Turn Pizza Expo Inspiration Into Actionable Success

Key Points:

• • Start Small, Act Boldly: Choose one idea from your Pizza Expo notes and implement it now—success begins with the courage to take the first step.
  • Measure for Growth: Use data and KPIs like food waste, ticket times, or customer satisfaction to evaluate the impact of your actions and build sustainable systems.

The dust from Pizza Expo has finally settled. We’ve had time to breathe, unpack our bags and reflect on the wealth of information we were gifted back in March. For many of us, Pizza Expo is a highpoint of the year – a whirlwind of new toppings, high-tech ovens and innovative marketing strategies.

But as we return to the daily grind of our pizzerias, the real challenge begins: It is time to move past the reflection phase and put something into action. As the saying goes, we can do anything, but we cannot do everything.

For those of you who have already implemented new practices since March: CONGRATULATIONS! You have already mastered the first step in building: the act of doing. It takes guts to change a recipe or a workflow that has been “fine” for years.

However, your journey doesn’t end with the implementation. The next vital step is using data to measure your results. Without metrics, you’re just guessing. Whether it’s tracking a new coupon’s redemption rate or timing a new dough-stretching technique, the data will tell you if what you’re doing is getting results! True measurement isn’t just glancing at a P&L statement; it’s identifying the specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as your dough-waste percentage or average ticket time. This data tells the tale of your kitchen’s efficiency.

Putting Ideas Into Action

For those who haven’t put anything into action yet, I have a simple challenge: select just ONE item from your Expo notes and do it. Just one.

We often get paralyzed by the sheer volume of good ideas that we bring home, thinking we must overhaul the entire business at once. We don’t. Success isn’t found in the 50 things you could do; it’s found in the one thing you actually start.

I am fortunate to have many mentors in this lifetime who have supported my growth. Much of the insight in this column comes from those far wiser than me. They taught me a foundational truth: to find success, we must first be brave enough to DO. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear that a new idea might fail; it’s the willingness to try it anyway. If you are waiting for the perfect time to launch that new menu item or loyalty program, that time is now.

Measuring Results With Data

The second lesson my mentors could not stress enough is that to ensure what we are doing is the right answer, we must be able to MEASURE the results of our action. Measurement is the bridge between a good idea and a proven system. If you can’t track the impact on your labor costs, food waste or customer satisfaction, you can’t grow.

Accountability means more than just checking a box; it’s about creating a culture where you and your team are answerable to the data, ensuring that the standards we set during Pizza Expo high don’t slide when the Friday night rush hits.

Only once we act and measure can we create the systems that ensure we show up consistently for our customers every single day. Stop waiting for the perfect conditions to DO. Take that one bold step today. Then, measure its impact tomorrow and continue to build a pizzeria you’re proud of.

MELINDA CARBAJAL is the CEO and managing member of Colorado-based Simply Pizza.