Pizza Artista
Greenville, South Carolina
Concept:
The Pizza Artista brand is built on customization with its core menu offering being a 10.5-inch craft-style pizza that is freshly-baked in a stone hearth oven. It gives our customers the experience to create-their-own masterpiece pizza with unique, non-traditional toppings (as well as different crust options, base sauces and cheeses) at a great value.
I decided to open a Pizza Artista franchise in my hometown of Greenville because I loved the idea of incorporating Louisiana-inspired ingredients into pizza. We use things like tasso, andouille, boudin, fresh shrimp, crab and crawfish. In addition to the Cajun-style toppings, we also include veggies, gourmet cheeses, various types of crusts and sauces to assist in making you the most delicious and memorable pizza. We also offer chef-inspired signature pizzas, several with Cajun flavors and ingredients, for those who may want to try something different and not create their own. We also offer oven-baked jumbo wings, pasta bread bowls, calzones with the options to “Create-Your-Own Masterpiece Calzone,” and entree salads, also with the option to “Create-Your-Own Masterpiece” salad.
In addition to our endless food options, we offer a variety of beer and cider that can be poured from our high-tech, self-serve PourMyBeer beverage wall that consists of 16 taps. Our guests really love the self-pour concept!
What is the focus of your beer program (types, locality, rotation)?
The self-pour beer wall allows us to bring in different kinds of beers from all over the world, but we try to stay and support local breweries as much as possible. We have a variety of different types of beer that we are constantly changing out, and we listen to our customers to see what they would like us to offer. Our list of available beers is accessible anytime through the Untappd beer board menu, which PourMyBeer is integrated with.
Being the first in your area, what attracted you to using a self-pour beverage system?
My husband and I have been fans of the self-pour beverage concept for a while. It’s fast and allows the guests to refill their drink any time they feel like it, without the hassle of having to ask or wait for their server. It also makes sense when visiting a fast-casual restaurant for the concept to stay consistent throughout the entire experience.
Why does a fast-casual pizza concept lend itself well to a pour-your-own beer program?
Since the Pizza Artista brand is built on customization, it felt like a natural fit and the perfect culinary pairing for the create-your-own beer and pizza experience. The opportunity to “build your own and pour your own” has been appreciated by the community.
How does using a self-pour beverage system impact your labor costs and overall operations?
Overall, it has been helpful regarding labor costs. We are also able to turn over tables more quickly because of the efficiency of the wall, and since guests serve themselves, more customers visit daily.