PMQ Pizza Media January/February 2022

PIZZA MEDIA

ADVANCING THE PIZZA BUSINESS COMMUNITY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

California Dreamin’ With a passion for fresh and local ingredients, pizzaiolo Lars Smith lives every day in a golden state of mind.

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22 RAISING 24 THEMENU RESTAURANT PRICES WHISPERER | 44 WEATHERING | 42 CHICKEN THE LABOR WINGS CRISIS | 58 | SELLING 66 THE VEGAN YOUR PIZZERIA PIZZA BOOM

B R E W BI LT.C O M · 5 30 -8 0 2-50 2 3

YOU DON’T NEED A BIG BREWERY TO MAKE A BIG IMPACT. Old Town Pizza’s brewery component Slice Beer Company knows a few things about making big beers in a small space. Slice and BrewBilt teamed up to customize a system that perfectly fits both their brewing style and 1,100-SF production area.

OUR FATHER TRAINED US TO USE THE BEST INGREDIENTS. IN TURN, HE TRAINED THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD TO APPRECIATE WHAT PIZZA SHOULD BE.

What’s your declaration of independence?

Grande is championing operators who have an independent spirit and shared passion for excellence. By providing the finest all natural, authentic Italian cheeses, along with an unwavering commitment to quality, we’ll continue to advocate for independents and their love of the craft.

grandecheese.com 1-800-8-GRANDE © 2020 Grande Cheese Company

pizzamagazine.com

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IN THIS ISSUE - FEATURES

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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ON THE COVER

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ At State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria and State of Mind Slice House, Lars Smith celebrates everything that makes his home state special—minus the artifice of Hollywood.

By Rick Hynum

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Going Vegan With Brian Hernandez

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Recipe of the Month: Smithfield

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The Restaurant Whisperer

42 48 54 58

Spreading Your Wings

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24

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Phoning It In Start the Presses Selling Out

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

BELLISSIMO CHICKEN WINGS Increase Sales With This Satisfying Starter Bellissimo makes a lasting first impression with its easy-to-cook and quick-to-serve Chicken Wings. This profitable starter can be fried or oven baked resulting in a deliciously crunchy coating. Bellissimo Chicken Wings set the table to make sure your customers keep coming back.

Bellissimo offers a full line of par-fried and fully-cooked chicken items. Bellissimo distributors are the exclusive source for Bellissimo Chicken Wings.

Visit Bellissimo.com to contact a representative and request samples and pricing.

www.Bellissimo.com

PMQ ONLINE - DIGITAL EXCLUSIVES A Publication of PMQ, Inc. 662-234-5481 Volume 26, Issue 1 January/February 2022 ISSN 1937-5263 PUBLISHER Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 CO-PUBLISHER Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 EDITOR IN CHIEF Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com ART DIRECTOR Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com SENIOR COPY EDITOR Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com IT DIRECTOR Cory Coward, cory@pmq.com ext. 133

SpaceX Engineers Blast Off Into the Pizza Robot Business A brainy mod squad of engineers has jilted Elon Musk himself to develop a robotpowered mobile pizzeria that launches next spring.

PMQ.com/stellar-pizza

How to Design a Pizzeria That’s Uniquely “You” Dala Al-Fuwaires of House of Form shares tips for creating a complete dining experience in your pizzeria through strategic interior design.

PMQ.com/pizza-restaurant-design

This Roman-Style Pie Named Best Pizza in the UK Chef Francesco Canzani of Mike’s Peckham beat out 15 other finalists in the National Pizza Awards contest with his ’nduja-topped Dondini.

Video: We Tried the Peach State’s Best Pies at the Atlanta Pizza Festival What kind of pizza are they serving up down south in Georgia? PMQ & PizzaTV found out at the recent Atlanta Pizza Festival.

PMQ.com/atlanta-pizza-festival

PMQ.com/best-pizza-in-uk/

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH Blake Harris, blake@pmq.com ext. 136 TEST CHEF/USPT COORDINATOR Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129 REPORTER Chris Green, chris@pmq.com FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER David Fischer, david@pmq.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tom Boyles, tom@pmq.com ext. 122 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jerry Moschella, jerry@pmq.com ext. 137 SALES ASSISTANT Brandy Pinion, brandy@pmq.com ext. 127 PMQ INTERNATIONAL PMQ CHINA Yvonne Liu, yvonne@pmq.com PMQ RUSSIA Vladimir Davydov, vladimir@pmq.com

Ex-Offender Is Now One of Philly’s Leading Pizza Chefs Thanks to Michael Carter and his partner, Down North Pizza offers a fresh start for the formerly incarcerated and some of the city’s best pizza.

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax

PMQ.com/michael-carter

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 10 Events & Promotions 12 Moneymakers 18 Pizza Vegan 62 SmartMarket 64 Idea Zone 8

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

68 70 74 82

Product Spotlight Pizza Industry Bulletin Board PMQ Resource Guide Pizza Hall of Fame

PMQ Pizza Magazine (ISSN #1937-5263) is published 10 times per year.

Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35.

Periodical postage pricing paid at Oxford, MS. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: PMQ Pizza Magazine, PO Box 9, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-9953.

Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

EVENTS & PROMOTIONS

MONTHLY MARKETING CALENDAR

J A N U A RY/ F E B R U A RY 2 0 2 2

Here’s a look at upcoming restaurant and foodservice events you won’t want to miss this winter, plus some special food and beverage holidays and PMQ’s latest live interviews with top pizza professionals!

Industry Events

Saturday, January 8 Elvis Presley’s Birthday

International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York | March 6-8

Elvis still has a passionate fan base. Why not cater to them with a whole Elvis Presley Week featuring pies inspired by the King? Consider holding a contest for Elvis impersonators while you’re at it and post Elvis trivia on social media.

To be held in the Javits Center in New York City, this event brings together more than 18,000 restaurant professionals for a packed exhibit hall, educational sessions, culinary demonstrations, awards and more. Among other events, it will feature the Healthy Food Expo and the Battle of the Modern Bartender Competition.

Learn more at internationalrestaurantny.com

Bar and Restaurant Expo March 21-23 Formerly the Nightclub & Bar Show, the Bar and Restaurant Expo features cutting-edge products and technologies, keynote speakers, networking sessions, cooking demos in the new Restaurant Zone, and workshops and seminars focused on operations, marketing and promotions, staffing, and creating the perfect guest experience.

Learn more at barandrestaurantexpo.com

International Pizza Expo March 22-24 This event will showcase top suppliers, pizza industry leaders and competitions—such as the International Pizza Challenge—dedicated to the pizza restaurant industry. You can also check out the lineup of educational opportunities, including School of Pizzeria Management workshops, seminars and live demonstrations.

Learn more at pizzaexpo.com

Wednesday, February 9 National Pizza Day Start planning for this one now and go big! February 9 is a Wednesday, but, as with any food holiday, you can celebrate pizza all week long with specials, contests and promotions, or simply turn what would ordinarily be a slow hump day into a massive blow-out event!

Monday, February 14 Valentine’s Day Customers love heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day! Also remember to offer romantic meal deals for in-house dining with wine and chocolates for couples. Or try something different: Create a “Sexy Singles” special for those who haven’t found true love just yet.

Learn and Earn!

2 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, January 11 PMQ Live Update: Alessio Lacco Alessio Lacco, co-owner of the Atlanta Pizza Truck, recently made history with the world’s first AVPN-certified mobile pizzeria. In this discussion with Brian Hernandez, Lacco shares his thoughts on offering authentic Neapolitan pizza on the road.

Join us on Facebook Live!

Promote This!

2 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, January 25 PMQ Live Update: Mark “The Cheese Dude” Todd

Sunday, January 2 Science Fiction Day

PMQ’s Brian Hernandez chats with Mark “The Cheese Dude” Todd and takes your questions live, with a focus on hard cheeses as both garnishes and star-of-the-show toppings. (This interview was postponed from its original scheduled date in December due to technical issues.)

Join us on Facebook Live!

Channel your inner geek by offering fun specials, costume contests and trivia games for sci-fi fans in your corner of the galaxy. Create pizza portraits of Baby Yoda or Mr. Spock or craft specialty pizzas inspired by your favorite sci-fi movies and TV shows.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

Meet your new employee of the year.

They call him The Cube.

F O R M O R E D E TA I L S, S E E PAG E 6 2 .

MONEYMAKERS

MAKING A $100 RESOLUTION How do you get your pizza shop featured on the local news? Try charging $100 for a pie. It worked for DTown Pizzeria in West Hollywood, California.

Nestled inside a popular Vietnamese eatery called Phorage, DTown Pizzeria specializes in savory Detroit-style pies, such as the Oaxacan Guey, featuring chorizo sausage, Oaxacan string cheese, pickled onions and jalapeños, and the sauce-free Haole (AKA Not Hawaiian), topped with bacon jam, charred pineapple and pickled jalapeños. But the star of the menu is the Resolution, which won the Best Pan/Detroit-Style Pizza category at the International Pizza Competition in Las Vegas. What makes the Resolution worth $100? In addition to classic Wisconsin brick cheese, it’s piled with highpriced A5 Japanese Wagyu beef, plus pickled onions, scallions and a generous drizzle of homemade black truffle oil. The pizza is then baked to crispy perfection in traditional Detroit-style blue steel pans. KTLA reporter Robert Puente gave it a taste in late October and raved about it, noting that it “satisfied every single taste bud.”

Priced at $100, the award-winning Resolution pizza from DTown Pizzeria is topped with A5 Japanese Wagyu beef, pickled onions, scallions and black truffle oil.

DTown Pizzeria owner/chef Ryan Ososky is a native of Michigan who brought authentic Detroit-style pizza to West Hollywood.

BIGGEST IS BEST Just how many pizza slicers built for giants have you seen around the globe? Probably not many, but the one in front of The Greathouse of Pizza (GHOP), located in Casey, Illinois, can outslice them all and will likely end up in the Guinness World Records.

Owner Trent Groothuis filed an application in 2020 to get his 8’-long wheel pizza cutter certified

by Guinness. “We actually heard back, and we do have the world’s largest slicer, but we need to get it professionally measured and send in a lot of paperwork to make it official,” Groothuis says. With a blade circumference of 31½” and a handle length of 61½”, the slicer sits in front of GHOP’s brick-andmortar store, beckoning hungry locals and curious travelers alike to try out the family-owned pizzeria’s Chicago-style fare. GHOP also boasts nearly 20,000 followers on Facebook, a remarkably high number for a single-location independent pizza restaurant.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

The giant pizza slicer in front of The Greathouse of Pizza awaits certification as the world’s largest slicer from Guinness World Records.

Request a sample

Mike’s Hot Honey started out of a pizzeria in Brooklyn 11 years ago when its signature sweet-heat combo launched a best-selling menu item. From pizza and chicken to dessert and cocktails, Mike’s Hot Honey elevates any dish from ordinary to extraordinary.

Request a sample today to see what all the buzz is about. www.mikeshothoney.com/sample

MONEYMAKERS

DOMINO’S GIVES AWAY COMPETITORS’ GIFT CARDS Domino’s might be the last company you’d expect to promote its competitors, but the chain did exactly that when franchisees in five U.S. cities stuffed $50 gift cards from other local restaurants in their delivery boxes in November. In the campaign, Domino’s touted its support for independent restaurateurs who struggle with third-party delivery fees. To encourage its customers to order from these restaurants without using a third-party app, Domino’s purchased and gave away 2,600 gift cards. One of the beneficiaries: Grammy’s Goodies in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, which serves pizza and other Italian food. “Our franchisees benefit from being part of a brand that has operations and technology built for delivery,” said Russell Weiner, Domino’s chief operating officer. “However, many small restaurants don’t have a system for delivery.

Meanwhile, third-party delivery apps are charging local eateries high fees to deliver, which are taking away much of their earnings.” A Domino’s video about the campaign concluded with a forceful message: “High delivery app fees hurt customers and local restaurant owners. Help your local restaurants thrive by ordering directly from them.”

(Above) Domino’s franchisees in five cities helped promote other local restaurants with $50 gift cards stuffed in their pizza boxes.

(Right) Domino’s franchisee Steve Dolan helped boost business for Vickie Corder, owner of Grammy’s Goodies in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

ALEX, I’LL TAKE TUTTA BELLA COCKTAILS FOR $12 The answer is: Tutta Bella. Neapolitan Pizzeria introduced this new specialty cocktail to raise funds for the Movember Foundation. Now, if you’ve ever watched Jeopardy!, you know you’ve got to phrase your response in the form of a question: “What is The Trebek?” As part of an ongoing tradition, Seattlebased Tutta Bella, which has multiple locations in Washington State, created a limited-time cocktail in November and donated $1 of each sale to the Movember Foundation, a nonprofit focused on men’s health issues. The Trebek paid homage to late, great Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. It was made with Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Clear Creek Pear Brandy, honey-ginger syrup, lemon juice and ginger beer. The drink was offered for $12 at all Tutta Bella locations until November 30. Previous cocktails have honored mustache-sporting icons like Groucho Marx and Freddy Mercury. Founded in Seattle in 2004, Tutta Bella was the Northwest’s first Neapolitan pizzeria to be certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. One of its Seattle locations also received a visit from President Biden in February 2020—on Presidents Day, no less.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

(Above) The Trebek featured top-shelf bourbon, brandy, honey-ginger syrup, lemon juice and ginger beer.

(Right) President Biden must have heard good things about Tutta Bella; he dropped in for a Neapolitan pizza at one of its Seattle stores last year.

MONEYMAKERS

FOR ELVES ONLY Will Ferrell’s title character in Elf may have discovered “the world’s best cup of coffee,” but he never tried the world’s greatest food—pizza. If only he could have made a trip to Tony Boloney’s, with five locations in New Jersey, where owner Mike Hauke created a Christmas-themed pie with Buddy the Elf in mind. In a December cross-promotion with Slice, the online ordering platform for independent pizzerias, Hauke built the North Pole Pizza on a crust of chocolateinfused spaghetti and mozzarella, then added a sauce made with melted chocolate, maple syrup, and peanut butter and jelly. For the toppings, Hauke piled it high with treats like crushed candy canes, mini-marshmallows, M&Ms, chocolate chips, candy sprinkles and Lucky Charms. The pizza could only be ordered for a limited time through Slice, although it was also made available for shipping around the country by Goldbelly.

The candy-laden North Pole Pizza features all of the major food groups recommended for healthy elves.

(Right) Challenged to create a pizza that Buddy the Elf would love, Tony Boloney’s owner Mike Hauke hit upon the recipe “within hours,” according to Slice.

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA HISTORY It’s not easy to make history in a culinary tradition that’s already thousands of years old. But Alessio Lacco, co-owner of the Atlanta Pizza Truck in Atlanta, did just that when his mobile operation became the first to receive certification from the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) in December. Lacco and his wife, Sofia Arango, sell their authentic Neapolitan pies out of a blue 1982 Ape Car, a three-wheeler mounted with a wood-burning oven. Before moving to the U.S., Lacco trained under master pizzaiolo Gaetano Esposito in Naples and studied with the AVPN to learn the rules of Neapolitan pizza. “I knew that, on the other side of the ocean, I would need an endorsement like the one offered by the AVPN brand—and so it was,” Lacco recalls. He opened his first AVPN-certified shop in Dallas in 2013 and launched the Atlanta Pizza Truck in late 2020.

“Americans are rightly concerned with quality and compliance with the rules,” he notes. “If you come to their house to offer an iconic product like Neapolitan pizza, they want it to follow all the [requirements].”

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

(Above) Alessio Lacco’s Atlanta Pizza Truck is the first AVPN-certified mobile pizzeria operation in the world.

(Right) Lacco and his wife, Sofia Arango, converted a threewheeled Ape Car into a mobile truck and first hit the road in late 2020.

Join us throughout 2022 as we celebrate

25 Years  of PMQ!

• Retrospectives • Then & Now • Contests & Prizes • And Much More!

September 2020

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

SEPTEMBER 2020

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | Volume 24, Issue 7

pMQ pIZZA MAGAZINE | April 2013 | Volume 17, Issue 3

PIZZA MAGAZINE

Child’s Play Page

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Tap into the kids market with fun-focused promotions— their parents will love you for it.

Open for

April 2013 www.PMQ.com

scAN to subscrIbE

40K circulation

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The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

FroZEN trEAts | Pg 36 rEFrIGErAtIoN | Pg 44 pIZZA IN brAZIl | Pg 52

Business!

How to unlock your pizzeria’s full potential and come out on top when the chips are down PAGE 32

DELIVERY INNOVATIONS 40

THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY 48

CHEESE MELT CHARACTERISTICS 58

PIZZA VEGAN

Robbie Lordi says going fully vegan turned Li’l Nonna’s into a fully realized pizzeria concept.

H U N T E R TO W N S E N D

HOME OF THE BEETERONI

A

Li’l Nonna’s co-founder Robbie Lordi hopes to own the vegan pizza niche in Austin, Texas.

BY TRACY MORIN

s a vegetarian since his teens, and following a years-long stint as dough maker and menu developer for Via 313 in Austin, Texas, Robbie Lordi, owner of the all-vegan Li’l Nonna’s, was ready to strike out

on his own with a pizza concept. In 2016, his ownership dream came to fruition, with financial investment

from his ex-employers at Via 313 to buy a trailer—but he didn’t want to start just another pizza spot.

“I’ve always been kind of put off by specifically vegetarian or vegan pizza places—it always felt like someone who’s vegan or vegetarian trying to make pizza,” Lordi explains. “So I approached it in the opposite way: As a pizza maker and baker first and foremost, how can I make pizza that isn’t just a vegan version of something? The concept from the beginning was to do stuff that’s familiar, but not necessarily just an analog of meats. So, for example, we make our own pepperoni from beets, called Beeteroni, in a 12-hour process—it’s not just a soy pepperoni.

“These days, people give up dairy before they give up meat; a lot of our customers are people who can’t—or choose not to—eat dairy,” Lordi continues. “And just as people will go out to eat Italian or Vietnamese, they go out to eat vegan, adding it to their weekly rotation. Probably half of our customers aren’t even vegetarian.”

For details on the most popular vegan pizzas at Li’l Nonna’s, see an expanded version of this story at PizzaVegan.com.

Indeed, Lordi credits his dedication to a vegan-only menu as one key to the overall success of Li’l Nonna’s. Now he’s looking to expand outside of Texas, hopefully on the East Coast. “I think by going fully vegan, it got us out of that purgatory; we became more of a realized concept,” he says. “We realized that not only could we pull it off, but we’d actually grow as a company. There are 40 great pizzerias in Austin—even the worst Neapolitan here is good. I’m perfectly happy owning a niche market.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

Because if your phones and web ordering are down, you may as well send everyone home.

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Protect against outages

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The backup kicks in automatically in seconds. So quickly you will not even drop calls in progress when your primary Internet goes down!

The same router can be used to create chainwide virtual private network to connect your locations.

SD-WAN LTE/LTE-A (4G/5G) modems.

Ask us how we can make your life easier and improve your customer’s experience during these difficult times. Our rapid response support team averaged almost 500 custom changes per week in April-June. As “the rules” changed for our clients, we updated messaging and call flow to minimize impact, maximize revenue. Let PizzaCloud do the same for your stores.

Call Center capabilities for one to thousands of locations!

Maintain control, and get the calls off the front counters. For a small chain all you need is a large office at one location. Cut labor hours up to 50% and/or shift labor to lower cost regions while increasing average ticket. Eliminate the constantly ringing phones at the front counters! Tight integration allows calls to overflow to stores, so you can choose when to staff the call center.

The same tight integration, same detailed reports and call recordings in your hands, same ability to overflow back to the stores, but you let some one else hire and manage the staff. We can provide this service to you or work with your existing call center provider.

If you have any interest in call centers call us to discuss options or visit www.pizzacloud.net to register for a webinar.

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BRIAN’S VEGAN JOURNAL

GOING VEGAN PMQ snoops through Brian Hernandez’s vegan journal as he embarks on a plant-based odyssey that could change his life (or not).

B

rian Hernandez, PMQ’s test chef, coordinator of the U.S. Pizza Team and

Star Wars buff, is giving the vegan diet a whirl for three months in 2022, and we’re all going to tag along through his vegan journal and posts on PMQ’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Read below to see how it all got

September 23, 2021 All of the best journeys start unexpectedly: Howard the Duck, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and, of course, Star Wars. Driving home today, I was listening to some random talk radio show and heard a story about an unnamed famous person who was challenged to a bet: He simply had to “go vegan” for a month, and a certain charity would get a donation. Unfortunately, he turned it down, but I can’t stop thinking about it. Would I do that? Could I do that?

started and stay tuned to see how it ends!

October 27, 2021 This vegan thing is still on my mind. I’m gonna do it. But I think 30 days is probably not enough time to see any major change. Let’s do three months! January through March 2022. I’ve picked these dates based on the mere fact that I want to eat a nice, robust Christmas dinner before I try this. Also, the U.S. Pizza Team is returning to the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy, on April 1. I know I won’t be able to resist all the local cuisine, and I don’t want to set myself up for failure. But I would be remiss if I didn’t hold fast to the green guns as best I could.

Italy has plenty of delicious vegan options, BUT THE MEAT!!!

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November 11, 2021 Let’s go! You can do this, Brian! Step one!

Start thinking about what I need to get a head start, so I’m not jumping into the deep end.

Equipment, ingredients, etc. I bought Making Vegan Meat by Mark Thompson today. I’m very interested in seeing how I can make vegan proteins at home. It looks tricky but fun. I realize this will take many attempts, tests and trials to get the vegan meats the way I like them.

But, with that in mind, I want to see what’s better for my pocketbook—to make this stuff at home or buy it premade.

December 15, 2021 The jury is still out. While amassing the vast number of required unique grains, proteins and extracts to make my own vegan meats, my technique is that of a rookie. Vegan meat seems at times to be more food science than culinary art. But I really want to see how much product I can get out of the ingredients versus buying premade. It took a while to get all the ingredients from several sources, but they are here, and I’m ready to get started on this journey. I had no idea listening to a random radio show in the car would lead me down this path. Now, where’s my lightsaber?

For more detailed info about Brian’s journey, shopping lists and recipes, visit pmq.com/bvj.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH

SPONSORED CONTENT

CUP ’N CHAR PEPPERONI AND PEPPADEW PEPPER PIZZA INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

14” pizza crust ¾ c. Boursin cheese 1 tbsp. pizza seasoning (or Italian seasoning) 4 whole canned tomatoes 26 pieces Smithfield Cup ’n Char Pepperoni ½ c. sautéed mushrooms (crimini, button or shiitake) ¼ c. roughly chopped peppadew peppers ¾ c. shredded Fontina cheese 2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

7.

Sponsored by:

Spread Boursin cheese on pizza crust to within ¼” of dough edge.

Sprinkle pizza seasoning on cheese.

Squeeze tomatoes by hand and spread out on pizza.

Place pepperoni, mushrooms and peppadew peppers on pizza.

Top with Fontina cheese.

Bake in 475°F oven for at least 10 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven, cut and top with Parmesan cheese for garnish.

THE PRODUCTS FOR ANY

PIZZA AND BEYOND

When it comes to pizza and beyond, Smithfield Culinary has the portfolio of products to make the dishes that attract customers and drive sales. From dried and cured Italian meats, to mainstays like bacon and ham, to timesavers such as fully cooked and smoked meats, we have everything you need for your pizza and beyond.

Get recipe inspiration at SCPizzaPlus.com

©2022 Smithfield

the

rest I

ndependent restaurant owners miss out on

roundtable brainstorming sessions—you know, when a board of directors or a project development team gets together and tries to figure out ways to better a business? Most owners are spending their days trying to stay in business. They’re in the kitchen. They’re dealing with suppliers. They’re trying to come up with engaging content for their social media platforms.

There can be little time for brainstorming—and no board or managers to brainstorm with, other than a business partner.

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aurant

whisperer Every restaurateur needs outside guidance—a person who offers feedback on the business from a unique and objective viewpoint.

BY BILLY MANZO JR.

Billy Manzo of Federal Hill Pizza brought in his first “restaurant whisperer” 11 years ago.

Still, they need guidance—a person to tell them what’s happening on the front lines, to serve as an accountability partner. A person I like to call a “restaurant whisperer.”

What is a restaurant whisperer? This is a person (or people) who offers feedback on your business. But not just anyone. A restaurant whisperer should be:

1 2

Professional: a leader in his or her field who understands what it takes to be in business.

Personable: someone who is easy to talk to, but not necessarily a friend. Friends can be too sympathetic to your cause and don’t often give you their real opinions because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.

3

An outsider: someone who is not in the restaurant business and can offer a unique and objective viewpoint.

Other restaurant owners tend to be a little biased in the way they do things.

4 5 6 7

Local: someone who “breathes the air,” who understands the people in your two- to five-mile radius.

A customer: someone who knows your brand and product well.

Unselfish: someone who is willing to take the time to give you advice without perpetually looking at their watch.

Trustworthy: someone you can depend on. This can be a hard one to gauge. All I can suggest is to go with your gut.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

“How do you find a restaurant whisperer? I’m sure you have one or two customers who visit your restaurant regularly and like to tell you their opinion— problems they notice that you haven’t had time to address.”

— Billy Manzo, Federal Hill Pizza How do you find a restaurant whisperer? In my experience, you probably already know a few worthy candidates. I’m sure you have one or two customers who visit your restaurant regularly and like to tell you their opinion—problems they notice that you haven’t had time to address.

I met my first restaurant whisperer 11 years ago, when I opened Federal Hill Pizza in Warren, Rhode Island. At the time, I didn’t feel I knew the consumer base in Warren—and in the neighboring Bristol and Barrington areas—as well as I should.

I had a customer who was coming in regularly. Mike was a respected urologist in the community and a huge restaurant guy who loved pizza! He and his wife, who worked as a nurse in Boston, went out to dinner regularly. They had kids, were smart, had ties to the community, and knew the area well.

They checked every box.

One day, when Mike came in for dinner, I approached him and said, “Doc, I have a proposition for you. Dinner’s on me once a month. I want you to come in, so I can talk to you and pick your brain.”

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Manzo placed antibacterial soap in the restrooms to make customers feel safer in their dining experience.

Per the advice of his restaurant whisperer, Manzo added more artwork to the walls and further energized the pizzeria’s ambience.

“You don’t have to buy me dinner,” he said.

“No, I’m going to buy you dinner because I’m hiring you,” I said. After all, what was this going to cost me? A mere $250 a month retail? To get thousands of dollars’ worth of advice? It was a no-brainer.

He agreed, and we got started.

That first dinner lasted three hours. Mike and his wife were so excited that someone was asking them their opinion on a topic outside of the medical field. And the suggestions they gave me were such logical, common-sense ideas that I probably would have never thought of them!

Suggestion No 1: “You should give customers less food.”

This one surprised me. Was it possible to put too much food on customers’ plates? “Where we live, on the weekends people are not big into leftovers,” Mike told me. “We work Monday through Thursday, so on Friday, Saturday and Sunday we want to eat out. If we bring home any leftovers, we’re not going to eat them, and the kids aren’t going to eat them—they’ll eat their own leftovers, but not ours—so the leftovers will probably go to the dog.” I’m dead serious. He was telling me straight, so we started putting less food on customers’ plates and haven’t looked back since.

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“You have to sit there and listen.

Even if you don’t think the person is right, give it a day or two. You might realize there’s some value there.”

— Billy Manzo, Federal Hill Pizza

Suggestion No. 2: “I love the pictures on the wall. You should have more.”

More pictures? That’s going to make a difference? “Yeah,” Mike said. “I just want to see crazy pizza stuff on the wall.” I said OK and started putting all kinds of cool artwork on the walls. Sure enough, shortly after our conversation, I would walk around the dining room during operating hours and notice that when people sat down, they were chatting about the artwork: “What’s that? Look over there!” I couldn’t believe it. Then they would ask me questions about the pictures, and I would talk about the stories behind them, how they related to me and the restaurant. It became a wonderful bonding experience, and many of those customers became repeat customers!

Suggestion No. 3: “I love these rags!”

During one dinner, Mike said to me, “I’m dying for a seafood fra diavolo with red sauce and linguine.” I said, “No problem.

How saucy do you want it?” At the time we had white mappines, or dish towels, on the table—you know, the ones with the blue stripe? When I was a kid, we never used napkins.

We used mappines. My wife and I would battle as to whether we should have mappines or paper napkins on the restaurant tables. Mike said, “Billy, I’m going to tuck this rag into my shirt.

That’s how saucy I want it. Thank God you’ve got these rags

on the table.” Mappines for the win! I no longer had to deal with putting 20 or 30 paper napkins on the table. (Years later, I had to eliminate the mappines, though, because of cost. And then came COVID, of course, which was the final nail in the mappines’ coffin.)

Suggestion No. 4: “You should put antibacterial soap in your bathroom.”

At his medical office, Mike noticed that his patients had a habit of squirting antibacterial soap into their hands before he came into the examination room. He said my customers might appreciate antibacterial soap in the restrooms. And he was right. We blew through that soap like crazy!

Month after month, I was learning a little more about who my customer was. It was a wonderful growing experience.

After four years, Mike and I ended our business relationship, but we became dear friends along the way. That’s the great thing about “hiring” a restaurant whisperer: You can end the arrangement at any time and begin working with someone else—as long as you don’t end the arrangement because you don’t agree with the stuff the whisperer is telling you. You can’t do that. You have to sit there and listen. Even if you don’t think the person is right, give it a day or two. You might realize there’s some value there.

Listen, I’m not perfect. (My wife likes to remind me of this.) But I know that the secret to building a successful business and brand is recognizing that you’re not perfect and doing something about it. And since we don’t have layers of management in what we do, we can create those layers by reaching out to the people around us.

As I always like to say: “Stay in your lane, and let others drive in the lanes you can’t occupy.” If you can do that, together, you will drive traffic.

Billy Manzo Jr. is a veteran restaurant operator and the owner/chef of Federal Hill Pizza, with locations in Providence and Warren, Rhode Island.

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Lars Smith keeps the meats to a minimum and the veggies fresh at his two pizza shops operating under the State of Mind umbrella.

DAV I D F I S C H E R

See behind-the-scenes content at PMQ.com/state-of-mind.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

California Dreamin’ Lars Smith, co-owner of State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria and State of Mind Slice House, is a purist.

But he’s the kind of purist who wins a lot of pizza making competitions.

BY RICK HYNUM

V

eggie-based pizzas are a big deal in California’s health-conscious Bay Area. So when pizzaiolo Lars

Smith and his partners launched State of Mind Public

House & Pizzeria in 2018, they knew fresh produce was the way to go. But plant-based meats? No way, Smith thought at the time. “Plant-based,” he says, “is one of those industry terms, like ‘farm-to-table’ or ‘artisan.’

Once it gets into the larger lexicon of the restaurant industry—where big chains and think tanks start using it—it becomes watered down.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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DAV I D F I S C H E R

The Squash Blossom Pie features fresh, local produce from the Golden State.

S TAT E O F M I N D P U B L I C HOUSE & PIZZERIA

Yes, Smith is a bit of a purist. But he’s the kind of purist who wins a lot of national pizza making competitions. As a native Californian, he’s no Johnny-come-lately to the fresh-from-theearth movement. “We opened as a restaurant that highlights vegetables and seasonal produce,” says Smith, who partnered with his brother Andrew, wife Cristina and partner Amy Alcantar to launch the first State of Mind location in Los Altos and, later, its offshoot, State of Mind Slice House, in Palo Alto.

“So part of what we do has always been plant-based. But it’s not about meat substitutes—it’s fresh and seasonal produce that’s really exciting to us. We don’t offer a ton of meat on our menu.”

Celebrating the Golden State What Smith does offer are innovative and award-winning vegetarian-friendly pies like the Rocket Man (mozzarella, onions, arugula, Estero Gold cheese and EVOO) and the Days Between (mozzarella, Point Reyes Toma cheese, fennel, chicory, apple slices, cream and micro fennel), the latter of which captured first-place honors in the U.S. Pizza Team’s Virtual U.S. Pizza Cup in 2020.

State of Mind’s menu celebrates everything that makes the Golden State special—minus the artifice of Hollywood. As Smith explained to PMQ back in 2019, “It’s a combination of where and how I grew up. Coming from a culinary and farming 32

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

“Part of what we do has always been plant-based. But it’s not about meat substitutes—it’s fresh and seasonal produce that’s really exciting to us.”

— Lars Smith, State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria family that just loved to cook, we were, of course, using local California ingredients….Everything we do here is a reflection of the Californian culinary culture, using as many California products as possible, as well as the cooking techniques, cultures and traditions defined by our great state.”

Fortunately for local herbivores, Smith did eventually come around on vegan proteins. Impossible Meat just happens to be a homegrown California company. “When we first opened, they were knocking on my door over and over again to get us to use [their product],” Smith recalls. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to use it—I’m not gonna use it.’ I wasn’t sure if it was a trend that was going to stay.”

But, like any good restaurateur, Smith knows he has to give the customers what they want. “People were asking for it and

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DAV I D F I S C H E R

As part of PMQ’s new Pizza Tour of America, photographer David Fischer shot photos of Smith, a master pizzaiolo, at work in his natural environs.

S TAT E O F M I N D P U B L I C HOUSE & PIZZERIA

wanted to try it. A couple of other restaurants in the area got it, and I was, like, fine, I’ll give it a chance. We started toying around and making our Italian bulk sausage with it and putting it on the pizza. That got really popular, so I was, like, OK, it’s here to stay.”

Creating an Umbrella Brand Smith is here to stay in the pizza business, too. He got his first taste as a high schooler at Pizza My Heart, where he met Cristina as well as Alcantar. There, Smith grew professionally under the tutelage of then-general manager Leah Scurto, who now owns PizzaLeah in Windsor, California. He has credited Scurto with teaching him the logistics of operating a pizza kitchen.

Smith describes the trajectory of his two businesses as “organized chaos.” He adds, “We want to have fun, and it’s supposed to be entertaining for us while keeping my brother and me and the rest of our group engaged. From the beginning, when we were writing our business plan and conceptualizing what we wanted, we agreed that we didn’t want to find something that worked and just do that over and over again.

I know that’s counterintuitive to what most people do in the restaurant business, but we want to explore what we like and create an umbrella brand. Doing the same thing over and over and over is just not something that seems fun to us.”

As Smith points out, State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria and State of Mind Slice House are two “completely different” 34

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

“From the beginning, we agreed that we didn’t want to find something that worked and just do that over and over again. We want to explore what we like and create an umbrella brand.”

— Lars Smith, State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria concepts. “They both have pizza, but [Public House] is really a neighborhood gathering place with a large menu, a huge tap list and an arcade. It’s kind of an ode to the pizzerias that we grew up with in the Bay Area but that aren’t here anymore— the ones we went to after baseball and soccer games. And as a parent, I knew I didn’t have those places to take my kids to now. So my brother and I were, like, ‘We’re doing it.’”

Slice House, on the other hand, is strictly a carryout store, located in a former Taco Bell building. Catering to the hungryand-in-a-hurry crowd, it offers New York-style slices to-go as well as whole pies, brews, salads and ice cream sandwiches.

But a common thread runs through both shops: a focus on fresh and local ingredients. What are some of Smith’s favorites?

“We always go for what’s seasonal, but cauliflower is good all year round,” he says. “Roasted cauliflower on pizza is excellent, very hearty. Broccoli or broccolini are the same way. We do

PMQ publisher Steve Green chats with Lars Smith behind the scenes of a Pizza Tour of America photo shoot at State of Mind.

DAV I D F I S C H E R

“We started toying around [with vegan meat] and making our Italian bulk sausage with it. That got really popular, so I was, like, OK, it’s here to stay.”

— Lars Smith, State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria

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different finishes with pistachios or other nuts. All kinds of different cheeses can provide fat and protein. But I think really good pizzas don’t have to have meat. Find some seasonal produce that you enjoy. In winter, there’s kale, broccoli, citrus fruits, kumquats—those taste better in the wintertime, and they’re readily available to experiment with.”

That’s not to say you won’t find any animal-based meats on State of Mind’s menu. Real-deal pepperoni pops up on several of the specialty pies, along with cider-braised pork on a pizza called the Easy Wind and Hobbs bacon on the Heat and Sweet. In fact, the Elotero, Smith’s spin on Mexican street corn, won the Cal-Mex category in the 2020 Real California Pizza Contest. It’s made with guajillo-braised pork shoulder, California Oaxaca, cotija and Requesón cheeses.

Smith also captured that contest’s Plant Forward category in 2020 with a pie called Fire On the Mountain, featuring California Oaxaca, crema Mexicana, Fresno peppers and the aforementioned roasted cauliflower.

Those high-profile honors took Smith by surprise. “Winning one of my categories would have been amazing, but winning both categories wasn’t even something I considered a possibility,” he said at the time. “I also can’t stress enough how much winning in this specific competition means to me.

Using California cheeses—and products in general—is so integral to who I am as a chef.”

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Beyond The Dough Presented By DAV I D F I S C H E R

2022: A YEAR OF OPPORTUNITY I believe, with conviction, that 2022 will be one of the best years for you and me! 2020 and 2021 were a rollercoaster of emotions, stress, heartache, change, loss and division. 2022 is an opportunity to put all of that in the past and have a distraction-free year!

For your New Year’s resolution, make 2022 a year of opportunity, not restrictions. Instead of being resolute about all the things you’ll stop doing in 2022, be resolute about the things you’ll add.

Do you like books? “I’m going to read two books a month!”

Enjoy cooking? “I’m going to host a monthly dinner party!”

What about live music? “I’m going to attend a monthly live concert!”

Are you a car buff? “I’m going to figure out a way to buy that car I’ve always wanted!”

Love traveling? “I’m planning two big trips this year!”

2022 will be an amazing year. I say this with RESOLUTE CONVICTION!

To learn more about Perfect Crust’s pizza liners and other products, visit perfectcrust.com or email Eric Bam at Eric@perfectcrust.com.

About Eric Bam:

A Boston native now living in Tulsa, OK, Eric Bam is VP of sales and marketing for Perfect Crust, with 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry. A powerful force in the workplace, Bam uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. He has three children and loves helping the men and women of the pizza industry grow their businesses.

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Kid-Friendly, Family-Approved But in keeping with his commitment to taking care of families, including vegans, Smith now offers vegan cheese options as well.

He even makes his own vegan cashew cream as an alternative to both dairy and nondairy cheeses. “It’s not stretchy like cheese, but I think it kind of scratches that itch, and it’s creamy,” he says. “We use nutritional yeast, so you kind of get that nutty Parmesan cheesiness to it. I think it cooks very well and kind of tightens up on the pizza.

It’s a nice substitute for cheese and fits within our [made-fromscratch] brand and concept. I wouldn’t say it’s very popular in terms of the overall mix of what we sell, but there are people that really, really love it.” Smith features the vegan cashew cream on a gluten-free pie that’s topped with organic sauce, red bell peppers, red onions and his housemade sausage featuring—you guessed it—Impossible Meat.

All of Smith’s pies at Public House are offered in just one size— 14”—while whole pies at Slice House measure 18”. To Smith, 14” is the ideal size for a pie. “When I was working at Pizza My Heart, they had a medium pizza, and that was my favorite size,” he says. “I thought it was the best in terms of who it feeds, the structure of it, and how it bakes.…We’ve all been to a pizzeria where you order a small and a large, and you know that [those doughs were] not made at the same time. We don’t have that problem.”

Another problem Smith doesn’t have: attracting families to his Public House location. He offers a children’s menu to let his customers know that “kids are absolutely welcome and that we do care about their experience. I love watching the kids run around crazy here. Just give them a couple of Shirley Temples and some quarters [ for the video games]. I think it’s hilarious.”

Although they work hard, Smith and his partners are having just as much fun as the kids, he says. “I think we’re lucky that most of our customers are invested in our success and our family and that they know us. What a joy and a pleasure it is to be able to serve the community and be here doing what we love every day. That’s a little sappy, but I mean, jeez, I get to play with food all day and work with my brother and my wife, and [Alacantra] is one of my best friends.

It’s pretty special.”

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

Go behind the scenes at PMQ.com/state-of-mind.

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PMQ’S PIZZA TOUR OF AMERICA

PMQ’s readers are the country’s pizza leaders. And we could be coming to your shop in 2022!

Starting with this month’s cover feature on State of Mind, PMQ Pizza Media is teaming up with the industry’s top suppliers and vendors to cover pizzeria operators across the USA like they’ve never been covered before.

• Cover story in PMQ Pizza Media • Professional cover shoot with renowned photographer David Fischer • Professional food styling to show off your most beautiful pizzas • Professional video shoot with PMQ’s videographers and journalists • In-person visit from PMQ’s publishers • Spotlight on your highest-quality ingredients, equipment and technology

Photographer David Fischer, who has shot thousands of amazing photos for Round Table Pizza, sets up his lighting equipment at State of Mind.

STEVE GREEN

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

Be a Pizza Tour of America Sponsor!

If you’re a manufacturer or supplier to the pizza restaurant industry, we want to hear from YOU about your cover-worthy customers. We’re looking to profile pizzeria operators nationwide who have a great success story and moneymaking advice to share with PMQ’s 200,000-strong print and digital network of pizza professionals.

For more information, contact Steve Green at sg@pmq.com or Linda Green at linda@pmq.com or call 662-234-5481.

Professional food stylist Alexa Hyman employs the secret tricks of her trade for a pizza shoot.

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State of Mind’s Lars Smith gets ready for his close-up.

Fresh, top-quality ingredients get the photo treatment they deserve.

STEVE GREEN STEVE GREEN

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

Spreading Your

Wings

Amid a chicken shortage and rising prices, making the most of your chicken wings is more important than ever.

BY TRACY MORIN

H

ard to believe, but pizza and wings weren’t always a no-brainer combination on pizzeria

menus. Back in the late ’80s, Joe Todaro, a thirdgeneration pizza man in Buffalo, New York, noticed that wings were a mainstay on menus in his own town, but pizzerias in other areas of the country were still

woefully wingless. “We became known for our wings,” At Wing It On!, founder/ CEO Matt Ensero manages higher costs with a wholebird purchasing strategy.

WING IT ON

says Todaro, owner of La Nova Wings and two La Nova Pizzerias in Buffalo and Williamsville, New York. “But why were they not in every pizzeria in the country?”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

43

L A N OVA W I N G S

Todaro brought the idea to his father, and after some convincing—over five years—La Nova started selling its wings and sauces to pizzerias in 1993.

They were an instant hit, and within a year, Todaro recalls that Domino’s and Pizza Hut had jumped on the wing bandwagon. Today, pizza and wings create a dynamic duo that seems as natural as flour and water in pizzerias everywhere.

A Shortage Strikes Fast-forward to 2022, and times are a bit trickier for operators who want to wing it. The continued booming demand for wings has led foodservice operators and consumers alike to experience a shortage amid the pandemic, leading to skyrocketing prices. “Consumers are seeing a 20% to 30% increase in prices of chicken at restaurants, while operators are absorbing a 200% increase in cost,” notes Matt Ensero, CEO and founder of Wing It On!, based in Raleigh, 44

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

“What we try to do is make wings easier— buying fully cooked, heat-and-eat wings helps you take a lot of labor out of the equation.”

— Joe Todaro, La Nova Wings North Carolina, with nine locations and one food truck. “Although the cost increases may be temporary, the future of the shortage will depend on postpandemic economic recovery and, more importantly, the availability of labor.”

Ensero notes that this shortage occurred because processing facilities do not have the labor to support the higher demands brought on during the pandemic. “Further compounding the issue is that while chicken wings are the most popular part of the bird, they make up only about 10% or less of the total bird weight,” Ensero adds. “This creates a supply-demand imbalance,

whereas the incentive to increase production based on wing demand simply is not there.”

On the positive side, even with rising costs, Todaro emphasizes that wings remain not only a profitable item, but a sales leader on pizzeria menus. Those numbers shoot up even higher during football season. “It’s been a challenge,” Todaro admits. “Prices are starting to go down a little bit, but we’re still paying a lot for wings—they’re now the most expensive part of the chicken. But the demand has not stopped, and I don’t see wings going anywhere.”

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WING IT ON

G E T T Y I M AG E S

Press Your Cluck If wings have become the holy grail of poultry, how can operators adapt to maximize their menu and profits? At his chicken-focused concept, Ensero focused on two key levers to help Wing It On! pivot during the shortage. First, menu changes helped. “We decided to get ahead of the shortage by working with our distributors to identify approved substitutes for typical wings—thus the introduction of our thigh wings in early 2021,” Ensero says. “We were one of the first chicken chains to introduce a thigh substitute, and other brands have followed suit.”

The second lever is the company’s “whole bird purchasing strategy,” using all parts of the chicken (except the leg). “This can be seen through our recent thigh wings launch, our boneless tenders, Nuggz items ( from the tenderloin), and chicken sandwiches (breast meat),” Ensero notes. “This purchasing strategy keeps costs low. Since we’re buying the sections of the bird that may be lower in demand, suppliers are more excited to work with us on a program to sell us the highdemand pieces as well.”

Meanwhile, you can maximize wing sales through tactics from smart marketing to simplified prep. “Last year, we expanded our offerings of chicken sandwiches to include many unique varieties and backed this up with a ‘Wiches Wednesday’ promotion,” Ensero explains. “When we initially introduced substitutes like thigh wings and Nuggz, we did large, systemwide promotional campaigns for these, too.”

Ensero shares some other tactics that have worked wonders: • Customization. Let customers choose their number of wings. If someone wants to mix and match sauces, ordering three tenders of one variety and three tenders of another variety would make more sense than being forced to buy a minimum of 10.

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PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

“Another trend is ultra-hot wings, which lend themselves well for challenges to see if people can handle the heat.”

— Matt Ensero, Wing It On! “We offer all of our wings, tenders, etc. in three to four numeric options to give them choices, and we specify which quantities are allowed to be split with multiple sauce options,” Ensero says.

• Bundling. Offering meal deals bundled with a side helps reduce food waste, and people are able to fill up on sides such as fries.

• Options. Make the most of wings with quality sauces and ingredients. Wing It On! offers 18 different sauces and six different dry rubs, with varying degrees of heat and flavor.

Meanwhile, Todaro advocates stretching your wings through savvy purchasing. “What we try to do is make wings easier—buying fully cooked, heat-and-eat wings helps you take a lot of labor out of the equation,” he says. “Premade sauces also help make prep easier for operators.”

On the Sauce Todaro recommends having a variety of sauces on hand in various spice levels, from hot to mild, to appeal to all palates, and notes that hot, barbecue and teriyaki flavors are top sellers. Ensero has also noticed that

L A N OVA W I N G S

the combo of sweet and heat is trending—at Wing It On!, the Honey Heat sauce is maple honey blended with housemade buffalo sauce. “Another trend is ultra-hot wings, which lend themselves well for challenges to see if people can handle the heat,” Ensero adds. “We have Wings of Prey sauce, which can only be described as painfully delicious. Finally, Nashville hot is another flavor that’s been trending. We introduced our own take on Nashville hot sauce in March 2021 for our wings, tenders and a new sandwich. Fans have loved it.”

Don’t be afraid to think outside the sauce when it comes to flavoring your wings. Ensero believes 2021 might have been the year of the dry rub. “Not only are all six of our dry rubs glutenfree, but they also pack in a bunch of flavor with little mess,” he says. “Our Buff-a-Rub packs in the deliciousness of buffalo sauce without customers dirtying their hands and clothes.”

Regardless of what flavors you choose, don’t forget to cross-utilize your ingredients across the menu to further boost profits. At Wing It On!, the housemade Chipotle Ranch wing sauce is also used as the base for Smokin’ Ranch Slaw, as an ingredient in Loaded Street Corn, and as a dip for its

Nuggz. “Offering different sauces, besides the typical buffalo or barbecue flavors, is another way to diversify your menu and give customers options,” Ensero notes. “Create something that is unique to your store and that they can’t find at the competitors for a true competitive advantage.”

Ultimately, Ensero believes that customers will always go where the wings are—and with pizza and wings being such an iconic combo, pizzerias should keep wings on the menu. “If profitability is an issue, consider raising your prices,” he says. “If the pandemic has shown us one thing, it’s that people are still willing to buy chicken wings, even at much higher prices.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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G E T T Y I M AG E S

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PHONING

IT IN

Despite evolving online ordering technology, phone systems are far from obsolete—in fact, they, too, are more advanced than ever.

BY TRACY MORIN

W

hen the pandemic hit in 2020, Shane Switser, owner of The Pizza Man, with two locations in Lyndonville,

Vermont, and Jamestown, Kentucky, found his phones ringing off the hook—and his old-fashioned lines weren’t prepared for the onslaught. “We were receiving hundreds of calls a day, on a traditional landline phone from a local provider,” Switser recalls. “If one line was tied up, it rang to the next—but if all four lines were being used, the line would be busy.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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G E T T Y I M AG E S

Simultaneously, pandemic-related pivots, such as now-booming curbside service, made reaching The Pizza Man’s employees more important than ever.

The solution: installing a VoIP (voice over internet protocol) system with 13 available lines. With this system, Switser had the option of picking up calls with an on-hold message so that customers could press 1 for curbside, 2 for ordering, etc. “We had no choice but to figure out a solution to get a hold of us easier,” Switser explains. “We were able to take a much larger volume of calls, so it had to have made a difference in the bottom line. With the old system, we would have lost thousands in the pandemic.”

Losing the Landlines Switser’s story underlines the need for a modern-day phone system to handle high volumes of calls at pizzerias. But many experts warn that, soon enough, operators won’t have a choice but to ditch their old “legacy” landlines as companies exchange antiquated copper wires for fiber optics, otherwise known as VoIP. “Carriers like Verizon and 50

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“Even as people transition away from phone ordering, it’ll probably never go away completely.”

— John Scully, PizzaCloud AT&T are moving away from landlines, because they don’t make money anymore,” notes Ray Pasquale, CEO and founder of Unified Office in Nashua, New Hampshire. “They’re pulling out copper wires—you almost can’t get a landline today.”

Which begs the question: If phone lines are run by the power of the internet, what happens if the internet goes down? Losing phone service loses operators money, so today’s phone systems can come equipped with cellular backup to avoid such a nightmare. “The router protects the phone and POS system so that you can still accept credit cards and phone orders even if the internet goes down,” explains John Scully, owner of PizzaCloud in Granville, Ohio. “Plus, these types of phones are frequently less

expensive than landlines, so you can get great value—including features like call recording, 10 call pads and internet backup, for a low monthly price.”

But are phones still relevant? Though online ordering keeps growing, Scully points out that, on average across the industry, customers are still placing well over 50% of their orders on the phone, while small independents may have only 20% to 30% of their orders placed online.

“Having a great phone system is still critical,” Scully stresses. “Even as people transition away from phone ordering, it’ll probably never go away completely.

Web ordering has been around for 20 years, and it’s still less than half of all orders.”

Pasquale agrees. “Even at Domino’s, which has spent millions to push people to order online, only 60% to 62% of

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orders are online-related,” he says. “And the other 40% of orders adds up to a lot of revenue to leave to legacy applications. Plus, our operators—independents and even Domino’s— want to maintain that human connection.”

“In the pandemic, we saw our online orders up by 30%, but phone sales were up at least that, or more. Phones are still a big part of what we do.”

Cutting Your Losses — Shane Switser, The Pizza Man Switching to more efficient, updated phone systems offers a bevy of benefits for operators, performance at a glance—with real-time analytics leading to in addition to money saved and more reliable service. “When more efficient store management.

I founded Unified Office years ago, VoIP had a bad reputation: dropped calls, audio echo,” Pasquale remembers. “Now, with Bespoke Solutions a solid foundation established, we’ve added services on top to Since every pizzeria is unique, phone system companies may help people make more money and be more productive.” inquire about your business and operations to customize For example, not only can human phone operators upsell the best solution. Scully asks what features make sense: a customers and create higher ticket averages, the phone system random upsell message like “Try our new cheesy breadsticks,” itself can sow the seeds of suggestion—even more important automatic pickup after three rings with a recorded apology for amid a labor shortage. Your on-hold message can be created the delay, instructions for curbside orders, or information on (using your own or the phone company’s “voice talent”) to COVID-19 sanitation procedures? “Maybe you have catering recommend specials or add-ons to customers. For a bilingual or party rooms, so you want to add ‘Press 2 to speak to our customer base, having them press 2 for service in a second catering manager,’ then forward those calls to your wife’s cell, language helps in-store staff determine who can best answer because she handles catering,” Scully says. “A company should that call. customize to your needs and make suggestions, but you also “With VoIP, you won’t get a busy signal, because the know that nothing is carved in stone—if you don’t like the software answers those calls,” Pasquale adds. “In the store, setup, you can change it anytime.” an announcement can tell employees what line to answer Scully also suggests finding out if the company you’re next, and a screen monitor can show the success of staff to working with offers 24/7 support, and if a human answers your help them perform better in answering the phones. You pick calls for assistance. “Some companies stop answering at 5 or 6 up orders you were losing before—one pizzeria had a 30% p.m., just as a pizzeria is getting into the busiest hours,” Scully revenue jump after installing new phone lines.” Meanwhile, a notes. “Also, don’t let just the bottom-line price affect your phone system can allow for multiunit operators to check on decision; our average customer reports a $500 to $1,000 per their various locations remotely, pulling up all sites to monitor 52

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Even when the internet goes down, a phone system with cellular backup ensures that your pizzeria won’t miss call-in orders.

G E T T Y I M AG E S

month increase in revenue because of special phone features and how they can be used in the pizzeria.”

Therefore, look for a phone system company with pizzeria customers, and ask for their expertise on how to set up your phones for the best results—after all, they should be experts in this subject, just like you’re the expert in pizza! “We communicate with all of our customers, asking, ‘What could you use help with?’” Pasquale says. “When the phone company is watching over its customers 24/7, they can see an issue developing and fix it before the pizzeria even realizes there is an issue.” Pasquale also recommends asking if there’s a moneyback guarantee, what the term commitment is, and what the penalty would be if that commitment is ended early.

Whatever system you choose, explore the possibilities. For many pizzerias, finding the right phone system has been

“Even at Domino’s, only 60% to 62% of orders are online-related.

And the other 40% of orders adds up to a lot of revenue to leave to legacy applications.”

— Ray Pasquale, Unified Office transformative. “Let the system work for you—it’s unlimited in what you can do and how you can configure your phones,” Switser concludes. “Plus, the cellular backup, if the internet goes down, offers so much peace of mind. In the pandemic, we saw our online orders up by 30%, but phone sales were up at least that, or more. Phones are still a big part of what we do. We rely heavily on the phone ringing—that’s the sound of money!”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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G E T T Y I M AG E S

START THE PRESSES Thinking of adding a dough press to your operation? Learn the top considerations to keep in mind when working with this time-saving piece of equipment.

BY TRACY MORIN 54

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

W

hen you’re working with a higher-volume operation—or if

you simply can’t find enough skilled labor to toss and open

dough by hand—dough presses can be an excellent addition to

your kitchen. Whether you want to create cracker-thin crusts or fluffy focaccias, they can speed up production and create more consistent results. After all, you simply grab a dough ball, place it on the press, clamp the machine’s platens closed (you can choose a manual or automatic model), and voilà! The pizza is ready for employees to top.

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Easy, right? Yes, for the most part— but there are certain factors you’ll want to keep in mind when working with dough presses. Here, we offer up a few pointers that will help operators achieve optimal results.

Running Hot and Cold Dough presses can work with or without the application of heat. A hot press works with a heated head (top plate) and sometimes can have a heated bottom plate as well. If the press has a heated head only, the dough’s bottom will remain tacky after pressing, so it’s best moved onto a tray or into a pan— ideal for thick-crust pan styles—where it will more quickly proof, thanks to the introduction of heat to the dough.

If both the top and bottom plates heat up, the dough will bake with a crisper result than hand-tossed types or other methods of stretching dough.

Additionally, the speed of browning will be reduced, allowing for a comparatively longer or higher-temperature bake without the danger of burning. Therefore, presses of this kind can be ideal for creating cracker-like crusts with a uniform baked thickness, while the heat applied to both sides of the dough piece allows multiple pressed pieces to be stacked without sticking together.

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Cold presses, meanwhile, are typically used to press a dough twice in order to stretch the dough to its full desired diameter. The dough can then be transferred to a tray or pan—possibly one with raised circular formations on the bottom to add grip, which can be coated with oil to create an appealing fried-bottom effect. In the pan, the dough can be allowed to proof for up to one hour, until the desired crust thickness is achieved.

In fact, cold presses are considered ideal for focaccia, since this type of bread product doesn’t require a raised circumference like a pizza crust. (For pizzas with pronounced raised edges, try a hot press instead.)

Formulation Notes When using a dough press, you may need to change your dough formula.

Especially if using a cold press, dough benefits from being softer, with more “flow,” which will help prevent tears or excessive snapback after the pressing process. As the late, great Dough Doctor, Tom Lehmann, taught, a softer dough can be created through high water absorption, high finished dough temperatures (90° to 100°F), and/or the use of reducing agents such as L-cysteine, glutathione, deodorized vegetable powder, or sodium metabisulfite. After pressing, this kind of dough will have a breadlike texture, but, again, don’t expect a raised-edge result from softer doughs of this kind. (For more tips on formulation as outlined by the Dough Doc, see the sidebar on page 57.)

On the other hand, if you’re working with a hot press, the optimal formula will probably include some reducing agent (similar to the cold pressed dough). But the desired dough temperature of the hot pressed dough is similar to that of a regular pizza dough, in the range of 80° to 90°F. After pressing, you’ll notice that the dough has an open, coarse, uniform structure, which helps create a more uniform baking process, too.

Latest and Greatest In some pizzerias, stretching dough is not just a job, but an art.

For whatever reason, however, an operation that prides itself on its made-by-hand principles may need to streamline the pizza assembly process via machines.

To enjoy the best of both worlds, the OperaPrima, created

by Ecor International S.p.A. and unveiled at last October’s HostMilano trade show, dubs itself the “pizza stretcher that replicates the handcrafted work of a true pizzaiolo.” The machine slightly differs from a traditional dough press in that mechanical handles open each dough, while a cold pressing process is designed to open the dough more gently—while still allowing for a defined edge and a customizable diameter.

Ultimately, the machine can be used to cold press doughs that use different types of flour, and to prepare different styles of pizza, including Neapolitan, Roman or classic.

Even if you’re looking at investing in a more traditional dough press, today’s manufacturers offer up a wide range of features to help in the pizzeria kitchen: nonstick coated platens, digital time and temperature controls, and the ability to adjust crust thickness and temperature for the best results.

Ultimately, a range of variables—the space available in the kitchen, your style of pizza and the volume of your business— will help determine the machine that’s right for you.

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

G E T T Y I M AG E S

A hot press can be used to create pronounced raised edges on your pizza.

DOUGH PRESSING: A CHEAT SHEET When using a press, you’ll probably need to alter your dough formula, but fear not—you won’t have to make too many major changes. Here are some basic modifications, recommended by the late Tom Lehmann, to create a softer, more extensible dough for pressing: •

Using standard pizza flour with 12% to 14% protein content, dough should have an absorption rate of about 60% to 65%.

Remember: Lower protein content equals a lower absorption rate.

•

Prevent dough shrinkage with a reducing agent such as L-cysteine, glutathione (also known as dead yeast) or deodorized vegetable powder.

•

Add 2% to 4% fat to the dough formula to promote dough spread during pressing. This will help prevent tearing of the dough.

•

Allow the dough to ferment in the cooler for 24 to 36 hours before pressing.

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SELLING

OUT

Want to sell your pizzeria?

Here’s how to position it for maximum value.

BY BRYAN VITAGLIANO

T

he demand for pizza has never been higher, but that’s

not necessarily making life easier for pizzeria owners.

The labor crunch and supply chain issues are creating headaches that make some operators want to get out of the business entirely. But selling a pizzeria can be a complicated process because of the emotional attachment the owner feels toward the business. Owners often treat their restaurant like an extension of themselves, so they generally look to sell to a party who can and will operate the business at the same level they did. They also want to take care of the employees and customers by transitioning the business to someone who will care for them in the same way. And some veteran operators have been in the business for so long, they know the ins and outs of running a pizzeria but are just plain clueless about how to sell one.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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I have helped countless entrepreneurs and restaurateurs sell their businesses, so here are a few tips to position your pizzeria to sell at its highest price.

Get Expert Advice The process of positioning your restaurant for sale can never start too early. But, regardless of when the process begins, your business will be valued based on the prior year’s financial performance. So, if the goal is to maximize the payout on the sale, then you will want at least two years of financials and, ideally, a positive gross-revenue growth trend. This will make your restaurant more appealing to potential buyers. Simply put, a pizzeria that makes money is easier to sell than one that does not.

Unfortunately, selling your restaurant is a full-time job. Between marketing the business with a level of confidentiality and vetting the financial position of the buyers, there is not much time to spend actively running your pizzeria. As an owner, you can’t let your business suffer because your time has shifted to selling it rather than running it. You may want to ask a professional business broker to provide an opinion of value and offer guidance, so you can focus on the restaurant’s continued success while your agent works to bring in qualified buyers.

Think Like a Buyer It’s rare to find an owner who can objectively price their business, especially since they are not actively selling different types of pizzerias regularly, and it’s difficult to remove one’s emotions from the valuation. Like all economics, the market sets the price at which the business will sell, and there are a 60

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

number of variables that either add value to or reduce value from your business.

As a helpful exercise, put yourself in the position of a prospective buyer. Ask yourself the tough questions and look objectively at your role as the owner, the number of hours you put into the pizzeria each week, your duties and responsibilities, and the net income. If you have a sale price you believe you “should” get for your business, ask yourself: Would you pay that amount to have to do all the work you currently do to make your level of net income?

For example, if you wanted $250,000 for your pizza shop and you consistently make $80,000 a year working 40-plus hours a week, ask yourself: “Would I pay $250,000 to buy myself a job that pays $80,000 a year?” This is the first question any buyer will ask themselves when presented with the asking price and cash flow amount of a business on the market.

Determining Sale Price As mentioned above, the value of your pizza shop depends on several variables. These include, but are not limited to: • Your restaurant’s financials • The owner’s role and number of hours per week spent in the business • Organizational structure • Presence or absence of management or key employees • Quality of the financial bookkeeping • Level of cash flow • How the business is trending year over year

Ideally, financials should consist of the last three years of income statements and balance sheets, along with corresponding tax returns. A profitable pizzeria is valued based on the seller’s discretionary earnings. These earnings are the pretax and pre-interest profits before noncash expenses, one-time investments and any unrelated income expenses.

The higher the discretionary earnings amount, the greater the multiple of that number the market will bear, thus allowing you to sell for a higher price.

Maintain Your Equipment You should maintain high quality standards throughout the period you are actively trying to sell your pizzeria. No one wants to purchase a pizza shop they would not eat in themselves. Keeping a clean restaurant shows that you care about the business, and this attention to detail will also strengthen the buyer’s belief in the accuracy of your financial representations.

A buyer will also be hesitant to spend top dollar to purchase a business that requires immediate repairs to the equipment. Either replace the equipment or be prepared to be asked to adjust the sales price following due diligence.

I am not advising that you spend money to upgrade your restaurant with the sole purpose of getting a better price— something that is common in residential real estate. Just maintain your equipment and keep both the front and back of the house clean.

pizza shop through online reviews. Maintaining a good reputation while getting new five-star reviews is important.

Good reviews go a long way in solidifying the goodwill associated with your pizza shop.

• Bolster your positive reviews while driving down any old negative reviews. You drive down negative reviews by asking happy customers to post positive reviews.

Pizzerias with negative reviews are often unappealing to buyers, since a majority of what they are purchasing is the goodwill of the business.

• Familiarize yourself with common complaints, such as cold food or slow delivery or service, and fix those issues before a potential buyer sees them. Being familiar with the complaints will prepare you to answer questions relating to these complaints from prospective buyers.

• Respond politely to negative reviews about your pizza shop. This shows you take an interest in all aspects of the customer experience. Improving these issues today will help your chances of selling your pizzeria for the highest value in the future.

These situations perfectly demonstrate why planning an exit is so important. A two-year gap since your last negative reviews will make it easier to sell your pizza shop.

Selling your pizzeria can be a complex and personal process.

You need to develop a plan based on expert advice to position your pizzeria in the best possible light—and you’ll end up with more money in your pocket.

Maintain a Strong Online Presence Smart buyers will do their due diligence in researching your business. They can easily see the public’s perception of your

Bryan Vitagliano is the leading restaurant broker at Strategic Business Brokers Group, a brokerage firm in Scottsdale, Arizona. The firm has helped dozens of restaurant owners sell their business.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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intense work per month. This light, tiny (20” wide) countertop machine makes up to 100 pizzas per hour with a push of a button. Simply put your crust inside the machine—it supports pizzas between 8” and 16”—and walk away. A Large Double Pepperoni will be ready in 42 seconds. Your best employees will have a chance to focus on what matters most— customer service—while xPizzaCube is making consistent pizzas.

The xPizzaCube has saved our first customers $5,000 to $7,000 a month immediately after installation. That is $60,000 to $84,000 more cash each year! Our machine will boost the productivity of one employee from 25 large pizzas per hour to 70 large pizzas per hour. People are loving this new automated makeline because it is easy to operate with no special training.

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Meet your newest pizza maker, The xPizza Cube. rld’s o e w st Thsmalleaking a mbot! z z i p ro Dimensions: 20”W x 31”H x 28”D

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A Solution for Restaurants It is well-established that restaurant owners have had a difficult time with the substantial increases in the price of authentic extra-virgin olive oils. The market has become saturated with counterfeit oils of questionable origin. While high-end restaurants can afford to spend more to purchase authentic extra-virgin olive oil, many pizzerias and casual restaurants are having a difficult time maintaining their standards of high quality and are looking at alternatives. While there have been attempts to source a replacement, there has not been a viable solution—that is, until BelEvo. BelEvo Is the Answer BelEvo is a proprietary blend of all-natural, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and vegetable oils. It has a bold olive taste and a thick luxurious consistency. It is a great option for chefs and restaurateurs who want lower costs while maintaining high standards of quality. It is perfect for both salads and sautéing. With its great taste and great price, whether BelEvo is used on a Margherita pizza or in a dish of pasta—one taste and you’ll believe.

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CONGRATU

1st Place – Rico Lunardi, Slice On Broadway, Pittsburgh, PA

2nd Place – David Conti, Red Planet Pizza, Ansonia, CT

ULATIONS! Congratulations to the winners of the ’21 Virtual U.S. Pizza Cup! The competition was fierce but, in the end, there could be only three.

T

en finalists were selected from the field of 25 competitors and judged by a panel

of culinary and photography specialists on eye appeal, recipe components and execution.

Taking top honors for the day was Rico Lunardi of Slice On Broadway, David Conti of Red Planet Pizza and Sean Dempsey of Dempsey’s Brewery Pub & Restaurant.

For more information about the Virtual U.S. Pizza Cup or the U.S. Pizza Team, contact Brian Hernandez at brian@pmq.com

2021 VIRTUAL U N I T E D S TAT E S

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3rd Place – Sean Dempsey, Dempsey’s Brewery Pub & Restaurant

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CULLIGAN INTERNATIONAL Water experts since 1936, Culligan International brings together application engineering, innovative products and technical services to reduce restaurant operating costs and improve guest experiences. With 600 dealers across the U.S. and Canada, Culligan offers reverse osmosis water filters to turn your community’s water into New York-style water for great pizza and bagels.

FACTURA.AI Factura.ai is AP automation software designed for multiunit restaurants. Used by Papa John’s, it offers custom workflows, digital invoice storage and intelligent capture and coding, all incorporated into one centralized system that’s easy to access anywhere. Built for a high volume of invoice processing, Factura’s technology is fast and can extract invoice information and codes in under 30 seconds.

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BE PART OF AMERICA’S LARGEST PIZZA DELIVERY! Join with the World Pizza Champions and the U.S. Pizza Team on National Pizza Day (February 9) to donate and deliver at least 10 pizzas to your local shelter, soup kitchen, or any hunger action center. Don’t know where to donate your pizza? Pizza Across America will help you set something up. The more pizzerias that participate, the bigger the story it will make for the national media! Please help Pizza Across America meet its goal of enlisting participating pizzerias in all 50 states!

How does it work?

• Register your pizzeria as soon as possible at Sliceouthunger.org/paa. Have multiple locations?

Register each one!

• Let Pizza Across America know where you’ll be donating/delivering your pizzas. Not sure where to deliver? They’ll set you up!

• They’ll send you a digital asset kit to help you spread the word to local media.

• One week before, Pizza Across America will send you a reminder with all your delivery details.

The first 100 pizzerias to register will receive two free cases of Perfect Crust liners. The top five pizzeria donors will each receive a case of delivery bags from Incredible Bags.

Register your pizzeria ASAP! sliceouthunger.org/paa

PIZZA INDUSTRY BULLETIN BOARD

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PIZZA INDUSTRY BULLETIN BOARD

The “Original Steel” Detroit Style Pizza Pan is Back!

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PIZZA INDUSTRY BULLETIN BOARD

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SUPREME & MARKET TRAYS » Resists scratching & shipping » Smooth, sanitary surface » Won’t bend or sag » Many colors & sizes available

Contact your preferred distributor to order.

SUPREME AND MARKET TRAYS

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PH 800 458.6050 • www.mfgtray.com

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

BAKING STONES

CHEESE SHAKER LIDS

FibraMent Baking Stones The professionals’ choice for evenly cooked, perfectly crispy crust on pizza and bread. We offer a wide variety of stock sizes and custom options. NSF certified.

FibraMent.com | 708.478.6032

CHEESE

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CALL (800) 824-3373 OR VISIT SAPUTOUSAFOODSERVICE.COM

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE Mozzarella I Provolone I Blue Cheese I Gorgonzola I Asiago I Romano

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www.pizzatv.com 74

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The Fastest POS on the Planet The Easiest to Learn & Operate PMQ_January2019_1inchGraphicBox.indd 1 Online Ordering / Rewards & Loyalty Mobile Reporting/Enterprise Complete EMV & PCI Compliance

877-968-6430 PDQpos.com

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

DESSERTS

HOME OF THE PIZZA DESSERTS FAMILY STYLE “PIZZA” COOKIES, BROWNIES & S’MORES

8-Inch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies and S’mores Fully Baked; Simply Heat & Serve The perfect dessert for your restaurant!

stellasgourmet.com info@stellasgourmet.com or 866.383.2444 DOUGH

DELICIOUS MADE-TO-ORDER BREAD AND PIZZA DOUGH Old World Tradition with New World Convenience.

www.mamalarosafoods.com

To locate a distributor near you, call 734-946-7878.

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DESSERTS

Be Inspired. Be Creative. Be Original.

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Breakfast Pizza with Nutella®

For more exciting recipes and tips about Nutella®, visit www.ferrerofoodservice.com or call (800) 408-1505 for more information.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

FLOUR

DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS, PRESSES/ROLLERS

®

We mill it, you knead it.

FIND YOUR UNTREATED FLOUR »

A revolutionary ingredient changing the way people enjoy Italian cuisine Carlo F. Pedone • 414.301.4245 • carlo@pinsaromana.us

Learn more about Pinsa Romana or attending the academy: pinsaromana.us • pinsaschool.com

of below and sign-off on the advertisement as shown or indicate changes in the column.

Please return this signed proof to Stacie Dennison at either: Email: sdennison@pizzatoday.com or Fax: 502-736-9518

OPTIMAL DOUGH PROTECTION

» » » » »

DOUGH TRAYS

Outlasts plastic trays Won’t bend or dent Withstands temps -60o to 250o F Lids and dollies available Custom color matching

PH 800 458.6050 • www.mfgtray.com • Contact your preferred distributor

FOOD DISTRIBUTORS

DOUGH TRAYS/PROOFING TRAYS • Dough Trays -Standard Standard && Artisan Artisan Sizes Sizes – extremely – extremely durable durable and and airtight. airtight.

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The preferred dough tray of pizza operators in the US and Abroad for over 30 years!

Order by phone or online.

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(212) 655-0574 wholesale@mikeshothoney.com mikeshothoney.com

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

HOT SAUCE

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MIXERS

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

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www.pizzamixers.com • 1-877-R-MIXERS

MACHINERY/EQUIPMENT

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

MIXERS

MOISTURE-ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER/SUPPLIES

SP62P

PIZZA MIXER • • • •

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MIXERS

A Tradition of Excellence & Innovation 800-222-1138

•

www.varimixerusa.com

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Best Choice Among Brand Name Mixers in the Market. HIGH QUALITY at a REASONABLE PRICE High Quality spiral and Planetary Mixers, Bread Slicers, Dough Sheeters, Meat Grinders, Dough Dividers/Rounders, Rotary Ovens and More!

Only Thunderbird can offer up to 7 YEARS extended WARRANTY!!!

Planetary Mixers 10qt up to 200 qt Capacity

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Vertical Cutter Mixer 15 hp, 90 min. Digital Timer Two Speeds

Reversible Dough Sheeter 115V or 220V All Stainless Steel or Painted Version

TDR-36 Semi-auto Dough Rounder/Divider Optional Dividing Units for Choice (14.30.36.52)

ASP-200 Spiral Mixer w/ Removable Bowl 440 lbs dough Capacity

THUNDERBIRD FOOD MACHINERY, INC. (PIZZA HUT OFFICAL VENDOR)

4602 Brass Way, Dallas, TX 75236 TEL: 214-331-3000; 866-7MIXERS; 866-875-6868; 866-451-1668 FAX: 214-331-3581; 972-274-5053 WEBSITE: www.thunderbirdfm.com; www.thunderbirdfm.net

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Spiral Mixers Capacity from 88lbs to 440lbs of Dough

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | PMQ.COM

PO Box 4768, Blaine, WA 98231 TEL: 360-366-0997; 360-366-9328 FAX: 360-366-0998; 604-576-8527 EMAIL: tbfm@tbfm.com; tbfmdallas@hotmail.com

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS

ONLINE DATA REPORTS

Euromonitor International Your Strategic Partner for Company Growth For more information visit www.euromonitor.com

Discover all the pizza trends in the Pizza Consumer Trend Report.

312.506.4060 | info@technomic.com

PIZZA BOXES

PIZZA OVENS

Ingredients matter. pizzaboxes@westrock.com • westrock.com/pizza PIZZA BOX LINERS

DoughBox-SmallAd-2021.pdf

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DOUGHBOXBAG.COM

Stone Deck, Pizza Dome, and Bakery

PIZZA DOUGH, PLANT-BASED www.univexcorp.com Tel. 800-258-6358 Fax. 603-893-1249

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PIZZA OVENS

PIZZA PEELS

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734-266-2222

Fax: 734-266-2121

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

PIZZA TOOLS

PIZZA TOPPINGS

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Visit SmithfieldCulinary.com/Margherita

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ALWAYS WITH YOU.

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

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Since 1915, The Neil Jones Food Company has been producing premium quality tomato and custom blend sauces. A family owned and operated corporation, we only pack from the freshest and finest vine-ripened California tomatoes. So whether you prefer classic #10 cans or new shelf-stable pouches, you will always get the very best in fresh packed tomato products from Neil Jones Food.

TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES/SERVICE

VEGAN

VEGAN PIZZA Tony@TDSpecialtyFoods.com 732-803-2925 TDSpecialtyFoods.com

WINGS

ALWAYS WITH YOU.

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PIZZA HALL OF FAME

Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 years or longer? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.

ROMAN GOURMET

(Clockwise from top left) Roman Gourmet remains the oldest restaurant in Maplewood, New Jersey; Vinnie takes a break on flour bags, circa 1983; Anthony and Giovanna worked in a Jersey City pizzeria in 1969; the founding couple hands out Halloween candy; Anthony supervises in 1984; Vinnie works the counter; Anthony and Giovanna celebrate their 50-year anniversary; Roman Gourmet offered coupons to early customers; the family poses in 1996.

Now in its second generation of ownership—with a third in the works—this Maplewood, New Jersey, staple melds old-school work ethics with modern-day updates. BY TRACY MORIN When Italian immigrants Anthony and Giovanna Loffredo arrived in the United States in 1968, they didn’t have much, but they did have a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit. While working in a Jersey City, New Jersey, pizzeria, they saved their money to open their own place, Roman Gourmet, about 15 miles away in Maplewood, in 1971. “Some of the recipes came from the old country—they were from Salerno, south of Naples,” explains Vinnie Loffredo, their son and the restaurant’s current owner. “They learned how to make pizza in Jersey City, took a chance, and it worked—the place became famous.”

Over the years, all four of the couple’s children paid their dues by helping out in the pizzeria, but Vinnie was the sibling who fell in love with the business. Since transitioning into ownership in the early 2000s, he has ushered in plenty of modern updates: a POS system, delivery, ordering through third-party companies and the Slice online platform, and 40 or so specialty pies on rotation that expanded the menu from its bare-bones beginnings. Vinnie even expanded to a still-thriving second location in Hillsborough, New Jersey, in 2013.

At the same time, however, he upholds the old-school business wisdom passed along by his parents. “They told me, always work hard and never change the quality of the food or the recipes, and you’ll always be successful,” Vinnie recalls. “Now, we’re a Maplewood staple—the oldest restaurant here that’s stayed in the same family.

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I have two boys and a girl, and my son, at 13, is working with me the most. He helps the customers, and he’s really into it! If you don’t love this business, don’t get involved with it, because you have to sacrifice a lot.”

Though the pizzeria’s 50-year celebration was put on hold in 2021, Vinnie plans to mark the occasion this year with a big bash, including rolling back prices to 1971 levels for a day, giveaways and social media tie-ins. As a longstanding member of the community, Roman Gourmet will be celebrating with a big family—from the seven elementary schools it provides pizza for each Friday morning to the generations of regular customers to the remarkably loyal employees, many of whom have logged a decade or more at the pizzeria. “You come to know everyone in town and become part of their family; you know their aunts, uncles and grandparents,” Vinnie says. “With our employees, too, it’s a family affair—we’re very lucky, we all work together. As the owner, you’re not better than everyone—you’re actually the one person who has to be willing to do everything yourself, no matter what. But I couldn’t even imagine doing anything else.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | PMQ.COM

California Dreamin’ With a passion for fresh and local ingredients, pizzaiolo Lars Smith lives every day in a golden state of mind.

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22 RAISING MENU PRICESWHISPERER | 44 WEATHERING THE LABOR CRISIS| 58 | 66 THE VEGAN BOOM 24 THE RESTAURANT | 42 CHICKEN WINGS SELLING YOUR PIZZA PIZZERIA