pesto Cream Sauce, as well as Special Recipe without nuts. email: goodeats@pastafrescainc.com

PINEAPPLE TIDBITS www.chalkmenus.com

NEW MOVERS

For over a Decade, the Pizzeria Owner’s #1 Choice for Finding New Customers. Don’t Promote Great Pizza with Crummy Junk Mail. No Minimums, Contracts or Setup fees. Hundreds of Testimonials.

800-926-2451 www.MovingTargets.com

DOLE PACKAGED FOODS CO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Contact: Chris Lock One Dole Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91362 (800)723-9868 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: 818-874-4535

PIZZA BOXES ARVCO, 845 Gibson St, Kalamazoo, MI 49001 . . . . . . . . . . .Contact: Steve France Pizza boxes circles. ripple sheets. slice boxes. sub boxes•custom print up to 4 colors. Distributors only .....................269-381-0900 . . . . . . . .Fax: 269-381-8370

STAR PIZZA BOX, INC. -Lakeland, FL & Phoenix, AZ-Largest supplier of custom-printed pizza boxes 10 case minimum - 7” thru 28” B&E flute Contact Bob Humberstone ................................................800-626-0828

PIZZA DELIVERY SYSTEMS AcuTemp Pizza Delivery Systems.............866-312-0114 Increase sales and market share by delivering your pizza at the right temperature. Your choice of cordless powered or passive systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acutempfood.com

PIZZA BOX CARRIERS

OLIVES

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS TCB MFG., INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-523-8715 Insulated bags for Catering and Food Delivery www.tcb-bagmfg.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219-326-8445 www.pmq.com 123

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.

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PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.

PIZZA BOX LINERS

ELECTRIC HOTBAG DELIVERY SYSTEM

CONTINUOUS HEAT = NO MOISTURE No temperature drop from oven to customer

800-927-6787

www.hotbag.com

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.

Insulated Pizza Deliver That PieDelivery Hot andBags Dry The Solution To Your Moisture Problems

U.S. Dollars

$14.75

$13.50

Holds 4 -16” or 3 -18”

Holds 4 -12” or 3 -14”

Minimum 4 pcs

Minimum 5 pcs

Or less Plus S/H

Red, Black, Dk.Green

Don’t Be Fooled by Cheap Imitations - We insulate all 6 sides and use Nylon Lining

NO RISKGUARANTEE - Try our bags for 30 days. If you’re not 100% satisfied, return them and we will refund the purchase price of the bags. 14 Styles Available Most hip s s d or er24 hours within

TOLL FREE: (866) BAG-TO-GO (224-8646) Online @ www.deliverybags.com

Bag Solutions, PO Box 1170, Sugar Grove IL 60554

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA EQUIPMENT

PIZZA OVENS, CONT.

THE PIZZA OVEN YOU’VE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT! Specializing in brick-lined gas fired pizza ovens. 181 E. Hoffman Ave. Lindenhurst, NY 11757-5014

Contact Richard Ferrara

www.marsalsons.com

631-226-6688

BRAVO SYSTEMS INTL., INC. A. Bisani, President 7347 Atoll Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91605 PH 800-333-2728 . . . .bravo-systems.com . . . . .FAX 818-982-7396 DOYON EQUIP., INC.1255 Main St., Liniere, CN G0M1J0. www.doyon.qc.ca Marketing Department . . . . . 800-463-4273 . . . . . . . . Fax: 418-685-3948 MARSAL & SON’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Contact Richard Ferrara Specializing in brick-lined gas fired pizza ovens. 181 E. Hoffman Ave., Lindenhurst, NY 11757-5014 PH 631-226-6688 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.marsalsons.com PIZZAOVENS.COM Your complete source for buying and selling pizza equipment. www.pizzaovens.com or call toll free 1-877-FOR OVEN Q-MATIC TECHNOLOGIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.q-maticovens.com Q-Matic Oven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cooks like a deck. PH 800-880-6836 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FAX 847-263-7367 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 PANS

The same quality products you’ve been using for over 50 years. Ask for our new 2005 catalog! 708-345-1177 or 800-333-9133 email: info@amnow.com

PIZZA PAN PERFECTION! Put the perfection of Crown’s professional pans to work for you. Stacking pans, Black steel pans, Traditional pans, Perforated pans, and more. Make your pizza operation better and faster with Crown Custom Metal Spinning Inc. products . . .

www.crowncookware.ca. . . . 800-750-1924

PIZZA OVENS

PIZZA PEELS CROWN COOKWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-750-1924 Pizza Peels designed to perform, and built to last. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.crowncookware.com 126 PMQ

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE PIZZA PEELS, CONT.

PRINTING, CONT.

LILLSUN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PO Box 767, Huntington, IN 46750 Setting the Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Made in the U.S.A. since 1951 PH 260-356-6514 . . . . www.lillsun.com . . . . . . FAX 260-356-8337

BEST CHOICE PRINTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-783-0990 Full-color flyers, door hangers, postcards and mailing services. Visit us at: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bestchoiceprinting.com

SAUCE The Brands you trust: 6 IN 1, Bonta, Bella Rossa, Allegro, Christina’s

1-888-Escalon • www.Escalon.net Crafted from 100% Fresh, Vine-Ripened Tomatoes.

1905 McHenry Avenue, Escalon, CA 95320

The same quality products you’ve been using for over 50 years. Ask for our new 2005 catalog! 708-345-1177 or 800-333-9133 email: info@amnow.com

PIZZA SUPPLIES

CONROY FOODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pittsburgh, PA Makers of white pizza sauces, sub dressings and sandwich condiments 412-781-1446 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fax: 412-781-1409 Food Service Specialties . . . . . . . . .“We specialize in custom blends” Contact Sales Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-657-0811 Fax: 888-820-5426 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fss-sauce.com PASTA FRESCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-888-465-4994 www.pastafrescainc.com . . . .Your custom commisary for sauces, soups, pesto, RTU, or bases . . . . . . .goodeats@pastafrescainc.com STANISLAUS FOOD PRODUCTS CO. P.O. Box 3951, 12th & D St., Modesto, CA 95352 800-327-7201 Stanislaus Food Products specializes in fresh-packed premium tomato products for traditional Italian restaurants and pizzerias.

SPICES AND SEASONINGS “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces - Add excitement to Pizza, Pasta and Wing sales by using TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces in your recipes. For more information and recipe ideas, visit our dedicated foodservice website at www.tabascofoodservice.com, or call 1-888-HOT-DASH.”

SUPPLIES PIZZA TOPPINGS “TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces - Add excitement to Pizza, Pasta and Wing sales by using TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces in your recipes. For more information and recipe ideas, visit our dedicated foodservice website at www.tabascofoodservice.com, or call 1-888-HOT-DASH.”

PIZZA TOPPING EQUIPMENT QUANTUM TOPPING SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frankfort, IL Pizza Cutters, Sauce, Topping, and Pepperoni applicators ((888) 464-1540 . . . . .Fax (815)464-1541 . . . . . .www.q-t-s.com

CHICAGO METALLIC..........................................................................847-438-4700 800 Ela Rd, Lake Zurich, IL 60047-2390...............................www.bakingpans.com

TABLE GLIDES SUPERLEVEL . . . . . . . . .self-adjusting table glides from On The Level Frustrated by Wobbly Tables? Not any more! www.onthelevel.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-445-4337

TAKEOUT MENUS

POULTRY TYSON FOODS Full Line of chicken toppings, wings, tenders, strips & filets Contact: Mike Cicatiello . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ph 800-424-4253 ext. 4551

PRINTING

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE TOMATO PRODUCTS Pacific Coast Producers - Providing the finest quality Fresh Packed vine-ripened California Tomatoes to quality conscious Foodservice customers. Specializing in custom formulations and private branding.

WINDOW SIGNS

WINDOW SIGNS Colorful eye catching window decals are easy to apply and will last for years ’s of stock signs to choose from We can even reproduce your existing logo or corporate symbol in any size Call for a free color catalog Visit our website www.GRAFIA.com www.GRAFIA.com

Pete Hansen, Paul Paoli, Marshall Frey: 800-510-3706.....www.pcoastp.com

800•767•5609

Red Gold Food Service Sales . . . . . . www.redgold.com 120 E. Oak Street, Orestes, IN 46063 . . . . 877-748-9798 Redpack • Sacramento • Red Gold • Teresa • Glorietta

TRAINING STANISLAUS FOOD PRODUCTS CO. P.O. Box 3951, 12th & D St., Modesto, CA 95352 800-327-7201 Stanislaus Food Products specializes in fresh-packed premium tomato products for traditional Italian restaurants and pizzerias.

TRUE SUN-DRIED TOMATO PRODUCTS SONO ITALIANO® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONTACT: DAVID BERNARD 1110 W Harris RD, Ste 102, Arlington, TX 76001. . . . 800-452-5841 Fax: 817-468-2832. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.sonoitalianocorp.com

WEB DESIGN & HOSTING Make Your Web Site A SUCCESS! Plans available for corporations AND pizzerias • Support & Consultation • Turn-key • Web Site Hosting • Domain Name Registration • Search Engine Submissions

Ask for John Ferguson Baron Consulting Group, Ltd. http://www.bizhub.com 1-800-374-8582

WALL DECORATION

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PMQ PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE ADVERTISER INDEX A 1 Touch POS AccuForm AcuTemp AM Manufacturing American Institute of Baking American Metalcraft AutoFry Motion Technology Baron Consulting Bellissimo Big Dave Consulting Bounamici International Burke Corp. Caputo Cassel Promotions Chicago Metallic Conroy Foods Costanzo's Bakery Crown Custom Metal Spinning Custom Computing DiamondTouch, Inc. DoughPro Exact Target ezrestaurantmarketing.com FireFly Fontanini G.I. Metal Grafia Grande Cheese High Tec Mold Hix Corporation HTH Inc. Inedible Art International Restaurant Equipment Italian Pizza School J Hicks Kamron Karrington Consulting L.F.I. Inc. La Nova Lillsun Manufacturing Co., Inc. Marsal & Sons Message on Hold Micro Works Middleby Marshall Moving Targets mUrgent My Pizza Promo N Touch NAPICS NextWave POS OneSystem PieMaster (Aaburco) Pizza Crisp PizzaSure.com PizzaTools.com Point of Success (Inborne Tech.) ProfitMAX Q-Matic Technologies Rand McNally Restaurant Alliance Revention Rizza Cheese Roma/Vistar Selby Soft Signature Systems Stanislaus Throw Dough U.S. Rack Vital Link Wiscon Wood Stone Your Bag lady

Page 71 82 35 41 113 63 39 67 11 100 21 131 107 23 113 106 63 101 86 57 33 101 109 72 27 49 67 3 86 72 103 113 53 101 71 109 37 132 67 57 113 9 7 55 53 79 68 65 82 51 59 99 103, 113 47 67 29 29 17 45 31 15 2 103 43 4,5 93 109 54 19 23 53

Phone 1-732-754-0776 1-800-267-7980 1-866-312-0114 1-800-342-6744 1-785-537-4750 1-800-333-9133 1-800-348-2976 1-480-513-3099 1-800-813-2974 1-888-BIG DAVE 1-804-347-0695 1-800-654-1152 1-201-368-9197 1-800-729-7769 1-800-323-3966 1-412-781-1446 1-716-656-9093 1-800-750-1924 1-317-579-2525 1-800-750-3947 1-800-624-6717 1-866-EMAIL-ET 1-800-496-9252 1-866-678-6781 1-800-331-MEAT 1-708-215-8350 1-800-767-5609 1-800-8-GRANDE 1-866-969-0492 1-800-835-0606 1-800-321-1850 1-512-296-4633 1-866-332-0741 39 0421-33148 1-888-873-1120 1-888-829-7171 1-973-882-0551 1-800-6LA-NOVA 1-260-356-6514 1-631-226-6688 1-800-392-4664 1-800-787-2068 1-877-346-8367 1-800-926-2451 1-877-289-7250 1-866-889-8745 1-888-711-7011 1-800-909-7469 1-877-827-7206 1-888-311-1110 1-800-533-PIES 1-800-344-0077 1-888-312-9843 1-800-748-6251 1-800-752-3565 1-888-776-3484 1-800-880-OVEN 1-800-275-RAND 1-888-711-7011 1-877-738-7444 1-800-TO-RIZZA 1-800-880-9900 1-800-454-4434 1-877-968-6430 1-800-327-7201 1-662-234-5481 x125 1-888-USRACKS 1-877-448-5300 1-708-450-0074 1-800-988-8103 1-888-569-9903

Web Address www.aonetouch.com www.accuform.com www.acutempfood.com www.ammfg.com www.aibonline.org www.amnow.com www.autofry.com www.bizhub.com www.bellissimofoods.com www.bigdaveostrander.com www.buonamici-intl.com www.burkecorp.com www.wisconcorp.com www.autosox.com www.bakingpans.com www.conroyfoods.com www.costanzosbakery.com www.crowncookware.ca www.touchexpress.com www.rocklandtech.com www.doughpro.com www.exacttarget.com/pmq www.ezrestaurantmarketing.com/pmq www.fireflypos.com www.fontanini.com www.gimetalusa.com www.grafia.com www.grande.com www.doughtrays.com www.doughxpress.com www.hthsigns.com www.inedibleart.com www.fsehq.com www.pizzaschool.it www.jhicks.com www.profitwithpizza.com n/a www.lanova.com www.lillsun.com www.marsalsons.com www.messageonholdservice.com www.microworks.com www.middleby.com www.movingtargets.com www.murgentsolutions.com www.mypizzapromo.com www.restaurantalliance.com www.napics.com www.nextwavetech.com www.onesystem.com www.piemaster.com www.pizzacrisp.com www.pizzasure.com www.pizzatools.com www.pointofsuccess.com www.proftmaxmarketing.com www.q-maticovens.com www.randmcnally.com/pizza www.restaurantalliance.com www.revention.com www.rizzafoods.com www.romafood.com www.selbysoft.com www.pdqpos.com www.stanislaus.com www.throwdough.com www.usrack.com www.vitallinkpos.com www.wisconcorp.com www.woodstone-corp.com www.yourbaglady.com

Resource Guide Advertisers Company A. Camacho, Inc AcuTemp AM Manufacturing Co American Metalcraft AMS Enterprises Atlantic Marketing Group Attias Oven Corp. Bag-To-Go Baker's Pride Baron Consulting Group, Ltd. Big Dave BLM Technologies Blue Grass Mailing Service Buonamici Cal-Surance Associates Caputo Chalk Talk Check Plus Cluck U Chicken Collect Check Concklin Insurance Agency Inc. Continental Financial Cover Tex Crown Cookware Diamond Touch POS Doorhangers, Etc. Dough Pro Ovens Doughmate DoughPro DoughXpress Drake Corp. Dri-Pie Dutchess Bakers' Machinery Co. Electric Hot Bag Escalon Exact Target FireFly Technologies Five Star Training Food Equipment Warehouse Gordon Foodservice Grafia.com Grande Cheese Heath Insurance Brokers, Inc Hotshot Delivery Concepts Hudson Refrigeration in touch POS Inedible Art International Food Service Equipment & Supply Italian Pizza School J.M. Garret Foods LLC Keeper Thermal Bag Co. Keeper Thermal Bag Co. Krisp-It Lindsay Olive Company Magnetdog.com Magnetic Ad Concepts Magnets.com Marsal & Sons Melissa Data MF & B Restaurant Systems, Inc. Microworks POS Moving Tragets Mr.Peel Musco Family Olive Co. National Marketing, Inc. Nick's Sausage Company Northern Pizza Equipment Our Town Pacific Coast Producers Paisley Enterprises Patrick Cudahy Perfect Fry Pizza Equipment Supply, Inc. Pizza Leveler Pizza Tags Pizzamaker.com Pizzasure.com Pizzatools.com Point of Success Presto Foods Quikserv Rainbow Magnetics Rainbow Printing Red Gold Food Services Saputo SelbySoft Signature Systems, Inc. Smart Memo Smith and Jones Marketing Somerset Industries Sono Italiano SpeedLine Solutions Stanislaus Takeout Printing The Ultimate Pizza Bag Co. Thunderbird TJ's Take & Bake Pizza Consulting Touch Pro Vesuvio Foods Vision Marketing Vistar/Roma Wood Stone Your Bag Lady

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MEET THE STAFF

SERVING THE PIZZA INDUSTRY. SERVING YOU. PUBLISHERS

EDITORIAL

Steve Green Publisher Steve Green is the founder and publisher of PMQ Magazines, the world’s leading pizza trade publications. For eight years Steve has pushed to bring the pizza industry to greater heights.

Tom Boyles Editor-in-Chief Tom has been editor-inchief of PMQ Magazines for over five years. He has interviewed pizza owners in pizzerias from New Zealand and Australia, to Italy, Canada, Germany and nearly every state in the U.S.

Linda Green Co-Publisher For eight years Linda, along with her husband and PMQ’s sales staff, has fought long and hard to bring PMQ’s advertisers the best value and exposure possible for their ad revenue.

Jim Dees Managing Editor A veteran writer in PMQ’s hometown of Oxford, Missisippi, Jim Dees has proven to be very beneficial to the PMQ roster. His down-to-earth humor and personable writing style have been a big hit.

Lucas Leigh Associate Editor Lucas began working for PMQ in January 2005, and has since developed a taste for the magazine and the industry. He’s putting a journalism and English degree to good use.

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

C R E AT I V E / D E S I G N / W E B / P R

Shawn Brown Accounting Shawn is the brains behind the accounting at PMQ Magazines. She has been a dedicated part of the team and kept the books straight since the very first issue was published in 1997.

Eric Summers Creative Director With 10 years of experience in advertising and design, and almost four years as Creative Director of PMQ Magazines, Eric has helped make the best pizza industry trade publication even better.

Sherlyn Clark Circulation Manager Sherlyn has helped maintain the day to day operations of PMQ for the last five years. She currently heads the circulation department for each issue of PMQ and assists Steve in various capacities.

Rebecca Hollis Art Assistant Rebecca, as a senior design major at the University of Mississippi, takes care of the everyday design needs of PMQ Magazine, including layouts, art research, and the occasional web project.

Emily Blount Editorial Assistant Emily is a senior Marketing Communications major at the University of Mississippi from Columbia, MS. Emily takes care of the everyday tasks for PMQ's Editorial section such as collating lists and files.

Krista Hinman Web/PR Coordinator Krista handles the daunting task of keeping PMQ’s numerous pizza websites updated and running, as well as networking and event coordination for the New York Pizza Show and our associate trade shows.

John Ferguson PMQ Webmaster Since day one, John Ferguson of Baron Consulting Group has been behind the scenes of www.pmq.com, which we are proud to say is the number one website of all foodservice publications.

Andrew Ouart Ad Sales My role at PMQ is to help your company be successful. Despite my title, I am more of a problem solver. Let’s work together and come up with a great marketing plan to help your company succeed.

Nadia Ahmed Ad Sales Nadia has worked with PMQ for several years as a part of Infinity Expo Group. She assists in advertising sales and collateral for our annual trade show, the New York Pizza Show.

Rosalind Smith Traffic Manager Rosalind’s previous experience in the magazine trade publications and tradeshows contributes to each department in bringing the leading pizza trade magazine PMQ to all its advertisers and readers.

Julia Bussade Pizza é Pasta Magazine Julia Bussade, PMQ's Latin America liaison and Spanish/Portuguese translator is from Brazil. She is also a teacher at the University of Mississippi and writes about pizza during her travels.

Julien Panet France Pizza Julien Panet is editor-in-chief for France's leading pizza magazine. He is PMQ's French liaison and helps in finding the best pizza makers in France to compete in the America's Plate competition at the new York Pizza Show.

Steve Wood Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Magazine Steve Wood is a writer for PAPA, the UK's pizza industry publication. Steve works with PMQ in bringing you the best articles from the World of Pizza in the UK.

ADVERTISING

Caroline Felker U.S. Pizza Team Caroline is the sales manager for Throw Dough and the organizational brain behind the U.S. Pizza Team. She plans and supervises U.S. Pizza Team-related events all across the country.

Jarrod Gardner Marketing Assistant Jarrod is cutting his teeth in the marketing world as a member of PMQ’s staff. He helps plan marketing strategies for some of our numerous pizza-related websites and assists in their maintenence.

Michelle Edwards Ad Sales Director Michelle Edwards has a total of nine years experience in advertising sales for major trade publications. Her role is to help advertisers create marketing programs designed to reach the lucrative pizza market.

P M Q I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Weihua Xiao PMQ China Weihua, PMQ’s resident Chinese translator, has been working hard with us for several years to bring the world PMQ China, an online supplement geared toward a growing industry in Asia.

Stephen Millar PMQ Australia-NZ Stephen Millar is a former Eagle Boys Pizza Franchisee and co-publisher of PMQ Australia/New Zealand. His years of pizza experience and knowledge of the industry Down Under are irreplaceable.

Enrico Fama Pizza é Pasta Magazine Enrico is the publisher of Pizza e Pasta, Italy's leading pizza publication. He has also produced the World Pizza Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy for over 13 years and assists PMQ with Italian relations.

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Burke fully cooked meats consistently deliver the flavor, appearance, convenience and safety your recipes call for. And that helps you put your best food forward every time.

When you make it with Burke, you always make it your best.

800-654-1152

WWW.BURKECORP.COM Product of USA â&#x20AC;˘ Nevada, IA

Cooked & Seasoned Chicken Strips

Italian Sausage Links

Pizza Toppings

Italian-style Meatballs

Canadian-style Bacon

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