PMQ Magazine - December 2012

Transcription

THIS IS THE CROWD THAT QUALITY BUILT…
ONE PIZZA AT A TIME.
Tonight’s crowd is no coincidence. It’s our reward for focusing
on the details that make us the best pizzeria in town. Grande has helped us get there with
premium Italian cheeses that distinguish our menu and the business experience that has helped
build our business…every pizza, every customer, and every time.
W E S E E W H AT YOU S E E .®
©2012 Grande Cheese Company
For a new view on your business, visit www.grandecheese.com or call 1-800-8-GRANDE.
pizzamagazine.com
00
Online at PMQ.com
December 2012
PIZZA TV: RECENT VIDEOS
The American Pizza Championship
This Week in Pizza
Eleven master pizza makers from across the country vied
for top honors in PMQ’s recent American Pizza Championship, held at NYPD Pizza in Orlando, Florida. With a onepoint difference between the winner and the second-place
finisher, the competition was intense—and the pizzas
were amazing.
Catch up on the latest pizza industry news every
Wednesday with Pizza TV’s weekly online broadcast,
This Week in Pizza, with hosts Brian Hernandez and
Michelle McAnally.
PMQ’s TOP SOCIAL MEDIA PICKS
Social media is more than just Web-based chatter—it’s a marketing
revolution! Whether running a “Big Three” franchise or a mom-andpop operation, operators generate sales from steadfast Facebook and
Twitter campaigns. PMQ editors monitor how industry professionals
embrace social media and, in some ways, help write the rules for viral
marketing. Here are some of our favorites this month:
Find PMQ at
@pmqpizzamag.
TommyCoalFired
We can’t help but smile when we work with such amazing food and customers.
#family, #pizza, #tommyscoalfired
UnoChicagoGrill
We totally endorse #OccupyUNOs. Occupy a seat at the bar, occupy a booth
in the dining room.
PieFivePizza
Dear Pie Lovers: Meet Herb, a.k.a., Italian Herb Crust. Thin and delicious with rosemary
and oregano. Now available at all Pie Five locations.
Find PMQ at
facebook.com/
pmqpizzamagazine.
Next Door Pizza & Pub
Eat like a New Yorker tonight! We’ve got these MASSIVE 18” New York pizzas, hand-tossed
and made to order. Now we just need orders. Cooks are standing by. Limit 200 pizzas
per guest per hour. Offer not available in Uganda, the Czech Republic or Guam. Please
consult your doctor before eating something so delicious your head will probably
explode. Do not wear a Snuggie while you eat this pizza because you will look dumb.
In fact, never wear a Snuggie.
Grimaldi’s
The holidays are only eight weeks away. Scary, huh? The good news is, we have made the holidays
easier. With every purchase of a $50 gift card, you will receive a $10 gift card for your next Grimaldi’s
visit! Purchase in store or online at grimaldispizzeria.com/purchase.
Big Red’s Pizza & Subs
Did you know Big Red’s takes our competitor’s coupons?
6
PMQ Pizza Magazine – The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly
Table of Contents
December 2012
ON THE COVER
20 PMQ’s Pizza Power Report
It’s time again for PMQ’s annual state-of-the-industry wrap-up
and forecast for 2013. Packed with facts and figures and surveying the hottest trends, this year’s report paints an in-depth
picture of the current pizza industry and offers helpful insights
into its likely future.
By Liz Barrett
FEATURES
36 Sweet Emotions
Experts explain how popular dessert items can provide
customers with the perfect happy ending for an unforgettable
pizza experience.
By Michelle McAnally
44 Germ Warfare
More than 50% of foodservice workers don’t follow safe
hygiene practices—and that could cause big trouble with
local health authorities. Learn how to use best practices and
new technologies to create a cleaner, safer environment for
your guests.
20
56 Best in Show
50 Tools of the Old School
Old-fashioned direct mail, door hangers and coupons still
work wonders for pizzerias looking to attract new customers.
It’s just a matter of creating the perfect piece and getting it
into the right hands.
By Tracy Morin
PMQ staff members weigh in on their favorite products
from September’s Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show.
IN EVERY ISSUE
6
10
Online at PMQ.com
Editor’s Note
12 Letters to the Editor
36
8
14
Pizza Press
60
Product Spotlight
68
Advertiser Index
69
Industry Resource Guide
DEPARTMENTS
16 In Lehmann’s Terms: High-Absorption Dough and
Sauce-Free Pies
Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann offers tips for experimenting
with dough and sauce alternatives.
18 New York’s Finest: Orange Basil Linguine
A challenge from his wife leads Chef Bruno to create a new
pasta dish that incorporates orange slices and rinds.
18
82 Time Capsule: Sal and Carmine
Serving slices and ices to his fellow New Yorkers, Luciano
Gaudiosi follows in the footsteps of his late grandfather, the
colorful and irrepressible Sal Malanga.
Coming Next Month
Pasta: Pizza industry operators and consultants
50
reveal all you need to know about the
profitable possibilities of pasta dishes.
Franchising Your Pizzeria: It’s risky business,
but the payoff can be huge. Experts discuss
when you should consider franchising your
concept—and how to do it right the first time.
Equipping Your Pizzeria: What’s missing from
your kitchen or dining room? PMQ surveys the
essential pieces of equipment for a successful
pizzeria operation.
December 2012 • pmq.com
9
Editor’s Note Rick Hynum
What the Customer Wants, the Customer Gets
If you’re ever having a bad day and starting to wonder if you’re in the wrong
business, PMQ’s annual Pizza Power Report (starting on page 20) should cheer
you right up. Meticulously researched, prepared and penned by our editor at
large, Liz Barrett, the 2013 report points to a good year, all in all, for the pizza
industry, with total sales on the rise and independents still holding their own
against the big boys. Even as consumers laid low and saved their pennies during
another year of slow economic growth, they still couldn’t resist the alluring siren
call—and affordable prices—of what we at PMQ call the Great Meal of the United
States of America.
At the same time, the industry continues to evolve, just as it should and must.
Build-your-own concepts are flourishing, the gluten-free movement keeps growing, and major chains have generated
scads of press coverage with some pretty crazy recipes. Or am I the only one who thinks a crust made with baconwrapped hot dogs and drizzled with maple syrup and ketchup is a little out there? (I’m looking at you, Pizza Hut Japan.)
But perhaps the most important growth area is one that some old-school pizzeria operators continue to ignore at
their own peril: the ever-increasing popularity of online ordering. Younger customers love one thing even more than
they love pizza, and that’s their mobile devices. Just take a gander at the kids dining in your pizzeria today; you’ll see
many of them hunched over, heads bowed, fingers busily pecking and swiping at the screens of their iPhones and
Androids, checking in on Foursquare, pinning on Pinterest and tweeting on Twitter between bites of your tastiest
pies. If you’re lucky, they’re posting something good about your food and broadcasting that message to hundreds of
their closest friends.
But when they’re not dining in at your pizzeria—when they opt for carryout or delivery instead—many of these younger
customers can’t be bothered to call in an order. They would rather let their fingers do the talking. So if you don’t offer
them the option of placing their orders online via mobile devices or computers, believe me, your competitor will be glad
to take their business away from you.
Fortunately, as Liz explains in the Pizza Power Report, pizzeria operators’ resistance to online ordering seems to be
slowly melting away. According to PMQ’s 2012 Reader Census, 18% of respondents now accept orders via the Internet, and another 18% plan to do so in the next year. That’s good to know, and we hope that more of our readers will
begin to embrace online ordering in 2013. There is no doubt that more and more customers will want it. And, when
all is said and done, what the customer wants, the customer will get—if not from you, then from the pizzeria that just
opened down the street!
Thank you, as always, for reading PMQ, and, hey, keep those cards
and letters (and emails) coming!
Rick
Rick Hynum
Editor-in-chief
PMQ Pizza Magazine
On the cover: This year’s state-of-the-industry
profile, the Pizza Power Report, starts on page 20.
10
Letters to the Editor Rick Hynum
— A Publication of PMQ, Inc. —
A Pizza Man’s Dream
Thanks so much for the great
article on my pizzeria (“Art
and Soul,” November 2012).
My only (small) correction
would be to point out that
we actually have four Bakers
Pride ovens (right), not two.
We started out with two, then
went to three, and, after the fire, we now have
four—two 6’ ovens and two 4’ ovens. It’s a pizza
man’s dream! In any case, I can’t thank you
enough for the article. And the video profile on
PizzaTV.com was the perfect accompaniment
to the article!
Satchel Raye
Satchel’s Pizza
Gainesville, FL
Wrap It Up
We have a small mom-and-pop pizza/sandwich
restaurant, and we’re starting to offer take-and
bake pizzas. The clear wrap we get from our
foodservice provider is cumbersome and hard
to use. We’re looking for a better way to wrap
our pizzas. Any suggestions?
bcampbell516
via the Think Tank
We referred your question to Tom
“The Dough Doctor” Lehmann.
Here’s his answer: “Stretch wrap
is probably the best thing to use—
it’s sanitary and easy to buy and
store, and it works. You can also
place your pizza in a plastic tray
with a clear plastic lid/dome.
Granted, the tray will cost more,
will take up more storage space and won’t hold
the ingredients as securely as stretch wrap. But
you’ll save money because you won’t need an
additional box for the customer to carry home.
Aluminum counterparts are also available—
look at what your local supermarket uses for
its fruit or pastry trays. Most of these trays
will have some type of dome lid that snaps into
place over the foil tray. As a last resort, just
place the assembled pizza on a corrugated pizza circle in a paperboard or corrugated cardboard pizza box. But, remember, there won’t
be anything to hold the pizza together if it gets
tipped or bumped during its trip home with the
consumer. Finally, if your local health department will allow it, consider placing the pizza on
a pizza circle and using a heat gun to partially
melt the cheese (just enough to cause it to cling
together). Then place the pizza in a regular box,
and the partially melted cheese should hold it
together just fine.”
Winner of 5 ASBPE Awards
Winner of 4 GAMMA Awards
ISSN 1937-5263
PMQ, Inc.
Publisher Steve Green
[email protected] ext. 123
Co-Publisher Linda Green
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Rick Hynum
Editor at Large Liz Barrett
[email protected]
Senior Copy Editor Tracy Morin
[email protected]
Food Editor Michelle McAnally
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Art Director Kara Hoffman
Designer Eric Summers
Media Production Daniel Perea
[email protected] ext.139
ADVERTISING
Sales Director Linda Green
Senior Account Executive Clifton Moody
Account Executive Tom Boyles
Sales Assistant Brandy Pinion
ADMINISTRATION
Chief Financial Officer Shawn Brown
[email protected]
Circulation Manager Sherlyn Clark
Director of Operations/
Event Coordinator Brian Hernandez
U.S. Pizza Team Director Missy Green
PMQ INTERNATIONAL
PMQ China Yvonne Liu
[email protected]
Think Tank 2.0
PMQ Australia-NZ Tom Boyles
[email protected]
What’s the buzz? Log on to find out the latest industry buzz at PMQ.com/tt.
Pizza&Food Gabriele Ancona
[email protected]
What to serve with sweet potato fries...
French Liaison Julien Panet
[email protected]
EDITORIAL ADVISORS
Stupid question...
Cheese...
Chef Santo Bruno
Tom Lehmann
Joey Todaro
Ed Zimmerman
Ideal food cost percentage...
CONTRIBUTORS
Rewards program...
Tom Lehmann
Chef Santo Bruno
Thank You to Our PMQ Think Tank Moderators
Daddio: Member since June 2006
Tom Lehmann: Member since June 2006
Rockstar Pizza: Member since June 2006
ADpizzaguy: Member since January 2007
We want to hear from you!
Have a complaint, compliment or suggestion about something you’ve read in the
pages of PMQ? Send your letter via email to [email protected] with “Letter to the
Editor” in the subject line, or mail to PMQ, ATTN: Letters to the Editor, 605 Edison St.,
Oxford, MS 38655. We look forward to hearing from you!
Friend us on Facebook! Visit facebook.com/pmqpizzamagazine.
Editor-in-chief Rick Hynum
12
Volume 16, Issue 10
PMQ Pizza Magazine 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655
662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax • [email protected]
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 2015, Langhorne, PA 19047.
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.
Pizza Press News and Views
A Decade’s Worth of Free Pies
Pizza Fusion franchisees Leigh and Bob
Anderson (left), along with CEO and cofounder Vaughan Lazar (right), awarded
free pizza for a year to Paul Chabai.
It’s a pizza lover’s dream: free pies for a decade. When Pizza Fusion (pizzafusion.com),
the eco-friendly, Boca Raton, Florida-based chain, opened its newest location in Charlotte,
North Carolina, new franchise owners Bob and Leigh Anderson held drawings for 50 guests
and 10 Facebook entrants to win a free pizza each month for a year. Additionally, one guest
was selected to receive a free pie every month for 10 years. “We are really excited to open
our restaurant with a bang, which is why we’re giving away free pizzas and a variety of other
giveaways,” says Leigh.
The grand opening also featured a charity
raffle for two bicycles, with proceeds benefiting Camp CARE (Cancer Ain’t Really the End),
which provides year-round activities for children affected by cancer and their families in
the Charlotte area.
Red-Hot Promo
Helps Firefighters
Some people thought Scott Anthony, owner of Fox’s Pizza Den
(foxspizzapunxsy.com) in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, was crazy
when he first decided to donate the profits from one-day sales of
his famous Big Daddy pizza to the local fire department. But Anthony believes Pizza and Prevention Day, now in its 11th year, is a
win-win. The promotion helps provide equipment for firefighters
as well as lifesaving smoke detectors for Fox’s customers. With help from the
firefighters themselves, Anthony served more than 1,500 pies this year and sold
thousands of coupons for the 24” x 12” Big Daddy for $9.11, raising more than
$45,000 for local fire departments.
“Scott came to us with the idea after 9/11, and every year it beats the year
before. I’m just amazed at his generosity,” says fire chief Bryan Smith. “It starts
two months in advance as we coordinate with co-sponsors. Firefighters go to the
store two days before to start assembling boxes, and then, on the morning of the
event, we start at 8 a.m., kneading dough and making pizzas.” The firefighters
also man the phones and deliver pizzas, coupons for Big Daddy pies, batteries
and certificates for free smoke alarms.
Fox’s Pizza Den raised more than $45,000 for local
fire departments.
Manning Goes Long With
Papa John’s
NFL superstar Peyton Manning, shown with Papa John’s
founder John Schnatter, was a fan of the chain before he
became a franchisee.
14
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has started taking snaps
for Papa John’s (papajohns.com) in his free time. Manning, a spokesman
for the franchise since 2011, has become the proud owner of 21 locations
in Denver. “Having Peyton as a franchisee is a huge win for our brand, especially for our customers in Denver, where our business has never been
better,” says Papa John’s founder and CEO John Schnatter.
Manning admits he has been a fan of Papa John’s pizza for a long time
and believes the move makes good long-term business sense. “It’s a smart
investment now and will be long after I’m done playing football,” he says.
School’s in for
Pizza Fans
Going out for pizza is a treat, but some people want to learn
how to make great pies at home. Chef Bart Nadherny from
Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro (matchboxrockville.com) in
Rockville, Maryland, is happy to assist, offering pizza making
lessons to his customers. “I wanted to be able to connect to
the community,” Nadherny says. “There is an art to making
Customers learn the art of pizza making at Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro.
the perfect pizza, and we wanted to make that accessible to
our community. I talk a lot about the importance of time and
temperature. Simplicity is also key—overloading on toppings can muddle the outcome of a pizza. And I stress the difference
between cooking a pizza in a home kitchen versus a wood brick oven.”
Many participants are surprised by the amount of work involved, Nadherny notes. “One woman pulled our vice president
of operations aside to let him know how great the class was and said she had no idea that pizza making was such an intensive
process. We’re looking forward to more reactions like that one!”
31 Days of Pizza
Sean Taylor celebrated National Pizza Month
with a slice from a different pizzeria every day.
How did you celebrate National Pizza Month in October? Actor/comedian Sean Taylor
simply ate more pizza. For 10 years, he has eaten a slice of pie at a different pizzeria every
day during October as part of a project he calls 31 Days of Pizza. As he explains, “Growing up in a military family, there were a lot of variables in my life. Whether we lived on a
base in Alabama, a housing development in California or an apartment in Turkey, the one
constant was pizza. It’s always been my favorite food.”
Now living in New York, Taylor is surrounded by great pizza. “In 2002, my roommate told me that October was National Pizza Month, and I committed to celebrating it
in the most delicious way possible—eating a slice every day,” Taylor adds. “More than
a decade later, this annual endeavor has brought me to places as far away as Chicago
and even Italy.” But his favorites can be found in the Big Apple—NY Pizza Suprema’s
(nypizzasuprema.com) cheese slice in midtown Manhattan, the Neapolitan pies at Keste
(kestepizzeria.com) in the West Village, and coal-fired brick-oven pizza from Grimaldi’s
(grimaldis.com) near the Brooklyn Bridge.
Selling Slices for Charity
Scott’s Pizza Tours (scottspizzatours.com) is famous for helping tourists
find New York City’s best pizzerias, but its most recent project focused on
feeding the hungry. At the Slice Out Hunger event, 32 New York pizzerias
came together to sell slices for $1 as part of an effort to raise money for
City Harvest, a charity that redistributes
food from restaurants, grocers, farmers
and manufacturers to community hunger
programs and feeds hundreds of thousands of people each week. “About 700
people attended and ate 475 pizzas in just
two hours,” says Scott Wiener, owner of
Scott Wiener (bottom left, above) united New York pizzerias to
raise $12,800 for community hunger programs.
Scott’s Pizza Tours. With matching funds
from Seamless, a food delivery company,
and Scott’s Pizza Tours, the project raised $12,800.
“It was such a great night and a fun way to feed people through pizza and the pizza industry,” Wiener
adds. “Our plan for next year is to partner with folks in cities around the country for a string of simultaneous events to raise money for those who need it.”
15
In Lehmann’s Terms Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann
Visit PizzaTV.com
to see more tips
from Tom Lehmann.
High-Absorption Dough
and Sauce-Free Pies
Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann describes
the challenges—and advantages—of
experimenting with dough and sauce alternatives.
Question:
I’ve made pizzas at home using highabsorption dough, often exceeding 70%.
Why don’t I see more pizzerias using
them?
Answer:
We are seeing more pizzerias, especially the newer “artisan” pizzerias, using
high-absorption dough. These doughs
are quite soft and more difficult to handle than standard doughs, which are
made with absorption values in the 50%
to 60% range. Baking them in ovens can
be problematic; they require the use of a
baking disk or screen, as the dough may
flow into the openings under the weight
of the ingredients during the early stages
of baking, effectively locking the crust
onto the screen/disk.
There is a learning curve for handling
these doughs as well as a difference in
the pie’s finished quality characteristics.
So high-absorption doughs aren’t right
for all pizzerias, but they’re compatible
with the new artisan-type pizzerias in
which stone hearth and wood-fired ovens are all the rage. These pizza makers
aim to produce a pizza that’s different
from the norm in both appearance and
textural characteristics.
Question:
I’ve noticed you prefer to use tomato
filets or slices of fresh, ripe tomatoes
rather than a conventional sauce on
your pizzas. Why?
Answer:
I’ve grown tired of run-of-the-mill pizzas
and figured it was time for a change. I’ve
16
been using drained tomato filets or fresh
slices for several years now, and I’ve seen
some advantages to it. Unlike a traditional sauce, the filets or slices don’t provide
100% coverage of the pizza, and I find
that the pizzas bake out more thoroughly.
I also get better control of the moisture
that’s released from the toppings during
baking. Additionally, I’ve noticed that the
bottom of the pizzas get a stronger bake,
sometimes even with a little char, which,
to me, is a good thing. And the tomato
slices and filets add a certain texture to
the pizza, as well as flavor and eye appeal.
However, the assembly of the pizza
requires slight modifications. To replace
the oil that would normally be present
in the sauce, I brush olive oil onto the
dough skin prior to dressing it. I then
add garlic and other seasonings, such as
fresh, green leaf basil or oregano. (Just
be sure to cover the fresh basil or oregano
with the tomato pieces to prevent them
from being charred during baking.) I
then peel fresh mozzarella cheese like
an orange to create irregular sized pieces
that are placed randomly on the pizza,
and I sprinkle shredded Parmesan and
Romano cheese for an added dimension
of complexity. This presentation meets
my current needs, but I’m sure I’ll dream
up something a little different again, just
to keep my taste buds excited.
Tom Lehmann is the director
of bakery assistance for the
American Institute of Baking
(AIB). Need more dough advice?
Visit the Dough Information
Center at PMQ.com/dough.
New York’s Finest Chef Santo Bruno
See cooking
demos by
Chef Bruno on
PizzaTV.com.
Orange Basil Linguine
Chef Bruno accepts a culinary challenge from his
wife and gets a big kiss in return.
Hello, my readers. I’ve got a great new recipe for
you, and, as usual, there’s a little story behind
it. My wife made me a toasted English muffin
with orange marmalade for breakfast one recent
morning. She always likes to keep me on my toes, so
she asked, “Do you think you can make a spaghetti
dish with orange marmalade?” I responded that I
would try to come up with something—I can’t turn
down a culinary challenge!
My first attempt didn’t quite work out—
something was missing, but I couldn’t figure out
what it was. So I called my brother in Italy; he is,
by the way, one of the finest chefs in Sicily. I told
him about the dish and explained that something
seemed to be missing from it. He suggested that I
try using some cornstarch.
Armed with that knowledge, my wife and
I headed to the supermarket to pick up some
various products, and, after all that, we were too tired to even think about cooking by the time we finally got home. The following day,
though, I finally made it for her. It was worth all the trouble and delays. She loved it so much, she gave me a big kiss.
So if you want a kiss, make Orange Basil Linguine for your wife!
Mangia!
You’ll Need:
Directions:
1 tbsp. margarine, melted
½ c. canned chicken broth
½ c. orange juice, unsweetened
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/8 tsp. orange rind, grated
3 c. linguine, cooked without salt
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 orange slices
1 sprig of fresh basil
Combine the first four ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir
well and bring to a boil. Cook for about one minute. Remove
from heat and add the chopped basil and grated orange
rind. Stir and add the mixture to the cooked linguine,
tossing gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and add the
sliced orange and basil sprig on top as a garnish.
Chef Bruno is PMQ’s culinary
advisor, with more than 40 years
of international pizza experience.
He is the corporate chef for
Marsal & Sons and the culinary
coach of the U.S. Pizza Team.
18
20
PIZZA POWER
2013 STATE OF TH E I N DUSTRY RE P ORT
Make plans for 2013 with PMQ’s report on the pizza
industry—both domestic and worldwide—along with a
forecast for the coming year. By Liz Barrett
I
t’s time again for PMQ’s yearly wrap-up of the state
of the industry as well as our forecast for 2013.
Each year since it began in 2000, our goal has been
to continually enhance this annual report. This time
around, in addition to data from key industry sources
such as Technomic, Mintel, the National Restaurant
Association (NRA), our annual Pizza Industry Census,
CHD Expert and IBISWorldwide, we’ve also included
information about international pizza growth, thanks
to Euromonitor International and the editors at FoodService Europe & Middle East.
In addition to numerical data, you’ll find an overview of major food trends from and consumer opinions
about the restaurant industry as a whole. Bring out this
report any time you’re strategizing marketing projects,
planning new menus or considering franchising.
Understanding the Numbers
To determine industry figures for this report, overall
sales and store counts were provided by CHD Expert,
which obtains its data from more than 80 sources, including Web, government and online listings. Technomic provided sales and unit information on the Top
50 Chains.
Before we get into the data, it’s important to note that
last year’s report covered a period from January 2010 to
December 2010, while this year’s report covers the year
ending September 2012, providing a more current read
of where the industry stands in store counts and sales.
An Industry On the Rise
Data gathered from all sources this year points to an industry that continues to grow at a rate of just about 1.6%.
21
U.S. Pizza Sales
$36,786,524,044
State Rankings:
Independent Pizzerias
Year ending September 2012
Source: CHD Expert
The chart below illustrates which states boast the
highest percentage of independent pizzerias.
Independents: 39.57%
Other Chains: 26.52%
Pizza Hut: 14.68%
Domino’s: 9.24%
Papa John’s: 5.97%
Little Caesars: 4.02%
This is in line with the growth rate of the
restaurant industry as a whole, which
was projected by the NRA to rise by
more than 3% in 2012 to $632 billion.
This is the third consecutive year that
sales have increased for the restaurant
industry. The industry also continues to
outpace overall U.S. job growth at a rate
of two to one, according to the NRA,
further suggesting a growing industry.
And PMQ’s recent reader census shows
that more than 60% of pizzeria operators report increasing sales over the
previous year. All signs point to a continuing recovery from the recession for
the foreseeable future.
U.S. Pizza Stores
71,856
As of September 2012
Source: CHD Expert
Sales and Store Counts
New data provided by CHD Expert
shows this year’s industry sales for the
period ending September 2012 to be
$36,786,524,044 and the total pizzeria
store count for September 2012 to be
71,856.
1-9
Units
10-501+
Units
Total
Units
% Independent
CT
920
120
1040
88%
NY
4247
816
5063
84%
MA
2041
427
2468
83%
NJ
2107
455
2562
82%
VT
146
33
179
82%
NH
437
102
539
81%
PA
3144
888
4032
78%
RI
282
80
362
78%
DC
85
37
122
70%
ME
294
125
419
70%
AK
95
48
143
66%
DE
187
104
291
64%
OH
2073
1699
3772
55%
IL
1624
1410
3034
54%
FL
2275
2002
4277
53%
MD
692
602
1294
53%
NV
344
301
645
53%
WI
639
610
1249
51%
CA
3287
3225
6512
50%
IN
926
955
1881
49%
MI
1423
1469
2892
49%
WA
645
732
1377
47%
ID
161
188
349
46%
For the period ending September 2012,
the average per-unit sales for all U.S.
pizzerias (chains and independents
combined) equaled $511,948. The Top
50 chains’ per-unit sales numbers decreased slightly, from $661,053 in
2010 to $653,859 in 2011.
SC
435
511
946
46%
VA
782
902
1684
46%
CO
491
612
1103
45%
MT
116
143
259
45%
WV
299
366
665
45%
NC
891
1121
2012
44%
AZ
517
716
1233
42%
MN
552
773
1325
42%
Independent Stats
OR
373
516
889
42%
UT
230
319
549
42%
AR
295
424
719
41%
HI
76
116
192
40%
Store Averages
For this year’s report, we’re able to
provide a more detailed picture of the
division between chains and independents. Throughout the report, when
you see the word “independent,” it
Independents: 53.3%
Other Chains: 20.22%
Pizza Hut: 10.57%
Domino’s: 6.83%
Little Caesars: 4.9%
Papa John’s: 4.18%
22
State
GA
637
1009
1646
39%
TN
477
751
1228
39%
ND
65
112
177
37%
LA
251
452
703
36%
WY
50
89
139
36%
NM
101
188
289
35%
KY
339
675
1014
33%
TX
1478
2948
4426
33%
OK
286
599
885
32%
AL
245
551
796
31%
MO
460
1057
1517
30%
SD
65
162
227
29%
MS
122
320
442
28%
IA
300
837
1137
26%
KS
192
533
725
26%
NE
98
329
427
23%
TOTAL
38,297
33,559
71,856
Source: CHD Expert
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refers to all pizzerias with less than 10 units; any
business with more than 10 outlets is referred to
as a chain.
This year’s numbers show that 53% of pizza
outlets are independently owned and control
40% of total pizza industry sales. With total sales
for independents at $14,557,100,260 and a unit
count of 38,297, the average annual sales for
independents for the period ending September
2012 was $380,111.
Chains own 47% of pizzerias
and control 60% of the sales.
Ranking the Top 50
The Top 50 Pizza Chains, courtesy of Technomic, includes total U.S. sales and store counts for
pizzeria chains ranked among a larger list of the
nation’s Top 500 Restaurants, the result of more
than four decades of sales and trend tracking
research. The total 2011 combined sales from
the Top 50 equaled $18,472,166,000, with total per-unit sales averaging $653,859 (among
28,251 units). In 2010, the top 50 sales equaled
$18,350,160,000, with total per-unit sales averaging $661,053 (out of 27,759 units). Compared
to the Top 50 performance in 2010 (a gain in
sales of more than $800,000,000), the 2011 rise
in sales of $122,006,000 reflects a focus on unit
growth for the year. Meanwhile, store counts rose
by 492 in 2011 (compared to 203 in 2010).
Newcomers to the Top 50 list this year include
Gambino’s Pizza; Snappy Tomato Pizza; Lou Malnati’s; Nancy’s Pizza; Sarpino’s Pizzeria; Amato’s
Pizza; and Dion’s Pizza. Pizza chains that were
dropped from the list this year included Donato’s; Wolfgang Puck Express; Zpizza; Straw Hat
Pizza; RedBrick Pizza; Brixx Wood Fired Pizza;
and CPK ASAP.
The Big Picture
According to Technomic’s 2012 Top 500 Chain
Restaurant Report, U.S. commercial chain restaurant industry sales grew to $370.2 billion in 2011,
an increase of 2.5% over 2010. The number of restaurant units, however, showed a decline of 0.8%
from 2010 to 2011. Technomic’s chain restaurant
sales forecast for 2012 was an increase of 2.9%, to
$381 billion.
Looking at the restaurant industry by segment
showed that limited-service grew sales 3.1% to
24
Top 50 U.S. Pizzerias: Ranked by Sales
Based on 2011 Sales
2011 U.S. Sales
(x1,000)
% Change
from 2010
Rank
Chain Name
1
Pizza Hut
5,400,000
2
Domino's Pizza
3,400,000
3
Papa John's
2,195,841
*
4.7
4
Little Caesars
1,480,000
*
18.1
5
Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza
702,000
*
6
CiCi's Pizza
516,000
7
Sbarro
420,000
-4.5
8
Chuck E. Cheese's
417,308
-2.0
9
Round Table Pizza
357,701
10
Godfather's Pizza
313,000
11
Hungry Howie's Pizza
267,200
12
Jet's Pizza
185,000
13
Peter Piper Pizza
158,300
14
Papa Gino's Pizzeria
15
16
*
0.0
2.9
10.6
-5.3
-3.1
*
-5.2
6.9
*
9.1
153,000
*
-7.2
Mazzio's Italian Eatery
150,000
*
Pizza Ranch
146,929
17
Fox's Pizza Den
144,000
18
Marco's Pizza
143,928
19
Gatti's Pizza
128,500
*
-2.8
20
Pizza Pro
118,000
*
-7.6
21
Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
112,500
*
-2.6
22
Pizza Inn
101,000
*
-11.4
23
Rosati's Pizza
98,500
*
0.9
24
Greek's Pizzeria
95,000
*
2.7
25
Ledo Pizza
90,000
*
4.2
26
Famous Famiglia
86,000
*
49.6
27
Mountain Mike's Pizza
81,000
*
6.6
28
Imo's Pizza
69,000
*
-1.0
29
Shakey's Pizza Parlor
67,000
*
0.8
30
Monkey Joe's
62,500
*
17.2
31
Me-N-Ed's Pizzeria
60,500
*
0.5
32
Monical's Pizza Restaurant
56,849
33
Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders
50,500
*
-3.8
34
Simple Simon's Pizza
49,500
*
-2.9
35
Pizza Factory
47,500
*
-6.1
36
Dion’s Pizza
46,000
37
Vocelli Pizza
45,200
*
-7.3
38
Pizza Patrón
42,500
*
-1.2
39
Happy's Pizza
41,000
*
18.8
40
Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor
40,200
*
-0.7
41
Extreme Pizza
40,000
*
-3.8
42
Stevi B's The Ultimate Pizza Buffet
39,500
*
12.2
43
East of Chicago Pizza
37,000
*
-10.3
44
Amato’s Pizza
34,000
*
17.2
45
Sarpino’s Pizzeria
33,000
46
Pizza Boli's
32,610
*
2.5
47
Lou Malnati’s
30,500
*
5.9
48
Nancy’s Pizza
30,300
49
Snappy Tomato Pizza
29,000
*
6.2
50
Gambino’s Pizza
27,300
*
-0.7
Source: Technomic *=Technomic estimate
5.5
-2.0
17.7
*
-2.7
25.7
0.4
7.0
37.5
1.2
Top 50 Pizzerias: Ranked by Number of Units
Based on 2011 Units
Chain Name
2011 U.S.
Units
% Change
from 2010
Pizza Hut
7595
0.7
Domino's Pizza
4907
-0.4
Little Caesars
3518
Papa John's
3001
Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza
1283
3.6
Sbarro
611
-10.3
Godfather's Pizza
606
-6.3
CiCi's Pizza
573
-3.5
Hungry Howie's Pizza
549
-1.6
Chuck E. Cheese's
529
0.0
Pizza Pro
466
-2.9
Round Table Pizza
446
-5.1
Fox's Pizza Den
280
-5.7
Marco's Pizza
275
26.7
Jet's Pizza
223
4.2
Simple Simon's Pizza
220
0.0
Pizza Inn
213
-7.8
Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
199
-5.7
Pizza Ranch
164
6.5
Mazzio's Italian Eatery
163
-3.6
*
9.5
4.5
Papa Gino's Pizzeria
162
-12.0
Rosati's Pizza
162
0.6
Mountain Mike's Pizza
149
11.2
Greek's Pizzeria
142
3.6
Famous Famiglia
131
67.9
Gatti's Pizza
122
-6.2
Pizza Factory
110
-3.5
Vocelli Pizza
102
-9.7
Ledo Pizza
100
0.0
Pizza Patrón
94
-6.0
Imo's Pizza
91
-3.2
Peter Piper Pizza
90
0.0
Happy's Pizza
75
15.4
East of Chicago Pizza
73
-2.7
Snappy Tomato Pizza
72
-4.0
Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders
70
-1.4
Monical's Pizza Restaurant
65
-3.0
Pizza Boli's
62
3.3
Monkey Joe's
61
15.1
Shakey's Pizza Parlor
59
3.5
Me-N-Ed's Pizzeria
59
0.0
Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor
57
-1.7
Gambino’s Pizza
51
-3.8
Amato’s Pizza
47
11.9
Stevi B's The Ultimate Pizza Buffet
45
9.8
Sarpino’s Pizzeria
44
22.2
Extreme Pizza
42
-8.7
Nancy’s Pizza
42
0.0
Lou Malnati’s
34
6.3
Dion’s Pizza
17
6.3
Source: Technomic *=Technomic estimate
Blogger Insights
PMQ caught up with Adam Kuban, founder
and editor at large of pizza blog Slice, to
get his opinions on current trends in the
industry. Here’s what he had to say:
Mobile Units: Trailer-based wood-firedoven operations have surged in the last
year, and I think they’ll continue to proliferate at weekend festivals and in particular
at local farmers’ markets, where operators
tend to top pies with produce from neighboring vendors.
The Neapolitan Surge: I’m also seeing
owners of traditional wood-fired Neapolitan
pizzerias spin off new concepts. Giulio
Adriani tried this with La Montanara (now
closed), a deep-fried-pizza offshoot of his
New York City-based Forcella, and Ann Kim
of Minneapolis’s Pizzeria Lola (pizzerialola.
com) plans to open Hello Pizza in 2013,
serving New York-style, by-the-slice pizza
rather than the wood-fired pies she’s
known for.
Amateur Success: At Slice, we’ve also
seen a fair amount of serious-amateurto-owner success stories. Brooklynbased Paulie Gee’s (pauliegee.com) was
born of Paul Giannone’s backyard pizza
making passion. Caleb Schiff also went
from hosting backyard-oven pizza parties
to realizing his dream at Pizzicletta
(pizzicletta.com) in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Brooklyn’s David Sheridan has a similar
story; he’s opening Wheated in 2013 after
practicing in his self-built wood oven. And
in Baltimore, word is that Pizzeria Ruby
will open soon, the culmination of years of
research and testing by a man who goes by
the moniker of “Pizzablogger” on the online
forum Pizzamaking.com.
more than $200 billion in 2011, while units declined
by 0.3%. The full-service segment grew sales 1.8% to
just over $169 billion and also saw a reduction in the
number of units—down 1.5% from 2010.
Experts at Technomic acknowledge that, while
disposable income remained low in 2011 due to high
unemployment and a less-than-speedy economic
recovery, restaurants weren’t as affected as other
sectors because their customers tend to be more
affluent. While the industry is trending upward,
Technomic insiders also advise that restaurateurs
who want to stay ahead of the curve will do so only
through brand evolution; concept freshness; attention to the needs of their customers; creativity
in pricing structure; attention to social media and
25
Store Counts per Capita
Above Average
State
No. of
Stores
Pop. (2010 U.S.
Census Data)
Stores/
10,000 People
New Hampshire
539
1,316,470
4.09
Massachusetts
2468
6,547,629
3.77
Iowa
1137
3,046,355
3.73
West Virginia
665
1,852,994
3.59
Rhode Island
362
1,052,567
3.44
Ohio
3772
11,536,504
3.27
Delaware
291
897,934
3.24
Pennsylvania
4032
12,702,379
3.17
Maine
419
1,328,361
3.15
Michigan
2892
9,883,640
2.93
Connecticut
1040
3,574,097
2.91
New Jersey
2562
8,791,894
2.91
Indiana
1881
6,483,802
2.90
Vermont
179
625,741
2.86
South Dakota
227
814,180
2.79
North Dakota
177
672,591
2.63
Montana
259
989,415
2.62
No. of
Stores
Pop. (2010 U.S.
Census Data)
Stores/
10,000 People
Average
State
New York
5063
19,378,102
2.61
Kansas
725
2,853,118
2.54
Missouri
1517
5,988,927
2.53
Minnesota
1325
5,303,925
2.50
Wyoming
139
563,626
2.47
Arkansas
719
2,915,918
2.47
Nevada
645
2,700,551
2.39
Illinois
3034
12,830,632
2.36
Oklahoma
885
3,751,351
2.36
Nebraska
427
1,826,341
2.34
Kentucky
1014
4,339,367
2.34
Oregon
889
3,831,074
2.32
Florida
4277
18,801,310
2.27
Maryland
1294
5,773,552
2.24
Idaho
349
1,567,582
2.23
Wisconsin
1249
5,686,986
2.20
Colorado
1103
5,029,196
2.19
Below Average
State
No. of
Stores
Pop. (2010 U.S.
Census Data)
Stores/
10,000 People
North Carolina
2012
9,535,483
2.11
Virginia
1684
8,001,024
2.10
Washington
1377
6,724,540
2.05
South Carolina
946
4,625,364
2.05
District of Columbia
122
601,723
2.03
Alaska
143
710,231
2.01
Utah
549
2,763,885
1.99
Tennessee
1228
6,346,105
1.94
Arizona
1233
6,392,017
1.93
Texas
4426
25,145,561
1.76
California
6512
37,253,956
1.75
Georgia
1646
9,687,653
1.70
Alabama
796
4,779,736
1.67
Louisiana
703
4,533,372
1.55
Mississippi
442
2,967,297
1.49
Hawaii
192
1,360,301
1.41
New Mexico
289
2,059,179
1.40
26
PMQ 2012 Reader Census Stat:
63% of respondents report sales
increasing over last year.
third-party online deals such as Groupon and LivingSocial; the offering of value beyond price (i.e., food quality); attentive service;
order accuracy; and speed and convenience.
The Big Three
Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s once again rank first in
sales and unit counts. According to Technomic, Pizza Hut holds the
top spot, with 7,595 U.S. units, up slightly from last year’s 7,542,
and accounting for 10.57% of all pizzerias in the United States. With
these locations, Pizza Hut captures 14.68% of all U.S. pizza sales.
The Big Three worked hard this year to grab consumers’ attention. Pizza Hut continues to promote its Book It Reading Program,
now celebrating its 28th year, and recently teamed up with Christina Aguilera for a PSA to promote its annual World Hunger Relief campaign. Papa John’s gave away millions of pizzas last year to
football fans during a Super Bowl XLVI coin toss promotion. The
company also signed a multiyear deal to be the official pizza sponsor of the NFL in Canada, Mexico and the U.K. and promises to give
away two million free pizzas in its PapaRewards program. Meanwhile, Domino’s unveiled a new logo; debuted stuffed cheesy bread,
Parmesan bread bites and the first gluten-free crust from a chain;
told customers that “no additions or substitutions” were allowed in
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Additional Insights
World Frozen/Chilled Pizza Growth
(compound annual growth rate)
Period: 2007-2012
Source: Euromonitor International
The growth chart below shows the rise in frozen/chilled pizzas
around the world from 2007 to 2012. Western Europe and the U.S.
currently hold top sales in the frozen/chilled pizza market, with
$7,336,000 and $5,819,000 in 2012 annual sales, respectively.
20
In a December 2011 report titled “Pizza
Restaurants—U.S.,” Mintel, a leading market
research company, revealed the following
insights about the industry and its consumers:
•
•
Middle East / Africa: 15.3%
North America: 13.9%
15
•
Asia Pacific: 13.8%
Australasia: 13.6%
10
Latin America: 11.4%
5
•
Eastern Europe: 11.1%
Western Europe: 3%
0
18% of respondents receive
orders through the Internet,
and another 18% plan to add
the option during the next
12 months.
its Artisan Pizza line; celebrated selling $1 billion online in
the span of one year; and introduced a handmade pan pizza.
Watching the Trends
Fads come and go in the pizza industry, but lasting trends
can have a big effect on your bottom line if you know how to
capitalize on them. PMQ recently sat down with Scott Wiener, owner of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York, to compare
notes on what’s hot in the industry. “The industry is popping
right now,” Wiener says. “The economy is bouncing back,
and people see pizza as an affordable meal for any budget
and any cuisine—from gourmet to street food.”
Speaking of street food, since we announced the emergence
of pizza trucks and mobile pizzeria units in last year’s report,
their growth has only sped up. “We’re just seeing the beginning of pizza trucks,” Wiener predicts. “Where we used to
get a reheated pie, we’re now receiving full-bake pizzas from
trucks and mobile units. Some are even offering delivery!”
Customizable pizza concepts (think MOD Pizza, Uncle
Maddio’s and Top That!) continue to open at a steady clip
28
•
•
•
•
Pizza Hut is the most-visited brand among
survey respondents, while independent,
local pizzerias are the second most-visited.
Issues surrounding diet, health and weight
could affect the industry, with nearly 1/3 of
women indicating that they expect nutrition labeling to change what they order.
Nearly half (47%) of survey respondents
consider an online ordering option important. Among them are those aged 25
to 34 (57%) and those with three or more
children (55%).
Cheese pizza remains the leading pizza
type in menu mentions, followed by vegetable pizza.
The core pizza consumer is aged 18 to 44,
with 75% to 77% of this age group being a
pizza restaurant customer.
Those with an annual income of $75,000 to
$99,900 are the biggest pizza users, as are
households with children.
Most survey respondents (84%) agree that
pizza from a pizzeria is higher-quality than
frozen pizza.
When deciding to order from a pizzeria,
71% of women consider having a coupon
important vs. 59% of men.
as consumers embrace the build-your-own concept and the
freedom to add as many toppings as they like for one set
price. Wiener says it gives pizza the fast-food convenience
that was attempted in the past with drive-through windows
but didn’t really take off. “This concept is spreading, and I
don’t see it slowing down,” he says. “People will always love
convenience and speed and the ability to walk in, grab their
pizza and walk out.”
We continue to see growth in gluten-free pizza offerings
as well. According to Mintel, a leading market research
company, gluten-free menu items increased 280% from Q3
2008 to Q3 2011, and the gluten-free industry is exploding,
growing 27% since 2009 and exceeding $6 billion in 2011.
The latest PMQ Reader Census reveals that 25% of operators now offer gluten-free crusts to customers (up from 16%
last year).
Although not considered a trend anymore, online ordering
continues to grow and expand. And while some pizzeria operators are still a bit gun-shy about it, one look at the success
of some of the top chains in this area can attest to its viability.
Other trends noted by Wiener include the emergence of
brewpub-pizzeria combos; an increasing consumer interest in what type of oven operators are using; and novelty
toppings to grab consumer attention, from hot-dog-stuffed
crusts to snake venom.
“Gluten-free crust is now expected by the consumer, but
staff must be trained to understand how to prevent or minimize cross-contamination,” says Peter Reinhart, author,
baking instructor at Johnson & Wales University and founder of PizzaQuest.com from Charlotte, North Carolina. He
encourages the use of local ingredients whenever possible
and reminds operators to acknowledge vendors and sources
on store literature. “Whole-grain options are also expected
now,” Reinhart adds. “But it needs to taste good. Flavor always wins over healthfulness.”
Reader Insights
Throughout the year, information continually flows
through PMQ via interviews with pizzeria operators, informal surveys on social media sites and by way of our annual reader survey. In PMQ’s 2012 Pizza Industry Census,
which pooled responses from nearly 300 readers, we were
able to pull out some interesting statistics to compare to
last year’s results.
83% of those surveyed say they
make their own dough, with an
additional 57% creating their
own sauce.
You’ll find statistics from the census peppered throughout
this report, such as how many operators are making their
own dough, how much is being charged for delivery, and
what percentage accept orders online. Ninety-nine percent
of those who responded to this year’s census are independent operators (owning less than 10 units), helping to provide a vivid snapshot of the state of the independent sector.
We’re watching the industry grow from old-school techniques to one that is heartily embracing the Internet and
social media. An overwhelming 89% of respondents report
using Facebook on a regular basis, while more than half of
those surveyed say they use their cell phone to access the Internet every day. And what may be surprising to many is that
the operators who have been in business the longest (more
than 50 years) are on board with everyone else. Nearly all of
29
Future Challenges
For a look at what’s in store for the industry, IBISWorldwide’s March 2012 report, “Pizza Restaurants
in the U.S.,” sheds some light on the next five years.
Pizza restaurants will benefit as the economy continues to improve, unemployment rates decline and
consumers return to spending money on eating out.
However, while the industry will grow, pizza restaurants will continue to be affected by rising competition from other retail food outlets and consumers’
preferences toward healthier foods.
Consumers are expected to become even more
health-conscious, and many Americans will steer
clear of fast-food establishments such as pizza delivery outlets. They will continue to crave products
made from fresh and organic ingredients, resulting
in an increased focus by pizzerias on using highquality goods.
Pizza restaurants will continue to face competition from alternative retail outlets, such as grocery
stores. Since Americans’ schedules are becoming
busier, being able to pick up a made-to-order pizza
while shopping for groceries is extremely convenient. As a result, pizza restaurants, especially those
that offer delivery, will have to come up with ways
to draw consumers back to their shops.
The industry will be negatively affected by commodity prices. Through 2017, the price of milk and
wheat is predicted to increase, causing operators’
ingredients costs to rise. Some restaurants will increase prices to help with the rise in expenses, and
others will cope by changing some of their menu
offerings. Large chains that are able to buy in bulk
will better manage the rise in expenses.
With revenue expanding, more restaurants will
open up in the industry, at a rate of 3.1% per year.
Employment numbers are projected to follow suit.
In the five years to 2017, employment is predicted to increase an average of 2.3% per year, to
994,936 workers.
A majority of respondents charge
more than $2 for delivery.
the long-time operators who answered our survey are utilizing Facebook, and 50% are even on trend by offering glutenfree pizza.
Visit PMQ.com/census12 to view PMQ’s 2012 Pizza Industry Census.
Additional Revenue Opportunities
In addition to taking advantage of trends and gleaning ideas
from PMQ’s annual reader census, take a look around your
own neighborhood and cities nearby to see what’s working
in other restaurants. Don’t limit yourself to examining pizzerias; you could discover a fantastic salad idea at a Brazilian
restaurant, a clever way to hand stretch mozzarella tableside
at a high-end Italian trattoria, or be inspired to create a new
dessert after a visit to a local donut shop.
Be conscious of opportunities to raise awareness—and
prices—on items that consumers are currently interested in
as well. According to Mintel, drinks, breadsticks and salads
are the most-ordered items after pizza and represent an easy
opportunity to grow profits.
Additionally, a Mintel survey revealed that half of respondents limit the amount of pizza they eat because they
feel it has too many calories or too much fat. If you aren’t
currently offering a thin-crust option, the addition of one
might offer another revenue stream, as 38% of consumers
surveyed said they prefer thin crust over pan-style (20%) or
thick crust (19%). And, also on the topic of cutting calories,
40% of those surveyed by Mintel said they’d like to see more
personal-size pizzas on the menu, helping to shave calories
and provide a grab-and-go option.
Menu Labeling
The industry continues to wait for the widespread menu
labeling laws that were outlined in the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to take effect. Meanwhile,
though, big strides were made during 2012 in the fight
against what many in the pizza industry see as an unfair law
that would require all pizzerias with more than 20 locations
to provide nutritional information that labels an entire pizza
as one serving.
The American Pizza Community (APC), a coalition of
some of the nation’s largest pizza companies and suppliers,
formed in January 2012, with one of its main goals being
to advocate fair menu labeling practices. In July, the APC
30
endorsed the Common Sense Nutrition Labeling Bill, saying it would allow small-business pizzeria owners to comply
with federal menu labeling requirements using innovative
approaches that strengthen consumer education and reduce
excessive regulatory costs.
The bill, among other provisions, would amend the existing law as follows:
•
Establishments that receive the majority of their orders from customers who order off-premise–such as
those that offer a delivery service–would be allowed to
provide calorie information on a remote-access menu
instead of an expensive, and rarely seen, on-premise
menu board.
•
PMQ’s 2013
Pizza Industry Enterprise (PIE)
Award Winner: Little Caesars
When choosing a winner for the PIE Award each
year, we comb through the sales and unit growth
of dozens of pizzerias while also considering all
of the work that a company does with its community, charities and franchisees. We look for a
company that can be an inspiration to our readers
and one from which others can learn. Going
above and beyond making the sale is what the
PIE Award is all about.
This year’s choice was an easy one. Beyond
the fact that Little Caesars Pizza has been the
fastest-growing chain for several years, PMQ has
been observing the company—and its owners
Michael and Marian Ilitch—closely as it continues to support millions in need, help veterans
open their own businesses, and support local
youth programs, all while providing a high-quality
product at an economical price.
President and CEO David Scrivano says that
consumers respond to value and quality. “We
were selling a large pizza for $6.25 in 1979, and
now it’s $5,” Scrivano says. “Our price has gone
down, and we are still using fresh dough made
from scratch in the store every day, fresh-shredded real mozzarella with no starches or fillers,
and fresh-packed sauce that’s not from concentrate.” It’s all possible, Scrivano says, thanks to
great franchisees, well-oiled operating systems,
and an in-house distribution service.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as we start
the conversation with Scrivano about a company
that has been growing, both domestically and internationally, since 1959. Come back next month
to read the full profile of Little Caesars, see
photos of its Love Kitchen helping those in need
after Hurricane Sandy, learn how the company’s
amateur hockey league has sent more than 100
of its players on to the NHL, and hear firsthand
from some of the company’s franchisees about
their own experiences working with the brand.
32
•
•
Establishments would have the option to provide calorie labeling for pizza by the slice, as opposed to wholepizza labeling (the average consumer eats 2.1 slices).
The bill allows for flexibility in providing calorie information for variable food items, such as pizzas, where a
multitude of toppings, crusts and sauce create millions
of ordering options. These options would include ranges, averages, individual component labeling of ingredients or labeling of standard menu offerings.
The bill ensures that establishments acting in good faith
are not penalized for inadvertent human error and other unavoidable variances in nutrient content disclosure.
Outside the United States
Your priority should always be your store and immediate
area, but taking a few minutes to look farther away—a lot
farther away—can provide new insights and a broader perspective on the industry. We’ve watched over the past few
years as the pizza industry has expanded rapidly in many
foreign lands, and it’s easy to see the attraction. In a different country, you’re the new guy in a fairly new industry.
It’s similar to opening a pizzeria in the States back in the
1970s—before the market became saturated and everyone
was excited to discover what you had to offer.
As some chains close units here at home, they just as
quickly open new stores overseas. Pizza Hut has locations in
more than 100 countries; Domino’s operates in more than
70; and Papa John’s has stores in 32. Some even have more
international stores than United States-based units. Other
U.S. chains that have expanded internationally include
Little Caesars, California Pizza Kitchen, Chuck E. Cheese’s,
Uno Chicago Grill and Sbarro, to name a few.
Four nations—Brazil, Russia, India and China—stand out
as emerging markets. They are being watched so closely
that market research firm Technomic has gone so far as to
create a quarterly newsletter focused solely on them called
BRIC, which delivers information about new business developments in all four countries. A closer look reveals why
these countries are hot growth centers for the pizza industry
as well.
Brazil
While the pizza toppings in Brazil may not be what we’re
used to here in the States (think fruit, corn, potato sticks,
ketchup, mustard and mayo) and often come with little or no
sauce, Brazilians are adopting some Italian pizza tendencies
due to immigrating Italians. One popular style in Brazil
features a thin, crispy crust that’s topped with a slightly
sweet sauce, shredded chicken and catupiry cheese (similar to cream cheese).
U.S. chains have been a welcome addition to the Brazilian pizza landscape, helping consumers do away with
ketchup and mustard packets. According to Technomic,
Domino’s Pizza Brazil recently expanded into food courts,
with its Domino’s Express concept offering pizza by the
slice and potato snacks.
Pizza just tastes
better with
American Metalcraft.
900+ pizzeria supplies since 1947.
Russia
Pizza chains, including Pizza Hut and Sbarro, first appeared in Russia in the 1990s. Now you’ll find Papa John’s
and Domino’s as well. The largest Russia-based franchise
is IL Patio. Pizzerias in Russia often compete with Asian
food restaurants and, to counteract this competition, will
frequently offer Asian cuisine on their menus. Thick-crust
pizzas tend to be more popular among Russians, but more
pizzerias have been offering the thin crusts that many find
in Europe.
As one of the leading restaurant brands in Russia, Sbarro offers a menu of more than 500 items, including international favorites and items tailored to the market (such
as fish soup, borscht and pulled-pork pasta), according to
Technomic.
China
Because the Chinese diet does not traditionally include
dairy, it can often be difficult for some pizza restaurants
to enter the market without proper market research. Such
was the case initially with Domino’s, according to Gretel
Weiss, editor-in-chief and publisher of FoodService Europe & Middle East. The concept of delivery had not yet
taken hold in the country when Domino’s first appeared,
although it’s now gaining traction as McDonald’s and KFC
have begun offering 24-hour delivery in some areas. Eating
out is regarded as a sign of wealth in China, and consumers want to go somewhere for a sit-down experience. Weiss
notes that Pizza Hut got around these issues by introducing pizza via casual dining restaurants and making its salad
bar—rather than the pizza—the star menu item.
PMQ China publisher and editor-in-chief Yvonne Liu
says pizza has become more popular in China over the past
few years. “Pizza Hut has developed more than 500 stores
in China since its first appearance in 1989 and is still the
(800) 333-9133 www.amnow.com
33
15
Australasia: 12.1%
Latin America: 11.8%
12
Middle East / Africa: 8.9%
9
6
Asia Pacific: 7.7%
World Pizza Growth
Eastern Europe: 6.5%
(compound annual growth rate)
Period: 2006–2011
Source: Euromonitor International
Western Europe: 3.1%
3
North America: 1.1%
The chart at left illustrates the pizza industry’s
compound annual growth rate from 2006 to 2011
in the U.S. and foreign markets.
0
top brand in terms of number of stores and sales,” says Liu.
“International chains—such as Papa John’s from the United
States, Mr. Pizza from South Korea, and the Pizza Company
from Thailand—are also doing well and remain confident in
the Chinese market.”
Liu says that, in addition to the success of the international chains, local Chinese chains are also finding success.
“Shanghai-based brand Babela’s Kitchen, with more than
150 stores nationwide, is ranked the No. 1 national brand,
followed by Beijing-based Origus and Big Pizza, with more
than 100 stores respectively,” Liu notes. “Also actively competing with the major players are regional brand Meiwen
from Tianjin; Europa from Shenyang; City 1+1 from Changchun; Pizza Marzano and Melrose from Shanghai; Fizz from
Shaoxing; and Pizza Bee.”
As the pizza category expands and choices grow, Chinese
customers are becoming more sophisticated—they’re not satisfied with just one brand or type of pizza. “Some independent pizzerias, with their signature pizzas, can be attractive
to some customers,” Liu observes. “Still, the younger generation are the main customers; they can easily accept foreign
food and like to try different things. Thus, the marketing is
mainly targeted toward younger customers under 40.”
India
Although pizza isn’t a food you’d traditionally find in India,
according to Weiss, bread, tomatoes and cheese are an integral part of the national diet. So, as with other international
markets, pizzerias have tailored pies to fit local tastes, with
one of the favorites in India being the Peppy Paneer pizza,
which is topped with chunks of paneer (an unsalted cheese)
and red, green and chili peppers. Since the population is also
tech-savvy, Domino’s began offering online ordering to its
Indian customers in late 2010 and has already seen more
than 10% of sales coming in through the Web.
Pizza Hut, excited about India being a major growth engine for Yum! Brands, last year separated its India business
into a stand-alone segment, which it had done with only China in the past. Chairman and chief executive David C. Novak
said the company was at the same stage of development in
India as it was in China at a similar juncture in its life cycle.
34
China: 1,343,239,923
India: 1,205,073,612
United States: 313,847,465
Indonesia: 248,216,193
Brazil: 205,716,890
Pakistan: 190,291,129
Nigeria: 170,123,740
Country
Population Ranking
Looking at the chart above, you
can imagine the growth potential
in markets that have four times the
population of the United States. The
opportunities for expansion and
test marketing are limitless as an
ever-growing number of U.S.-based
businesses introduce their businesses
to a ready and excited audience.
Bangladesh: 161,083,804
Russia: 138,082,178
Japan: 127,368,088
Similarly, Domino’s currently owns 500 stores in India
and has plans to reach 800 stores by 2016. You’ll also find
Papa John’s, Little Caesars, California Pizza Kitchen and
Sbarro earning a slice of the pie in India.
Summing Up
All in all, our research suggests that the pizza industry
fared well in the past year, and all indications point to another strong year ahead. Independent operators continue to
thrive, holding their own against the big chains. Innovations
abound throughout the industry, another positive sign for a
healthy industry. Across the United States, pizzeria owners
continue to adhere to cherished traditions of pizza making
while embracing new ideas and technologies. And, best of
all, the consumer’s love for pizza endures from generation to
generation, ensuring that the world’s most popular food will
remain popular for a very long time.
Liz Barrett is PMQ’s editor at large.
Sweet Emotions
A satisfying dessert
creates the perfect
happy ending to every
pizza experience.
TASTE IT PRESENTS
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The Italian Classics
TASTE IT PRESENTS
Classic Italian-style desserts, such as gelato and sorbetto,
are hot trends in American pizzerias. Both make for costeffective menu items, with a six-month shelf life and, for
some brands, a 300% markup.
“Many people enjoy the fact that gelato is a healthier and
‘creamier’ version of ice cream,” says Carol Devine, vice
president of marketing and communications for Taste It
Presents in Kenilworth, New Jersey. “It has less air, which
TASTE IT PRESENTS
T
he pie may be the centerpiece of the meal at a
pizzeria, but the dessert is the grand finale, the
perfect happy ending to an unforgettable dining
experience. Finding the right selection of sellable sweets can be a challenge, but a strong dessert menu
creates add-on opportunities that boost tips for the server
as well as the business’ bottom line.
“Desserts are something that pizzeria operators bang
their heads against the wall about,” says restaurant consultant Gregg Rapp, owner of Menu Technologies in Palm
Springs, California. “It’s often hard to sell desserts in a
pizzeria because people aren’t thinking about dessert after
a big pizza. It’s easier to sell a salad than a dessert in the
pizza world.”
But don’t get discouraged. According to Rapp, the key
to engineering a great dessert menu is to carefully analyze your operation and ask some probing questions: What
types of sweets will best complement your pizzas? What
dessert options do customers expect from your type of
store? Which is more cost-effective—housemade or packaged desserts?
For upscale pizza restaurants, a variety of indulgent, housemade treats, such as tiramisu or cheesecake, may be in order.
For family eateries, a selection of kids’ favorites—including cinnamon sticks or dessert pizzas—can be a hit. And for operations
focused mostly on takeout or delivery, small impulse items—
including cookies and brownies—will often be successful when
attractively wrapped and prominently displayed (either sold at
the register or presented in an artfully arranged basket at the
customer’s door by delivery drivers).
“ Cannoli is a classic Italian comfort
dessert that’s loved by customers of all
ages, and it never goes out of style.
”
Carol Devine, Taste It Presents
makes it smooth and creamy, and half the fat content of traditional ice cream—5% to 8% versus ice cream’s 15%. This
makes gelato lower in calories, offering customers a lighter,
healthier treat that they can enjoy throughout the year.”
Kelly Anne Kras from Stefano’s Gelato (stefanosgelato.
com) in Lutz, Florida, concurs. “Gelato is the perfect dessert for any pizzeria,” she says. “Many pizzerias throughout the United States are experiencing incredible sales
of gelato because it’s a healthier and lighter alternative
to other desserts. Customers come in just for the gelato.
When displayed properly, it has a beautiful presentation,
and many people save room for it.”
Cannoli, the scrumptious cream-filled pastry dessert from
Sicily, is another staple on many pizzeria menus. “Cannoli
is a classic Italian comfort dessert that’s loved by customers
of all ages, and it never goes out of style,” Devine notes. “It’s
an easy-to-eat finger food that provides the perfect ending
to a slice of pizza or other Italian entrée.”
Many high-end pizza restaurants sell their own housemade cannoli, but, according to Devine, the premade kind
can be easily and affordably added to your menu without
sacrificing flavor. “By maintaining the cream and shells
separately, the operator can fill the shells whenever they
are ordered, which not only gives cannoli a nice homemade
touch, but makes it much fresher and avoids the potential
for sogginess,” Devine says. “All you have to do is pipe and
sprinkle with powdered sugar. It’s very simple.”
37
MOD PIZZA
Dustin Ross shows off MOD Pizza’s display of Hostess Ding Dongs, which are a
big hit in keeping with the pizzeria’s hip, retro theme.
With eggs, sugar and heavily caffeinated espresso, tiramisu, one of Italy’s most popular sweets, literally means
“pick-me-up” in Italian. “This smooth and delectable dessert is ideal for consumers looking for something lighttasting and elegant, yet not too sweet or too filling,” Devine
says. Like cannoli, tiramisu can be prepared from scratch
if your staff has the time and talent; otherwise, premade
varieties abound and, with any luck, your guests won’t be
able to tell the difference.
Sweet Profits
MOD Pizza (modpizza.com), a hip Seattle-based chain
with a 1960s theme, has been making waves on the dessert scene for years with its groovily nostalgic sweet treats,
says principal owner Charlotte Wayne. “Our desserts are
all about the things that we love—great milkshakes, the
classic retro Ding Dong that we all remember as kids, and
our homemade cinnamon knots. We sell a lot of desserts—
some locations more than others—so they definitely add to
our check totals.”
Ding Dongs, a Hostess Brands confection, are an especially popular impulse item at Mod Pizza. “They sit at
the till and get snatched up very often as last-minute addons,” Wayne says. “In some stores, our general managers
will keep a supply in the freezer for those who are ‘in the
38
In addition to gelato, cannoli and tiramisu, many customers still crave traditional
American-style desserts, such as a smooth, creamy strawberry milkshake.
know’ and request them. We also make Ding Dong towers
for birthday celebrations in the store. The kids love them.”
DeLucias Pizzeria (deluciaspizzeria.com), a family-style restaurant in Las Vegas, serves up several Italian-style favorites,
including tiramisu, zeppole, cannoli and cheesecake, to profitable results. But DeLucias’ most popular offering, the CinnaPie, is more American than Italian and comes in regular, apple
and cherry varieties. “We sell Cinna-Pies best when the dining
room is full,” owner Candy DeLucia says. “All we have to do is
cook one, and the smell will sell itself. But our best-sellers are
the brownies. We leave a full basket on the counter and, right
at the point of paying, customers will grab one and add it to
the order.”
The U.S. Pizza Team
Promoting the pizza industry through sportsmanship
and camaraderie since 2000.
Representing the United States in competitions across the country and around the globe,
these Pizzathletes embody the values and skills that make this industry great.
The U.S. Pizza Team will be traveling to Parma, Italy April 15-17, 2013 to compete in
the World Pizza Championships. They will be competing for the coveted Gold Cup in Team
Freestyle Acrobatics. For more information on how you can join the U.S. Pizza Team in Italy to
compete or how to become a sponsor contact Brian Hernandez at [email protected],
or by phone at 662-234-5481 x129 or visit USPizzaTeam.com.
THANKS TO OUR U.S. PIZZA
TEAM GOLD SPONSORS:
TEAM SILVER SPONSORS:
TEAM BRONZE SPONSOR:
Off The Wall Magnetics
Desserts also generate higher ticket sales at Double
Dave’s Pizzaworks (doubledaves.com) in Austin, Texas.
“We try to build products out of our core ingredients, so
our dessert pizzas, strudels and cinnamon sticks are made
using the different kinds of pizza crusts we already have,”
says CEO Chuck Thorpe. “But what you do with them makes
a world of difference.” Deep-dish crust, for example, becomes “Cinnamonstyxz,” while hand-tossed crust yields a
tasty cherry or apple strudel. And cookie dough and melted
chocolate chips transform a crispy thin crust into chocolate chip pizza, Double Dave’s most popular dessert.
DELUCIA’S PIZZERIA
Housemade vs. Premade
When head chef Frankie Ibarra from DeLucia’s Pizzeria bakes up a Cinna-pie, the
wonderful aroma attracts customers’ attention and boosts sales.
40
With their heavenly aromas and tempting presentations,
housemade signature desserts can draw in customers as effectively as a fresh, piping-hot pizza. But making desserts from
scratch every single day requires a lot of work. “A homemade
dessert includes your labor, so think about that—if you are going to make a cake, how much is the labor?” says Rapp. “If
you don’t sell that many desserts, it’s probably better to buy
premade because it’s cheaper than making them, especially in
a smaller pizzeria.”
High-quality premade desserts offer the advantages of speed
and convenience. “They are easy to store,” Devine points out.
“You use only what you need and thaw them when you need
them. But the well-made ones still offer fresh, homestyle taste
and texture without the expense or labor of a pastry chef.”
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TASTE IT PRESENTS
Crowd-pleasing tiramisu is an Italian favorite and a perfect ending to a pizza or
pasta meal.
Premade desserts—including tiramisu, mousse and some
types of cakes—are often available in grab-and-go cup form
for takeout and delivery. The convenience of to-go desserts
creates a temptation that many sweet-toothed customers
can’t resist—diets be darned, they’ll snag one when they
pick up their order and vow to spend a little extra time in
the gym the next day. And for operations that deal chiefly
in delivery and takeout, Rapp suggests offering quarts of
ice cream or other frozen treats that customers can dish
out at home. “When you deliver a quart of ice cream, some
people will call you because they want the ice cream, and
then they’ll order a pizza to go along with it,” he says.
Lasting Impressions
Boosting your dessert sales starts with suggestive selling.
“The more you ask for the sale, the more easily you’re going to get it,” Rapp advises. Always ask the customer if he
would like to add a dessert to his order and make sure to
share with him your full list of dessert options. If you offer
online ordering, your website should direct visitors to the
dessert menu or make suggestions before they check out,
and dessert specials should be promoted—in both text and
photographs—via social media outlets such as Facebook,
Twitter and Pinterest. “My employees are required to ask if
a dessert is needed when taking a delivery order,” DeLucia
says. “Pictures on our website help a lot, too.”
42
Placing your sweets in front of the store also helps with
the upsell. A display case with a selection of desserts grabs
a guest’s attention as soon as he steps into your restaurant. The more exposure your sweets get throughout the
restaurant, in fact, the better your sales will be. “We have
window clings featuring our desserts and promote them on
the menu board,” Thorpe says. “We train our servers and
those who answer the phones to upsell. Some stores focus
on one item for a month or so and will promote that item
heavily during that period. And, for our lunch buffet, all of
our desserts are put out so that guests have a chance to try
them. That way, when they come back for dinner later, they
may order that dessert that they liked so much.”
Indeed, a quick—and free—taste of a dessert such as gelato
is worth a thousand words. “Have your servers give samples to
customers and point out where the gelato case is located so they
can explore other flavors,” Kras suggests. For help with creating displays for premade desserts, find out if your vendor offers
point-of-sale materials, including appealing photography and
flavor cards with mouthwatering descriptions.
Meanwhile, to get a clue about a customer’s inclination to
order desserts, servers can pay attention to the type of pizza
that he orders, Rapp advises. “When people order a signature pizza, you have a better opportunity to sell a dessert,”
he says. His research also shows that, when a family spends
a lot of time deciding which toppings to order, they probably
aren’t thinking about other items, such as desserts.
For those operators who are gearing up to launch a new
dessert menu, Rapp recommends starting out with no more
than five choices. “If you have more than five items in a category, people get overwhelmed, and they will default to what
they know,” he says. “If you start with a few items and they
are selling well, then consider expanding your dessert menu.”
“The most important thing to remember,” Devine says,
“is that dessert is the last impression a pizzeria will make
on a customer. Make sure it’s a favorable one.”
Michelle McAnally is PMQ’s food editor.
Dessert Suppliers
Aromi D’Italia, 877-435-2869, aromiditalia.com
Carpigiani, 800-648-4389, carpigianiusa.com
Dolcefine, 443-703-4055, dolcefine.com
Galaxy Desserts, 800-225-3523, galaxydesserts.com
Gelato Classico, 925-602-5400, gelatoclassico.com
Stefano’s Gelato, 888-316-1545, stefanosgelato.com
Taste It Presents, 908-241-9191, tasteitpresents.com
Cheesecake can be customized with sauces and fruit to please any palate.
43
44
GERM
WARFARE
Experts explain how to create a cleaner, more hygienic
environment through strict controls and no-touch technologies.
N
o one likes to think about it, but our everyday environment teems with germs. Most of them are harmless—
according to the Mayo Clinic website, less than 1% cause
disease, and some bacteria that live in your body are even good for
you. But pizzerias provide havens for some types of bacteria and
viruses that can give your customers an infection or send them to
the hospital with food poisoning. And that can result in a temporary shutdown—and disastrous public relations—for a restaurant.
Studies by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that
more than 50% of foodservice workers don’t follow safe hygiene
practices. The most common transmission of stomach viruses and
foodborne disease in restaurants can be attributed to unwashed
hands. According to CDC statistics, one out of every six Americans
will catch an illness from unclean hands each year. With those
odds, restaurant managers must take the lead in monitoring and
enforcing good hygiene practices.
According to Mark Nealon, a former New York City health inspector and owner of the consulting company SAFE Restaurants,
the biggest sources of germs in the pizzeria are poor hygiene,
sick workers and cross-contamination between raw foods and
ready-to-eat foods. “It can be easy to overlook good cleaning
practices when the restaurant is at its busiest and the main concern becomes the orders rather than proper sanitary techniques,”
Nealon says. “It falls on management to stress good cleaning
practices at all times.”
Some common illnesses that can be transmitted in a restaurant
include salmonellosis, listeriosis, staph, Norwalk virus, hepatitis
A and shigellosis. Employees can infect others if they do not
wash their hands effectively or if they prepare food when they
have open sores. Workers who don’t appear to be sick can still
transmit diseases, even weeks after they have been infected. Staff
can also be exposed to germs by improperly cleaning restroom
facilities or by touching dirty dishes and utensils. That’s why it is
crucial that your employees wash their hands often, even if they
haven’t used the restroom or come into contact with raw food.
And common sense says that the manager should always send a
sick employee home.
“Good overall training is essential,” Nealon says. “It’s the responsibility of the management to provide enough conveniently
located hand washing sinks and to ensure that the sinks are
adequately provided with soap, hand drying devices and signs
reminding workers to wash their hands frequently.”
A Culture of Food Safety
Most employees would never intentionally spread their germs.
“One barrier seems to be time, but, when digging deeper, the
real problem appears to be time management and good organizational skills,” says Dr. Catherine Strohbehn, an extension
specialist and professor at Iowa State University. “The person in
charge needs first to establish a culture of food safety. This is done
through infrastructure—communication of expectations—and
45
No-touch systems make cleaning
restrooms and kitchens easier,
safer and more effective than
traditional mop and wipe methods.
Washing Up
• Soap Dispensers—Eliminate open-top soap dispensers;
they can harbor microbes and be a source of contamination.
Install a closed-bag system, preferably equipped with a
device for counting the number of times it is used so management can monitor employees’ hand washing behaviors.
• Paper Towels—As wet hands readily transfer pathogens to
food, utensils and surfaces, install touch-free, single-use
paper towel machines. Clean the dispenser parts frequently
with a quality sanitizer.
• Hand Sanitizers—Install hand sanitizing stations in kitchen areas where it is not practical to install a full hand wash
station. Ensure that waitstaff has easy access to these
stations at or near work areas.
• Water Temperature—For proper sanitization, the ideal
water temperature is 100°F and flows at two gallons per
minute. A comfortable, yet sufficiently hot, temperature will
help encourage frequency of washing, while strong flow is
critical for effective washing.
• Sinks and Faucets—If you currently have hand-operated
taps or buttons, consider replacing them with automatic or
hands-free appliances. Replace highly grooved taps with
smooth surface taps for easy cleaning and sanitizing. If
you have regular taps, ensure that surfaces are sanitized
during each shift. Place a sanitizing spray bottle at each
hand wash station.
• Effective Communication—Employ oral and written messages consistently to motivate employees to use safe food
handling behaviors.
• Be a Role Model—Serve as an example to your employees
and use safe practices yourself.
• The Stick and the Carrot—Implement informal and formal
disciplinary strategies for employees that don’t follow proper
cleanliness procedures. Recognize and reward the ones that
exhibit safe food handling behaviors.
46
KAIVAC
The best cleaning technology and products in the world aren’t
enough if management and employees fail to take advantage
of them and use safe practices. The Handwashing for Life Institute (handwashingforlife.com), a global organization devoted
to reducing infections caused by poor hand washing hygiene
practices, and Iowa State University Extension Service offer the
following tips for helping to keep your pizzeria germ-free:
monitoring—are employees doing what they are supposed to be
doing when they are supposed to be doing it? Tools and procedures must be worker-friendly.”
According to Strohbehn, detergent, water and chemical sanitizers are generally effective against foodborne and disease-carrying germs. “We use the phrase ‘dedicated and designated tools’
for cleaning, which means the wiping cloths are earmarked for
cleaning purposes only for food contact areas—no dual use in
restrooms,” she says.
“Although there are many new cleaning systems on the market
each month, it comes down to basic cleaning and sanitation procedures,” notes Dr. Angela Shaw, an assistant professor of food
safety at Iowa State University. “You must clean first to remove
the dirt and fat before you can sanitize and kill the bacteria. There
has to be some dedication to daily cleaning and sanitation to
ensure that buildup of fat and dirt does not occur, and, if it has occurred, then you should schedule a night to just clean and scrub.
Like my mother says, put some elbow grease into it. Management
has to allow time for cleaning throughout the shift, and not just at
the end of the day when everyone is tired and wants to go home.”
An observational study by Strohbehn and her colleagues, published in the Journal of Food Protection in 2010, found restaurant staff may need to wash their hands an average of up to 28
times per hour, based on what food codes dictate as hand washing occasions. Unfortunately, Strohbehn says, establishments
often don’t comply with these codes. “Managers should monitor
supplies for hand washing, noting how much soap and disposable towels are being used,” recommends Strohbehn. “Managers
should look at work assignments, too, in an effort to reconfigure
task assignments to reduce the need to wash hands.”
The Clean Hands Doctrine
Plain, common soap has been the hand washing “tool” of choice
for at least 5,000 years. But some advanced technologies can help
ensure better sanitation practices in the restaurant environment.
Strohbehn suggests taking advantage of equipment that encourages and monitors proper hand washing. “One tool is a digitized
soap dispenser, which beeps when soap is dispensed, and then
beeps twice after 20 seconds, the recommended period of time
for proper hand washing. These dispensers also count how many
times soap is dispensed.”
Another innovation in hygiene monitoring systems allows
managers to get real-time alerts and recorded data on employee
hand washing. With some systems, employees wear ID tags that
transmit a signal to the soap dispenser and room sensors. If an
employee leaves the bathroom or designated zones without washing his hands, the tag emits a “chirp” as a reminder. And if the
employee still doesn’t wash up, the manager on duty can instantly
receive an email or text alert, and that event can be recorded.
“Whatever combination of alerts you use, awareness of violations
has an immediate effect on decreasing their number,” says Steve
Russak, COO of CloudClean in Edgewater, New Jersey. “The
curve crashes down to almost zero once people are reminded to
wash and know they are being monitored.”
Monitoring systems can be used throughout the pizzeria and
can be set to any protocols established by the restaurant’s management. “You can create zones, similar to a hospital’s ‘wash-in’
or ‘wash-out’ zones,” Russak says. “In a ‘dirty’ zone, for example,
where raw meat is processed, the system makes sure employees
wash up before they leave the zone so that they aren’t cutting up
chicken and then opening the freezer with dirty hands. If they
don’t use the wash station before they leave that zone, the system
monitors and records that violation.” Common zones include
the restroom, the break room, the back door and the raw food
prep station.
Using these advanced technologies, management can choose
the types of alerts they prefer, and, for multiunit operators and
chains, data can even be sent straight to the corporate office,
where trends can be analyzed by store or by region. Systems with
ID tags can also emit interval alerts as dictated by the pizzeria
operator. “At each predetermined interval, a ‘chirp’ reminds every
employee to wash, no matter what they have been doing, and
any wash station will monitor that,” Russak says. “It records and
captures the event if they miss that wash, just as if they’d left the
bathroom without washing.”
Monitoring systems offer a marketing advantage as well. Some
restaurants promote their use of the technologies with signage
in the restrooms. “We find that it’s a very powerful force to consumers,” Russak says. “They have a choice of one restaurant over
another and, if they know you are going the extra mile to protect
their health and welfare, it is good for business.”
Going Touch-Free
Once hands get washed, they still need to be dried, and, ironically,
that can lead to another opportunity for contamination. A 2011
study by the American Journal of Infection Control determined
that certain bacteria, some with the potential to make people ill,
47
could be found on unused paper towels. The study also showed
that those bacteria could transfer to freshly washed hands. Fortunately, automated hand dryers minimize touch points in restrooms and hand wash stations. Manufacturers say hand dryers
that utilize HEPA filters can remove 99.9% of bacteria from the
air stream.
According to Patrick Rathbun, strategic communications manager for Excel Dryer in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, the
new generation of automatic hand dryers can help reduce germs
in both the bathroom and at hand washing stations. “Installation of high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers eliminates the
hygiene concerns associated with paper towels, such as empty
paper towel dispensers, blocked toilets and bacteria-laden refuse
on the floors and in waste receptacles,” says Rathbun. “This littering results in unnecessary waste for a custodian or maintenance
person to clean up.”
According to Rathbun, his research suggests that, when a restroom’s paper towel dispensers are empty, patrons are less likely
to wash their hands, potentially spreading germs and bacteria
to other areas of the restroom and then to the restaurant’s other
customers and employees.
48
EXCEL
High-powered hand dryers with HEPA
filters eliminate restroom paper towel
waste, which can transmit germs.
A dirty bathroom is not merely a germ factory—it’s a huge
turnoff for your customers. According to a poll by the marketing
research firm Harris Interactive, 88% of people surveyed think
dirty facilities reflect poorly on the cleanliness of the entire restaurant, and 29% said they would not return to an establishment
with a dirty lavatory. Fortunately, no-touch technology makes
the distasteful chore of cleaning a restaurant bathroom easier
and safer.
Cleaning Contacts
Cintas, 866-320-2901, cintas.com
CloudClean, 800-627-6368, cloudclean.com
Ecolab, 800-321-3687, ecolab.com
Excel Dryer, 800-255-9235, exceldryer.com
Instant-Off, 800-972-8348, instant-off.com
Kaivac, 800-287-1136, kaivac.com
SAFE Restaurants, 516-679-6827, saferestaurants.com
Swisher, 877-7SWISHER, swisherhygiene.com
Researchers at Ecolab in Saint Paul, Minnesota, analyzed more
than 1,000 samples that showed touch-free cleaning caddy systems get restrooms 54% cleaner than the traditional “spray, wipe
and mop” method. No-touch systems automatically dispense
sanitizing cleaner in proper amounts, followed by a rinse-off and
wet vacuuming; the process practically eliminates the need for
employees to touch surfaces, according to Seth Raley, director
of foodservice specialty and programs for Ecolab. “Disinfectant
products are consistently applied to all surfaces in the restroom—
versus with a spray bottle, which provides inconsistent coverage,”
Raley says. “An onboard wet vacuum ensures germs are gathered
and removed from the restroom, as opposed to mops and buckets,
which simply spread germs around.”
Research by Kaivac in Hamilton, Ohio, shows that spray-andvac machines can remove 60 times more bacteria than traditional
methods. “Mops and wipers tend to spread contamination, while
the spray-and-vac units remove it,” says Tom Morrison, Kaivac’s
vice president of marketing. “The indoor pressure washer flushes
soils out of grout lines and tight places that mops can’t reach.
The operator then vacuums the floor dry, thoroughly removing
soils, moisture and bio-pollution from surfaces, grout lines and
crevices and leaving the floor virtually soil-free and dry.”
The entire no-touch cleaning process is designed to be safer
for employees and customers. Morrison adds, “Fewer contaminated touch or contact points means fewer places where hands
and other objects can pick up germs and spread them around,
causing illness or tainted food.” Morrison says a touchless system
can also save the pizzeria money in the long run—if you factor
in labor and reduced chemical use costs—since the power lies in
the process, not in the chemicals.
Of course, no one wants to think about germs while trying to
focus on great food and customer service, but, as more customers fret over the issue of restaurant sanitation, managers need to
worry about it, too. With the latest technologies, keeping nasty
microbes in check is easier than ever, but management must also
set rules for better germ control and enforce them every day. In
this case, the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure” couldn’t be more accurate.
Michelle McAnally is PMQ’s food editor.
49
Tools of the
Old School
By Tracy Morin
So-called “old-school” marketing
techniques—door hangers,
direct mail and coupons—are
still incredibly effective. Find out
how to make them work for you.
W
ith all of the attention heaped upon newfangled
marketing techniques, such as mobile marketing, text/email offers and social media, some
may overlook what could be the most successful approach
of all: the workhorse-like reliability of direct mail, coupons
and door hangers. They tend to get an audience’s attention
in a different (and, some would argue, a more meaningful)
way than other methods, and they can help establish a customer base you might not have otherwise reached.
But these “old-school” approaches are also rife with
potential pitfalls. How do you target the correct audience? How do you make your pieces stand out to get
customers in the door and keep them coming back? And
how do you know your efforts are working? We spoke
to various experts to find out how to utilize old-school
techniques to obtain new customers.
Assessing the Benefits
Some die-hard fans of smartphone or Web-based marketing may wonder how direct mail, coupons and door
hangers still work in today’s fast-paced, high-tech world.
But it’s precisely this technology-focused environment
that makes old-school marketing pieces so effective, says
Jay Siff, CEO of Moving Targets in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. “They work as well as or better than ever, because
mailboxes have less stuff in them, so you’re not vying as
much for attention,” Siff says. He points to brain studies in
which scientists have noted that printed pieces emotionally engage subjects (of any age) differently than technology
mailers, door hangers and flyers. Individuals appreciate instant gratification, and
marketing with QR codes provides a level
of engagement that TV, radio and print
can’t achieve on their own.”
The Right Moves
Follow these steps to make sure your
“old-school” marketing remains relevant
and maximizes ROI:
Target—and Tailor to—Your Audience. An every door direct mail (EDDM)
campaign helps you saturate an area
based on carrier route or purchase lists
that fit a certain demographic. “You can
directly target your most potentially
profitable customers—we recommend
staying within a four-mile radius of the
restaurant—based on age, income, children in the household, gender, marital
status, birthday, new movers and more,”
says Jennifer Graham, client services
coordinator for Triadex Card Mailers in
Tampa, Florida.
Birthday mailers for current customers are also effective. Graham notes that
most restaurants have at least 1,000
birthday-celebrating people within four
miles of their locations each month—a
perfect excuse to mail out a gift card or
special offer.
Rimlinger notes that new movers are
particularly valuable contacts, so hit
them with strong offers—such as half off,
a free side dish with an entree, or a “buy
one, get one free” deal—to encourage extensive sampling of your menu. Include
the menu on your direct mail piece so
customers can keep it for future orders.
Lists can help you narrow down an audience, but think carefully about where
your customers will come from. “For a
pizza restaurant, some operators simply
draw a radius around the restaurant and
go from there, but, with today’s direct
mail options, you can do so much more,”
Rimlinger says. “What are your delivery
boundaries? Where are your competitors? Are you in an area with a lot of families? By identifying whom you’re trying
to reach, you can make sure you get a
strong ROI.”
If you’re not familiar with mailing
demographics or simply don’t have the
time to spare, Rimlinger suggests partnering with a local direct mail expert.
“Savvy business owners are combining print and
digital media. We’ve seen a dramatic upswing in the
number of companies incorporating QR codes into
their layouts for postcard mailers, door hangers and
flyers.”— David Handmaker, CEO, Next Day Flyers
POSTCARD MANIA
does. Direct mail also reaches people who
don’t use the Internet or mobile devices.
Joy Gendusa, founder and CEO of
PostcardMania in Clearwater, Florida,
notes that direct mail provides customers
with a physical reminder to visit your pizzeria. “With emails or mobile marketing,
you might hit delete right on the spot,
or you might not be ready to tackle that
message at the exact moment it comes
through, and then you forget about it,”
she explains. “These types of contacts are
also intrusive, whereas with mail, people
are mentally ready to go through it when
they decide to.”
With a population eager to save
money—and often bombarded on their
mobile devices and computers—direct
mail helps differentiate your pizzeria by
building trust without imposing upon
the customer. “Direct mail and couponing continue to be one of consumers’
favorite ways to save money, and direct
mail doesn’t require the consumer to do
anything outside of his normal routine
since he’s already getting the mail,” says
Chris Rimlinger, senior vice president of
marketing for Money Mailer in Garden
Grove, California.
Additionally, your old-school mailings
can serve as a gateway to new-school resources. “A direct mail piece can influence and drive the initial visit to online
and mobile marketing—a website, online ordering site, Facebook page, text
message specials, loyalty program, etc.,”
says Josh Davis, vice president of sales
for Mail Shark in Mohnton, Pennsylvania. Operators can “incorporate targeted
content onto the hard-copy direct mail
pieces for a more integrated marketing
approach, such as driving first-time users
to your online ordering site with a promotional offer.” For one pizzeria, Davis
found that a QR code, with instructions
to scan the code to access a “secret coupon,” received 500 unique views over a
10-week period.
In fact, new-school techniques, such as
QR codes, are increasingly making their
way onto “old-school” marketing pieces.
“Savvy business owners are combining print and digital media,” says David
Handmaker, CEO of Next Day Flyers,
with locations in Los Angeles and Saddle
Brook, New Jersey. “Over the past 12
months, we’ve seen a dramatic upswing in
the number of companies incorporating
QR codes into their layouts for postcard
Direct mail pieces provide customers with a physical reminder to visit your pizzeria and build trust with
consumers without imposing on them.
51
RUSSO’S
OUR TOWN AMERICA
The offer itself is the most important component of a
good direct mail piece.
Alternatively, Siff recommends partnering with noncompeting local businesses,
such as a nearby mechanic, to send offers
to each other’s mailing lists.
Hone Your Pitch. To determine your
best strategy, Davis says you should
first ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?” He explains, “If you’ve just
revamped your menu with exciting new
items and/or new prices, a menu is a
logical piece. If it’s football or baseball
season, a magnet with the local team’s
schedule is a very strong mailer. If you
want to do something unique and exciting, try a scratch-off postcard.”
Some experts say the special offer is
the most important part of a direct mail
piece. “All the recipient cares about is
what’s in it for them,” Siff says. “The offer
is king.” Just make sure you know—and
properly cater to—your various audiences; college students, for example, will
respond best to a different offer than
a family of four. “You should make a
stronger offer to acquire a new customer,
which should be worth $1,000 to you
over the life of the relationship, so you
might give away a free pizza,” he says.
“But you don’t need to do the same with
current customers. Just make the offer
easy to understand—for example, offer a
free pizza worth up to $15 rather than a
$15 gift certificate—and remember that
52
it’s better to make one strong offer than
many weak offers.” And always include a
call to action—tell people what to do.
Graham lists the following must-haves
for a successful direct mail piece: “Provide
an attention-getting offer in real dollars;
set the expiration date for a minimum of
six to eight weeks after your order is projected to be received by your new customers; include mouthwatering pictures of
your most popular menu items; and have
a way to track your redemptions.”
Michael D’agostino, co-owner of TakeoutPrinting.com in Newburgh, New
York, agrees that keeping it simple and
valuable will generate the best response.
Avoid offers such as “$1 off” or “20% off,”
he says; response rates improve when
customers are given something free, such
as a dessert or an appetizer with two entrees. “Day of the week” specials, such as
Monday or Tuesday deals, generate sales
on slow nights. Just put an expiration
date or a disclaimer (i.e., “limited-time
offer” or “may expire at any time”) on the
piece to cover yourself, he says.
Kamron Karington, CEO of Repeat
Returns in Las Vegas, recommends offering bundles, such as free breadsticks or a
two-liter soft drink with a pizza purchase.
The customer will see a $5 to $6 addon for something that actually costs you
much less. Karington also recommends
making three offers on every EDDM
piece: low (such as a cheap pie), medium (a meal deal) and high (a two-pizza
bundle). But avoid pitching everything
(lunch, dinner and catering) all at once so
your message doesn’t get jumbled.
You might also drive customers to the
Web by utilizing reviews of your business
on your direct mail or door hangers, Gendusa says. “Put real ratings and reviews
on the piece, so people can go online and
read more. For independents, that promotes the quality of your pizza. People
checking sites like Yelp, Urbanspoon or
Google will see what others think of your
pizza and what differentiates you.”
Mind Your Design. Use a clear font,
hire a professional photographer to shoot
appealing food photos and leave enough
white space to avoid straining the customer’s eyes with tiny print, D’agostino
advises. “Photos are very important because, with direct mail, you have less
than three seconds to get someone’s attention. The more appetizing the photos
are, the more likely people are to order.”
Karington advises using product shots
with people in them to create an emotional connection with customers. “Show
a shot of a happy family looking at your
pizza,” he says. “That depicts the product
in use and connects it to a family having
a great time.”
Providing a headline and image that
back each other up—including an image
of pizza—allows customers to glance at
the piece and know exactly what type
of business they’re looking at, Gendusa
notes. Adds Rimlinger, “The right design can show readers at a glance if your
restaurant features a family-friendly
atmosphere or focuses more on things
like sports or gourmet options.” Davis
also recommends using strategically
placed coupons while highlighting your
best-selling, most unique or most profitable items.
Pick Your Piece. What’s the best type
of piece to send out—a letter, menu, postcard, flyer or brochure? It depends on
your target audience and goals. Siff says
new customers are best captured with a
letter, while existing customers can be
satisfied with a postcard (which are usually cheaper). Karrington agrees: “A letter
connects on a different level; with a ‘Dear
Neighbor’ letter, you can get a 10.5% response rate even without offers, whereas
postcards are immediately perceived as
advertising. A letter done in a nonsales-y
way is unique and gets customers in the
door the first time. Once you have them
as customers, then switch to postcards.”
Price matters to operators, of course,
but Davis says price shouldn’t be the only
consideration; evaluate all of the different types of pieces, sizes and costs. “The
more you print, the lower the print cost.
Depending upon the piece and quantity,
your cost will be anywhere between 25
cents and 41 cents each for designing,
printing and full-service mailing,” he
explains. “However, looking only at the
price per piece is a trap for many operators; if you don’t have a short-term
strategy to deplete any quantity of pieces
that you print and mail, it could be detrimental. When your profits are based
on commodity-driven food costs and an
ever-changing industry, having the flexibility to change your advertising is key.”
Hence, Davis recommends printing only
what you need to get you through the
short term.
Shared mail is another option for operators. As Rimlinger notes, you may lose
some control over the size of the piece,
the paper used, and the mailing date, but
the costs drop when you share the expenses with other advertisers.
Nail the Frequency. Customers like a
great deal, but they don’t want to be bombarded with too much information. “If
discounting is your model, it might never
be too much, but if you’re defined only by
your offers, customers might not come
unless they have a coupon,” Siff says.
“Are you desensitizing customers? Is response dropping off?” He recommends
mailing every three to four weeks to keep
your pizzeria at “top-of-mind awareness”
without overwhelming them.
D’agostino advocates using EDDM and
mailing to two or three carrier routes surrounding the pizzeria every four weeks.
Consider attacking two routes on the first
week of the month, then doing another
two on the second week of the month.
“Rotate the people getting each mailing,
but ensure that at least once per month
the customer gets your menu,” he says.
“Don’t try just one carrier route, and
change something on the piece for each
printing—the cover, coloring, specials or
pictures—so the customer tosses the old
one, not the new one.”
Karington agrees that owners should
spread out their contact over a period of
time to better ensure they reach customers when they’re ready to order pizza.
“People don’t buy when you advertise;
they buy when it’s right for them,” he
says. “So if you mail to 10,000 people,
mail to 2,500 of them every 10 days.
Aim for less reach and more repetition.”
The easiest tactic, he notes, is saturating
an area in concentric circles, but look
out for natural barriers (such as highways) that people avoid crossing; it can
cause significant dropoffs in response.
You’ll also want to target customers who
haven’t visited in 30 or 60 days with a
postcard reminder.
Track Results. “Results” can mean different things and can be hard to directly
quantify. Look at all of your areas of business to get a good handle on what’s working. “Response means nothing; sales
mean everything,” D’agostino says. “Pizzeria owners know their weekly averages.
Are sales up $2,000 in a weekend? Are
you getting new customers on your email
list? Did 32 new customers order?”
53
It’s in the Mail
Best Choice Print & Marketing Experts, 800-783-0990, bcms.US
Color Door Hanger, 818-253-5514, colordoorhanger.com
Mail Shark, 888-457-4275, themailshark.com
Melissa Data, 800-635-4772, melissadata.com
Moving Targets, 800-926-2451, movingtargets.com
Next Day Flyers, 800-251-9948, nextdayflyers.com
Our Town America, 800-497-8360, ourtownamerica.com
Pioneer Color, 877-473-3546, pioneercolor.com
PostcardMania, 866-850-0942, postcardmania.com
Repeat Returns, 888-794-6512, repeatreturns.com
Takeout Printing, 877-257-7468, takeoutprinting.com
Taradel, 888-210-8189, taradel.com/pizzamenus
The Menu Express, 877-250-2819, themenuexpress.com
Triadex Card Mailers, 877-874-2339, triadexcardmailers.com
Some experts quote a typical direct
mail response at 1% to 2%, although
strong mailings can have up to 40% redemption, Siff says. Ultimately, it comes
down to return on investment. “What
did it cost you (in food costs, not retail
value)? What did it return?” asks Siff.
“Who’s coming through the door, and
what are they spending?” Also evaluate
your original goals—were you looking to
pep up a slow month, kick-start a holiday
weekend, or attract new lifetime customers who will spend over the long term?
Davis notes that many operators look
solely at initial coupon redemption, but
that might show only part of the ROI.
“Counting coupons is, by itself, an ineffective way of analyzing direct mail ROI,
but it’s an effective way of analyzing what
people are and aren’t reacting to. And
that’s crucial in being able to leverage
what’s working and replace what isn’t,”
he says. “I recommend looking at multiple factors, including coupon redemptions and sales, analyzing new guest
traffic and calculating the lifetime value
of that new customer.”
Finally, once you’ve gotten that customer inside the pizzeria, you want to
capture the information that will allow
54
you to spend less on future contact. “Direct mail is expensive unless you have a
strategy on collecting information, such
as email addresses,” Gendusa says. “Put
a system in place where employees are
trained to get the customers’ information.” Response rates fluctuate depending on how many pizzerias are in the
area, she notes, and many factors (such
as signage or parking) can sway someone
to visit—or stay away.
Karington agrees that failing to capture customer data leads to an endless
cycle of potentially expensive direct
mail. “The biggest mistake is to spend,
acquire, lose and start over,” he says.
“Many operators saturate the area and
make more money, but then business
trails off, and they repeat the cycle. Putting people in the database to communicate directly with them will raise profits
over the long term.”
To learn more about how pizzeria
operators are using “old-school” marketing techniques to profitable effect—
including three case studies—check out
the expanded version of this article at
www.PMQ.com.
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.
55
Best in Show
PMQ staff members review some of the coolest
products at the 2012 Florida Restaurant & Lodging
Show in Orlando.
Restaurant and hotel operators flocked to the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, held September 22 to 24 at the Orange
County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The three-day
event featured live culinary demonstrations, seminars, workshops and the U.S. Pizza Team Trials, among other attractions.
It also featured innovative products for the industry, and members of the PMQ staff weigh in on their favorites here. You can
also visit PizzaTV.com for exclusive video coverage of the event.
My Picks:
Linda Green,
co-publisher
Creative Water Concepts
This company specializes in private-label bottled water, putting
your pizzeria’s logo on the product. Water is so popular and so
fashionable today; this product will definitely get your logo seen
by potential customers throughout your community. It’s a great
marketing tool that can both make money and enhance your
pizzeria’s visibility.
56
My Picks:
Healthy Chillers
Clifton Moody,
senior account executive
This is a healthy version of a slush drink, and the flavors
are unbelievable. At the same time, it provides a healthy
alternative to soda and other sugary beverages. It’s
made with 100% fruit and vegetable juice, so it’s good
for you, and it contains no sugar, no additives and no
high-fructose corn syrup. I know a lot of families would
feel more comfortable with their kids having access to
healthier beverages in a pizzeria setting.
OrderPad
Available for Android, this mobile tablet ordering system
can be integrated into most current POS systems. The
self-service tablet kiosk allows customers to place and
pay for their orders at the table without having to deal
with a cashier. Servers take the orders at the table, and
the orders are sent directly to the kitchen for faster service. It lets you eliminate printed menus entirely, and it
also can be used for delivery—it even comes with built-in
GPS and on-site card swiping for delivery customers.
ABC Mobile Pay
This mobile payment processing system lets customers pay at
the table and processes credit and debit cards, gift and loyalty
cards, and check and cash orders. I especially like this system
because it’s PCI-compliant to prevent security breeches, which
is so important. Any pizzeria that accepts credit or debit cards
now has to be in compliance with PCI security standards, and
ABC Mobile Pay makes that easy for you.
My Picks:
Tom Boyles,
account executive
Ultra-Thin Pizza Shells & Flatbread
This company offers a great premade crust that’s really
thin and flaky. I’m usually not a big fan of par-baked
crusts, but this one has a really good flavor to it. It’s also
good for making flatbreads and appetizers.
57
My Picks
Fruit Fly Bar Pro
Tom Boyles,
account representative
Having worked in restaurants myself, I know that fruit flies
are a constant problem, especially in areas where onions are
stored, around fountain drink dispensers or near beer taps
and sink drains. You can’t get rid of them in the summertime.
This odor-free fly strip is small and compact and can be hung
anywhere—it looks like a hanging air freshener. And it works
quickly—the company guarantees that it will eliminate your
fruit flies within 24 hours.
Gardein
This company specializes in vegetarian products, including
veggie beef strips, chicken breasts and chicken strips. All of
these products have a real meat-like texture. The chicken,
for example, tasted very much like chicken. We know that
customers sometime get tired of the same old veggie pizzas,
so if you’re looking to expand your vegetarian offerings, this
would allow you to add, say, vegetarian chicken Parms and
vegetarian chicken salads to your menu and, of course, offer
vegetarian chicken as a pizza topping.
58
NO PARLOUR GAMES HERE!
NAPICS ’13—IT’S ALL ABOUT THE
BUSINESS OF PIZZA AND ICE CREAM
February 17-18, 2013
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio
Don’t just look, taste! Thousands of
samples and expert advice on using them.
Newest to market: See the latest food
and equipment for 2013.
Buy here, save money: Get show-only
discounts.
NEW
PROGRAMMING
FOR 2013!
KEYNOTE SPEECH:
Darren Tristano, Technomic, Inc.,
Experienced Help: Our pizza experts and
peer-to-peer operators answer your questions
about everything pizza.
“State of the Pizza and Ice Cream Industries.”
Expect this to be a fact-packed, eye-opening
presentation about the national pizza and
ice cream scenes by the authority on
industry research.
Pizza Pizzazz battle: Prove your pie’s the
best and grab your share of $15,000 in cash!
P I Z Z A P R O TA L K :
To view all programming and register for NAPICS ’13,
visit napics.com or call 740-524-4123.
Interested in exhibiting? Call Peter Stern at
800-909-7469 to reserve your space!
LEARN. EARN. SUCCEED.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED. NAPICS ’13.
Follow us—Twitter.com/napics
Connect with us—Facebook.com/napics
Michael Shepherd, owner Michael Angelo’s
Pizza and Six Hundred Downtown
Session 1: “Run a Business, Not a Kitchen!”
Session 2: “The Experts … Maybe
They’re Wrong”
Bonus!
Two hands-on seminars:
“A Guy and His Oven,” and
“How to Hand-Toss Pizza”
V I S I T U S AT
napics.com
59
Product Spotlight What’s On the Market
KITCHEN BILLBOARDS
GLUTEN-FREE SWEETS
Chef Anthony Russo’s gluten-free product line features
gluten-free cannoli shells for the traditional Sicilian dessert
that everyone loves. Crisp, light and cooked to perfection, the
shells give you the opportunity to offer a great gluten-free
dessert option. Russo’s also offers gluten-free ladyfingers
for tiramisu, as well as gluten-free Italian bread and
breadcrumbs. 631-775-8425, russosglutenfreegourmet.com
A magnetic mailer from Sunray
Printing serves as a miniature billboard
for your pizzeria in every customer’s
kitchen. Sunray also offers a
customizable, jumbo-size, 6”-by-22”
-by-22”
postcard that can be used
to promote multiple
products and specials over
extended periods of time.
The postcard can even be
perforated, allowing the
customer to tear off and
redeem coupons. 320-2572612, sunrayprinting.com
IT’S A
KEEPA!
The long-lasting
Pizza Keepa has a
sealable lid and holds
two to three slices of
pizza. It’s washable,
durable and easy to
use. The high-quality “see-through” material is safe
for food and provides easy viewing of the pizza slices.
You can also advertise your establishment with your
logo and phone number to add value to your product.
Use Pizza Keepa for to-go orders or to thank your loyal
customers. 941-426-9856, pizzakeepa.com
A PIZZA-FRIENDLY
PHONE SYSTEM
Finally, a phone system that pairs
perfectly with pizza! Fidelity
Communications, a leader in QSR
phone systems for more than 25
years, offers the new, low-priced
Synapse phone system with call
queuing and message-on-hold features. Built to
last, the system enables employees to clearly hear
and communicate with callers. 800-683-5600,
fidelitycom.com
60
CATCH THE WAVE
The Marsal & Sons WAVE Oven features a
revolutionary WAVE design firebrick baking
chamber that forces the heat from the 40,000BTU side burner back down on top of the
cooking surface. The oven also features a viewing
window to watch the flames that can bring the
temperature to more than 900°. The ovens come
in two sizes and can be ordered as singles or
stacked on top of a MB series oven. 631-2266688, marsalsons.com
FROM NAPLES
WITH LOVE
Ciao Italian Peeled
Tomatoes are produced in
Naples, Italy, home of some
of the finest tomatoes in the
world. Ciao tomatoes contain
15% more solids than similar
brands, which means less
water and more tomatoes. Handpicked to assure
maximum ripeness and sweetness, Ciao tomatoes
are packed in a special can with white enamel
to protect the fresh tomato flavor. Samples are
available. 201-368-9197, orlandofoods.com
PMQ’S IDEA ZONE
Our Town
Our Town Offers Warm Welcome to New Movers
When someone moves into your town, that person’s belongings are usually packed away in boxes for a while, and he or she
doesn’t have the energy or equipment to cook. This is the perfect
time to entice that person into your pizzeria and create a loyal
customer. Tired, hungry and unfamiliar with the area, new movers need you as much as you need them. Our Town America,
one of the largest independent new-mover marketing companies in the United States, has a proven track record of affordably bringing new patrons to your door. Our Town President
Michael Plummer Jr.’s father owned a pizzeria before he started
the company 40 years ago. “He understood what families who
move go through, and he knew that, if we did something to help
them, it would go a long way in having them remember not only
the gesture, but the great pizza,” Plummer says. “My goal is to
carry on the family tradition with our great pizzeria sponsors.”
Our Town doesn’t just provide a onetime service. The company starts by including a gift certificate from your pizzeria in
a new resident package that’s delivered directly to the potential customer’s home. “We reach out to the niche new resident
market with a goodwill gesture from our pizzerias to welcome
them into the communities they serve. Once they redeem the
certificate, we track the results, then solidify and fortify customer retention with a follow-up piece to invite them in again,”
Plummer says. “This creates the strongest first impression with
an audience that is searching for a local restaurant, and it gives
our pizzeria sponsors the best chance of capturing new movers
before their competitors can do so.”
Our Town guarantees exclusivity in your market, giving you
an instant leg up on your competitors. “Our client will be the
only pizzeria in the ZIP codes he or she chooses, locking out all
competing brands in the same market,” says Marilyn Imparato,
the company’s director of sales and marketing. “If a pizzeria implements the plan we recommend, they will see response rates
ranging from a conservative 10% to more than 30%, month over
month, year after year, consistently. Pizzerias have been Our
Town’s No. 1 category since our inception.”
For more information on Our Town America, contact Imparato at 727-345-0811, ext. 226, or email her at mimparato@
ourtownamerica.com. Visit the company online at ourtown
america.com and on Facebook.
61
Try the BEST PIZZA LINER
in the World.
Your Pizza is Worth it!
s!LLOWS9OUTO(ANDLE
0IZZAWITH%ASE
s%LIMINATES'REASE
AND-OISTURE
s%NSURESA#RISPER
#RUST%VERY4IME
s+EEPS0IZZA
$EGREES(OTTER
NG
IPPI
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E
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r firs
on you
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ORDERONLINE
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December
November 2012 • pmq.com
63
64
65
66
67
Advertiser Index
December 2012
Display Advertiser
Phone
Website
Page
AM Manufacturing.............................................. 708-841-0959 ........................................... ammfg.com ...................................... 29
American Metalcraft .......................................... 800-333-9133 .............................................amnow.com ...................................... 33
Bacio Cheese...................................................... 855-222-4685 ....................................... baciocheese.com ................................... 35
Bellissimo.......................................................... 800-813-2974 ..................................... bellissimofoods.com ................................ 19
Burke ............................................................... 800-654-1152 ......................................... burkecorp.com ............................. Cover 3
Color Door Hanger Printing................................ 626-376-1216 .................................... colordoorhanger.com ................................ 65
CHD Expert.......................................................... 888-243-0154 ...................................................................................................... 42
CrustSaver.......................................................... 877-437-4743 ......................................... crustsaver.net ..................................... 64
DoughMate..........................................................800-501-2458 ....................................... doughmate.com ................................... 64
Dura-a-flex.......................................................... 860-528-9838 ......................................... dur-a-flex.com .................................... 55
EZ Dine .............................................................. 877-853-1263 ........................................... ezdinepos.com ................................... 62
Fontanini........................................................... 708-485-4800 ......................................... fontanini.com .................................... 23
Grande Cheese................................................... 800-8-GRANDE ..................................... grandecheese.com ................................... 3
HTH................................................................... 800-321-1850 .......................................... hthsigns.com ...................................... 66
iFranchise............................................................ 708-957-2300 ..................................... ifranchisegroup.com ................................ 43
Instant Off ......................................................... 800-972-8348 ......................................... instant-off.com .................................... 65
La Nova.............................................................. 716-881-3355 ........................................... lanova.com ............................... Cover 4
Le 5 Stagioni...................................................... 800-780-2280 ............................................ le5stagioni.it...................................... 31
Lillsun ............................................................... 260-356-6514............................................... lillsun.com .......................................54
Liguria............................................................... 800-765-1452 ........................................ liguriafood.com ................................... 49
MF&B Restaurant Systems.................................. 888-480-EDGE ........................................ edgeovens.com .................................... 47
Marsal & Sons..................................................... 631-226-6688 ........................................ marsalsons.com ................................... 53
Meridian Star POS............................................... 855-853-6485 ......................... meridianstarmerchantservices.com ..................... 27
Microworks........................................................ 800-787-2068 ........................................ microworks.com ................................... 11
Middleby Marshall.............................................. 877-34-OVENS ......................................... wowoven.com ...................................... 7
Moving Targets.................................................. 800-926-2451 ..................................... movingtargets.com ................................ 41
Napics ............................................................... 740-524-4123 ............................................ napics.com ....................................... 59
NY Pizza Water......................................................717-801-8967 .................................. newyorkpizzawater.com.............................. 66
One Two 3 Print it ............................................... 888-800-4455 .......................................... 123printit.com .................................... 67
Our Town America................................................ 800-497-8360 ................................... ourtownamerica.com ............................... 61
PDQ Signature Systems....................................... 877-968-6430 ........................................... pdqpos.com ...................................... 17
Perfect Crust...................................................... 800-783-5343 ....................................... perfectcrust.com ................................... 63
Petra Molino Quaglia Flour................................. 631-804-1879 .....................farinapetra.it/Benvenuto/Eng_Petra.html ................ 63
Pendleton Flour Mills......................................... 800-545-5640 .......................................... pfmills.com ................................ Cover 2
Postcard Mania ............................................... 800-628-1804 ..................................... postcardmania.com ................................. 40
Prox Print........................................................... 888-310-7769 ......................................... proxprint.com ..................................... 63
Somerset Industries............................................. 978-667-3355 ........................................... smrset.com ....................................... 48
Stanislaus........................................................... 800-327-7201 ......................................... stanislaus.com ...................................4, 5
Taste It Presents............................................... 908-241-9191 ..................................... tasteitpresents.com ................................. 67
The Menu Express............................................... 877-250-2819 .................................... themenuexpress.com ................................ 72
Triadex Card Mailers............................................. 877-874-2339 .................................. triadexcardmailers.com .............................. 48
Univex............................................................... 800-258-6358 ........................................ univexcorp.com ................................... 66
XLT Ovens .......................................................... 888-443-2751 .......................................... xltovens.com ...................................... 13
PMQ provides this information as a courtesy to our readers and will not be held responsible for errors or omissions. To report an error, call 662-234-5481 x127.
68
Industry Resource Guide
Grab a direct weblink to every advertiser in this guide at PMQ.com
ADVERTISING
APPAREL
BAGS
COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE
BAKING SCHOOLS
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BAKING .............................................Manhattan, KS
785-537-4750 ....................................................................Fax: 785-537-1493
CHEESE
Simplify technology with a
single source solution!
s0OINTOF3ALE3YSTEMS
Foremost Farms USA: Your source for award-winning, soft, all-natural Italian
cheeses. Crafted by Wisconsin Master Cheese Makers®
www.foremostfarms.com ...................................................... (608) 355-8700
s/NLINE3MARTPHONE/RDERING
s!UTOMATED#USTOMER,OYALTY
s3ELF3ERVE+IOSK/RDERING
CALL TODAY!
800.750.3947
www.granburyrs.com
s%NTERPRISE-ANAGEMENT
69
PMQ Industry Resource Guide
COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT.
COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE, CONT.
CONSULTING
CRUSTS
BAKER’S QUALITY PIZZA CRUSTS, INC. ..................................... Waukesha, WI
Par-baked, Sheeted, Pressed and Self-Rising Crusts; Custom Crusts; All sizes.
www.BakersQualityPizzaCrusts.com ......................................800-846-6153
MOUNTAIN HARVEST PIZZA CRUST CO.......................................... Billings, MT
Contact: Eric LeCaptain ........... 800-342-6205.................... Fax: 406-248-7336
Sheeted Dough, Prebake Crusts, Dough Balls, Freezer to Oven, Self-Rising
Crusts in Standard, Wheat and Nine Grain. [email protected]
CUTTING BOARDS - EQUAL SLICE
DOUGH
FREE POS SYSTEM
Meridian Star offers a free POS
system with no gimmicks.
Included in a low-cost
processing account, merchants
can enjoy an all-in-one touch
screen, a thermal printer, a
kitchen printer, an electronic
cash drawer and PC America
restaurant management software,
all at no cost.
As Seen in
Product
Spotlight!
855-853-6485, meridianstarms.com
70
DOUGH, CONT.
DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS
DOUGH PRESSES, ROLLERS, CONT.
DOUGH TRAYS/PROOFING TRAYS
s Dough Trays – extremely durable and airtight!
Outlasts All Other Dough Trays
s Dough Tray Covers – designed to fit!
s Plastic Dough Knives – two ergonomic designs!
s Dough Tray Dollies – heavy duty!
Excellence in Customer service since 1955!
The preferred dough tray of the largest pizza companies in the world.
Buy direct from the manufacturer with over 25 years manufacturing in dough trays.
Call 800-501-2458 ........... www.doughmate.com ......... fax: 908-276-9483
When Dough
Matters!
Eliminate racks, lids and tins
with our stackable, airtight and
cost effective Dough Trays.
1-502-969-2305
www.DoughTrays.com
COST EFFECTIVE
STACKABLE
AIRTIGHT
DURABLE
ORDER DIRECT
4601 COMMERCE CROSSINGS DR., STE 300, LOUISVILLE, KY 40229 | p: 502-969-2305 | f: 502-810-0907
WWW.DOUGHTRAYS.COM
FLOUR, GLUTEN-FREE
BAY STATE MILLING GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA MIX.............. baystatemilling.com
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, Custom-blends and Co-Packing
Dedicated production area for exceptional purity.........................800-55-FLOUR
DOUGH PRESSES, ROLLERS
DAKOTA PRAIRIE is a dedicated manufaturer of Gluten-Free flours, 37 pre-mixes,
custom-mixes and many packaging options. By far the best grinds and the highest standard of purity ............. dakota-prairie.com............ ............701-324-4330
FLOUR
71
FRANCHISE
FLOUR, CONT.
Should You Franchise Your Restaurant?
Call today to receive your free DVD on
“How to Franchise Your Business” and learn
about one of the most dynamic methods of
expanding your business in today’s marketplace.
tXXXJGSBODIJTFHSPVQDPN
®
FRANCHISE CONSULTANTS
GELATO
True Artisan Gelato
(888) 316-1545
www.stefanosgelato.com
GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS
FOOD DISTRIBUTORS
HYGIENE
INSTANT OFF ........ Reduce water usage by 65% and prevent contamination
800-972-8348...................................................................www.instant-off.com
INSURANCE
1051 Amboy Avenue, Perth Amboy NJ
800-997-0887 or 732-346-0600
Fax:732-346-0882
Serving NY, NJ, PA, DE, CT
www.vesuviofoods.com
FOOD COSTING
PIZZAPRO .................................. Low cost pizza delivery insurance program
Contact Julie Evans (717) 214-7616 ....................... www.pizzapro.amwins.com
MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT
72
MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT, CONT.
MACHINERY/OVENS/EQUIPMENT, CONT.
73
MAGNETS
MARKETING IDEAS CONT.
MAILING SERVICES
MARKETING, MOBILE
Eighty-Six Slow Sales
MANAGEMENT
Mobilize your best customers with a free
mobile website and low-cost texting.
...mobilize & connect
ruxter.com
800.763.1953
KEEP MORE OF YOUR HARD EARNED DOUGH!
3 MONEY SAVING PROGRAMS:
MEAT TOPPINGS
SCHEDULING • ATTENDANCE • DAILY LOG
FAST, PAINLESS SCHEDULING • MONITOR LABOR COSTS • REDUCE
TURNOVER • NOTIFY EMPLOYEES • ELIMINATE BUDDY PUNCHING •
IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS • WEB-BASED
SAVE TIME AND INCREASE PROFITS!
WWW.TIMEFORGE.COM
866.684.7191
MARKETING IDEAS
LOCALGIFTCARDS.COM..........888-494-9760.....Your pizzas are mobile – why
not try mobile gift cards? Sell e-gift cards and m-gift cards on your website.
No upfront costs. Simple set up. Visit LocalGiftCards.com to get started.
BURKE CORPORATION...................................................www.BurkeCorp.com
Italian, Mexican-Style and Specialty Fully Cooked Meats
Contact: Liz Hertz.............sales_info@burkecorp.com.............800-654-1152
SUGAR CREEK PACKING CO., Private Label Precooked Meat Topping Specialists
www.sugarcreek.com800-848-8205...............................sales@sugarcreek.com
MENUBOARDS
74
MIXERS
USED HOBART 60 QT. MIXER FOR SALE AT US $4980.00 PLUS SHIPPING.
Call Lynn at 214-552-3218........................................ or e-mail [email protected]
OLIVES, CONT.
ON HOLD MARKETING
MOBILE CATERING TRUCKS/UNITS
ONLINE ORDERING
MOISTURE ABSORBENT TOPPINGS CONDITIONER
KRISP-IT LTD. .............................................800-KRISP-IT (800-574-7748)
Keep it Crisp with Krisp-It!
www.krisp-it.com........................................................nick@krisp-it.com
OLIVES
PIZZA BOXES
PIZZA BOX LINERS
75
PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS
76
PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS, CONT.
ELECTRIC HOTBAG
DELIVER GUARANTEED
OVEN
PIZZA
Keep
Your Pizza
HOT & DRY
5 Pie
& 10 Pie
Bags
Electric Pizza Delivery Bags
ZZZ5HGL+HDWFRP
Call or Order Online
• Heats and stays at 160-175°
• Dry electric heat = no moisture
• Removable heating elements
• Made of rugged 1000 Denier nylon
• Easily cleaned
PIZZA OVENS
• Buy one bag or make a system
MARSAL & SONS, INC. ....................The new standard in the Pizza Industry
Brick Lined Deck Ovens • Standard Deck Ovens • Prep Table Refrigeration
631-226-6688 .............. marsalsons.com ........... [email protected]
• Wired with AC power
• Heats all bags simultaneously
• Quick release connectors, no hassle
800-927-6787
Made in the USA
www.HOTBAG.com
ROTO-FLEX OVEN CO. ........................................Contact Richard Dunfield
135 East Cevallos, San Antonio, TX 78204
PH 800-386-2279 ...... www.rotoflexoven.com .......... Fax 210-222-9007
77
PIZZA OVENS, CONT.
PIZZA OVENS, CONT.
EARTHSTONE OVENS, INC. .. 6717 San Fernando Rd....Glendale, CA 91201
800-840-4915 .........Fax: 818-553-1133 ...... www.earthstoneovens.com
All units UI listed.
FISH OVEN & EQUIPMENT CORP. 120 W. Kent Ave........Wauconda, IL 60084
TOLL Free 877-526-8720 ....... Fax: 847-526-7447 ...... www.fishoven.com
WOOD STONE CORPORATION..............Stone Hearth & Specialty Commercial
Cooking Equipment.....1801 W. Bakerview Rd....Bellingham, WA 98226.....
TOLL Free 800-988-8103.....Fax: 360-650-1166......woodstone-corp.com
i feel preƩy.
oh, so preƩy!
PIZZA PANS
The Marsal MB Series is designed to fit your restaurant’s
specific needs. Not only is it equipped with our exclusive
burner system and 2” thick brick cooking surface to ensure
the most evenly baked crust, but it looks great too. You can
customize the exterior decor of your MB Series oven easily
either with our prebuilt finishing kits or your own brick of tile
design. Attract customers with a great looking oven and a
great tasting pizza.
AMERICAN MADE
Pizza Screens ÷ The Ultimate in Bake Disks
Pizza Pans... Round, Square, & Rectangular
Sauce/Cheese Rings ÷ Pan Covers
Pizza Cutters/Knives
P.A. PRODUCTS, Inc.
BAKEWARE SPECIALISTS
Seƫng the new standard.
visit us online at
www.marsalsons.com
78
(631) 226-6688
FAX (631) 226-6890
& sons, inc.
Pizza Ovens and Equipment
33709 Schoolcraft s Livonia, Michigan 48150
(734) 421-1060 s FAX: (734) 421-1208
www.paprod.com
PIZZA PEELS
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P.A. PRODUCTS, Inc.
BAKEWARE SPECIALISTS
33709 Schoolcraft s Livonia, Michigan 48150
(734) 421-1060 s FAX: (734) 421-1208
www.paprod.com
PIZZA SUPPLIES
PRINTING
BEST CHOICE PRINT & MARKETING EXPERTS ...................... For over 25 Years
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Print & Mail, Menus or Postcards .............................. Includes postage 27.5 ea
WWW.bcms.US ............................................................. or call 800-783-0990
PLASTIC DOUGH
CONTAINERS
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email us at: [email protected]
Call Vito:
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or Call Sid
516-546-7744
pmq.com/tt2/recipe
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PRINTING CONT.
SPECIALTY FOODS
CASTELLA IMPORTS, INC. ............................................... www.castella.com
60 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788 ....................................... 866-Castella
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CALIFORNIA BLENDING, INC. ........ Confidential Custom Blending & Packaging.
Bill Mooreheart, Jr. ....................... Serving Industiral Spice needs since 1976.
2603 Seaman, El Monte, CA 91733.............................................626-448-1918
CASTELLA IMPORTS, INC. ............................................... www.castella.com
60 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788 ....................................... 866-Castella
MCCLANCY SEASONING ........................... One Spice Road, Fort Mill, SC 29707
Contact: Dominic Damore
800-843-1968 .................................................................info@mcclancy.com
REFRIGERATION
STICKY NOTES
SAUCE
ARMANINO FOODS ..............................................................Fine Italian Sauces
30588 San Antonio Street, Haywood, CA ..................................... 866-553-5611
Email: [email protected] ......... www.armaninofoods.com
TAKE AND BAKE TRAYS
TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES/SERVICE
Specializing in voice and data communications service,
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TOMATO PRODUCTS CONT.
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81
(
time capsule
)
Sal and Carmine
With a stripped-down menu and plenty
of personality, this Upper West Side
pizzeria has been serving up slices
and ices for more than 50 years.
After immigrating to the United States from Italy in 1957, Sal Malanga
worked 22 hours a day to save up for a pizza shop, and in the summer
of 1959, that dream became reality when he opened Sal & Carmine
(salandcarmine.com) at 95th and Broadway in New York. He handled
the dough, and his younger brother, Carmine, ran the counter. They
sold nothing but pizza and Italian ices, and there was no advertisement and no delivery—just a work ethic that found Sal in the pizzeria
seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.
mak
akSal, who passed away three years ago, has been called a “legendary pie maker” and “the Dom DeMarco of Manhattan.” But for the family, his devotion
was just normal. “My grandfather never took a day off. He was a funny guy,
and everybody liked him; everywhere we went, people knew him,” recalls Luciano Gaudiosi, current owner and grandson of Sal. “It was a great time when
we were all here—even though my grandfather and uncle used to always fight.
There are still marks on the wall from when it got hit with the roller. People
would say, ‘We’re just here for the show.’”
Luciano remembers fondly some of Sal’s favorite phrases. Sal ran a tight
ship—phone use or even sitting down were verboten for the staff—and told
employees, “Just stand and wait for the people.” If a customer complained,
he might tell them, “Go home and make your own pizza!” He did everything
himself daily, from prep to finished product, saying, “A pizza man isn’t the
guy outside; a pizza man is the guy inside, making the dough.”
In 1987, the business moved to its current location, several blocks uptown at Broadway
and 102nd, where it has remained ever since. Carmine still comes in to run the counter with
Luciano’s brother, George Adamopoulos, but Luciano follows in his grandfather’s footsteps
by doing everything himself (after much reluctance, Sal showed Luciano how to make the
pizza in the years before he passed). “I see myself as my grandfather; everything passes between my hands. It feels good to carry on and do what it takes to keep it going,” says Luciano,
a college-educated engineer who used to work for Delta Airlines and, at 25 years old, had no
choice but to take over the pizzeria when Sal died. “I knew I’d always stay here; we made a decision to keep Sal’s hard work going. I stayed because I like making people happy. People come
here and feel good.” –Tracy Morin
(Top to bottom) Carmine, Sal and Luciano share a laugh at the
pizzeria; Carmine and Sal run the business in the ’80s; Sal and
his father, Guiseppe, pose in front of the pizzeria in 1964.
Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 or more years?
If so, contact us at [email protected].
82