text:
Pizza Today File Photo
To a certain point, we are masters of our own destiny. To a certain point. The current economy is in uncharted waters. I hope our elected government officials are up to the task of putting the economic train wreck back on the tracks.
I've seen and lived through some similar economic times. I remember when, with absolutely no notice, Richard Nixon imposed an executive order that froze all wages and prices for most of a year. This order made it a crime to raise your prices on anything as well as give an employee a wage hike. The economy needed some time to get itself back on track. A few years later, the economy again went into a funk. During Jimmy Carter's administration, we watched interest rates climb to close to 20 percent. Not a good time to be in the real estate or banking business. A few months after the first Desert Storm, the Department of Defense decreed the closing of many air bases. Wurtsmith AFB closed in my town. I lost half of my customer base in less than a year. Bumper stickers were going around town that said, "Last one leaving Oscoda –– Turn off the lights". Nine thousand people were reassigned in less than a year. All I saw were 50 moving vans a day heading out of town. A couple of years later, I was setting all-time sales records in a town that shrunk by half. We got through the mess and so will you.
Through it all, the restaurant and pizza industry survived and grew to thrive. We will again. In the last 30 years, food not prepared at home for immediate consumption has almost doubled. America and the world would really rather let someone else cook for them. That would be you and me.
The current economic crunch time we're in now will pass. Unfortunately, underperforming operations will be driven out of business. Hanging on is not a recommended business strategy. Eventually, your grip will loosen on your lifeline and you may find yourself in a financial freefall.
In the past few months I've visited many successful operations. They called me in to see if there was anything they were overlooking that could help bolster their sagging bottom lines. Each one of them has adjusted a certain area that will send lots of newfound money to the bottom line. If our customers are tightening their restaurant spending habits we need to look inside our operations and trim any wasteful spending.
The pizza industry is what we make it. Creating the very best pie possible and serving it with a smile is a must. I'm convinced that the industry needs to raise the bar and do a more professional job on portioning, pricing, purchasing and marketing.
Pizza Today has assembled dozens of expert speakers who will answer all of your questions at International Pizza Expo this year. I hope to see you there. Your future may depend in it. ❖
Big Dave Ostrander owned a highly successful independent pizzeria before becoming a consultant, speaker and internationally soughtafter trainer. He is a monthly contributor to Pizza Today and leads seminars on operational topics for the family of Pizza Expo tradeshows.
Q: I want to bring more families in to my restaurant. What can I do to make my restaurant more kid friendly?
A: I don't know what you're doing now, but I make up my own coloring sheets with a cartoon character of me in the different seasonal attire and hang the kids' pictures up in an appropriate place. A coloring contest for each age category keeps them wanting to come back. A great kids menu is critical as well. So many folks don't put enough thought into a great kids menu. Most kids have a say on where the family goes for dinner, so make them want to come to you.
I'm thinking of hiring a company to clean my windows and floors. Is it worth having someone else doing that, or should I be doing that on off days and save the money?
I've been both routes before. I switched from a window cleaning company to doing it myself for a short period. It's one of those things that I just didn't get to as often as I had planned. It's relatively inexpensive, especially if you have them come out every other week. I pay 10 bucks every two weeks. Most of us can afford that. The floors will cost you a whole lot more than that, but if you have them stripped and re-waxed, make sure you keep them buffed to keep up that beautiful shine. Our stores look so much nicer when the floors look beautiful. Try to budget having someone do the floors. It's a lot of work, and you're busy enough.
Credit card processing companies call almost every day trying to "save me money". How do I know who's legitimate and who's trying to rip me off?
I know it's enough to make your head spin. About every six months, I give a real close look at a couple of companies that are known to have a good reputation. Credit card sales are not something to be taken lightly since they make up a big part of our sales. Give them your volume and make them quote rates without seeing any statements. If they're not willing, they're not worth the consideration. They will all claim to undercut who you have now — but they won't necessarily keep their word.
I pay a lot for my breaded chicken breast that I use for pasta dinners and subs. Raw chicken breast is less than half the cost per pound of the breaded stuff. It seems like I should switch and bread my own. Is there a reason I shouldn't?
Raw chicken is a money saver, but it could be hazardous if not handled properly. If staff is well informed on handling and storage of raw chicken and you have the time, then it can save an enormous amount of money. But, there's a reason they call breaded chicken a value added product. Try breading some and see if it's worth it. ❖
Jeffrey Freehof, owner of The Garlic Clove in Evans, Georgia, is Pizza Today's resident expert. Send your questions to: Ask Chef Jeff, c/o Pizza Today, 908 South Eighth Street, Suite 200, Louisville, Kentucky, 40203
Photos by Josh Keown
When CiCi's Pizza Buffet opened its doors 27 years ago, the concept of an array of pizzas offered all at once and not custom-built seemed novel and a bit risky. "It was not something that was normally done," says CiCi's President Craig Moore.
Now, however, pizza buffets have become commonplace across the country and while they may not be entirely without problems, pizza businesses are learning that buffets can be profitable and a good way to build a customer base. David Childers at Chicago's Pizza in French Lick, Indiana, for example, began offering a lunch buffet many years ago. "I was getting more lunch traffic and traffic in general," he says, so he looked for a way to make sales more efficient. A pizza buffet seemed to be the answer. "A buffet streamlines your labor costs," says Childers. "You only need four or five people to run a buffet." Servers can be largely eliminated, and so can a line of cooks in the kitchen turning out custom orders.
The buffet concept is also likely to bring at least three new groups to your business, or increase these groups if you already serve them. They are the lunchtime crowd, families and youth groups.
"Today's workers have maybe half an hour for lunch," says Wanda Fink, who owns Palasta Pizza Buffet in York, Pennsylvania. The buffet allows them to come in, make a choice, eat and leave all within a short time. She adds she's not surprised when she sees some of these workers return with their families for dinner. "Kids love pizza buffets," she says, and in today's shaky economy, pizza is an economical way to feed a family. CiCi's Moore also mentions the appeal to families. "Everyone isn't going to be stuck with dad's choice," he says.
And in Annandale, Virginia, Mike Magill, owner of Magill's Famous Pizza & Buffet, actively works to attract Little League teams, school and youth groups to his buffet. "We decided to specialize in student groups," says Magill. And it's paying off. "We're more a destination place now, and we do a lot of teen parties."
Of course, there are disadvantages as well. "There can be higher food costs and waste involved with a buffet," says Childers. Fink explains why: "Because it's a buffet, some people don't think twice about taking a bite of pizza and leaving the rest on their plate while they go for another slice," says Fink. "If they were paying for a whole pizza, they wouldn't leave that much waste."
As for the increased food costs, Magill explains it like this: "The buffet customer wants to eat a lot. They want to feel stuffed, so you have to have plenty of food for them to eat."
But Johnny DeAngelo, owner of Johnny DeAngelo's New York Pizza Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, says there are ways around both problems. To reduce waste, "Know your market," says DeAngelo, and plan your menu accordingly. Adults may not be as impressed with a mac-and-cheese pizza as kids, and kids are unlikely to touch a shrimp pesto pizza, so understand who your customers are and the toppings they prefer. "It takes a lot of trial and error to get it right," says CiCi's Moore. But that doesn't mean it can't be done.
Fink says she also reduced waste by switching from 14-inch to 7-inch pizzas, and during slow times, she combines three toppings on each pizza. As for the professional buffet eater, you can switch to smaller plates to slow down consumption, or provide more "filler" types of food, like pasta, bread and a creative salad bar, says De Angelo. "I also do the serving myself," he says, which helps reduce waste and discourage multiple trips for meat-only entreés. But in the end, most buffets balance out between light and heavy eaters. "We don't set limits," says Fink. Nor do any of the experts interviewed here. "We love all our customers," says Moore.
If you're interested in a pizza buffet for your business, keep these tips in mind:
❖ Be willing to commit the space and invest in equipment. You don't need a lot of space for the buffet, and equipment needs are minimal beyond your regular set-up, maybe $3,000 to $4,000, says Childers. You'll need a countertop, pizza warmers, heat lamps and Plexiglas shields — but you also need to be able to seat at least 60 to 80 people to make a profit, says DeAngelo, adding: "Volume is the name of the game."
❖ Pay attention to appearance and quality. "The fi rst thing a customer will do is look at your buffet to see what you offer," says DeAngelo. "Make sure it looks as appealing at the end of service as it does at the beginning." And don't skimp on quality –– it keeps customers coming through the door.
❖ Rotate offerings. Offer at least six or seven pizzas at a time and rotate them frequently, says Childers. CiCi's has a 25-minute rule; others wait 30-minutes before switching out pizzas. Fink offers seasonal pizza rotations on her menu as well.
❖ Offer variety. Every pizza buffet needs a salad bar but Magill suggests offering other items as well –– for those who don't care for pizza. Pasta is typical, but Magill also offers chicken nuggets and a taco bar; DeAngelo supplies his buffet with stuffed peppers and eggplant parmigiana. "We've done $1,000 lunches," says DeAngelo, so buffets can be profi table. It takes careful planning, though, he says, and a commitment to do it right.❖
Karen Edwards is a Columbus, Ohio freelance writer specializing in food and business.
Photos by Josh Keown
There's an old rule of thumb that a marketing budget and rent should be 12 percent of total sales. The theory is that if you have low rent, say 5 percent of sales, you are in a less desirable location and need to advertise more to make up for it.
On the other hand, a rent factor in the 8-percent to 10-percent range usually means you have a high visibility location that allows you to advertise less. I can assure you, though, that is not always the case. You may have gotten into a lease at a higher rate than you should have. Maybe you're paying a bit higher because of a low vacancy rate in your town — even for a "B" location.
So, does the 12 percent rent/ad budget rule make any sense? Not to me. I'm fi ne paying more for a better location, but why on Earth would I restrict my ability to make money by keeping the brakes on my ad budget? After all, advertising is the only expense you have that can generate more than you put in to it. The food in your walkin won't multiply itself. Your work force doesn't work any harder on payday. Your building doesn't get any bigger even though your rent goes up. But, advertising has the power to move the masses and bring back three, four, fi ve and even ten dollars or more for every dollar spent.
Why wouldn't you spend more to make more? I determine a budget based on the performance of my marketing and on how much money I want to make. Not as an add-on to my percentage of rent. To arrive at a budget, I begin by asking three questions:
1. What is your exact ticket average (fi gured over the last 30 days)? If you are still in the Stone Age with no POS, you'll have to do some tedious math.
2. Exactly how many times per year does an average customer purchase from you? Now you can certainly fi gure this out on a couple of month's worth of data.
3. What is your food cost?
For easy math, we'll use these numbers: Average ticket $15 x 18 purchases per year = $270. Now, subtract 25 percent food cost and you've got $202.50. Government statistics reveal that 17 percent of all people move every year. So, roughly speaking, people stay in the same house or apartment for about fi ve years. So, $202.50 x 5 = $1,012.50.
Alright, now every time a new customer walks in the door you're looking at a nice tidy stack of cash –– not just a $15 one-time transaction. The question is, what will you invest to acquire a $1,012.50 asset?
In theory you could spend hundreds of dollars per customer and still come out smelling like a rose. But I would scold you severely if your marketing were that feeble. The fi rst example shows Pizzeria "X" doing $100,000 a year with a $5,000 marketing budget and a $20,000 profi t. Double the marketing to $10,000 and sales inch up 25 percent to $125,000 — but profi ts climb 38 percent to $27,500. If you've got world class marketing and a bunch of daydreaming competitors, a 50-percent sales increase causes a profi t explosion of 100 percent, jumping take-home cash to $40,000. I'm not making this stuff up –– I've got a calculator right here. And keep in mind that sales in my own pizzeria surged by more than 1,000 percent, so a measly 50 percent jump isn't even close to being out of the question.
Why don't some pizzeria owners spend more on marketing? Because they perceive marketing as a necessary evil to be doled out only when sales fall off a cliff. After all, they've got a tank full of gas, a big screen TV and cable … life is good. It's only when the banker comes knocking at the door that they begrudgingly spend a nickel or two to get the party started again.
Once you understand that it's not what you spend but what that expense produces, you'll leave the realm of the clueless behind and be able to make an intelligent decision instead of just guessing and throwing darts.
You know those book-of-the-month and CD clubs? They'll send you eight books or CDs for a dollar? The advertising and production costs alone guarantee that they'll lose money every time someone joins. But they're no fools. What they've done is made a super generous offer to hook new members because they've tested and calculated the lifetime value of a customer. They already know that for every 100 new members they acquire, 35 percent will continue to buy six books or CDs per year for three years .
And those tacky "But wait – there's more!" commercials on TV selling kitchen gadgets for $19.99? Again, they are making a terrifi c offer to gain the fi rst purchase … then they start using direct mail to sell you more kitchen thingamabobs. They are very shrewd and it all boils down to "customer lifetime value."
Pizza is a wonderfully "re-consumptive" product. That's why it's critical to get more and more customers into your stable and away from competitors.
Look at your budget with this in mind … a big, fat SUV gets 12 miles to the gallon. A Toyota Prius gets 46 miles to the gallon. The Prius will take you to the same place at about a fourth of the cost. Good marketing will do the same.
The instant you understand that marketing is all about "buying" customers with enormous lifetime value, you will be empowered to take the brakes off your marketing budget and let your profi ts run.
My experience is that most pizzeria owners don't spend enough, restricting their success as a result. So, fi gure out what a customer is worth to your business. Polish your marketing. Track your results. And then spend what it takes to get where you want to go. ❖
Kamron Karington owned a highly successful independent pizzeria before becoming a consultant, speaker and author of The Black Book: Your Complete Guide to Creating Staggering Profi ts in Your Pizza Business. He is a monthly contributor to Pizza Today.
Recently, I was visiting a pizzeria and discussing its menu with the owner. He does a New York style hand tossed pizza, and he does it well. It's the workhorse of his menu and he's very proud of it. When the conversation turned to his appetizer list, he became dismissive. Though he recognizes appetizer sales are red hot right now, he insists he wants to be known for his pizza.
As well he should. But, at what price? In today's market, having great pizza may not be enough. The operator I was speaking with seemed to agree with that point to a small degree. He had a complete menu, but he seemed to treat the nonpizza items as unwanted stepchildren. Case in point: I asked him about his chicken wings.
"Oh," he said, "those are just on there because people expect us to have them. But we don't really sell many of them." "Hmmm," I replied. "Most places do. Have you tried having your servers push them a little?"
"It wouldn't matter," the operator responded. He then named a competitor up the street. We'll call the place Dave's Pizza for this commentary. "Dave's has much better wings, so people go there when they want those."
I asked what made Dave's wings better. The operator answered that they were larger and just fl at-out had better flavor.
I couldn't help but ask why he didn't upgrade his wings to be more competitive. He more or less dodged the question and said he was thinking of taking wings off his menu altogether. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. If you try really hard to sell a product and just can't move it, then, by all means, take it off the menu. But this was a different story altogether. The operator in question admitted he was serving an inferior product and he didn't care because he had great pizza and that was enough for him.
As for me, I believe that an operation should strive for perfection on every menu item. Sure, you want the best pizza in town. But you also want the best wings, the best hoagies, the best carrot cake … you name it. If you're going to serve it, do it right. Otherwise, don't do it at all.
Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
When Gary Cooney opened the first of his four Chicago pizzerias in 1981, local customers craved Waldo Cooney's pie. His South Side Chicago outfi t set a delivery radius of one mile, plenty to keep the cooks, drivers and phones busy on any given evening.
Fast forward 27 years and Cooney shares a new reality. Shifting area demographics and increased competition forced Cooney to reevaluate his business plan, including his flagship store's delivery radius.
"Originally, I wasn't so focused on the competition; there were only two to three pizzerias in our area and we were just focused on taking care of the people in our immediate area," Cooney says. "But the ballgame changed. The city changed."
At the century's turn, Cooney expanded his delivery area, pushing it gradually—a half-mile here, a half-mile there. Today, Cooney's delivery radius extends three miles, a hefty area to cover in Chicago's urban landscape. In recent years, he's extended the delivery boundaries of his subsequent stores so that the delivery areas touch. Where one drops off, another assumes control.
"There's a lot of competitiveness out there and we had to go for every person we could get," he says. "But at some point, yes, you have to draw the line. You can't keep pushing those lines out if it's not cost effective or safe."
For many pizzeria operators, the issue of delivery radius is a finicky one demanding balance between time and revenue, not to mention quality and customer satisfaction. Travel too far for customers and time could outweigh profits; set the boundaries too short and potential customers could be lost.
"Delivery area is an ongoing dilemma in our store," says T.J. Banning, who owns two Rosati's Pizza locations in Illinois.
When Banning opened his first store eight years ago in Yorkville, Illinois, a once rural community being consumed by suburban Chicago sprawl, he took to the road himself to define the store's delivery radius. It was, he confesses, more art than science, but the necessary step. Merely looking at a map, one unlikely to identify the community's latest street additions, wouldn't produce answers.
"A map couldn't show me things like traffic, population density, driver safety, stop lights, and trains," Banning says. He called local direct mailing and promotional companies to get residential counts. "That was a free resource to see where people are in town," he adds.
In recent years, Banning's redefi ned the Yorkville spot's delivery area. Residential growth arrived in a different area than Banning had initially predicted, while the town's rural roads struggled to keep pace with the swelling traffic. At times, he's contracted his area; at others, he's expanded. Even today, with a delivery radius under three miles, it remains a work in progress. He monitors new subdivisions, competition, and traffic patterns while maintaining one golden rule.
"I never wanted to jeopardize the quality of our customers' orders and go for too much quantity," he says. "That was a hole I didn't want to dig." At the Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters of Domino's Pizza, time is king.
An industry pioneer with delivery, Domino's sets a strict delivery radius for all of its 5,000-plus U.S. outlets: deliveries can only be made to locations within a nine-minute rush hour drive.
If the pizza can be made, boxed, and on the road in 15 minutes, the nine-minute delivery window gives the driver six minutes of padding to meet the 30-minute mark that the company once guaranteed. When a Domino's store opens, in fact, a corporate representative drives around during rush hour to set the location's delivery radius.
"It all starts from the perspective of the consumer and how long they're willing to wait. Our research says the sooner, the better," says Domino's Pizza President Patrick Doyle.
From staffing to computer systems, delivery influences all of his Domino's decisions. "It's the way we chose to differentiate ourselves 48 years ago. Everything we do is done with delivery in mind," Doyle says.
Over the years, operators have learned delivery radius "tricks" to boost the bottom line. For instance, Cooney couples his advertising with delivery area. To maximize his marketing dollars, he matches his delivery boundaries to meet the advertising medium's zone over advertising that serves too expansive an area.
Banning turns to his drivers for insight. From the frontlines, drivers can report on dangerous intersections, road construction projects, or the cost-effectiveness of making deliveries to a given area, all critical factors in defining a delivery radius. Banning also established a method to deal with orders arriving from outside his defined area. He directs his phone staff to offer the customer an incentive for carry out, such as a two-liter of soda or free breadsticks.
"This way you're not totally losing the customer," he says, noting that most customers appreciate the simple offer.
Cooney reminds all operators to be mindful of staffing and the tasks they are being asked to perform. An expanded delivery radius might demand more drivers, more back-of- the-house staff, and an investment. "You must have the workhorses to take care of the situation. We have to service the customers every day, every hour, not just when it's convenient for us to do so," Cooney says.❖
The delivery debate: missing sales or avoiding a headache?
While Domino's Pizza President Patrick Doyle says Domino's does everything "with delivery in mind," many other operators refuse to afford delivery such hallowed ground. Though delivery accounts for 35 percent of the nation's pizza sales, some establishments pay it no attention. Are such operators missing sales or avoiding a headache?
"Missing profits," assures Rosati's Pizza Owner T.J. Banning, who owns two Rosati's Pizza locations in Illinois of the non-delivery outlets. "Up to 70 percent of my customers have never entered my store. Plain and simple, delivery opens you up to customers you wouldn't otherwise get."
To launch delivery, operators must first consider numerous factors, including population density, traffic, and safety. For some, the list proves overwhelming and complex; for others, worth the trouble given the potential profits. Such a decision cannot be hurried or reactive, but rather well-conceived and executed.
"You bet delivery can be a headache, but if you go into it organized and knowing the area, it can be smooth and profitable," says Banning.
Chicago-based writer Daniel P. Smith has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.
Over 20 percent of Papa John's sales comes from online and text ordering
Pizza Mondo / Philly Flash Cheesesteaks, Pizza & Wings / Everybody's Pizza
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 330-9093
Pizza Mondo is a hand-tossed haven in Bend, a place the locals know they can consistently count on. Started by a pair of attorneys, Pizza Mondo has been in operation since 1996 and recently added gluten-free pizza. The menu is pizza-heavy, but also includes salads, calzones and grinders. The Clubhouse, which features bacon, grilled chicken, baked tomatoes and pepperoncini, packs potent fl avor — while brownies are offered up as a token to those who require a sweet ending.
1901 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21404
(410) 280-2888
A true family owned business, Philly Flash gets its name from the DeCesaris' longtime involvement in Maryland drag racing. Owners Joseph and Donna DeCesaris own the pizzeria and operate it with the help of their four children. While the restaurant has a racing theme, the menu is decidedly Philly. From cheesy fries to sausage rolls, this isn't your typical pizzeria menu. But that doesn't keep pizza from being the star of the show!
1040 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 873-4545
Since 1971, Everybody's has been a pizza institution in Atlanta. The winner of several "best pizza" awards, Everbody's has a mouth-watering menu that makes it easy to understand Atlanta's 37-year love affair with the operation. A plethora of unique toppings, like golden raisins and honeyroast garlic, give this place a special twist. We're smitten by the pizza sandwiches. The Everybody's menu calls them "unique and delicious." We can't disagree.
Photo by Josh Keown
Some pizza doughs are made with sugar, and others are made without. Typically, we fi nd that dough destined to be baked at high temperatures is made without any added sugar, while those that will be baked at lower temperatures (425 to 450 F) will contain at least some sugar to assist in crust color development. Doughs that contain sugar will brown quite quickly when baked at high temperatures, thus prompting their removal from the oven. But be advised, the pizza may not be baked as well as it appears. While nice and brown on the outside, it may be soft and moist on the inside.
Besides affecting crust color development, sugar also provides a source of nutrient for the yeast to feed upon. So if you are holding your dough for several days in the cooler, a small amount of sugar added to the dough formula –– about 1 percent –– may help your dough to perform better after several days of cooler storage. Since much of this sugar will be consumed by the yeast, there will be very little, if any, of it left to contribute to crust color development in the oven. The type of sugar added can have an impact on both the flavor and crumb color of the finished crust, and this is what we are going to review in this article.
When it comes to selecting a sugar for its flavor contribution, we have several choices. Honey comes in a number of color-based grades. The higher the grade, the lighter the color. Since the price of honey is based on its color, the lighter the color, the more expensive — but that doesn't always mean that it is the best suited to our specific application in a crust. Taking into account the high cost of honey, it makes a lot of sense to use a darker colored, more intensely flavored honey at a lower level to achieve the desired flavor in our crusts. The only time when a lighter colored honey needs to be considered is when a honey flavor is desired and you want to minimize any darkening of the crumb color in the finished crust. If you're making a wheat or whole-wheat crust, one of the darker colored, lower cost grades of honey will provide both flavor and crumb color improvement to the finished crust and save you a few dollars in the long run.
Molasses can also be added to pizza doughs to impart a unique flavor. But like with dark colored honey and malt syrup, the color of molasses is also dark, so it will have a darkening effect on the crumb portion of the finished pizza crust. The flavor imparted by molasses is truly unique and it blends well with dark colored fl ours such as whole-wheat, multigrain or even many of the more exotic fl ours such as buckwheat, quinua, amaranth, and a host of others. About the only thing to watch for with molasses is to purchase only unsulfured molasses, as other forms of this sweetener can be detrimental to yeast activity, resulting in poor dough performance.
While not exactly a sweetener, fruit juice and juice concentrates have been used in some applications. Some of the more common ones are apple juice, apple juice concentrate, raisin juice, raisin juice concentrate, and prune juice. While these can be effectively used as sweeteners, their main shortfall is with the flavor that they impart. In some products, the flavor may not be an issue, but in others, the flavor might be construed as off, foreign, or different. In any case, this is something that you would have to seriously consider to determine if it might be right for your product or application.
Corn sugar, (dextrose) either as a dry sugar, or as syrup, may also have a unique application in pizza crusts. Dextrose differs from sucrose (regular table sugar or cane/beet sugar) in that it is less sweet, only about 90 percent as sweet as sucrose, and it also imparts a lighter crust color to the baked product than sucrose. What this means is that it can be used to provide some level of sweetness, or nutrient for the yeast to feed upon without getting quite as dark of a baked crust color as would be had with other sweetener forms.
Brown sugar is another sugar type that we see occasionally used. This is really nothing more than white table sugar (sucrose) with a small portion of the black strap molasses added back to the sugar to give it the darker color and slight molasses like flavor. Because of its low level in the sugar, the molasses really doesn't provide for much flavor, but it does give more of a "natural" formulation than the refined, white sugar.
Finally, lactose, also known as milk sugar, is a truly different type of sugar from those previously mentioned sugars because it is not fermented by the yeast and it also has a very low sweetness, only 15 percent that of sucrose, so it doesn't really contribute any sweetness to the finished crust. What it does bring to the party is crust color development, or browning. This can come in handy when formulating a dough for a take-and-bake application. Because a take-and-bake pizza will be baked in a home oven, which doesn't have the strong bottom heat to really bake the pizza well, the addition of 3- to 5-percent lactose to the dough formula will provide for the necessary browning properties without any unwanted sweetness. And since the lactose isn't fermented by the yeast, you don't have to worry about the sugar level diminishing with time as the dough/pizza is stored in the refrigerator.
While many of these sweeteners are syrups rather than dry, their flavor and/or color contribution are more significant than that of regular white sugar. You will want to experiment with a lower use level than you are presently using for your regular sugar. A good place to start is to replace the dry sugar with the syrup at the same weight. Due to the water content of the syrup, this will provide about a 20-percent reduction in overall sugar level. You can then make additional adjustments as necessary to achieve the desired flavor and color characteristics. If you are making a natural type of crust, or just want to add more of a "natural" or "healthy" appeal to your existing crust, proper selection of sugar type can play an important roll in the way your consumer perceives your crust and your overall pizza. ❖
Tom Lehmann is a director at the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas.
In challenging economic times, it's not just about producing a quality pizza. Attending an industry trade show –– even during an economic slowdown –– can be the best vehicle to obtain new knowledge, insight and ideas that can help you position your pizzeria for future growth. As an independent pizzeria owner, you may be under pressure and worried about how you're going to survive in this new economy. The fact is you may need to slow down in order to speed up your business. You may also need to think creatively and use innovative ideas to boost your business. Attending Expo can stimulate that creativity and provide the momentum you need to move your business forward.
Below are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your trade show experience:
❖ Time is at a premium. Plan in advance and pre-register to save time and money. Schedule appointments with people you want to meet. Make a list of what you want to learn and see. Review the seminar program and pre-show workshops to choose the offerings that will have greatest benefit and impact on you and your business.
❖ Take charge! Meet with suppliers and/or other pizzeria operators to find out what they're doing and what they see happening in the future. Or better yet, just make plans to attend the Beer & Bull® Idea Exchange.
❖ Walk the show floor thoroughly and completely. Jot down the products, companies and booth numbers that grab your attention. Pay particular attention to new products being offered at the show, as well as any new exhibitors.
❖ Knowledge is Pizza Power! Gather as much information as possible while at the show. Find out what products, services and techniques are available to you that will improve your product, productivity and best of all, your bottom line.
❖ Talk to industry consultants and experts to pick their brains to find out what they're thinking and doing. What are the new trends and how will they impact your business?
❖ This may be one of the best times ever to purchase new equipment … certainly a buyer's market. The fact of the matter is no one wants to take their equipment and products back to the warehouse. Take advantage of the show specials and steep discounts being offered by our exhibiting partners. You may not have an opportunity like this ever again.
❖ What is the competition doing and how does your pizzeria compare?
❖ Can you leverage vendor/supplier expertise?
❖ Is menu expansion an option?
❖ What can you do differently to outshine and outperform your competition?
Finally, write down what you learned at the show and rethink or analyze your business strategy and philosophy. How can you better position your pizzeria in the marketplace? What new ideas can you implement to achieve your goals?
There will always be winners and losers, but only those pizzeria owners and operators that arm themselves with industry knowledge and are willing to take action towards positive change will have the ability to compete and win. You should make plans NOW to attend International Pizza Expo®. It's the ideal trade show to obtain the knowledge that you need to help strategize, improve operations and make the right decision for you to compete and WIN!
Save time and money by pre-registering now at www.PizzaExpo.com. .
We mean business!
Bill Oakley
Executive Vice President
Photos by Rick Daugherty
A New York favorite has spread across the nation — addictive garlic knots have shown up on pizzeria menus from Florida to California. At their simplest, they're just strips of pizza dough tied into a knot and drenched in garlic butter. However, garlic knots can be customized, too. Some operators make simple knots, while others tuck in the ends for rounded rolls. Some proof the rolls, while others bake them right away. The butter mixture can be applied before or after baking, or both. And, the mixture can vary from basic garlic butter to one that includes olive oil and other seasonings, including fresh herbs.
Originally from New York, owner Keith Arnold named his Littleton, Colorado, business after this classic New York pizzeria product –– The Garlic Knot has two locations. He also planned ahead for production of these iconic rolls, installing a second oven specifi cally for baking them.
"Because we have standing orders, we make thousands of garlic knots each day," Arnold says. "So we didn't want to tie up our pizza ovens. Besides, we bake them at a lower temperature. Because we proof them fi rst, they turn out light and fl uffy. For good fl avor, we brush on garlic butter before and after baking.
"Although fl our prices have been up and down a lot, we think garlic knots yield a good profi t. We start with a 20-ounce piece of pizza dough for 20 knots, then just tie a loop, leaving the ends loose. We put as many as will fi t in a 7-inch tin —'about 10-ish' we tell our customers — and sell that for $3. When we sell them as appetizers, they go into a basket, which allows us to reuse the tins."
Of course, most pizzerias make garlic knots in more modest quantities. They're popular as appetizers or as a side with salads or pizza, says Tim Cullen, managing partner of Ramunto's Brick and Brew Pizza in Hanover, New Hampshire. Individual rolls sell for 70 cents, while half-dozens and dozens have appropriate price breaks. "They're one of our more popular appetizers," Cullen says, "especially with marinara sauce on the side."
Ramunto's cooks make garlic knots three or four times a day depending on business volume or delivery orders. Starting with pizza dough cut into 2-ounce strips, the cooks tie the knot, then wind the ends around the loop to tuck them underneath, yielding a braid-like appearance. After proofi ng, the knots are baked. Before serving, the cooks dip the warm rolls into a mixture of melted butter, garlic and grated Parmesan cheese.
"We make two different types of knots," Cullen says. "Besides baking individual round knots, we fl atten the regular knots and elongate them to look more like a shoe. We press those knots around the edge of a pizza crust, and brush them with the butter sauce before adding a tomato-basil sauce that we make especially for this pizza. The garlic knot pizza is one of our most popular pizzas."
Another advocate of proofi ng fi rst is Paul Villaggio, owner of Villaggio's Pizzeria in Newberry, Florida. He credits garlic rolls with helping his year-old business to prosper. "We like to give our customers their money's worth," he says, "so our price for garlic knots is 3 for $1. Marinara sauce is 50 cents more, but most customers like the garlic knots alone.
"Our customers like a fl uffy consistency, so we make them ahead by tying simple knots, putting them on a tray, covering them with plastic wrap, and letting them rise. We bake them in our pizza ovens, so we're careful they don't get burned. We let them sit for about 10 minutes before dipping them in the garlic butter.
"Because we try to bring passion to our food, and offer customers something different, we use freshly chopped garlic in the mixture. But we also add parsley, oregano, olive oil and Parmesan. That's what makes our garlic knots a best seller for us."
For authenticity, however, John Lombardi, owner of Lombardi's Brookside Inn and Pizzeria in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, says that garlic knots should be dense and chewy, with some body. "We get a lot of New Yorkers who stop in and say they're surprised to fi nd real garlic knots in the middle of nowhere," he says. "We don't proof our knots before we bake them because the pizza dough has already proofed in the trays.
"Instead, we roll out a dough ball as for pizza, use a cutter in a spiral to cut a long rope of dough, then cut individual sections. We get about 25 pieces from a 27-ounce dough. After tying knots, we put them on trays, then bake them at 500 F just long enough for them to get golden. After this stage, we can store them in the refrigerator, where they'll keep for a couple of days.
"When we get an order, we put six in a 9-inch aluminum pan, add the butter mixture on top, then bake them until they're browned. That way, the rolls are sopping with butter and garlicky fl avor. If we're serving them on a plate, we pour any extra butter on top." ❖
Garlic Knots
Yield: about 10 dozen 1-ounce rolls
16 garlic cloves, minced 1 to 2 teaspoons salt* 11⁄2 cups olive oil, melted butter** or combination 8 pounds pizza dough Chopped fresh fl at-leaf parsley (optional) Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Marinara sauce (optional)
*If using salted butter, adjust to taste
**3 sticks or 12 ounces
Using fl at side of knife, mash garlic with salt. Blend with oil and/or butter. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
Roll out prepared dough into rectangles about 6 to 7 inches wide. Cut 1-inch strips with pizza wheel. Roll strips slightly to round edges. Tie into loose knot (if desired, tuck ends into middle of knot).
Dip in garlic mixture or brush with olive oil. Place on oiled sheet pans or trays 2 to 3 inches apart; proof until doubled in size. Bake at 450 F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown (adjust baking time for higher temperatures). Toss warm knots in remaining garlic mixture and sprinkle with parsley and cheese, if desired. Serve with marinara sauce on the side, if desired.
Carol Meres Kroskey is a freelance writer based in Chicago. She has extensive knowledge covering the baking and food service industries for a variety of publications.
Marc Able owns the five-unit PieWorks Pizza by Design, headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana. The company has recently stepped up franchising efforts after streamlining its operations and expects to open two new stores next year.
PT: Your name alone implies your pizzas function as a work of art. How is that carried through to the product?
MA: We're specialty pizza, and we have more than 60 different toppings. We used a corporate chef for several years in the '90s to create a lot of different taste profiles, working not only presentation but also textures, colors and taste. We see "works" as two different things: artwork and (the) works of overwhelming variety.
PT: You offer unusual toppings such as alligator, crawfish and –– gulp –– hot dogs. We have to ask: how well do these sell?
MA: It depends on where we are. In North Carolina, we might sell 220 pounds of alligator a year or a year-and-a-half. In Louisiana, we might sell 20 pounds in two weeks. Crawfish, of course, is a big seller in Louisiana. We sell a lot of crawfish. Alligator is not really as popular as it used to be and I'm not really sure why, but crawfish is steadily becoming an ingredient of choice, especially in Louisiana.
PT: Where most pizzerias might offer one or two seafood pies, your menu boasts five. Why so many?
ME: Uniqueness, first of all. A lot of people offer seafood, and we're a Louisiana-based concept –– it's very high in food culture here. We have a long history of food taste and culinary sophistication. Seafood just seems to go with what we do and who we are.
PT: Pieworks sits at No. 71 on Pizza Today's Hot 100 Independents list. How have you used that in your marketing?
MA: We use it in our franchising efforts and when we open a new restaurant. We have a number of different awards that we've won, and we like to list them, especially when we're introducing ourselves to a new market. We use the Hot 100 especially when we're promoting franchises.
PT: We know Pieworks has stepped up franchising –– why now, and what is your expected growth?
MA: We've been around since 1990. Although we've been offering franchises since 2002, we really haven't gone after it like we're planning on doing in the next 12 to 24 months. Primarily, I had felt that we didn't have a strong enough base. We have fi ve locations now, and three of them are our new prototype. Just now, I think we're getting a strong enough base to support franchisees regardless of where they are. We've had to evolve our concept over the years –– part in the changing times, and part to become more contemporary. We look at offering franchises as a way to grow as our concept evolves.
Photos by Josh Keown
The appetizer section of menus has taken a beating in the many Chicago restaurants I visit every day in my role as chief restaurant critic for the Chicago Sun- Times. I see customers moving away from expensive appetizers (and, believe me, the price of apps have gone through the roof) and moving directly to an entreé (or possibly an inexpensive house salad before the entree). But it doesn't have to be that way.
Appetizers are not on menus simply to boost the check average. An appetizer, as the name implies, is a small serving of food meant to stimulate the appetite. Antipasto in Italian. Hors d'oeuvre in French. Antojito in Spanish. Anyway you pronounce or spell it, the reason appetizers are the lead item on most menus is that it sets the pace for the rest of the meal. And, to that extent, it becomes your calling card. Serving a bad appetizer or two can throw cold water on everything to follow, and that will leave a bad taste in your customers' mouths. Step up to the plate and make some magic with the appetizer portion of your menu.
Here, by focusing on zucchini and artichokes, I am only scratching the surface of the pantry of possibilities; however, by extension, you can take some of the ideas and methods included in the recipes that follow and put them to use in other applications. And, by yet another extension, take the accompaniments (dipping sauces, garnishes) I suggest and put those into play with those appetizers that you might be featuring on your menu right now.
Allow me to whet your appetite with this very easy-to-do recipe for fried zucchini. The zucchini is cut lengthwise for this recipe; however, you can use the same method of coating and frying should you want to cut the zucchini into coins instead of strips. It boils down to simply a matter of how you wish to plate and present the dish.
Zucchini Fritti
Yield: about 4 servings (scale up in direct proportion)
1½ cups Parmesan 1½ cups Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) ½ teaspoon salt 2 extra-large eggs 3 medium-size zucchini, washed, trimmed (but not skinned), cut into 3 inch-long by about ½ inch-wide strips In a mixing bowl, combine the Parmesan, Panko and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Dip the zucchini in the egg to coat, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini on both sides with the Panko, pressing so that the Panko sticks.
Deep-fry the zucchini strips (in batches if necessary) until they are golden brown (about 3 minutes at 375 F). Drain on paper toweling. Can be made ahead and held for up to one hour. Serve with aioli dipping sauce on the side (recipe follows).
Aioli Dipping Sauce for Fried Zucchini
A classic aioli is made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and egg yolks, which by any other name is close to fresh-made mayonnaise. So in my version of aioli I take the easy way out by using bottled mayonnaise with no loss of fl avor or overall goodness.
2 cups real mayonnaise 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 large garlic cloves, pushed through a garlic press 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (about 1⁄3 cup) Sea salt
Put the mayonnaise in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate (covered) for 2 hours to let the fl avors develop.
Makes just over 2 cups. Scale up in direct proportion.
Batter-Fried Artichokes
It's not easy to work with artichokes but, in the end, deliciousness trumps hard work. Whether to use fresh artichokes and go through the process of paring and trimming the artichoke, or to use canned artichoke hearts or frozen artichokes hearts is up to you (my choice, unless I am stuffi ng the artichoke, is to go with frozen artichoke hearts). Whatever choice you make, give this appetizer a try, you just might be surprised how well your customers take to these golden, crispy, chunks of delicious pleasure. Deep-fried artichokes can be as simple as dredging the hearts (halve the larger hearts to allow for even cooking) in fl our and dropping them in the fryer. Drain and serve with wedges of fresh lemon. Or, to make matters a bit more interesting, you can use this recipe, one that gives the artichokes a tastier, crispier chew.
Crispy Artichoke Hearts
1 pound artichoke hearts. If frozen, thaw. If canned, drain. (Pat dry in both cases) 2 large eggs ¾ cup all-purpose fl our ¼ cup yellow cornmeal 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Cut the larger hearts in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly. In a separate bowl combine the fl our, cornmeal, Parmesan and oregano.
Dip the artichoke halves in the egg, allowing the excess to drain back into the bowl, then into the fl our mixture, turning to coat all over.
Deep-fry in batches (about 4 minutes until golden and crisp) Drain onto paper towels. Serve with a Dijon-dill dipping sauce (recipe follows) on the side. Or, if you want to take the easy (yet delicious) route, use a bottled ranch dressing.
Put the dipping sauce in a small ramekin in the center of a large plate. Arrange the fried artichoke hearts around the ramekin. Sprinkle with fi nely chopped parsley (optional).
It is hard to gauge a serving portion, because of the varying size of the artichoke hearts. I can tell you that when I make this recipe for friends and family the artichokes disappear rather fast. However, the recipe is so simple it doesn't take long to whip up another batch.
Dijon-Dill Dipping sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon snipped fresh dill 1 teaspoon lemon juice Combine the mayonnaise, mustard and dill. Whisk in the lemon juice. ❖
Pat Bruno is Pizza Today's resident chef and a regular contributor. He is the former owner and operator of a prominent Italian cooking school in Chicago and is a food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Photos by Rick Daugherty and Josh Keown
Right behind food cost is your second most expensive controllable expense: labor. Labor cost, or L/C, is usually referred to as a percentage of gross sales. I stayed on top of hourly labor like a hawk. My point of sale system served as my time clock and provided real time labor amounts in dollars as well as percentage of gross. My manager's pay was a combination of salary and bonus based on performance. The biggest area he was in charge of was achieving an ideal prime cost. Prime cost, or P/C, is defi ned as the combination of total food cost (F/C) and labor cost. Every operation varies somewhat because of service style and prevailing wages. At Big Dave's Pizza, the prime cost was 55 percent. We ran about a 30-percent F/C and a 25 percent L/C. These percentages could move just as long as the P/C stayed at 55 percent.
Most operations I work with hover around 60-percent prime. To accurately state the correct labor percentage one must take into account several areas. The fi rst is salaries and wages, both management and hourly. In addition, one must add in payroll taxes (FICA-Medicare) worker's comp insurance, any medical insurance and other benefi ts. These expense categories should be grouped together under payroll on your profi t and loss statement.
The snapshot that you get from your POS labor screen usually doesn't refl ect anything but labor that is on the clock. The above soft costs usually will add 5 to 6 percent of additional costs to the real number that will be refl ected on your fi nancials.
The steps we implemented to achieve a terrifi c labor cost were written in stone. Every week my manager and scheduler projected the next week's sales based on prior weeks' same-sales. Once that dollar amount was determined we knew how much money we had in the budget to spend on labor. Hypothetically, if a store had weekly gross (less sales tax) sales of $10,000 and their ideal labor cost percentage is 30 percent, you'll have $2,500 to spend on wages and salary. The soft costs will add another 5 percent, so you'll hit 30 percent when the week is said and done. The fi rst days we scheduled were Friday and Saturday. I wanted to have those two very busy days covered with my most productive, trained staff. I call it "put your aces in their places." I slotted my fastest pizza-makers, drivers and counter crew in their most productive slots for the shift. These days were normally two or three times as busy as weekdays. During peak sales shifts my productivity increased. Everyone on staff was working full speed. I often recorded 12 and 13 percent labor hours. These highly productive sales bursts helped shore up high labor days when sales were low. It still takes a minimum amount of staff to deliver great service and food. During slow weekdays, I couldn't help but run higher than average ideal labor. The trick is to have the week or payroll cycle balance out.
Consistent numbers are almost impossible to achieve unless your staff is highly trained. One highly trained cook or driver can out-produce two or three under-trained employees. One of my fastest pizza-makers was Mark H. This guy could hand stretch, spin, sauce and cheese a 14-inch pizza and put it in the oven in 19 seconds. His only request: "Don't let my table run out of ingredients and stay out of my space." Mark was trained and mentored by Cookin' Correlle. Sarah F. could take a phone order, repeat it back and suggestively upsell extra cheese or breadsticks in 48 seconds. The customer never felt rushed. Sarah was trained by my manager, G.I. Joe. I was the slowest order taker at 63 seconds. My head prep cook, David J., could mix, weigh out, roll and refrigerate a 75-pound batch of dough singlehandedly in 21 minutes. I trained David J. He was a nut case and required gentle handling. These folks had one thing in common: they shared a fundamental principal of Big Dave's –– a high sense of urgency. They also had time expectations they shot for. We timed every operation in the store and knew how long it took to complete almost any task. Tasks that are measured improve. If you don't have the bar set, times will vary.
Every one of my superstar eagles started out on the bottom of the schedule when they were a probationary newbie. Ninety-percent of all new hires were sponsored by an existing eagle. After you worked for me for six months, you could sponsor a new hire. After a deep and through background check and a group interview, the newbie was brought into the family. The newbie's sponsor took on the responsibility of transforming their friend into an awesome, competent, quick and smiling customerpleasing crew person. Every sponsor entered into a handshake contract with me at the time we hired in their friend. If their friend was doing well at the end of 10 weeks I gave the sponsor a $100 bill from my wallet. If for any reason the newbie wasn't with us at 10 weeks, the sponsor gave me $50. I never got any half-hearted endorsements. These folks put their money where their mouth was. If no one would sponsor a potential new hire I assumed there was a good reason … and passed on the hire. ❖
Cross-Training is Key
When the majority of your staff is cross trained so they can perform tasks and duties outside of their normal job, you'll never fear being understaffed for any rush. Although you are paying more, the pure productivity of this kind of crew will cost much less than staffi ng with average people. This is how we held our labor percentage very close to 25 percent. This intensive training costs money. You have to decide if you want to invest the time and money into new hires. You may think, "What if I get them all trained up and they quit?" I say, "What if you don't and they stay?"
Big Dave Ostrander owned a highly successful independent pizzeria before becoming a consultant, speaker and internationally sought-after trainer. He is a monthly contributor to Pizza Today and leads seminars on operational topics for the family of Pizza Expo tradeshows.
Photo by Josh Keown
The best part about having stuffed food on your menu is that, in most instances, the dish can be prepared ahead. Take stuffed peppers, for example. There is no way you can do stuffed peppers to order and make it work. The same goes for stuffed shells and stuffed cabbage.
On the other hand, stuffed mushrooms can be stuffed to order (the mushroom and the stuffi ng having been prepped ahead), and so can stuffed tomatoes. To "stuff ahead" or not is the question, and the answer has to do with a lot of common sense along with the longevity of the product. I fi nd that mushrooms that are pre-stuffed tend to get a bit mushy. And a tomato half stuffed with, say, sausage and cheese, is not something that will keep its good fl avor for a long period of time (even if it were refrigerated).
Now what do we do with an assortment of stuffed foods? Will stuffed food work as an appetizer? Yes. As an entreé? Yes. How about dessert? Sure. Amaretti stuffed peaches will be a hit with both kids and grownups alike. Actually, I do believe you can stuff almost anything (within reason, of course).
So here for you to dig into and digest are a number of ideas for getting stuffed stuff onto your menu. Sample them out to loyal customers or employees to get some feedback. Then use a few of these as daily specials to see what customers think about your new ideas.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Yield: depending on how large the mushroom caps are, the serving size would be about 2-3 mushrooms
16 large mushrooms 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic 6 ounces bulk pork sausage* 1 tablespoon ground fennel seed ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Salt and pepper, to taste Shredded mozzarella cheese
Remove stems from mushrooms and trim. Finely chop the stems and sauté in butter in a large heavy skillet with garlic until mushrooms are wilted, about 3 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until just cooked through (do not over brown). Stir in the remaining ingredients, mix well; taste to adjust the seasoning. Allow the sausage mixture to cool for 5 minutes (Can be prepped up to this point and held).
To order: Stuff each mushroom cap (mound the fi lling a bit) with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle a small amount of the mozzarella over the stuffi ng. Bake in hot oven at 400 to 450 F, about 5 minutes. Or place the mushrooms under the broiler until the cheese is melted and drapes over the side of the mushroom.
* Pre-cooked sausage chunks can be substituted.
Stuffed Shells
Yield: Serves 4 (Scale up in direct proportion)
12 jumbo pasta shells 2 cups ricotta cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled ½ cup grated Parmesan
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until they are not quite al dente (they will fi nish cooking in the oven). Drain. Set the cooked shells on paper toweling to dry. (Shells can be cooked several hours ahead.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, salt, pepper, egg and oregano. Whip with a large spoon until smooth. Refrigerate if not using at once. Spoon a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each cooked shell, mounding the fi lling slightly higher than the shell itself.
If making portions to order, spread some warm marinara or meat sauce across the bottom of a baking dish. Put three of the stuffed shells on top of the sauce. Sprinkle some of the Parmesan over each shell. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce begins to bubble. Serve with additional sauce over the top or on the side.
Amaretti-Stuffed Peaches It is possible to make this dessert ahead –– stuffing the peaches and par-baking for about half the total baking time. Finish baking to order. Serve with a dollop of whip cream and a sprinkling of some extra crushed amaretti.
Yield: 8 servings (scale up in direct proportion)
½ stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup coarsely crumbled amaretti (Italian almond macaroons) 2 tablespoons all-purpose fl our 2 tablespoons sugar 1 large egg 8 fi rm ripe small peaches, halved lengthwise and pitted
Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and swirl it into a glass or ceramic baking dish.
In a food processor, process the amaretti until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the fl our, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Process and blend until butter is incorporated. Add the egg and blend until smooth.
Scoop some of the peach pulp from the center of each peach half (I use a small spoon) to create a cavity that will hold the fi lling. Slice a small piece off the bottom of each peach half so that it doesn't tilt. Arrange each peach half, cut side up, in the baking dish. Divide the amaretti mixture among the peaches. Bake until the fi lling puffs a bit and gets crisp (about 35 minutes). Serve warm with a dollop of whip cream. ❖
Pat Bruno is Pizza Today's resident chef and a regular contributor. He is the former owner and operator of a prominent Italian cooking school in Chicago and is a food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Photo by Rick Daugherty
Pizzerias across America have traditionally offered very few creative appetizers on their menus, preferring instead to focus on the pizza itself. In an effort to boost revenues and remain competitive, however, operators say that by offering more appetizers, utilizing ingredients they have on hand, they are able to offer variety without sacrifi cing food cost. Over the last several years, the "chip and dip" concept has emerged. Taking lead from other successful franchise food chains across the country, many operators have introduced the ever-popular spinach artichoke dip to their menus.
So what is it that makes spinach artichoke dip one of America's most popular appetizers? The "chip and dip" concept is nothing new. Serving dips at parties has been a staple for ages and using breads or tortillas for dipping actually goes back for centuries. Mediterranean countries have always enjoyed dipping crusty breads into extra virgin olive oil. The Swiss dipped little cubes of hearty, dense bread into wine-soaked Swiss cheese and Mexican cultures served fried tortilla chips with salsa, all of which are now common fare in this country.
The standard recipe for spinach artichoke dip combines either fresh or frozen spinach with artichoke hearts, creams and cheeses. There are many variations on the theme, however, which make this hearty dish a universal favorite that requires virtually no marketing.
Natasha O'Hara, owner of Dino's Pizza in North Mankoto, Minnesota, says this offering is one of her top selling appetizers and offers customers another menu item that can be shared with a group of people. "Most everyone enjoys spending time socially with their friends and family, and this type of food can easily be shared over a good conversation," she says. "It's comfort food; it's the new chips and salsa. We save on cost by serving it on fl atbread made from pizza dough."
Operators have differing opinions on which ingredients have a better food cost. O'Hara feels that using fresh spinach is more profi table. Others, however, prefer to use frozen chopped spinach, as they feel it is easier and stretches farther without sacrifi cing any fl avor.
Steven Greenberg, owner of Steve's Wood Fired Pizza in Boca Raton, Florida, says he manages to keep his food cost at 13- to 15-percent using frozen chopped spinach. "We make our recipe from scratch," says Greenberg. "We add artichoke hearts, olive oil, onions, garlic, sour cream, chicken broth, heavy cream, fl our and a variety of cheeses, and serve it with tri-color tortilla chips. We've even used it as a sauce on our pizzas, topping it with slices of roasted chicken."
Even the simplest recipe can become more interesting by serving it with different chips or breads. Operators are using everything from tortilla chips to toasted pita bread, fl atbread and sourdough bread.
Some operators have decided to forego the spinach altogether, incorporating more herbs and cheesy sauces. "We introduced spinach artichoke dip to our menu three years ago, but we wanted to be more innovative, so we changed it to a Basil Artichoke Dip," says Ryan Fuller, director of training and development for the Glacier Restaurant Group, which operates the MacKenzie River Pizza Company chain in Whitefi sh, Montana.
"We actually lowered our food cost by adding Alfredo sauce and pesto sauce, along with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and fresh basil. We serve it with sourdough dipping wedges. Our customers love it!"
Spinach artichoke dip is also a great appetizer to serve using alternative ingredients such as bacon, crabmeat or sun-dried tomatoes that will jazz up the standard recipe. You can also adjust the caloric intake, as desired. ❖
Denise K. Sypesteyn is an award-winning editor and freelance writer specializing in the food and travel industries. She is also the former owner of a successful pizzeria and Southwestern restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana
Photo by Rick Daugherty
When Nancy and Jeff Roskin moved from Connecticut to Scottsdale, Arizona, they felt the pizza in their new home left something to be desired. So they made their own.
"We decided to open up because the pizza here was disgusting," says Nancy, a straight-talking East Coaster who worked as a paralegal and an interior designer before turning into a restaurateur. "The food overall was great, but the pizza wasn't any good at all. The area needed a good pizza restaurant. We didn't move out here to open a restaurant. We didn't move with that in mind."
In June 2000, 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella was born. Despite the fact the Roskins did not have restaurant ownership experience under their belts (Jeff was in real estate, though he had owned businesses previously), they knew a good pizza would be welcome in Scottsdale.
"We hired a consultant to get us started and that was a worthwhile investment," says Nancy. "And we had a fabulous chef. She was 24 and we got her from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. She was a recent graduate and she ran the restaurant. She was awesome."
Unfortunately, the chef grew tired of the long hours this industry requires and moved on. "She wanted to have a life," Nancy explains. "It's the nature of this business that you have to work a lot of hours, yet there's a lot of down time, too. And you have to be here on nights and weekends and holidays." "You have to be open when everyone else is off work," Jeff adds. "That's one of the most diffi cult things about foodservice."
Like the Roskins, the pizza recipe at 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella actually came from Connecticut. Knowing they wanted a product similar to what they used to eat back on the East Coast, the Roskins decided there was no sense trying to replicate an established taste through timeconsuming trial and error. Instead, they opted to purchase recipes and procedures from a master baker in Hartford.
"He helped us create our pizza," says Jeff. "We paid him $5,000 and he gave us our dough recipe and taught us how to make it." The dough is far from the only thing made in-house. In fact, aside from actually boiling down tomatoes into sauce, everything at 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella is scratch made. Sure, it's labor intensive. But it also provides the restaurant with a quality image and an immediate point of difference from other eateries.
"We really do make everything in our stores," Nancy says. "I wouldn't have it any other way. We make our own breads, even: focaccia, sandwich bread, wholewheat crust. Everything. We make our own cannoli shells, tiramisu and cupcakes, too."
For the sauce, the 3 Tomatoes kitchen staff starts with canned crushed tomatoes and makes additions to it from there. "We make two different sauces," says Nancy. "Our Margherita is a traditional sauce and our Neapolitan is a chunkier tomato sauce."
The menu at 3 Tomatoes covers the bases but is far from exhaustive. Because everything is made in house, Jeff says it's important not to go overboard with the selections. Too many options, he explains, would simply be too taxing on the kitchen crew.
"When we fi rst opened, we didn't want to have any pasta at all," he says. "We just wanted to do upscale pizza, panini and salads. It's not really our focus, and we didn't necessarily have all the equipment to pull off a larger menu. But we eventually broke down and created fi ve pastas — and they all sell very well. We also do some soups now, too. Homemade, of course."
Adds Nancy: "I'm really fussy about what I serve. I won't serve what I won't eat, and I won't eat processed food." Does the 3 Tomatoes customer base know the lengths the Roskins and their staff go through to menu truly fresh food? "Some of them do," says Jeff. "The longtime customers who've been coming in for years now and who we've gotten to know have a pretty good idea."
Nancy agrees, but adds that "I don't think most of our customers realize the extent of what we go through, really. I mean, it's possible to buy everything premade and run a restaurant without ever having to make anything yourself. It's disgusting, and there are plenty of places that do that."
So, why not tell that "quality" story on their menus? It's something Jeff admits he'd like to do, but the unique physical size of the 3 Tomatoes menu and the unusually expensive menu holders they use leaves little space for anything other than the nuts and bolts of food items, descriptions and price.
"I'd like to be creative and let people know our story," he says. "And I think that's something people genuinely enjoy reading. But we've got nowhere to put anything like that. We paid $50 each for these (menu holders), so we're going to be using them for quite some time. Maybe I'll do a print out sometime to tell our story that way, something I could insert into the menu."
Nancy says she'd like to add more pastas to the 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella menu because they move so well. It's a contrast to the early days of running the restaurant, when America was locked in a short-lived love affair with a low-carbohydrate diet.
"The low-carb craze lasted all of three months," Nancy laughs. "I'm glad it didn't go on any longer, because some people were really getting into it and a lot of pizza and pasta restaurants got worried. I remember people adding all sorts of low-carb items to their menu and serving things like crust-less pizza and sandwiches with no bread. It's not what we're about and not the best-tasting thing, so we didn't get too much into it. We added a couple of things that would meet that demand if customers asked for it, but that just wasn't something we were really going to get into."
Today, as is always the case when the economy sours, pasta sales are strong industry-wide. But don't look for 3 Tomatoes to add a new lineup of them any time soon. There's that lack of menu space hanging over the Roskins heads. Plus, they want to stick true to their original streamlined concept. "I so admire In-N-Out Burger for what they're able to do," Nancy says of the West coast chain that offers only burgers, fries and milkshakes. "They keep it simple and they're unbelievably busy." 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella is busy as well. Besides the Scottsdale location and another company-owned store in nearby Peoria, a franchised store in Las Vegas is bustling.
"They're busy up there in Vegas," Nancy says. "I thought it would take a little longer to build it up, because they're in an underdeveloped area. But they're doing $20,000 a week in sales."
Things are so good that a second Sin City location will open soon in North Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Roskins are trying to find a buyer for their first franchised location, which opened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and did well before the franchisee closed it. "It was our fififi rst venture into franchising and we've learned a lot from it," says Jeff. "We just didn't have the right person in place. He seemed like a good fififififi t, he was young and ran the store well in the beginning. That store had sales over $800,000, but he got bored with it and wanted to move on to something else." The Roskins are ready to get that store back on line, and they're also excited to debut a new concept they have in the works, 3 Tomatoes Pronto. It's a scaled-down, counterservice version of the existing 3 Tomatoes & a Mozzarella brand.
"That's where the trend is going in restaurants right now," explains Jeff. "It can be built out for less money, which makes it easier to franchise or to offer market development packages.
Obviously, the less it costs, the more you can sell."
Jeremy White is editor-in-chief at Pizza Today.
Photos by Josh Keown
With its variety of colorful ingredients served in small, approachable bites, its no wonder diners enjoy kicking off their meal with antipasto platters. An Italian term, antipasto translates to "before the meal" and refers to an assortment of hot and cold appetizers usually including, but not limited to, cheese, meats and vegetables. Picture cured meats like salami, pepperoni or prosciutto; marinated, roasted, grilled or pickled vegetables such as olives, artichokes, peppers and eggplant; and sliced cheese. Garnishes of bread, crackers, olive oil, vinegar or fruit often round out platters.
Don't be discouraged by the abundance of ingredients. It's easy to incorporate antipasto platters into existing appetizer menus. In fact, a glance around the walk-in will prove that many ingredient staples are already in use on pizzas and pastas. Partnering with a local deli, specialty grocery store or gourmet food vendor can fi ll in any missing components. The platter may be a simple two-to-four-item plate or a more extravagant presentation of various cheeses, vegetables, meats and accompaniments.
Brett Corrieri, corporate chef/owner, of MAFIAoZA's Pizzeria in Nashville, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, invites guests to build their own antipasto platter. "We call our antipasto plates 'Piccolo Morsi', meaning 'little bites.' There can be as little as three items or as many as 21 items plus garnishes and crostini. It is up to the client," he says.
At MAFIAoZA's Nashville location, guests may order three ($8), fi ve ($12) or all items ($35). The Birmingham location charges $9.50 (three items), $13.50 (fi ve items) and $36 (all items). All platters arrive with sliced apples, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, strawberry preserves, black pepper honey and crostini. Guests may select meats ranging from herbed brussetto or pistachio mortadella. A selection of artisanal cow's milk, goat's milk and sheep's milk cheeses are also available. Corrieri doesn't stop with cheese and meat. Guests may also consider adding olive tapenade, white bean hummus, goat cheese with peppers or mascarpone artichoke dip to their platters.
At Il Villaggio Osteria in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, antipasto items are listed individually on the menu. "It makes it more affordable for the customer and creates a tapas-style dining experience," says Roger Freedman, executive chef/partner.
Guest may opt for three ($8), fi ve ($13) or seven ($20) cow's, goat's or sheep's milk cheeses or salami ($5, per slice) such as bresaola or coppa. "The antipasto is a great way for guests to sample a large variety of cheeses and meats. They are especially popular with parties of six or more," says Freedman.
Freedman also prepares different antipasto side dishes ($6 each). Eggplant caponata combines roasted eggplant, garlic, grilled artichoke hearts, red onion, blistered cherry tomatoes, capers, fresh basil, salt, pepper, aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Alici features imported Sicilian anchovies served over a bed of roasted red and yellow peppers. (Freedman also places Alici on Caesar salads and bruschetta.) An olive sampler features four different marinated olives. Each table receives house-made breads and olive oil to further enhance their antipasto selections. "Our high-quality ingredients, including regional and imported cheeses and cured meats from Italy, really makes our antipasto stand out," says Freedman.
It made perfect sense for sisters Christine and Carla Pallota, co-owners of the Boston-based pizzeria/enoteca Nebo to prepare antipasto since many antipasto ingredients overlap with their other menu items. "Our antipasto ingredients are standard Italian ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Our pizzas share those ingredients," says Carla.
Nebo divides its antipasto platters by vegetable, meat and cheese. Each platter showcases a variety of ingredients. For example, Antipasti di Vedure ($15) displays grilled, marinated vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onion and cipollini. Warm country olives — Italian olives marinated in lemon zest, orange zest and rosemary — accompany the vegetables. Piatto di Formaggi ($12) exhibits seven to eight cheeses like imported Gorgonzola and house-made ricotta. Salumi Misti ($12, for individual, $26 serves 4 to 6) includes slices of Prosciutto di Parma, hot capicola, bresaola, abruzzese sausage and fontina cheese. It comes with fresh arugula and homemade pepperonata (Italian relish). "Our whole menu is based on antipasti. It's set up to be shared like in an Italian household," says Christine.
The key to satiating guests with the idea of a "platter" and earning a profi t is fi nding the right balance between food, portion size and menu price. The Pallota sisters derive their antipasto platter prices based on food costs. "There's really no other way to do it. We fi nd that people are willing to pay what it costs to have an outstanding and authentic experience," says Carla.
Freedman fi nds his menu and pricing are economy and customer driven. "We try to be consumer friendly and economy conscious. For example, we might use a less expensive cut of meat but accompany it with high-quality garnishes and fresh ingredients," he says. Corrieri looks at his product mix and develops a pricing plan based upon food cost, sales volume and perceived value. No matter how you plate it — and price it— this big-fl avored starter will surely turn heads. ❖
Beyond the platter
Don't limit the antipasto concept to platters. Consider the suggestions below to stretch antipasto across the menu:
❖ Create an antipasto salad where assorted meats, cheese and vegetables sit over mixed greens.
❖ Offer antipasto-style subs, paninis, wraps or sandwiches built around standard platter ingredients such as salami, pepperoni and cheese or roasted artichoke hearts, peppers and olives.
❖ Create a specialty antipasto pizza topped with roasted vegetables, cured meats and cheese. Instead of pizza sauce, consider covering the pizza with olive oil and herbs.
❖ Enhance traditional bruschetta with antipasto ingredients.
❖ Serve a bite-sized amuseboche of olives, sliced cheese or vegetables to diners before the meal.
Melanie Wolkoff Wachsman is a freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky. She covers food, business and lifestyle trends.
Photo by Josh Keown
Nancy and I just returned from an amazing adventure. We traveled to Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Amsterdam and Paris. Now, call me funny, but I rarely buy souvenirs while traveling. Just never have. While some people have display cases packed with trinkets from every journey, all I buy are a few postcards because they look better than the snapshots I take. I'm just not a buyer. Or, so I thought.
Our tour guide in Beijing took us to a silk factory. I was practically yawning as we entered. But then the girl had us handle real silk cocoons and let me operate the machine that unwound over a mile of silk from a single boiled cocoon. She even had us get "hands on" with making a silk comforter. Then it was off to the factory showroom. I loaded up on silk presents. They also gave us a small gift.
The next day we stopped by a factory where Chinese vases are made. We saw the intricate copper work being performed, the application of colored minerals, the kiln firing, the reapplication of color … and more firing. Then we watched as workers used several polishing stones of varying coarseness to buff the vases to a spectacular shine. Then it was off to the factory showroom where we bought a vase. They gave us a gift.
Nancy was asked if she'd like to learn how to tell a real pearl from a fake. Why not? So we popped into a pearl factory. Our guide pulled a fresh water oyster out of a tank and just about had a knife in it before I intervened, telling her I didn't want the oyster's death on my conscience. So, it was straight upstairs to the factory showroom of course. I managed to convince Nancy that the "small" pearl earrings looked better than the big expensive ones. And we were off to the Great Wall (with another little free gift).
The day before leaving, we sat down for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. After tasting and learning about all the exotic varieties, I bought five tins of tea and a porcelain tea set (I'm not a tea drinker). They also gave us a gift — a pee pee doll (don't ask).
Lesson: They began each "tour" with a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the item is made. This is called "educational marketing." Once you're fully mesmerized by the process — bam! Out to the showroom where you begin to explore. Of course you're already "sold", so now it's just a matter of picking out the right item. After the purchase comes a little gift.
They never bragged about the product. Instead they showed me the painstaking care in which it was made. They demonstrated its rarity. They let me sell myself. The after-purchase gift made you feel you'd really gotten your money's worth.
How you use it: Stop pointing at "price" as your only sales tool. Don't shout about the "best" pizza in town. Show them. Prove it. Your ads and menus should take customers behind the scenes. Tell them about the fresh ingredients, the home-made sauce, the real garlic. Let them sell themselves on your pizza. Then, give them more than they expected (a little gift). ❖
Kamron Karington owned a highly successful independent pizzeria before becoming a consultant, speaker and author of The Black Book: Your Complete Guide to Creating Staggering Profits in Your Pizza Business. He is a monthly contributor to Pizza Today.
Photos by Rick Daugherty
The pros on ABC's hit series "Dancing with the Stars" have nothing on managers at wellrun restaurants. Timing a meal is akin to choreographing a dance. If the moves are expertly executed, a guest will give high scores, but just one sloppy sequence could get a restaurant voted out of contention.
"The food industry is held accountable by people. Expectations are very high. If someone comes into a restaurant and no one (greets them) within a minute and a half, they could turn around and walk out," says Neil Neufeld, a partner with Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group (VSAG), a food service consulting firm.
VSAG teaches a sequence of service beginning with the "greet," which should occur within one minute of the hostess seating a guest in the dining room. After a drink order is taken, it should be delivered within two minutes even if it is coming from the bar. Once the drinks are on the table, the server should try to sell an appetizer.
And then the fun begins. The server is responsible for ensuring that the appetizers and entreés are timed right and don't arrive out of order or at the same time. The consensus is that POS systems have simplified the process, but servers still control order placement. Variables include cook time, how busy the kitchen is and how quickly guests are eating.
Returning to VSAG's sequence, the appetizer should be out within five minutes, but there are exceptions. Servers need to be aware, for example, which appetizers have longer preptimes. "We coach our servers on being able to stretch out the time with guests. ... They are back within two minutes even if there is no food (and say,) 'I just wanted to stop by,' " Neufeld says.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, servers also need to know which appetizers, like garlic toast, are "gobbled up" quickly, and which, like artichoke dip, are savored says Laura Hansen, COO of Minneapolis-based Pizza Lucé. For the former, the entrée order is sent to the kitchen when the toast is picked up, while for the latter, the server checks the table to see how things are progressing.
"With a large salad or something like that, (the server) watches the table. (They might be) so engrossed in conversation that the food is there, but it will go down really slow," Hansen says.
Concerning entrées, everyone at a table should simultaneously receive a meal that is hot and fresh. "We are not just a pizza place. We have pizza and pasta, which makes it more difficult to time. The secret is communication in the kitchen," says Jerry Colonna, owner of Delio's Italian Restaurant and Old World Pizza in Sierra Vista, Arizona. "When the pizza is about five or six minutes from being pulled from the oven, the cook on the pizza side says to the cooks on the pasta side, 'Roll on spaghetti'."
At Delio's, servers are told to wait five to seven minutes after entering the appetizer into the system to order the main course. If it is not busy, they wait until the appetizer is in hand to give the kitchen the go-ahead on the entree.
"A good rule of thumb is, 'When the restaurant is full, the ovens are full,'" Colonna says. He holds servers to a level of accountability. If they don't deliver food on time or give it to the wrong table, they have to pay for it. "They are each a little business unto themselves."
Three Brothers Italian Restaurants also alters entrée timing depending on how crowded the dining area is. "If the kitchen is extremely busy, the hots expo will communicate with the pizza man to see how long pizzas are going to take and then the orders will be fired so that the food and pizza go out together," says Ravi Repole, director, corporate/franchise staff training division.
Sometimes the wait staff can use suggestive selling to assist a bogged down kitchen. "Good managers will say, 'We're starting to fall behind in the back ... Let's work on the cold part of the menu,' " Neufeld says.
Proper planning also can help. How well a kitchen and server can handle meal timing sometimes stems as far back as menu development. "If you have a family style restaurant...people are expecting a 35-45 minute dining experience. If you (serve) roasted meat, that will take 20 minutes. That will not work," says Scott Gilkey, president of Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group. "If you don't have the right equipment to cook skins in the appropriate amount of time or heat the topping and ingredients fully in the correct amount of time, you won't meet the consumer's expectation." ❖
The Beat Goes
On Training and staff scheduling also are important when it comes to timing.
Additionally, managers have to know the staff. Delio's Italian Restaurant doesn't have a set limit to how many tables a server is assigned; it depends on the individual. "Some people are nicknamed 'two-tables.' ... There are others who can take six or eight," owner Jerry Colonna says.
Pizza Lucé schedules its "A-squad" for anticipated busy times. "We like to say they are allergic to the tickets. They want to get them fi red up and get them out," says COO Laura Hansen.
As for training, shadowing seems to be the primary method for the wait staff. "For three to fi ve days, they walk around with the most senior server and parrot their moves," Colonna says.
In the kitchen, cooks need to be trained to be mindful of timing as well. "There are techniques and coaching skills to teach cooks to organize their station and run the wheel so they can produce the pizza in enough time," says Scott Gilkey, president of Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group.
As for who to hire, Gilkey says level of experience should match up with the restaurant's segment. Fast casual can handle fi rst-time servers, whereas upscale dining needs more experience. "(But,) I believe (timing) can be trained to anybody that has a desire to learn and a willingness to work at it," he says.
Monta Monaco Hernon is a freelance business, technology and features writer based in La Grange Park, Illinois.
Photos by Rick Daugherty
The pros on ABC's hit series "Dancing with the Stars" have nothing on managers at wellrun restaurants. Timing a meal is akin to choreographing a dance. If the moves are expertly executed, a guest will give high scores, but just one sloppy sequence could get a restaurant voted out of contention.
"The food industry is held accountable by people. Expectations are very high. If someone comes into a restaurant and no one (greets them) within a minute and a half, they could turn around and walk out," says Neil Neufeld, a partner with Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group (VSAG), a food service consulting fi rm.
VSAG teaches a sequence of service beginning with the "greet," which should occur within one minute of the hostess seating a guest in the dining room. After a drink order is taken, it should be delivered within two minutes even if it is coming from the bar. Once the drinks are on the table, the server should try to sell an appetizer. And then the fun begins. The server is responsible for ensuring that the appetizers and entreés are timed right and don't arrive out of order or at the same time. The consensus is that POS systems have simplifi ed the process, but servers still control order placement. Variables include cook time, how busy the kitchen is and how quickly guests are eating.
Returning to VSAG's sequence, the appetizer should be out within fi ve minutes, but there are exceptions. Servers need to be aware, for example, which appetizers have longer preptimes. "We coach our servers on being able to stretch out the time with guests....They are back within two minutes even if there is no food (and say,) 'I just wanted to stop by,' " Neufeld says.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, servers also need to know which appetizers, like garlic toast, are "gobbled up" quickly, and which, like artichoke dip, are savored says Laura Hansen, COO of Minneapolis-based Pizza Lucé. For the former, the entrée order is sent to the kitchen when the toast is picked up, while for the latter, the server checks the table to see how things are progressing.
"With a large salad or something like that, (the server) watches the table. (They might be) so engrossed in conversation that the food is there, but it will go down really slow," Hansen says.
Concerning entrées, everyone at a table should simultaneously receive a meal that is hot and fresh. "We are not just a pizza place. We have pizza and pasta, which makes it more diffi cult to time. The secret is communication in the kitchen," says Jerry Colonna, owner of Delio's Italian Restaurant and Old World Pizza in Sierra Vista, Arizona. "When the pizza is about fi ve or six minutes from being pulled from the oven, the cook on the pizza side says to the cooks on the pasta side, 'Roll on spaghetti'."
At Delio's, servers are told to wait fi ve to seven minutes after entering the appetizer into the system to order the main course. If it is not busy, they wait until the appetizer is in hand to give the kitchen the go-ahead on the entree. "A good rule of thumb is, 'When the restaurant is full, the ovens are full,'" Colonna says. He holds servers to a level of accountability. If they don't deliver food on time or give it to the wrong table, they have to pay for it. "They are each a little business unto themselves."
Three Brothers Italian Restaurants also alters entrée timing depending on how crowded the dining area is. "If the kitchen is extremely busy, the hots expo will communicate with the pizza man to see how long pizzas are going to take and then the orders will be fi red so that the food and pizza go out together," says Ravi Repole, director, corporate/franchise staff training division.
Sometimes the wait staff can use suggestive selling to assist a bogged down kitchen. "Good managers will say, 'We're starting to fall behind in the back ... Let's work on the cold part of the menu,' " Neufeld says.
Proper planning also can help. How well a kitchen and server can handle meal timing sometimes stems as far back as menu development. "If you have a family style restaurant...people are expecting a 35-45 minute dining experience. If you (serve) roasted meat, that will take 20 minutes. That will not work," says Scott Gilkey, president of Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group. "If you don't have the right equipment to cook skins in the appropriate amount of time or heat the topping and ingredients fully in the correct amount of time, you won't meet the consumer's expectation." ❖
The Beat Goes On
Training and staff scheduling also are important when it comes to timing.
Additionally, managers have to know the staff. Delio's Italian Restaurant doesn't have a set limit to how many tables a server is assigned; it depends on the individual. "Some people are nicknamed 'two-tables.' ... There are others who can take six or eight," owner Jerry Colonna says.
Pizza Lucé schedules its "A-squad" for anticipated busy times. "We like to say they are allergic to the tickets. They want to get them fi red up and get them out," says COO Laura Hansen.
As for training, shadowing seems to be the primary method for the wait staff. "For three to fi ve days, they walk around with the most senior server and parrot their moves," Colonna says.
In the kitchen, cooks need to be trained to be mindful of timing as well. "There are techniques and coaching skills to teach cooks to organize their station and run the wheel so they can produce the pizza in enough time," says Scott Gilkey, president of Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group.
As for who to hire, Gilkey says level of experience should match up with the restaurant's segment. Fast casual can handle fi rst-time servers, whereas upscale dining needs more experience. "(But,) I believe (timing) can be trained to anybody that has a desire to learn and a willingness to work at it," he says.
Monta Monaco Hernon is a freelance business, technology and features writer based in La Grange Park, Illinois.
Photo by Josh Keown
This is my family's classic lasagne recipe. It may seem complicated and long, but it goes together surprisingly fast and easy. The meat sauce can be made ahead and kept for several days. Once the assembly starts, it's a matter of 15 to 20 minutes to complete. And why not make a couple of pans? The completed and baked lasagne keeps well (and even freezes well).
Pat Bruno is Pizza Today's resident chef and a regular contributor. He is the former owner and operator of a prominent Italian cooking school in Chicago and is a food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
Yield: about 14 10-ounce servings (scale up in direct proportion)
Meat sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup dry red wine
¾ pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
¾ pound ground chuck
7 cups all-purpose ground tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
In a heavy pot, warm the oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook and stir until toasty brown.
Remove and discard the garlic. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Raise the heat to high. Add the wine and cook it off. Add the sausage and ground chuck.
Break up large pieces. Cook just until the meat is no longer pink (the meat needs to be like fi ne cooked ground beef for easier spreading).
Add the tomatoes, sugar, oregano and basil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cool the sauce. This can be made ahead as needed and kept covered in the cooler. This sauce also works great for any pasta with meat sauce dish.
Pasta and Filling
24 sheets of no-boil lasagne strips (each strip 7 inches x 3½ inches)
4 pounds ricotta cheese, drained of excess water
6 extra-large eggs ½ pound grated Parmesan cheese
1 ¼ pounds shredded mozzarella
1 cup chopped fl at-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon pepper
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan, ¼-pound of the mozzarella, parsley and pepper. Stir vigorously to whip and combine. Set aside (refrigerate, covered, if not using it at once).
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce over the bottom of a hotel or baking pan that measures 18-inch x 12-inch x 2½- to 3-inch deep. Lay six pieces of the pasta over the sauce.
Top the pasta with some of the ricotta fi lling. Dab the top of the ricotta with some of the meat sauce. Add another layer of pasta, another layer of ricotta, and more sauce. Continue in this fashion until the pasta is used up. You will have four layers of pasta (the top layer being pasta). Top the last layer with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, sprinkling it on evenly.
Brush some olive oil over aluminum foil to cover the pan. Cover the pan, oil side down. Bake the lasagne in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to show light brown speckles. Remove the pan from the oven. Let it stand for 10 minutes before portioning. Serve with additional sauce and cheese on the side.
Cook's Note: after the lasagne has cooled enough, you can portion it as you wish, wrap it in plastic and foil and refrigerate. To order, reheat and top it with hot meat sauce.
Expanding your hours into the earlier part of the day can bring in a whole new customer base: the breakfast crowd. Some pizzerias continue to showcase their pizza recipes with a breakfast-style version, while others stick to the basics (like omelets and French toast). Whatever way you decide, there is a defi nite ability to increase your profi ts and better compete with local restaurants that offer a breakfast menu.
Gabriel Pellegrini, owner/chef at Sagra, a trattoria in Austin, Texas, rolled out a Sunday brunch in June. "A lot of our competitors, other restaurants, have brunch and have been pretty successful," says Pellegrini.
Turns out it was a good move. Sagra, open since 2007, earned the title of "best brunch" from Citysearch.com readers in 2008. Served on Sundays only, there are 10 items on the brunch menu, including frittatas cooked to order and a few pastas (Tortellini alla Pesto and Lasagnetta Verdura). Two dishes are cooked with a cracked egg on top: Sagra Pizza (tomato, egg, pecorino, spinach, mozzarella and truffl e oil) and Linguini alla Carbonara (house-cured pancetta, fresh peas, egg and Parmesan sauce). "We try to keep the food as simple as possible," says Pellegrini. "We also try to overlap as many things as possible." To avoid extra costs on his part, Pellegrini elected to use the same fl atware and plates he'd already been setting out for lunch and dinner. One way he maximizes his brunch profi ts is to charge $5 for side orders (like house-cured pancetta, herbed polenta or roasted new potatoes). Sagra also charges extra for a build-your-own brunch option.
"The best thing is to keep it simple. And not try to overextend it, because it's only one day per week," says Pellegrini. While on Friday night he schedules a crew of seven workers in the kitchen, for brunch only two are required, and he ensures setup responsibilities are simple enough that they need only arrive a couple of hours before opening.
In October, Bill Rizzuto, owner of Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Kitchen & Bar in West Hartford, Connecticut, added brunch to his menu. Because the 5,000-squarefoot restaurant is inside an affl uent shopping center with a gym, boutiques and other restaurants –– and therefore provides heavy pedestrian traffi c –– attracting diners didn't take much effort.
For $20, diners get access to an antipasti buffet (with artisan cheeses, salami and prosciutto), a dessert buffet and a selection from the menu that's cooked to order and served tableside.
"The breakfast pizza is the most popular item," he says. Three eggs are cracked on top before placing the pizza in the oven. The pizza also has smoked pancetta, roasted peppers, thinly sliced potatoes, sautéed onions and mushrooms. "It comes out of the oven looking like a perfect woodfi red pizza. People can tear off the crust and dip it in the egg yolk. It's so good!" Other breakfast entrées are steak and eggs, French toast and eggs Benedict.
Many pizzerias, however, serve breakfast daily. Of Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream's 64 locations, 24 serve breakfast, with the fi rst location launching its early-morning meal seven years ago. A few serve weekend brunch. "Competition with pizza in general makes you get really creative," says Kristel Whitty, part owner and director of marketing. "The whole idea is offering a solution for the guest that fi ts their lifestyle." Aside from egg scramblers for breakfast, staff can take orders for omelet pizza.
"We basically build an omelet on top of cheese and bake it in an oven," says Whitty.
To cope with the problem of being associated as only a place to eat pizza for lunch or dinner, Happy Joe's began offering morning deliveries to businesses. "Instead of bringing donuts to the offi ce, you can have an omelet pizza delivered," says Whitty.
For breakfast, Good Pizza, located inside the Good Hotel in San Francisco, serves three types of calzones stuffed with scrambled eggs. The same recipe used to create pizza dough for meals after 11 a.m. is used for the calzones. In one, the ingredients are sun-dried tomatoes, feta, spinach and onion. In another are bacon and fontina. Breakfast staples like granola with dried fruit and organic milk, oatmeal, organic yogurt and pastries are also on the menu, which has a grab-and-go style that appeals to hotel guests and neighborhood residents. Because the hotel's mantra is very eco-friendly, countertops and to-go products are made of recycled paper, and oregano and basil are grown on site.
The pizza spot's original mission was to cater to hotel guests' dinner needs. "But as the only eatery in the hotel, we needed breakfast service at the hotel in the morning too," says Dave Hoemann, vice president of food & beverage for Joie de Vivre Hospitality. Just one staff person mans Good Pizza, operating both the cashier and the pizza oven behind it. A barista station is also inside, so whether a morning cappuccino or a latte during the afternoon with a slice of pizza, that need can be met.
Consider adding upscale coffee and espresso drinks to the breakfast menu, because a latte can drive up a customer's bill more than a single cup of coffee will. Sagra chose to offer coffee served in a French press, which yields a richer, more robust taste, "and then we don't have to deal with refi lls," says Pellegrini. "With these, we just drop the French press on the table and leave. If they want more, they have to pay more." ❖
Breakfast Menu
How do you promote your new breakfast menu when all your pizzeria is known for are pizza pies for lunch or dinner? To let customers know your options go farther than a meat lovers special or four-cheese pizza, try offering a special promotion valid only during breakfast hours.
For instance, Gabriel Pellegrini, owner/chef at Sagra in Austin, Texas, offers $.75 Mimosas to get people in the door for his Sunday brunch. "It's kind of a pull to get people in so we can sell people eggs for $10," he says. Interestingly, he found that the most popular breakfast drink continued to be a Bloody Mary, but the initial pull of Mimosas worked for fi rst-time brunch-goers.
Kristine Hansen is a freelance writer covering food, beverages, travel and green living. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photo byJosh Keown
Reality: One out of every 10 of your pizza patrons may have trouble hearing. And those who speak English as a second language want clear communication.
With consumers clutching their wallets tightly and burying their credit cards deep in their pockets, relationships between diners and pizzeria staff can make or break your business. Repeat pizza customers improve your bottom line, but those who must ask, "Repeat that, please?" may go elsewhere or retreat to the sad land of frozen home-baked pizzas. After all, it isn't necessary to hear anything to select one at a grocery store.
Vince Mottola is co-owner of four Vince's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria stores and the son of Italian immigrants who started the Seattle-area business in 1957. A fi fth restaurant, their newest project, Pizzeria Pulcinella, just opened. The keys to operating a profitable, popular business for over half a century, says Mottola, are "food quality and consistency, followed closely by how the guests perceive your sincerity and enthusiasm to serve them." Mottola knows how to please his hearingimpaired customers.
Retaining this diner isn't diffi cult or expensive. The secret is communication. Vince's service receives great ratings and reviews – for good reason. Mottola makes employee training a priority, teaching staff his personal way of interacting with customers. He says, "I'm sensitive to body language with my guests … I pay complete attention to my guests and try to focus on my guests and not be distracted by things that are not a priority at the moment. I make eye contact with the guest when speaking." People who can't hear well use their eyes to substitute for their ears.
Licensed Audiologist Michele Hillard, M.A., CCC-A, of Eastside Audiology in Issaquah, Washington, says, "A big part of dining out is enjoying the atmosphere. You want to make your diners feel welcome." Because you'll rarely know if a person is hard-of-hearing, teach your staff that every time you talk to any customer: ❖ Face the customer when speaking, with your face in good light. Almost everyone who is hearing-impaired lip-reads some, without training. Never put anything in front of your mouth – block your lips, you block communication.
If he can't see your face, he can't hear you. The lighting where pizza orders are taken is crucial. If dim light glows down from the ceiling behind a server, he can stand to the side so light falls on his face. Also, a candle might be placed on the table. If the light is directly above the table, or from a lantern on the table, the server can lean slightly forward, facing the patron as he takes the order. If orders are taken and picked up at central locations, brighten these spots.
❖ Get the customer's attention before speaking –– don't talk into a void. Perhaps wave an order pad or reposition something on the table until he looks at you. A diner who's told you he's hearing-impaired will not object to the light touch of a finger on his hand or shoulder: he's used to this.
❖ Lower background noise. Mottola says, "Italian music is a very important part of the atmosphere. The music level needs to be comfortable so that the guests can enjoy the melody and the words, which is an important part of the Italian culture, but the music should not be so loud as to affect the conversation the guests have between themselves or with the staff." Perhaps designate one "quiet corner": disconnect music speakers, increase lighting, add soundproofing. Direct hearing-impaired customers to seats there.
❖ Don't shout. Every hearing loss is unique, like fingerprints. Hearing aids boost hearing but don't make it normal, as eyeglasses restore vision. Speaking louder can result in less comprehension, not more – and disturbs nearby diners. Instead, enunciate clearly without exaggeration. If you speak rapidly, slow down. If one word fails after you've used it twice, try another.
❖ Jot down crucial words if you aren't being understood. Often only one or two key words are "missing." Show these to your puzzled diner and watch the relief when your conversation is back on track.
Use creativity with these ideas in your pizzeria. Mottola teaches his servers to observe body language: "If I think a guest has misunderstood me, I will quickly respond. I reposition my body … or ask if I have been understood. I am not afraid to do this, to be quick to respond to any possible confusion. Otherwise, they could be disappointed in their experience."
These suggestions will help with all your pizzeria customers, including those for whom English is a second language. They'll appreciate the extra attention. Audiologist Hillard says, "Don't be shy … (try) any method of communication that seems to work. People are sometimes uncomfortable when faced with a new situation. Customers will pick up on (an) employee's discomfort. They'll feel uncomfortable if the server feels uncomfortable. The experience will be more enjoyable if the staff communicates clearly in a manner anyone can understand."
Once at ease with hard-of-hearing patrons, you can become more assertive. Advertise in magazines, newsletters and on Web sites catering to the hearing-impaired and groups with a high percentage of those people. With permission, leave pizza flyers that state "we welcome the hearing-impaired" at places like senior centers. When you provide an exceptionally nice dining experience for these customers, referrals may start to arrive. Referrals lead to repeat referrals, which lead to more referrals …. Beginning to see the $$? ❖
Hear This!
❖ 31 million Americans are hearingimpaired. 14.9 percent of children ages 6-19 have some hearing loss.
❖ Many people with hearing loss either deny it or keep it secret. If they have trouble understanding you – Did he say 'peppers,' or 'pepperoni'? – they may never return to your pizzeria.
❖ Hearing Loss Association of America (www.hearingloss.org): local chapters meet monthly. Hearing-impaired learn coping skills and trade information – including the best places to dine!
❖ English is not the first language for almost 20 percent of Americans. Visitors from abroad and non-native English speakers need unmistakable messages from pizza servers.
Joyce Lindsey O'Keefe is a freelance writer based in Bellevue, Washington.
Squid is a wonderful ingredient with a terrible name. Thank goodness for its much more appealing Italian moniker, calamari, adopted with gusto by restaurateurs across this country. Calamari, a very cost-effective seafood, lends itself well to almost any cooking application, but is at its best as a grilled or fried appetizer. Indeed, fried calamari, or calamari fritti, has joined the ranks of ethnic appetizers, such as quesadillas and pot stickers, that are both familiar to and beloved by today's diner.
Although simple in method, the technique in cooking a perfect calamari appetizer requires a delicate touch. When done right, fried calamari's breading is blushed with gold and crisp, and the meat is tender and sweet. For a tender, fl avorful grilled calamari, a quick, hot pan is the order of the day. Pizza Today called upon The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, for a virtual class on how to prepare calamari.
Joseph DiPerri, associate professor of culinary arts at the CIA, recommends buying frozen squid that are already cleaned. "Fresh squid is messy, and not having to gut and clean them will save on labor," he says. "The quality of the frozen product is really high."
His method for fried calamari is traditional, but he offers tips on how to ensure the perfect result. First, the method: frozen squid is defrosted and cut into uniform rings. The rings are dredged with fl our and then deep-fried between 350 and 375 F in vegetable or peanut oil until pale yellow. "The smaller the squid, the more tender," says DiPerri. "And the key to good calamari is making sure the coating is very thin. That way, it cooks really quickly, and is only in the fat for a short time." If the calamari browns too much, DiPerri says, the protein has dehydrated and become tough.
When purchasing a convenience product of a frozen, breaded calamari, he suggests looking for rings with a light coating. "The same rule applies here," he says. "If the breading is too thick, it will require longer cooking time, which will toughen the squid. You have no control of what's under the breading, so experiment with a few different brands."
DiPerri shares his formula for beerbattered calamari:
❖ 1 cup of fl our
❖ 1 whole egg
❖ pinch of salt and pepper
❖ paprika
❖ 12-ounce bottle of beer.
"I deep-fry for no more than a minute, and get a great result every time," he says. His technique for preparing grilled calamari is cutting the bodies of the squid so they lie open and fl at. "If you leave the squid in tubes, they shrink and retain water," says DiPerri. "But cutting them into fl at pieces allows better surface-area on the grill, and they cook more quickly." He recommends marinating the squid in olive oil and lemon juice for about 30 minutes, then seasoning with salt and pepper. On high heat, he grills the squid, fl ipping once, for no more than three minutes.
At La Panetteria in Bethesda, Maryland, both fried calamari and grilled calamari are offered as appetizers. "We serve a lot more fried than grilled, but it's good to have both of them on the menu," says owner Harry Khayami.
He uses a frozen product for both applications, but goes with a 3- to 5-inch squid for the fried calamari. He cuts them into rings. Per order, he dunks them in whole milk, then fl ours them. He deepfries them in hot oil until golden brown, salts them and serves with a housemade calamari sauce.
For the grilled calamari, he uses the 5- to 8-inch frozen squid. Khayami cuts the tubes fl at and marinates them in olive oil and Italian herbs. He then grills them and serves them with slices of lemon. "The trick is to have a very hot grill," he says. Gary Wynn, owner of the Italian Grotto in Scottsdale, Arizona, serves his fried calamari appetizer with a housemade diavolo sauce. He also uses frozen product, slicing it, then dredging it with fl our, garlic powder, parsley, basil and salt and pepper. He deep-fries the calamari until pale golden. "It's the easiest thing to prepare, but you do have to make sure your oil is clean and you don't fry it too long," he says.
For those looking to expand their calamari-appetizer repertoire beyond grilled or fried, the CIA's DiPerri suggests stuffed calamari or perhaps a calamari salad. For the former, he turns a squid inside out and stuffs it with squid tentacles, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, fresh basil, oregano and thyme. He then braises it in a spicy tomato sauce. "The acidity in the tomato tenderizes the squid," he says. For the latter, he poaches the squid in lemon juice, then cuts it into rings. He combines the rings with red, green and yellow peppers and red onion, drizzles it with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. "It's so simple, but really showcases the calamari," he says. ❖
Calamari with Chipotle-Mayo Dipping Sauce
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying 2 cups all-purpose fl our 2 tablespoons dried cilantro Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 pound clean squid without tentacles, bodies cut into ½-inch rings 2 lemons, cut into wedges 1 cup chipotle-mayo dipping sauce
In a deep fryer, bring oil to 350 F. Mix the fl our, dried cilantro, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Working in small batches, toss the squid into the fl our mixture to coat. Carefully drop the squid into the oil; fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. For service, place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a plate. Season with salt; serve with chipotle-mayo dipping sauce.
Chipotle-Mayo Dipping Sauce
Yield: 1 cup 1 cup mayonnaise
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 1 garlic clove, chopped Juice of ½ a lemon 1 tablespoon chopped fl at-leaf parsley Sea salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor; blend until smooth. Chill for at least 1 hour; serve with fried calamari.
Katie Ayoub is a frequent contributor to Pizza Today. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
V is for Video
Did you know you can afford your very own television-style commercial? And it's easy to do it yourself. All you have to do is shoot a video on your camcorder and upload to YouTube in less than 10 minutes without any fancy software. Then you can post that video on your Web site. This is an unbelievable free opportunity to show and tell your customers what makes you different. Your own TV commercial on your site. Okay, it won't be as slick as a professional TV ad, but it'll get the job done.
A Simple Solution
When added to a tomato-based sauce, garlic often exhibits a gelling affect and causes the sauce to thicken within a few hours. To get around this, simply put the garlic in a bowl of water and heat to a full boil. This will deactivate the enzymes in the garlic responsible for the thickening effect, and you can then add the "deactivated" garlic with minimal side effects.
Caped Crusaders
If you're looking for a different type of sauce enhancer, consider capers. The type packed in brine is the best kind to use, but rinse them under cold water before adding them to a sauce. A little bit goes a long way, so use them with care. Capers are indispensable to a spicy red sauce, like a puttanesca sauce. Plus, they'll help liven up a variety of pasta dishes.
Food Costs Killing You?
Is your bottom line being adversely affected by food costs? If so, Big Dave Ostrander has this to say: "After I realized that I was leaving tens of thousands of profit dollars unaccounted for, I studied and achieved the perfect food cost month in and month out. The biggest breakthroughs I discovered were:
❖ Placing in-line portion control scales on my make line
❖ Pre-weighing cheese cups
❖ Placing portion size cheat sheets at eye level with my cooks
❖ Having high accountability for achieving food cost on my managers' shoulders. This meant rewards and penalties." There you have it.
Get started today.
Photo by Josh Keown
Bruschetta is a popular item that comes to us straight from Italy. It has so many different ways of preparation, and all are relatively easy. Bruschetta is an Italian word that simply refers to toasted or grilled bread that has been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with a little olive oil. Bruschetta is usually served as an appetizer, but can also be served as an accompaniment to a salad or, if prepared with a variety of toppings, as a meal. We have generally come to serve bruschetta pomodoro-style, meaning with a tomato and basil blend served on the crostini (toasted bread). Fresh basil or freshly made pesto tossed with some diced ripe tomatoes with chopped garlic and a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt is such a gorgeous blend of simple ingredients that truly defi ne the pure fl avors of Italy. I absolutely love when you can take some simple fresh ingredients that are nice on their own, but when blended together, as in this case, create such a textural, visual and fl avorful masterpiece.
Remember, however, that creating such a wonderful topping doesn't have quite the appeal it should unless what it sits upon is equally great! Of course, Italian bread would be my fi rst choice, but a great French baguette would also be perfectly suitable. Now, there are different techniques that can be used in preparing the bread crisps, and I'll share the two most typical ways to do this.
You can slice the bread fairly thin and rub the slices with garlic and drizzle a little bit of olive oil and then bake them in a 350 F oven to dry them out to make them crispy. This is the technique I would suggest if you want to prepare the crisps in advance to be served much later. You do want to have a fi nished product that is crispy but fresh. Remember to let them cool completely if you plan on storing them in a container.
The other technique would be to slice your bread a little bit thicker, ¾-inch perhaps. Use the same rub of garlic and drizzle of the oil but then grill your bread over a char-grill or even a hot fl at-top grill. Be sure to spin the bread while grilling it and then turn it over to fi nish grilling the other side. If your grill is very hot, this should only take about 30 seconds per side. If you don't have a grill you may broil this bread in your oven. This technique is much quicker than drying the bread out in the oven to make it crisp. This style of bread will have a nicely golden charred outside, but still be soft on the inside. It's a totally different style of serving bruschetta, and I would only suggest doing it this way if you will prepare the grilled bread just before serving it. It is truly spectacular when it is served shortly after it comes off the grill. In addition, only place the toppings on the grilled bread just before serving so the bread doesn't get too soft and soggy.
Now, let's talk toppings! Bruschetta can be created with virtually anything your culinary imagination can concoct. Olive tepanade is a great choice along with roasted vegetables (zucchini, eggplant and red peppers), artichoke pesto, goat cheese with sundried tomatoes and sautéed baby spinach. A Mediterranean blend of Feta cheese, Kalamata olives, roasted garlic and artichoke hearts is a real crowd pleaser. To go the cold route, how about piping on some herbed cream cheese topped with thinly sliced proscuitto ham, smoked salmon or even cooked shrimp. If you want to use a cold cheese like this, I would recommend using the crisp version of bruschetta. The list of toppings and combinations can literally go on forever.❖
Margherita Bruschetta
3 ripe plum tomatoes, fi nely diced 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper, to taste 1 ounce fresh basil, fi nely cut 4 ounces fresh buffalo-style mozzarella cheese, diced. 1 loaf of French or Italian bread, sliced horizontally
Toss the diced tomatoes, cheese, oil, salt and pepper together and place a tablespoon of the mixture on each slice of toasted bruschetta. Bake in a 450 F oven for about 4 minutes. Just before serving, garnish each crostini with the cut basil and serve immediately.
Chef's Note: If you make your tomato and fresh mozzarella mixture a little bit in advance, the salt will extract some water from the tomatoes and you'll want to drain that excess moisture before placing the topping on your bread.
Jeffrey Freehof, owner of The Garlic Clove in Evans, Georgia, is Pizza Today's resident expert. Send your questions to: Ask Chef Jeff, c/o Pizza Today, 908 South Eighth Street, Suite 200, Louisville, Kentucky, 40203
Photos on Pizza Today Files
By now, you've surely seen plenty of restaurants in your city or county close. It's a sad fact: during an economic recession, the foodservice industry will suffer casualties. Thankfully, the pizza category, as a whole, typically fares better than other dining segments when the fi nancial markets tighten.
But the current recession isn't a minor one, and it's unrealistic to think that hundreds, or possibly even thousands, of pizza establishments won't go out of business in 2009.
Is your pizzeria safe from the storm? Are you feeling the pressure? Is every facet of your operation running as effi ciently and profi tably as possible?
If you feel the least bit uncertain about your immediate or long-term viability, offi cials at International Pizza Expo say they have help for you. In fact, they say, attending the tradeshow this year is more crucial than ever before.
"Attending an industry tradeshow even during an economic slowdown — is the best vehicle to obtain new knowledge, insight and ideas that can help you position your pizzeria for future growth and prosperity," says Bill Oakley, executive vice president of Macfadden Protech LLC, which produces International Pizza Expo as well as publishes Pizza Today.
This year's show is scheduled for March 10-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it happens to be the Expo's 25th Anniversary.
"As an independent pizzeria owner, you may be under pressure and worried about how you're going to survive in this new economy," Oakley says. "The fact is, you may need to slow down in order to speed up your business. You may also need to do some creative thinking to come up with some innovative marketing ideas to boost your business."
Jeffrey Freehof, who pens the "Ask Chef Jeff" column in Pizza Today and also leads seminars at International Pizza Expo, has seen the tradeshow up close and personal from both sides of the aisle: before he was involved with the convention, he was an avid annual attendee. Still is, he insists. As owner of The Garlic Clove in Evans, Georgia, he has a business to run and gets many of his ideas at the Expo. Freehof says he agrees with the assessment that walking the show fl oor and attending the seminars this year is more important than ever.
"Restaurants are closing all around me, and things are certainly tighter than ever," he says. "I'm certain one of the reasons I'm still standing is because of all that I gather at Pizza Expo, whether it's marketing ideas or money-saving tools and equipment. Even though I'm busy giving demos, as an operator I make time to see every booth and always walk away with ideas and product that help me thrust forward in this diffi cult business climate."
Scott Anthony, a Fox's Pizza Den franchisee in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, feels the same way. Like Freehof, he also has led seminars at the tradeshow and frequently contributes articles to Pizza Today.
"For 2008, the saying was: 'If sales are fl at, you did well.' Unfortunately, many did not do well. As an industry, we all battled high food costs, increased wages and climbing utilities in the midst of a recession. Many of our contemporaries struggled, and some even failed," says Anthony.
"Pizza Expo promotes the pizza industry and its many contributions to our society. The innovative ideas that Expo has yielded have positively changed the way I do business. The conferences at Pizza Expo have kept me from being a casualty of this system of things. My sales were up two percent in 2008. Reaffi rming relationships with vendors and sharing ideas with fellow operators at Beer & Bull are vital to keep up with industry trends. Now, more than ever, I see the need to be there and be on top of my game."
The seminar lineup, says Oakley, is designed to propel pizzerias to increased profi tability. "The one thing that really separates International Pizza Expo from all of the other general foodservice shows is our educational component," he says. "There's not another food show around where you'll fi nd 60-plus seminars and demonstrations devoted to a single industry, except International Pizza Expo. In fact, I like to think our pizzafocused seminars and demonstrations alone are worth the price of admission. But the bottom line is that there's always something new you can learn or see at Pizza Expo that will improve your pizzeria and bottom line." ❖