Unexpected staffing shortages can make your life — and your employees’ — an unholy nightmare. If customers are negatively impacted by the reduced manpower, your bottom line can take a pretty horrifying hit as well. And yet, in this economy, whe...

Diners often come to restaurants as part of a romantic evening, but is there romance behind the scene as well? According to Vault.com’s 2007 Office Romance Survey, 47 percent of U.S. employees (across a variety of industries) have had an office rom...

What’s Up, Doc? Bugs Bunny loves carrots, and you should, too. Why? Because they’re the perfect way to sweeten a pizza sauce. That’s right, carrots have a built-in natural sugar, so they are excellent for that use. Wash and skin a large carrot ...

Risk. From the French word “risqué,” meaning “naughty.” Do me a favor and take a look at your ring finger. Is it longer than your index finger? By how much? A recent study by Cambridge University discovered that men with long...

Just because everyone has a phone doesn’t mean they know how to answer it, especially when it comes to business. Pizzeria operators know how important the telephone is to the success of their business because a larger percentage of sales is generat...

I have opened seven restaurants for myself and at least 30 more for clients in my career. The last one to open was last August in Ohio. I’ve designed fl or plans for stores smaller than my garage (900 square feet) all the way up to a couple of gian...

Nobody ever wants to have to file for bankruptcy, but in these tough economic times, more and more pizzeria owners are being forced to do so. “Pizza used to be a bulletproof business,” says attorney Marvin Wolf, the New Jersey State chair...

Like other types of yeast leavened bread doughs, pizza doughs will benefit from fermenting for a period of time before using or baking. Fermentation provides dough conditioning, making the dough easier to shape. It also reduces the propensity of the ...

The average customer spends less than 40 seconds looking over your menu. In that time, the brain kick-starts into overdrive and a purchasing decision is made based on emotion, comfort zone, curiosity and cost. Some of your menu choices contribute lot...

Bear Silber co-owns Pizza Party, a one-store operation in Santa Clara, California. Once a Pizza Party customer, Silber, age 26, is in the process of buying the property from the couple that previously owned the pizzeria. At this point, they are equal...

It’s not unusual for pizzeria owners to trademark their store’s names. But some owners are taking their quest for brand originality beyond the store sign and onto the menu by registering trademarks for distinctive offerings. Does registering a me...

Fifteen years ago, Don Bellis wanted to bring the concept of wood-fired pizza to the west coast. A little homework with other business owners told him that the new restaurant would be his life, and he’d likely spend more time at the restaurant than...