Waiting is never fun. It is especially difficult when it’s dinnertime, hunger has set in and the smell of deliciousness is in the air. When the 10-minute wait that the hostess promised has turned into 15 minutes, customers will start to get antsy a...

Don’t overlook importance of window marketing In the hospitality industry we often say, “People eat with their eyes.” Many pizzeria operators have learned to apply that to our menus, restaurant décor, open kitchens and more while enjoying the ...

Get in Line All strip malls are not created equal. Your business may be one of the “lucky” ones, if you’re adjacent to a strong anchor store. You can easily lure the anchor’s customers to your door, as aromas of baking pizza waft into the par...

Under Darkness It’s nearing 2 a.m. on 6th Street, Austin, Texas’ worthy attempt to mimic Bourbon Street. As a long line of packed bars make their last calls, revelers pounce onto the lively thoroughfare. Many wander into one of the two Roppolo’...

Server shadowing grooms fledgling servers through hands-on experience You’ve hired a new server and you’re anxious to get the newbie up to speed at your pizzeria. But, before you let rookie servers hit the floor on their own, shadowing –– whe...

Choosing the right fixtures is as important as choosing the amount of light   In restaurant lighting, ambiance is important, but it is not the only factor in choosing how to illuminate the dining room. The right light fixtures can make the eater...

Create ways to ease the delay   Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy waiting at pizzerias. If I’m queued for a table, it’s likely I’m in line with people whose visits were inspired by the same article or television segment that influenced m...

It’s up to you to please your guests You might want to sit down for this one. A friend of mine recently visited a restaurant and was told to expect a 25-minute wait. No big deal, waiting is part of the game at trendy hot spots like this. After the ...

Retain your regulars to maintain your company’s reputation Pizza has a lot going for it. It is almost an embarrassment of riches. It’s the problem everyone wants: the line stretches out the door, and customers fight for a table. The downside is t...

Distinguishing dining-room design trend from fad Dan Collier and his partner, Josh Schreider, of PizzaMan Dan’s in Ventura County, California, took a serious look at the pizza company’s interiors about a year ago. Since its inception in 2012, Col...

Sooner or later, you are going to need to take a break   I have had several calls in the past few months that touch upon this question: “When is the right time to step away from your restaurant?” This is tough because sometimes you may never...

A case of ambiance gone wrong It was the second place on a private pizza tour and I decided to take a risk by taking my group to a new stop. Part of my job is to introduce New Yorkers to great under-the-radar pizzerias and this one had opened in an o...