Technology and innovation helped the pizza industry overcome big challenges in 2021. Could next year usher in the age of the pizzabot?
FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE PAGE 11.
IF
I BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN GO.
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.
PIZZA POWER 2022
“Stability” and “opportunity” are the words to keep in mind as the pizza industry wraps up a challenging year—with the dawn of pizza robotics looming in 2022.
By Rick Hynum
WestRock takes food safety as seriously as you do. Our pizza box liners, medium and finished products are routinely tested by independent, certified laboratories to ensure that only safe materials go inside. Final packaging meets FDA requirements for food contact.
westrock.com/pizza pizzaboxes@westrock.com
Portnoy, whose “One Bite” pizza review videos often go viral, said he wants to “get more money into the pockets of independent restaurant owners.”
PMQ.com/dave-portnoy-slice
Bob Shema, owner of Popolo Red’s in Irving, Texas, serves thick-crust tomato pies that are meant to be eaten at room temperature.
PMQ.com/popolo-reds
With the new concept, franchisees can take advantage of existing space and opportunistic real estate, which keeps build-out costs low.
PMQ.com/uno-franchise-concept
In a letter to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Restaurant Association called on cities to keep allowing outdoor dining as long as possible.
PMQ.com/extending-outdoor-dining
After a sold-out event in 2019, the triennial International Baking Industry Exposition will help the industry face new challenges next year.
PMQ.com/ibie-2022
Vegemite pizza is enjoying a bit of a boom right now, and not just in the down-under country known for inventing the boomerang.
PMQ.com/vegemite-pizza
A Publication of PMQ, Inc.
662-234-5481
Volume 25, Issue 10
December 2021
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
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
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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
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NOSH Live Winter
December 2-3
This event, taking place in Santa Monica, California, is designed to grow the better-for-you food industry. It brings together a community of experts who will provide actionable insights to help food businesses grow responsibly. The event includes product sampling and 20-plus speakers from established and up-and-coming brands. Learn more at nosh.com/events/noshlive.
Saturday, December 25
Christmas Day
Even if you close your store for this major holiday, you can still make the week leading up to it something special with themed pizzas, a canned food drive for the needy, or a Christmas stocking giveaway featuring gift cards and items from local businesses.
Thursday, December 30
National Bacon Day
Papa John’s had the right idea when it introduced the limited-time Triple Bacon Pizza special earlier this year. Create your own bacon-topped pie for this food holiday, try it out on the menu and consider making it permanent if it’s a hit.
2 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, December 14
PMQ Live Update: Mark “The Cheese Dude” Todd
Cheesy questions (and jokes) are welcome as PMQ’s Brian Hernandez hosts a chat with Mark “The Cheese Dude” Todd. Todd will answer all of your questions live, with a focus on hard cheeses as both star-of-the-show toppings and garnishes.
Join us on Facebook Live!
December 9-10
To be held at the Javits Center in New York City, this event focuses on plantbased foods for foodservice and retail professionals, distributors, investors and manufacturers. Exhibitors will showcase their latest plant-based products, while educational sessions explore the moneymaking strategies and trends you will need to know about in 2022. Learn more at plantbasedworldexpo.com.
December: National Pear Month
Celebrate National Pear Month with a weekly offering of specialty pies that combine pears with complementary toppings like Gorgonzola cheese, prosciutto, goat cheese and caramelized onions. Promote the specials on social media all month long.
Friday, December 10
National Lager Day
Known for their clean, crisp character, lagers sometimes get a bad rap for lack of complexity, but a craft lager is something special. Partner with a local brewer and create pizza-and-lager deals for all of those true-blue brew fans at your restaurant.
2 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, December 21
PMQ Live Update: Kevin Konn, Roman Pizza Academy
Roman Pizza Academy instructor Kevin Konn talks to Brian Hernandez about the latest developments in Roman style-pizza. Konn will also field all of your questions about how to dream up a delicious Roman-style pie for your 2022 menu.
Join us on Facebook Live!
Here’s a look at upcoming restaurant and foodservice events you won’t want to miss in December, plus some special food and beverage holidays and PMQ’s latest live interviews with top pizza professionals!
• Supported pizza sizes: 8”–16”
Peter Izzo’s first love is food, but he had hoped elementary school teacher Michelle Young, the featured star of ABC’s The Bachelorette, would be a close No. 2. Izzo, the owner of Peter’s Pizzeria in Port Saint Joe, Florida, was one of the male contestants on the show’s current season before Young gave him the boot in November. According to ABC, Izzo’s dream woman is “honest, committed, spontaneous and not interested in talking politics on a date.” And she has to be a foodie, too. A self-described “hopeless romantic,” Izzo opened Peter’s Pizzeria in 2019 after moving to Italy to study the country’s cuisine. His menu includes a grandma pie, a Sicilian, and the El Diablo Pie, featuring fried chicken, cherry peppers, pepperoncini, fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey. But his culinary skills apparently weren’t enough to earn the final rose. On the plus side, Izzo and his brother, Bobby Pokora, have announced plans to open two additional Florida locations of Peter’s Pizzeria—one in Boca Raton and one in Pompano Beach, next spring. “We had always dreamed of starting a family business, and we found that in Peter’s Pizzeria,” Pokora said.
DJ Garcia wears a lot of hats in Wilton, New Hampshire. Not only does he co-own Wilton House of Pizza with his wife, Amy, he’s also the town treasurer and host of a podcast focused on local issues and events. So when he interviewed local school superintendent Peter Weaver on his podcast, the two men hit on an idea. To help a deserving senior afford college tuition, Weaver stepped behind the pizzeria’s counter on Saturday, October 9, to take orders and raise donations for a scholarship fund. For the first of what will be several “scholarship days,” a special menu featured two of Weaver’s favorite items: a chicken and bacon pizza and a chicken kebab sandwich. Customers who ordered those items were asked to make a $2.50 donation to the fund, and Wilton House of Pizza matched every donation. “I’m a Wilton guy,” Garcia told the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. “Over the years, we’ve had dozens of [local] students….work for us, and I’ve tried to do my part to equip those students with a work ethic and skills they can bring anywhere. We have everything we need to be successful here—we just need each other. I want to continue to do that, and, in this one way, I can be a positive part of the community and uplifting everyone in it.”
Pizza loving tourists have another reason to check out Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Las Vegas: a 10’ bronze statue of heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson positioned just outside the restaurant’s entrance at Resorts World Las Vegas. Mulberry Street Pizzeria founder Richie Palmer unveiled the statue in honor of his longtime friend in late October. Tyson himself put in an appearance and posed for photos before signing his autograph on the eatery’s wall. With four additional locations in California, including two in Beverly Hills, Mulberry Street claims to be “the world’s most famous pizzeria.” It certainly has a lot of famous fans, including Tyson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Flavor Flav, Joe Pesci and Mickey Rourke. (Palmer himself is the ex-husband of Raquel Welch.) When the pizzeria’s Vegas store opened in September, Sylvester Stallone donated signed posters of Rocky and Rambo, while Schwarzenegger contributed a signed poster from The Terminator. The Tyson statue “will be a hallmark in Vegas for generations to come,” the company said in a Facebook post on October 22.
Two sweet pups found new “furever” homes in a pet adoption promotion held at Catch-a-Fire Pizza in Blue Ash, Ohio, in mid-October. The pizzeria partnered with Cincinnati Animal CARE/Humane Society in the first-time event, which will likely be repeated in the coming months. Two of the three dogs brought to the event got adopted on the spot, according to Shanny Collins, marketing and communications manager for Catch-aFire Pizza, which also has a location in Oakley, Ohio. “The representatives from Cincinnati Animal CARE/Humane Society were quite happy,” Collins said. “They told us that it was the best turnout for this type of event they had seen.” Catch-a-Fire’s Blue Ash location already hosts a Pups, Pints & Pizza On the Patio party every Monday, complete with doggie treats, as well as an annual Halloween costume contest for pups. “We have a lot of animal lovers on our staff, and it’s been fun for them, fun for our customers, and a great cause to support,” Collins said.
Regular maintenance helps lower energy costs, reduces breakdowns and ensures your pizzeria’s equipment lasts over the long haul.
BY TRACY MORIN
There are certain situations no restaurant owner wants to face, and a few of them certainly fall under the category of equipment failure. Without key units in your kitchen working—a mixer, refrigerator or oven, for example—a pizzeria can instantly go from up and running to closed for business (at least until the equipment gets fixed). Luckily, there are ways to keep your major equipment functioning smoothly over the long haul, through the proper preventative maintenance.
When one thing goes wrong on a piece of major equipment, the entire system falls under duress, Joe Gallagher, co-founder and product management for 86 Repairs in Grand Rapids, Michigan, points out. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that when a part breaks, that has a downstream effect on other parts and systems—in other words, it will in turn make those other parts or systems break sooner,” he explains. “Just ask any operator about that time his conveyor on the oven broke and bound up, and then, maybe not immediately, but a few weeks or months later, he burnt out the conveyor motor itself. This motor failure is related to the extra work it had to do for that failing conveyor.”
The good news is, maintaining equipment proactively— before breaks occur—will minimize these trickle-down effects and ultimately help your units last longer. “A well-planned and well-executed preventative maintenance plan can yield up to 20% lower operating costs over the life of a long-term asset, like an oven,” Gallagher notes. “Avoiding the cost of downtime, in terms of lost revenue, is the biggest benefit of proper maintenance and operation. Many of these key appliances are very expensive, so operators often only buy enough to just meet their daily needs, but to be down an oven might mean missing Friday sales by 50% or more. And, beyond uptime, safety and energy savings are additional benefits of proper maintenance.”
For Brad Kent, owner of Bagel + Slice in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and a co-founder of Blaze Pizza, avoiding downtime is the biggest perk of committing to ongoing maintenance in the kitchen. His Bagel + Slice concept is located in a 104-year-old building without air conditioning, which reaches more than 100°F daily in the summertime.
So he takes pride in all of the original (now seven-year-old) refrigeration equipment still running and cooling properly. “The best way to ensure a long and efficient life for equipment is through proper maintenance,” Kent asserts. “I recommend repairing equipment as soon as it shows signs of needing repair, rather than waiting for it to break. I also encourage having spare parts on hand for equipment, in case repairs are needed, so that the repair person can fix it immediately, rather than waiting for parts and charging for a second trip out.”
Gallagher shares his three top tips for major-equipment maintenance:
1. When it comes to ovens, committing to daily, weekly and monthly cleaning, with an increased depth of cleaning at the monthly level, is the best preventative measure an operator can take. Then, depending on the oven setup, ventilation inspection and cleaning are essential. One surprising item to check is specifically for spring-loaded doors—these springs often fail over time and cause the door to drop hard or not stay closed, causing safety and performance issues.
2. For refrigeration, ensure the heat exchangers are cleaned on a monthly basis, and de-ice any buildup
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that when a part breaks, that has a downstream effect on other parts and systems—in other words, it will in turn make those other parts or systems break sooner.”
— JOE GALLAGHER, 86 REPAIRS
before it gets out of control. Beyond that, a quarterly inspection of door gaskets and door catches (to ensure proper door seals) keeps units working only as hard as they have to.
3. For your dough mixers, make sure you keep the unit clean to reduce flour buildup and prevent binding or drag issues. Roughly twice a year, it’s important to lubricate the planetary seal where the dough hook attaches, and the slideway for units that move up and down.
Meanwhile, Kent takes the following approach to his kitchen maintenance:
1. Maximize air flow around major appliances by ensuring there are no obstructions, allowing equipment to breathe freely.
2. Refrigeration, air conditioners and ice machines need regular cleaning of condenser coils and replacement of damaged gaskets. Clean refrigerator gaskets daily with soap and water (don’t use chemicals, which can damage the seals), then brush, vacuum or blow out condenser coils with compressed air to free accumulated dust monthly. Use condenser coil cleaner when needed.
3. Vacuum or brush out burner wells on gas ovens monthly. Sweep out wood burning ovens every morning before lighting the fire.
4. Replace belts quarterly on hood fan motors to ensure hoods remain reliable. Replace hood fan bearings once per year.
Taking these steps saves money over the long haul. “Let’s say a major appliance will last seven years. Proper maintenance
We asked our experts about purchasing extra warranties on equipment—are they worth it? Here’s what they had to say:
“I love warranty service. Any factory defects will often show up while under that manufacturer’s warranty. Proper maintenance after the standard warranty period has ended is usually all you need to have trouble-free, reliable equipment.” —Brad Kent, owner, Bagel + Slice, Los Angeles, CA
“It depends. Often, these are priced as margin-making upsells and make it tough for the smaller operators to negotiate to prices that make sense. My overall guidance is to identify your local, trusted vendors, put together a quarterly plan across the categories they service, and work out a plan with them directly. Many vendors are eager to retain business, and proactive maintenance plans are a great way of establishing accountability in the relationship to make good on well-maintained equipment.” —Joe Gallagher, co-founder/product management, 86 Repairs, Grand Rapids, MI
savings start showing up in year three, four and five, due to less frequent and less involved repairs,” Gallagher explains. “Then the big saving is when you don’t have to replace the appliance early, in year six or seven—or, worse, sooner.”
Yes, even your maintenance procedures need maintaining. First of all, ensure that your staff members are trained to treat the equipment properly to avoid repairs earlier than necessary. “This isn’t typically mentioned, but you need proper training in the operation of major appliances,” Gallagher says. “Even if you’re maintaining a unit well, rough operation—like hip-checking refrigerator doors closed, or using your dough press on frozen or cold dough—are a major source of expensive repairs and will lead to an overall reduction of the unit’s lifespan.”
You’ll also want to keep a record of what procedures should be done, and when. Staff members can then check them off as they occur, so a quick glance tells you what your equipment needs at any given time. “Keep a written schedule and checklist in the kitchen,” advises chef Faisal Aldeleigan, founder of the Chef Faisal Consultancy in Saar, Bahrain. “It’s very important
to work with your staff on this—because operating without a strong system for cleaning and maintaining your kitchen equipment will cause a lot of expense and damages.”
You can even utilize technology to help keep up with maintenance. Some manufacturers now offer apps to monitor kitchen equipment remotely, providing real-time access and analysis of machine data, including equipment status and email alerts to notify operators about machine errors.
But even without a fancy app, technology can work for you. “I put weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual maintenance as reoccurring reminders on my calendar so I don’t need to think about them,” Kent says. “But I also do recommend checking all equipment regularly and maintaining, if needed, off schedule.” After all, that’s what maintenance is all about: finding and fixing molehill-size problems before they grow into mountains.
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.
“I recommend repairing equipment as soon as it shows signs of needing repair, rather than waiting for it to break.”
— BRAD KENT, BLAZE PIZZA AND BAGEL + SLICE
Despite higher food costs, price hikes and labor issues, the pizza industry can look forward to better—and more “interesting”— times ahead. Could your new best worker be a robot?
BY RICK HYNUM
As we reflect on the past year in the pizza industry, the old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” comes to mind. For the record, there’s no evidence that the expression originated in China, but, wherever it came from, it packs a punch. For pizza restaurateurs, these are, indeed, “interesting times.” We all thought this crazy pandemic would be over by now—no such luck. Now we’re begging people to come work for us. Most customers are happy and grateful to grab a table in your pizzeria once again and order a pie from their favorite servers. But many of those servers have quit and moved on to new jobs—or they’re holding out for something different. And if you can find kitchen staff, you can’t find ingredients, or you’re paying a lot more for them, an added expense that you can either absorb or pass on to your customers, who might get a little peeved about it.
But here’s something even more interesting: Despite a slight decline in overall pizza sales this year, average sales per store went up a bit in 2021, for both independents and chains. So, although not everyone survived—the total number of pizza stores went down—the demand for your food is as high as ever. “Nationwide, we have seen an increase of 24% in foot traffic this year to pizza and Italian restaurants, which bodes well for our economy,” says Megan Wintersteen, vice president of marketing for Adentro, which specializes in marketing for brick-andmortar restaurants. “With indoor mask mandates starting to lift, Adentro expects these numbers will continue to increase.”
What could be more interesting than that? Moreover, QSR magazine in August hailed “the invincibility of the pizza industry.” It noted that pizza “entered 2021 with an energized
Pandemic aside, the global pizza market will keep growing in 2022, according to the latest data from Euromonitor International. The worldwide pizza market should total $141.1 billion in sales in 2022, a 6.7% increase, according to Euromonitor’s projections. The biggest explosion will happen in Eastern Europe (12.7% growth) and Latin America (12.2%). In North America, where the pizza market is more mature, Euromonitor projects overall sales growth of 5.3% to $56.5 billion. Full-service restaurants should experience a hefty sales jump of 9.7%, reaching $19.3 billion, next year, while limited-service pizza enjoys a 3.3% bump to $37.2 billion.
stride. The category has not only kept pace with its 2020 momentum, but it has accelerated.”
In other words, the pizza industry is well-positioned for 2022. “After reviewing the past year’s data, I keep thinking two words: stability and opportunity,” says PMQ publisher Steve Green. “We’re down a little, but we’re not mired in quicksand. The trends from the beginning of the pandemic up to the end of 2021 show that Americans want comfort and convenience, and they know that’s what pizzeria operators deliver.”
As for the labor crisis, help is on the way—and that’s where things get really interesting. For 2022, some pizzeria operators are considering an option that once felt unthinkable: minimizing
Mike’s Hot Honey started out of a pizzeria in Brooklyn 11 years ago, creating a whole new category of pizza topping that has been called a ‘game changer’ by pizza fans and spawned best-selling menu items for pizzerias nationwide. Request a sample today to see what all the buzz is about: www.mikeshothoney.com/sample
the human touch in the pizza making process through automation. As this month’s cover image (created by PMQ art director Eric Summers) hints, a bunch of robotics companies—and several pizza chains—from around the world are counting on their Jetsons-style tech to change our industry in dramatic fashion. Will robots soon begin taking over the jobs that people don’t want and offset labor costs?
We’ll get to that in a bit. Meanwhile, take heart: This year’s Pizza Power Report demonstrates that pizza is power in the restaurant industry. So let’s look at the numbers and count our blessings.
THE NUMBERS GAME
We’ll just get one thing out of the way now: Yes, according to research firm CHD Expert, total U.S. pizza sales for the period from October 2020 through September 2021 were down by about 1.5%, from $46,247,156,519
last year to $17,940,959,384 in 2021. The chains enjoyed a tiny bump of 0.14%, up from $27,607,303,732 last year to $27,645,018,457 this year.
The industry’s total number of pizzeria locations dipped from 78,092 last year to 75,117 in 2021. On the independent side, we saw a 4.95% drop in store count, from 41,879 stores to 39,808 this year—a loss of 2,071— while chain locations declined by 2.5%, from 36,213 in 2020 to 35,309, or 904 stores shuttered in 2021.
On the plus side, per CHD Expert, average sales per pizza store actually climbed by 2.5% industrywide, from $592,213 last year to $606,866 in 2021. That includes a boost for independents—from $445,088 last year to $450,687 per store in 2021—as well as for chains, from $762,358 to $782,945 per store in 2021.
How has the restaurant industry as a whole fared this year? In a midyear update report issued in September, the National Restaurant Association projected that overall food and beverage sales will total $789 billion in 2021,
35,309 locations
up 19.7% from 2020. “In the first half of ’21,” the report states, “restaurant sales were bolstered by rising vaccination numbers, healthy household balance sheets, and consumers’ pent-up desire to socialize and dine out.”
The national pizza chains, like Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, aren’t exactly hurting either. However, their growth mostly slowed down in 2021, with Domino’s finally breaking its 41-quarter same-store sales growth streak in the third quarter of this year. The country’s No. 1 chain saw its same-store sales growth drop by 1.9% in that quarter, due, it said, to labor issues and the COVID-19 Delta variant.
“Looking at the U.S. quarterly year-over-year same-store sales results for the three largest pizza players, we’re definitely seeing a slowdown in sales growth through the first three quarters of the year,” says Kevin Schimpf, senior manager of industry
39,808 locations
research for research firm Technomic. “Of course, some of that has to do with tough year-over-year comparisons from 2020, but there’s also the effect of consumers having significantly more options for dining out, now that restrictions have eased across the country.”
Domino’s did booming business once the pandemic hit in 2020, with same-store sales growth of 16.1% in the second quarter of that year, 17.5% in the third quarter and 11.2% in the fourth quarter. In the second quarter of 2021, however, growth began slowing down, with Domino’s reporting just a 3.5% increase and moving into minus territory in the third quarter.
The pandemic seemed to help same-store sales growth for Pizza Hut and Papa John’s as well in 2020. Pizza Hut went from a 7% drop in growth in the first quarter of 2020 to a 5% rise by the next quarter, 6% in the third quarter and 8% in the fourth quarter. For the third quarter of 2021, however, its same-store sales growth was only at 2%—still better than Domino’s.
The major chain with bragging rights for most dramatic growth is Papa John’s. Talk about a comeback! The oncestruggling company saw its same-store sales grow 28% in the second quarter of 2020, 23.8% in the third quarter and 13.5% in the last quarter of that year. In the first quarter of 2021, the number rose 26.2% but has since declined, showing a 5.2% gain in the second quarter of this year and 6.9% growth in the third quarter. Still, growth is growth.
What has been the secret to Papa John’s success over the past two years? CEO Rob Lynch attributed it to menu innovation, including the roll-out of the Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza last December, as well as a solid loyalty program that has driven higher ticket averages and frequency. Papa John’s also inked the largest franchisee development deal in its history with Sun Holdings in October. Sun Holdings will oversee the opening of 100 new Papa
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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.
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.
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If you have any interest in call centers call us to discuss options or visit www.pizzacloud.net to register for a webinar.
But don’t weep for Domino’s. Still the king of the pizza hill, the chain opened its 18,000th store in the world in July, this one in La Junta, Colorado, and has grown its total global store count by more than 5,100 in the past five years.
But who is going to make and serve all that pizza everyone loves so much? American workers have been quitting their jobs in record numbers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Restaurants have taken the hardest hit, with 892,000 employees walking out in August alone. For that month, the restaurant industry’s quit rate of 6.8% was the worst in the entire U.S. economy, more than twice the national average of 2.9%.
Of course, “labor shortage”—a term regularly bandied about these days—is a misnomer. There are plenty of workers— they’re just avoiding restaurant jobs, due in large part to relatively low wages and lack of benefits. “I don’t think there’s a shortage of people who want to work in our industry,” Michael Lastoria, co-founder and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based chain, &Pizza, told PMQ earlier this year. “I think there’s a shortage of people who are willing to accept the status quo.”
In a June-July survey by the National Restaurant Association, 75% of operators said recruiting and retaining employees was their top challenge. In January, that number was only
8%. Some restaurateurs blame the crisis on enhanced unemployment benefits. However, according to a Black Box Workforce Intelligence report in August, “Recent evidence shows that cutting those benefits doesn’t significantly reduce the labor shortage.”
Billy Manzo, owner of Federal Hill Pizza, with two locations in Rhode Island, sees it differently. “Sorry to say, but politics has a lot to do with this [problem],” he says. “East Coast blue states are paying people to stay home and stay masked, while red states are pushing their economy forward. The other part of it is, people who made our industry their part-time or full-time job have come to the conclusion they can make the same or more money with less stress doing something else. It’s just that simple. With all that being said, if you have an employee who’s doing a good job, pay them as well as you can while fostering a culture of positivity….You need to build the team.”
But do workers even want to join your team? For its Q2 2021 United States Job Market Report, Joblist surveyed 30,000-plus job seekers. A solid 60% of workers, with or without hospitality experience, said they wouldn’t consider a hospitality job for their next position. And 58% said they “prefer working in a different setting,” while 37% said the pay is too low. Twenty percent cited lack of benefits, and 16% cited lack of scheduling flexibility.
Even worse, 69% of all survey respondents said nothing could change their minds about working in the hospitality industry. Just 26% said higher pay could change their minds, and 14% said it would take increased benefits to lure them in.
This labor crisis “could force restaurant owners to innovate in order to create a better work environment and work flexibility,” says Doug Ramsthel, a partner at Burnham Benefits, an employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm in California. “It’s unclear what and how these changes would be made, but addressing worker needs in order to attract and retain talent will be more important than simply increasing wages.”
The Blackbox Intelligence report offers some clues. It found that 87% of restaurant workers surveyed said they want to earn a set livable wage rather than rely on tips. They also want promotion opportunities, more flexible schedules, health
benefits, paid time off, and a better company culture and work environment. Thirty-five percent of hourly restaurant workers and job seekers are parents, the report says, and 18% had to leave their job to take care of their family or kids. For these workers, schedule flexibility is a must.
Fortunately, unlike Joblist’s survey, the Blackbox Intelligence survey found that 66% of workers said they would return to the restaurant industry “if the right conditions were met.” The report concludes, “This is a moment for restaurant owners and managers to take a look at how they do things and what their staff is up against. By creating a positive work environment and meeting workers’ needs, restaurants can reduce turnover and hire top talent in the tightest labor market we’ve ever seen.”
But what if workers still don’t want to come back in sufficient numbers? Fortunately, there’s a solution to every problem, even if, at first glance, it looks scarier than the problem itself. Remember when you firmly believed customers would never want to order a pizza online? You thought they wanted to talk to you on the phone. Now everyone carries a phone in their pocket or purse, but they let their fingers do the talking.
Digital technology has proven a godsend in terms of order taking. So are automation and robotics the solution to the labor crisis—cute, fat little R2D2s delivering or serving pies, and mechanical arms spreading sauce and sprinkling cheese on a dough skin? Would your customers mind a fresh, hot pizza made by cold, unfeeling metal claws?
One pizza industry leader is ready to find out, PMQ has learned. We can’t reveal the details yet, but San Francisco-based xRobotics has inked a deal with one of the country’s top pizza chains, boasting thousands of locations around the world. xRobotics’ new xPizza Cube (or the Cube, for short) can prep up to 300 pies per hour, including sauce, cheese and pepperoni. The dough crust is placed on a fast-spinning platform; while it spins, dispensers add the toppings to precise proportions, prepping a 16” pepperoni pizza in under 50 seconds. Compact and designed for kitchens with limited space, the machine can be assembled in five minutes in the morning, according to xRobotics, and takes 10 minutes to clean each night.
In April, Domino’s began testing its first self-driving delivery car, called R2, in Houston, a major step forward in robotic pizza delivery.
Pazzi, located in Paris, is a fully automated pizzeria in which robots build, bake and box the pizzas.
DOMINO’S
Best of all: Under xRobotics’ Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) subscription model, pizzeria operators pay only $1,500 a month. The company estimates a pizzeria with $1 million in sales will save an average of $7,000 monthly with the bot. A restaurant with between $600,000 and $700,000 in annual sales could save $5,000 a month on average. Installation and maintenance are free, and every pizzeria gets two robots for the same price. “The service part is the key,” says Alena Tikhova, a former pizzeria owner and xRobotics’ current chief marketing officer. “If a robot breaks down and is just sitting there, the owner would be very unhappy. So we always give them two robots. And whenever we upgrade to a new model, the restaurant automatically receives it for the same payment. Once xPizza Cube 2 comes out, they’ll get it without having to ask for it.”
Tikhova says the company has already sold 300 Cubes and is currently taking preorders from other pizza chains and independents.
In August, Picnic, another RaaS innovator, announced the pricing model for its Picnic Pizza System, which helps operators make up to 100 pizzas per hour. Monthly subscription prices for the system range between $3,500 and $5,000, depending on configuration and production volumes. Picnic plans to start shipping its system to pizzeria customers next year. “The continued labor challenge and the low operating margin of
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foodservice is putting a major squeeze on all types of operators and makes them more amenable to new technology solutions,” Picnic CEO Clayton Wood told PMQ back in January. “Since automation can deliver cost-effective, consistent quality, plus predictable timing and increased convenience for the consumer, its adoption is accelerating, and the momentum builds. The consumer still wants what they wanted before—quality, convenience, personalization—and automation of the food preparation process will be the best way to deliver on that need.”
Piestro, another leader in pizza automation, struck a deal with the 800 Degrees Pizza chain in August. Outfitted with moving robotic arms and dispensers for sauces and toppings, Piestro’s vending machines assemble and bake the pizza in about three minutes. Chef Anthony Carron, founder of 800 Degrees Pizza, has created recipes specifically for the machines, and the chain plans to place 3,600 units in high-traffic locations over the next five years. Piestro also announced a deal with Canadian pizza chain Fast Fired, which will market “Powered by Piestro” machines to its franchisees across the country.
Robots have infiltrated the waitstaff in a few pizzerias, too. Dominic Mannino, owner of East Coast Pizza in Pueblo, Colorado, hired a new robotic food runner earlier this year. Mannino has been short-handed on the floor for much of the year, so Bella, built by Pudu Robotics, arrived just in time. And Bella always has a smile on “her” face, even without actual lips. “It’s a great help for the waitresses we have right now,” Mannino told Fox News 21 in late September. “It’ll greet you, take you to your table and bring the food out to you.”
Just punch in the table number for an order, and Bella zips off. The bot can “feel” its way around the restaurant, keep a safe distance from customers and carry dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
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Meanwhile, Servi, from Bear Robotics, has been charming guests at Angelo’s Palace Pizza in Cumberland, Rhode Island, since the spring. Neither Servi nor Bella can take orders, but they free up human servers to spend more time with the customers. And so far, most guests love them.
What's our Italian Inspiration? It’s bringing Italy, the most food-centric country in the world, to the biggest melting pot in America: Las Vegas! Everyone here is from somewhere else. So, Metro Pizza set out to become everybody’s hometown pizzeria by combining regional styles and flavors with authentic ingredients like Galbani® Premio Mozzarella—from Italy’s #1 cheese brand. It’s the perfect way to give our customers a taste of Italy and a taste of home, too.
JOHN ARENA (CO-FOUNDER) & CHRIS DECKER (CHEF/PARTNER),
@GalbaniProfessionaleUS
METRO PIZZA
Hordes of compact, knee-high delivery bots already swarm American college campuses—and a few cities—around the country. “We saw demand for robot usage just go through the ceiling,” Alastair Westgarth, CEO of Starship Technologies, told the Associated Press (AP) in early November. “I think demand was always there, but it was brought forward by the pandemic effect.”
Starship now has more than 1,000 delivery robots in its fleet, with hundreds more on the way. They’re delivering food, especially pizza, on 20 U.S. campuses, and 25 more will be added soon, the AP
reports. Starship’s rival, Kiwibot, says it has dispatched 400 robots to college campuses as well as downtown Miami, while Grubhub has deployed 50 robots from Russian tech company Yandex at Ohio State University.
Then there’s Pazzi, an automated pizzeria in every sense of the term. Located in Paris, Pazzi opened this year with a storefront sign that reads, “Come for the show. Stay for the pizza.” Robots
are the stars, pressing out dough skins, spreading sauce, topping the pies and placing them in the oven. The bots can reportedly build, bake and box up to 80 pizzas an hour. “Pazzi” is the plural of the Italian noun meaning “crazy,” but co-founders Sebastien Roverso and Cyrill Hamon’s goal to build Pazzi into a global chain might not be as cuckoo as it sounds.
America's independent pizzeria operators have been instrumental in helping their communities weather the pandemic storm. To honor these hard-working entrepreneurs, PMQ will embark on a nationwide pizza tour/campaign involving strategic photo/video shoots and editorial profiles of six to eight independent pizza restaurateurs with widely varying menus and pizza styles.
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 who have a great success story and moneymaking advice to share with PMQ’s 200,000-strong print and digital network of pizza professionals!
In partnership with renowned pizza industry photographer David Fischer, this unique campaign will also create a library of stunning food and portrait photography, which can be shared by all members of this editorial consortium.
To receive a personalized partnership proposal, contact Linda Green at linda.pmq@gmail.com.
I love Christmas! The gifts, the food, the family and , most importantly, your faith!
I truly love Thanksgiving and Christmas! These two holidays should be the cornerstone of your daily life.
Having Gratitude and Giving To Others!
I believe what you give, with zero expectations, comes back to you tenfold.
I also believe that when you’re thankful for what you have it is multiplied.
Give to your family, friends and community with a selfless heart full of gratitude and watch your life EXPLODE!
I was hired at Perfect Crust in April 2019. It was the best “gift” I’ve received in a long time.
Our president and part owner, Nick Hedlund, is a selfless giver. He’s a great example of a boss, father, spouse and friend.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Perfect Crust Team!
To learn more about Perfect Crust’s pizza liners and other products, visit perfectcrust.com or email Eric Bam at Eric@perfectcrust.com
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.
Until the robots take over, though, running a pizzeria will remain a mostly human enterprise. And since other industries, including processing plants, farms and trucking companies, are facing their own labor problems, food costs keep shooting up, and supplier bottlenecks and shipping delays are kinking up the works. According to the BLS, wholesale food prices in September jumped 12.9% compared to the previous September—the biggest 12-month increase in more than 40 years. In that same month, a survey by the National Restaurant Association found that 95% of restaurant operators had experienced supply delays or shortages of key food or beverage items in recent months. Ninety-one percent said their total food costs (as a percentage of sales) are higher than they were prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Restaurant owners hate raising menu prices, but inflationary pressures have given them little choice. A late October report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed that the Consumer Price Index for “food-away-from-home” (restaurant purchases) in September was 4.7% higher than September 2020. The USDA also estimated those prices would increase between 3% and 4% in 2022.
If you have to raise your menu prices, make sure you explain to your customers why you’re doing it—and why the higher price
they’re paying is worth it, a recent Technomic report advises. “Although consumers are aware that costs in general are rising, transparency about the impact of inflation on the restaurant and refined messages that underscore the value consumers receive through quality or uniqueness of these items can help consumers to justify that increased expense—and make the additional purchase with their order.”
At Federal Hill Pizza, menu prices fluctuate from week to week, and customers don’t mind. “We examine our pricing weekly based on the rising cost of goods and labor and adjust accordingly,” Manzo says. “Some items go up during some weeks, some go back down during some weeks, and some stay the same. Our customers understand what is happening because they see the trend in their own lives. Groceries and gas and the general cost of living are up due to inflation. They realize that, if they go out to eat, prices simply can’t be where they were two years ago or a year ago or, in some cases, even a week ago.”
Shahpour Nejad, the president and CEO of Pizza Guys, a 70-store pizza chain based in Sacramento, California, says his company has raised menu prices, “but not across the board.” He adds, “The increase was not drastic but a small increase. We figured it would not have a big impact on our customers and gives us room to reevaluate next year if needed.” His patrons aren’t complaining either, he says. “I believe that, since many restaurants, stores, etc. are increasing their prices, our customers are not too shocked that we have slightly increased ours.”
Speaking of menus, yours probably has—or soon will have— more vegan items nowadays. Plant-based proteins exploded in 2021, splattering soy and pea protein all over the place. As The NPD Group reported in August, units of plant-based meat substitutes and ingredients shipped to pizzeria operators from
Discover new vegan products, vegan pizza recipes and more at our sister site, PizzaVegan.com!
foodservice distributors jumped 56% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to a year earlier. According to Datassential, cauliflower wings have grown nearly 1,100% on menus in the past four years, offering an intriguing alternative to the real thing, which keeps getting more and more expensive. Chickens of the world, rejoice! (Sorry, chicken farmers.)
“Plant-based is no longer just a niche player in the foodservice market,” says Tim Fires, president of NPD’s SupplyTrack service. “It’s a mainstream ingredient that appeals to a broad section of
At Li’l Nonna’s, a vegan pizza shop in Austin, owner Robbie Lordi makes his plantbased pepperoni from beets. HUNTER TOWNSEND Little Caesars gave vegan proteins a try in a limitedtime specialty pizza called the Planteroni, featuring plantbased pepperoni from Field Roast.
DESPITE TOTAL U.S. SALES FALLING 1.5%, AVERAGE SALES PER STORE ROSE 2.5%
consumers. It makes perfect sense that a popular food like pizza would now offer plant-based options.”
It definitely makes sense to the chains. They brought a veritable smorgasbord of new vegan pizzas to the masses this summer. MOD Pizza, based in Seattle, unveiled a plant-based Italian sausage—made by Plantly—at all of its 500-plus stores nationwide on August 31. That same month, Chicago-based Sarpino’s, with 41 franchised locations, rolled out a pea proteinbased pepperoni from Field Roast after unveiling Beyond Chicken Tenders in July. In fact, Sarpino’s now offers a full vegan menu at most of its stores, including specialty pizzas, calzones, pastas and sandwiches.
But some of the bigger U.S. chains haven’t shown the plantbased market any love (we’re looking at you, Domino’s), while others don’t seem ready to commit just yet. In July, Little Caesars introduced the Planteroni pizza, topped with a plantbased pepperoni from Field Roast but still featuring dairy-based cheese. Pizza Hut, meanwhile, debuted a vegan pepperoni topping from Beyond Meat as a limited-time offer at 70 stores in August, but it came with non-vegan cheese as well.
Of course, many pizzaioli struggle to find a vegan cheese that offers the right flavor profile with their recipes. Miyoko’s Creamery believes it has the solution. The vegan cheese brand
this year unveiled a potentially revolutionary liquid vegan mozzarella made with cashew milk. An alternative to the traditional block of vegan cheese, it’s pourable and, the company says, delivers a better melt on pizza.
If you want to keep your options open and conduct your own tests, vegan cheeses and meat substitutes are getting easier to find, thanks to fast-growing companies like Daiya Foods, Field Roast, Violife, Numu, Pleese Foods and others. Just know this: If you’re thinking of topping a pie with a plant-based meat substitute and regular dairy cheese, vegan consumers will ask why.
• Raise your prices if you need to. One of the industry’s true wise men, John Arena of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas, told PMQ years ago that pizza restaurateurs should never hesitate to raise their prices to stay in business. “That’s the biggest mistake people in our industry make,” Arena said in 2017. “They’re looking at the competition and saying, ‘I have to charge what they charge.’ I’m not interested in what the guy down the street is charging. I have to base what I charge on my expenses.”
Shahpour Nejad of Pizza Guys agrees. “Don’t be afraid
to increase pricing,” he says. “Customers are understanding, especially during a time when many places are increasing their prices. I recommend not to do a dramatic increase, but a gradual one. That way, customers are not feeling it all at once.”
• Meet your workers’ needs. Tom Feltenstein, the late marketing guru, termed employees as “internal customers.” Doug Ramsthel of Burnham Benefits believes you need to figure out what your prospective internal customers need from their job and do your best to offer it. “Is it funding for college tuition, work flexibility, a career path, a fun place to work and a place where they can truly contribute?” he says. “This could be a company cultural change that could help dramatically [with employee retention] before jumping to an increase in pay.”
• Focus on service. Once you hire new employees, train them well. Andrew Hossom, director of data analytics for Merchant Centric, keeps tabs on customers’ complaints and praise about restaurant staffers’ dedication, on-the-job demeanor and timeliness (i.e., speedy service). The latest data on pizzeria employees could be better, he says. “Overall,
guests’ opinions of dedication and demeanor continue to be an issue at pizza restaurants,” he warns. “Both wield a strong influence on perceptions of other themes, and continued underperformance will likely constrain improvement in other areas of the dining experience, such as Loyalty & Referral, Food, and Order Accuracy.” So drill your new employees not just on the basics of service, but on the social skills that customers expect.
• Up your digital and data game. Yes, we keep telling you that, but if you don’t believe us, listen to Drew Kellogg and Stacie Colburn Hayes, respectively the CEO and CMO of Massachusetts-based Oath Pizza. “Invest in sustainable digital solutions that optimize your business as it exists today,” they say. “The most important would be an easy-touse direct ordering system (on your company website or app, not a third-party platform) backed by a robust database growth strategy. If you’ve checked those boxes, make them better and continue to optimize every year. This won’t drive immediate results but is imperative to survive and thrive in the future.”
Spencer Glenn of Pizza My Heart captured top honors at this year’s Real California Pizza Contest, a recipe competition focused on the best California cheeses.
After nine chefs spent a competitive day crafting and working pizza dough, developing unique toppings and sauces, and combining innovative blends of California cheeses, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) on October 20 recognized two champions in the 2021 Real California Pizza Contest (RCPC), a national search for the best pizza recipes using California cheese.
Spencer Glenn of Pizza My Heart, located in Pacific Grove, California, took home the grand prize for his Life Is Gourd pie, which also won the Plant-Forward category. Inspired by a recipe from his late grandfather, the pizza featured a California Asiago/Romano blend, Toma and mozzarella along with fried baby sage leaves, pomegranate arils and pistachios.
Additionally, Glenn had the winning pizza in the Cal-Mex category. His Elote con Chorizo pizza paid tasteful homage to traditional Mexican street corn, pairing California Oaxaca, crema, and cotija with fresh chorizo and tangy Tajin chili/lime seasoning. Glenn received $5,000 for winning each category and an additional $10,000 for the grand prize distinction, so his earnings totaled $20,000.
Leah Scurto, owner of PizzaLeah in Windsor, California, won the Real Californian category with her innovative Nico Pie, featuring multiple cheeses from California, artichokes and garlic. The CMAB awarded Scurto $5,000 for her winning pizza.
The seven other finalists received $500 each for reaching the bake-off finals.
The third annual RCPC was held at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, California. It was open to professional chefs and culinary students across the U.S. “This year’s contest highlighted several top trends in foodservice,” said Mike Gallagher, business and market development consultant for the CMAB. “The finalists impressed the judges with unique recipes, bold interpretations within our innovative categories, and an overarching commitment to the creative use of California dairy throughout each pizza.”
A renowned panel of judges presided over the contest: Tony Gemignani, a 13-time World Pizza Champion; Glenn Cybulski, a certified pizzaiolo and executive chef; and Ricky Webster, founder of Rind & Wheat Bakery in Spokane, Washington, and the 2020 RCPC grand prize winner. The judges based their scores on a variety of factors, including taste, texture and the inventive use of cheeses made with Real California Milk.
“When the pizza industry is healthy, the California dairy industry is healthy,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “As the No. 1 producer of milk and mozzarella, so much of our business goes into pizza. It’s important for California to advance and innovate in the pizza category.”
Italgi is an Italian company that produces pasta machines and cooking solutions for pizzerias, pasta shops, delis and other restaurants. All Italgi machines are designed and produced in the company’s own plant, which is key to offering customers highquality products with full assistance. Thanks to more than 30 years of experience, Italgi machines can be found in more than 100 countries in the world. ITALGI.IT
Watch the video at PMQ.com/italgi
American Eagle’s AE-3050 80 Quart Spiral Mixer can handle up to 66 pounds of flour at 60% water. It works great for all dough, ranging from the heaviest bagel and pizza doughs to the lightest/hydrated dough like pinsa. Scan the QR code to see why American Eagle offers great performance compared to other dough mixers in the industry.
AMERICANEAGLEMACHINE.COM
Watch the video at PMQ.com/american-eagle-spiral-mixer
Texture Technologies’ Connect line of texture analyzers is a leader in the testing of physical properties of food. The results calculated by the equipment can be compared to sensory panel testing to set desired ranges for crispiness, crunchiness, firmness, toughness, cheese stretchability and more. This equipment gives an exact number to compare to desired sample results.
TEXTURETECHNOLOGIES.COM
Watch the video at PMQ.com/texture-technologies
Created to answer the demand for quality frappés on the go, Froffee’s delectable and memorable frozen coffee flavors are made only from the best coffee beans—no ice, water connection or labor needed. Froffee is non-dairy, kosher and has significantly less sugar than blended drinks made in a traditional blender. Froffee was declared the best-tasting frappé in the U.S. by hundreds of chefs and business owners. FROFFEE.ME
Watch the video at PMQ.com/froffee
The pandemic has forever changed the way we handle and serve food. Business owners must adapt and look for clean and hygienic options to keep their customers safe. Pizza Packet offers a full range of single-serve hygienic and sanitary packets, including Parmesan Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper, Garlic, Oregano and Italian Spice.
Pizza Packet uses only the highest-quality ingredients and never compromises on taste and flavor. A recent independent study showed that 88.7% of people want their pizzeria to carry Pizza Packets, and an astonishing 83% of people are more likely to return to a pizzeria that offers Pizza Packets.
The study proves that not only are the Pizza Packets saving you time and money over using wasteful plastic souffle cups, but are also helping to increase revenue from return customers!
Ninety-one percent of pizza lovers add Parmesan and spices to their pizza, with 62% adding them every time. If the option to do so is either a filthy shaker or using a Pizza Packet, the answer is clear! Countertop shakers are touched and handled by many, possibly carrying germs and viruses. They are also very difficult
to clean effectively. An astounding 77.7% of people believe that shakers should be banned or, at the very least, heavily regulated!
Pizza Packets are the safest, cleanest and most cost-effective way to provide added value for your customers.
Contact Pizza Packet today for all of your smart packaging solutions. For more information, call 866-291-5455 or visit Pizza Packet’s website at pizzapacket.com
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from top left) The
old-school
an
This tavern-turned-restaurant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula serves up specialty pizzas, oversize fishbowl cocktails and warm hospitality in a one-of-a-kind setting.
BY TRACY MORINOn New Year’s Day in 1965, Joseph “Chinko” Rossi and wife Marian opened the doors of their new business, The Ambassador Restaurant in Houghton, Michigan. Joseph’s experience working in restaurants prompted him to sell food in the building, previously a local tavern, which shared space with Sears, Roebuck and Co. He was the first to sell pizza in the small town, home to Michigan Tech University. “There was nothing like that here, and after a couple of years, Sears moved out, and we expanded into the whole building,” explains David Rossi, son of Joseph and current co-owner. “We more than doubled our capacity and tripled the ovens and menu. That’s when it really took off.”
Rossi partially credits The Ambassador’s beautiful building, artwork and atmosphere for its longevity and success. Murals on canvas from the turn of the 20th century were installed from a local brewery after Prohibition, and customers enjoy a waterfront view of Portage Lake from the dining room. But the food has always been the main focus. Joseph rolled the dough himself, with a rolling pin, to craft the thin-crust pizzas, while the pork sausage—ground and spiced in-house—remains a point of pride. “If you watch our clientele throughout the day, we have everyone, from under-21 to people in their 80s and 90s,” David says. “We’re not fine dining—it’s casual for retired people, college kids and locals. We’ve been in business so long,
we’ve built a reputation with no promotions or discounts. My dad always said: ‘Put your advertisement on the plate.’”
David, then a teen, worked at the business from its opening year, and he and his brother took over when their parents retired in the ’80s. Today, he shares ownership with his nephew and a business partner. Though The Ambassador’s environment remains charmingly old-school, David updated operations with the introduction of a POS system and notes that moving to electronic gift cards from handwritten versions tripled their sales. He also expanded into specialty pies, like the award-winning Tostada. “It’s like a taco on pizza, and it’s extremely popular,” David explains. “We don’t do delivery, because we don’t want to get away from what we do best. We focus on quality and fairness of price.”
Though the town has grown since The Ambassador’s opening, this pizza original in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has stamped itself as a true Houghton landmark—the place ex-college kids head first when they return for a visit, and the go-to gathering place for loyal locals. “Everybody here, at one time or another, has passed through our doors,” David says. “Having this business in the same family for more than 50 years, it’s been quite a ride.”
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor and the editor of PizzaVegan.com.
Mondako flour is milled from a blend of northern winter and spring wheat. Its consistent mixing time and water absorption is ensured by careful patent stream selection. This flour is well-suited for hand tossed and medium crust pizza applications. It is also chosen by bakers for its high tolerance with laminated and frozen baked goods.
Power flour is a premium, high-gluten flour milled from northern hard red spring wheat. Designed to produce baked goods that require long fermentation and retardation periods, Power is perfectly blended for pan and thick crust pizza formulas.
This 00-type flour is the key to producing a light dough with dependable extensibility, the perfect rise and a soft thin crust — all without compromising old world quality or flavor.
