Ingredients matter.

You make careful choices about the ingredients in your food. WestRock makes careful choices about the ingredients in our boxes. We resource raw materials domestically and manufacture our boxes in North America to meet the highest quality and food safety standards.

westrock.com/pizza pizzaboxes@westrock.com

On the day after this eight-week period, further guidance will be issued on how your record keeping should be provided to the SBA (through your bank) in order to request loan forgiveness. So you need to set up a daily record keeping system for this program now! Create your own system to identify initial loan monies received and to preserve all receipts for any bills paid. Work closely with your payroll provider to isolate this eight-week period of activity and start a disciplined program. If you, as the owner, don’t have the time to handle this important task, assign it to a trustworthy employee, but make sure that you personally review it—daily.

Finally, from March 13 forward, you should create a road map of accounting for your pizzeria, including a daily record of employee attendance. Require your key advisers (including your CPA, banker, attorney, insurance agent, payroll manager and investment adviser) to apprise you of how their systems work and to update you on available financial programs and advise you on any pitfalls to avoid. Personally, I created the website mycovidcpa.com as a service for PMQ subscribers to help them get the most current road map that can help navigate through these challenging times.

Above all, choose advisers whose systems you can trust to provide accurate data. As we emerge from this difficult period, your financial success is in your hands. Don’t wait for someone from the government to contact you. Be proactive and get answers unique to your situation!

And The Band Played On

New Jersey musicians played to an empty house at Delvetto’s Pizzeria in Neptune, New Jersey, in late March, and that’s exactly how they wanted it. To support local artists and attract carryout and curbside delivery business during the coronavirus health crisis, Delvetto’s hosted a live music series in its parking lot, with area performers like Kevin Koczan and Jay and Amy. Customers were invited to drive up and park, eat pizza and listen to tunes from the safety of their cars. Koczan also performed with his band, From the Ground, one afternoon inside the otherwise empty pizzeria, and the show was streamed on Facebook Live. Additionally, Delvetto’s took the now-familiar concept of pizza meal kits and spiked it with booze. The pizzeria teamed up with Asbury Distilling in nearby Asbury Park to sell “craft cocktail kits,” featuring six craft drinks—made with gin, vodka and bourbon—and a cheese pizza for $50.

A Birthday Gift From Uno

The coronavirus pandemic ruined a lot of birthday plans this spring, but Boston-based UNO Pizzeria & Grill did its part to create memorable parties for kids—from a safe distance. In early April, UNO announced it would provide complimentary make-your-own-pizza kits to more than 1,000 Boston-area children for virtual birthday parties. From April 3 to 17, UNO took requests via Instagram and Facebook from the families of young ones who had to cancel an in-person birthday celebration with friends in March or who would have to do so in April or May due to the coronavirus outbreak. UNO then randomly selected 200 kids, each of whom was allowed to invite up to five friends for their virtual parties. UNO provided free pizza kits for the events to all participating children.

Hi from Staten Island,

If I’ ve learned one thing in quarantine, it’s that you can’t stop pizza. Coronavirus has forced everyone to change. From getting smart about safety to optimizing for pickup/delivery, pizzerias are doing what they can for their communities.

A few ways we’re helping shops adapt:

Own your online ordering: Customers want to order from YOU online. It’s time to control your digital storefront and connect with more customers directly — whether it’s keeping your specials up-to-date or making it easy to reorder.

Work smarter: Efficiency is key, especially when money’s tight and hours are long. Luckily, digital tools and data are on your side, helping you make smarter business decisions, faster. If you use Slice, you have all of them in one place: your Owner’s Portal.

Keep your regulars close: Share your shop stories online and chat with customers in the comments. It makes them feel connected and reminds them to order pizza. Offering free delivery has also been particularly effective at this time.

Stick together: Small shops might be independent, but they aren ’ t alone. Lean on us and learn from other owners. Know that our team at Slice is working with shops around the clock, while pushing our collective message of supporting local.

As we adjust to this new normal, know the Slice team is here to help. From building sites to marketing campaigns, lean on us as a one-stop shop for all things digital. We’re in this together. Stay safe and support each other,

Ilir Sela Founder and CEO of Slice