We all LOVE pizza… I mean, that slice of heaven is its own complete food pyramid for goodness’ sake. Along with loving to consume pizza, Americans seem to LOVE to open a pizza shop on every geographical inch of the map. Now for consumers, what great options this creates, for shop owners… well that’s another story.
So the BIG question is… How do I differentiate myself from my fellow Pizzaiolos? Do I focus on price? Do I focus on quality? HELP me not fall into the black hole of average ZA!!
First let’s focus on competitive pricing. Yes, there are many large national chains that run crazy price point promotions. How do they do it? Should I match pricing to stay alive? Those large national chains have large purchasing power; combined with market hedging, to keep their pricing consistent for promotional time periods. For the independent operator, the ebb and flow of commodity markets is a disadvantage in matching those crazy promotions. Don’t go down that slippery slope. ALWAYS remember; first rule of business, you become self-employed to make money and be profitable.
Quality, meet profitability. Our Zilennial consumers have forced nutritional disclosure and their eating habits follow the course. Covid created a home-based culinary delight for this generation and knowing the details of their meal was heightened. Where do the ingredients come from? Have they been modified in any way? Tangible smaller manufacturers with better quality and flavor have risen to be SUPREME. So how do we as independent owners attract this consumer; to ensure profitability, we need to REFOCUS our ingredients to incorporate this demand.
Not to sound cheesy, but I always say, go big or go home… and cheese is the biggest expense of our round circle of love. Let’s start with Pizza’s Center of the Plate ingredient…Cheesy goodness. Does a product exist that is ALL Natural, Wisconsin Proud, HORMONE FREE and manufactured in a FARMER OWNED Cooperative Dairy? A product that could appeal to the Zilennial consumers that care about what they consume and where the product is produced? GREAT NEWS…. It does. Burnett Dairy is in Grantsburg, WI and still is FARMER owned after 130 years… 130 years of premium Dairy products, Mozzarella and Provolone in particular. Their Patria Line of Italian Cheeses is ALL NATURAL and RBST Hormone FREE.
Take a moment and examine your ingredients, are they truly the best you can offer? Don’t be afraid to ask the questions of where your products come from and what do all those LONG words mean in the ingredient statement. If you don’t ask… trust me, our new Zilennial group of consumers will; please don’t ignore them, they are truly the future to our Pizza Segment and every operator’s profitability.
For the Love of Pizza… Free yourself and your customers from less than the BEST. Your bottom line deserves it.
