The use of gloves in restaurants is common, but is it done right? The impetus behind this story is a tale as old as time: while waiting to place an order for a donut and a coffee at a large breakfast chain, I waited for the only counter employee to ...

In the lead up to the 2018 Pizza Pasta Northeast show in Atlantic City, I was asked to lead a seminar called “I Am Your Customer and This is What I Want.” It sounded like a simple enough request since I spend quality time with pizzeria customers ...

How to effectively train a restaurant host Think of your host as a conductor of an orchestra. Instead of a baton, the critical crew member has a seating chart and a wait list. The entire rhythm of your restaurant hangs on their ability to set the tem...

It’s about more than food “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Dr. Maya Angelou Dr. Angelou’s quote hits the nail on the head when it comes to exceeding th...

Position your pizzeria to thrive with large parties An exercise: Go to a search engine and type “group friendly restaurants” and your area/town. Are you listed? Read the descriptions of the places ranked to see why they were highlighted. If your...

Upholstery care takes little time and mild cleaners Duct tape can fix many things, but it should not be used to repair torn upholstery. The low-budget patch is unsightly and it’s only a temporary fix. That’s one reason why operators need to take ...

Don’t overlook your hired customers There are two kinds of customers in our business. The paying customer and the hired customer. The paying customer is the obvious. They are the consumers who come to our establishments to buy the goods and ser...

The final chapter of Tony’s discussion on pizza peels In the September issue, I began a discussion on pizza peels and how I use them in my pizzeria. I followed up last month by taking a look at a few different types of peels. This month I’ll comp...

Does your staff know how to right a wrong? Pizza is an emotional experience! Mistakes happen, and how your crew responds with guests will determine their future patronage. Your team needs to know what to do when there’s a complaint. First… listen...

Menu boards can do more than list today’s specials Menu boards let customers know which pizza toppings are available, what today’s specials are and even what kind of establishment the eatery is. Pizza operators say they choose signage that matche...

Part II of Tony’s discussion on pizza peels Last month, I began a discussion on peels and how I use them in my pizzeria. Let’s continue by taking a look at some different types of peels (I covered out peels and perforated in peels last month)...

Servers and delivery personnel find their ‘game face’ In a past article I wrote for Pizza Today, I referred to service as the “deal breaker” in today’s restaurant economy. It’s actually an observation I learned from my mentor in t...