Pasta

For many pizzeria and restaurant operators, a menu simply wouldn’t be complete without at least a few carb-licious alternatives in the form of pasta dishes. “Pasta rounds out our menu and elevates us so that we’re not ‘just a pizzeria,’” says Jeff Gosnear, vice president of Grotto Pizza, based in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with 23 locations. “With pasta, we’re a casual dining restaurant that features pizza—and, though it’s a really easy option for kids, every age group or demographic loves pasta. If they don’t want pizza, that’s usually their go-to!”

However, in today’s COVID-19 landscape—which prioritizes takeout and delivery—it’s also important to ensure customers have the same great at-home experience as they enjoyed when they dined in at your restaurant. Here, we present myriad ways in which operators can sell pastas with savvy, especially for today’s to-go demands.

1EDIT YOUR SELECTIONS...

Whether you’re crafting a menu for dine-in or takeaway, it’s smart to build a solid pasta mix—without overreaching. For example, Grotto Pizza’s pasta menu has been greatly edited in pandemic times (along with its more limited staff and dining room capacity), to two selections: spaghetti and meatballs and chicken Parmigiana over pasta. Gosnear and his team evaluated what dishes would work best for carryout and delivery, but the pizzeria previously offered a wider range, including linguine with white clam sauce, ravioli, baked pastas, and a rotating seasonal-menu special. “We have ravioli with marinara on the menu, but ravioli specials always tend to do well, such as spinach-stuffed or mushroom,” Gosnear says.