How do you get rid of a customer who constantly complains and is always trying to get free food from you? It’s a tricky and funny thing. Obviously, if we really keep making mistakes, we really do want to replace someone’s food, along with...

The dollar signs may not exactly dance before your eyes when a single diner walks into your pizzeria. You’d much rather seat the party of four who will order a bottle of wine and an appetizer. That might be your first mistake: not welcoming the...

Have you ever participated in local festivals by setting up a food booth? Is it worth the trouble and expense? Do you actually make a profit, or is it just more to get your name out there in the community? I participate in those as often as I can. Th...

I’m buying an existing dine-in pizza parlor. My challenge is diplomatically dealing with loud and out of control kids — without offending the parents and making a touchy situation worse- trying to keep all the customers happy. It’s ...

It was a Friday night in late August, and an unexpected thunderstorm came and went rather suddenly. The damage was modest, but it knocked out power to much of the area in which I live. It was dinner time and my hungry toddler, like most little ones, ...

Here are some tips for setting up your own frequent-diner program: • Train your employees about the importance of your frequent diner program. Offer incentives to employees who sign up the most customers. Also train them to remind the customer t...

If you plan to utilize secret shoppers, be sure they answer the following questions: • Were you greeted with a friendly smile when entering the pizzeria? • Was the restaurant clean? • How long did it take for the food to be served? &bu...

Exposed ceilings present pros and cons for operators In his new hip restaurant where seasonal artisanal pizzas are delivered from a wood-burning oven, Mike Isabella wanted just one thing: exposure. Isabella, who appeared on season six of Bravo’s �...

Patio service requires right employees, finesse Patio dining. Some restaurant operators say their business wouldn’t be the same without it. Barbara Reeve, general manager for the Tivoli Restaurant in New Milford, Connecticut, is one of them. The th...

The wait is finally over. It has been nearly four months since I first noticed construction two blocks from my apartment in a relatively quiet Brooklyn neighborhood. It’s not that we don’t have pizza nearby — there are at least two slice shops ...

Performance kitchens put staff center stage   For Brixx, a southeastern-U.S.-based chain of brick-oven restaurants, having a performance kitchen was just a natural extension of the restaurant’s branding strategy. “Making the pizza in...

Dram shop laws, underage drinking, over serving, altercation risk, staffing and training: operating a bar within a pizzeria can be a mess of liability. But managed effectively, a bar can enhance your pizzeria and drive traffic with not only alcohol s...