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People & Pizzerias
2009 September: No Bull
Q: How has the current recession affected your marketing budget? Estella Ferrera, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Company: I have actually left our marketing budget pretty much the same, although I was a little more conservative with my buys to acco...
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Menu Development
2009 September: The Original
The Italians take their pizzas seriously, which is why, in June of 1984, Antonio Pace put into writing the precise rules for the preparation of the “veraci” (original) pizzas. He was against the commercial industrialization of the modern day pizz...
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Menu Development
2009 September: The Power of Pasta
Pizza and pasta is a match made in heaven. If pasta isn’t already on your menu, start up the printing press — because that’s all about to change! Not only should you be offering both, but why not create a “family feast” by combining a pasta...
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Operations
2009 September: This Too Shall Pass
I have been asked to summarize many of my beliefs and words of wisdom as if this were my last shot to speak to you. I have had the great honor to intercommunicate with our wondrous industry for the past 15 years. It has been quite a ride, and I would...
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People & Pizzerias
2009 September: Toss Up
When I was 18, I tossed my very first pizza. It was my brother, Frank, who taught me the basics. Then I practiced every day. I noticed that customers were amazed when they came into our pizzeria — and back then I really didn’t do much … just a ...
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Menu Development
Dough Doctor: How does gluten affect dough?
Gluten is the one thing that holds our dough together. Without it, the dough would be a pasty mix of ingredients, lacking the capability of being shaped, hand-tossed or slapped. Contrary to what a bag of fl our might say, flour does not contain any g...
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Operations
Laundry: Hang to Dry
For some pizza restaurant operators — such as those who use front and center items like table linens or who have extremely high-volume locations — whether or not to do the laundry in-house or use a laundry service is a no-brainer. In these instan...
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Menu Development
Old School Sicilian Pizza
What makes a Sicilian pizza a Sicilian pizza? In two words: shape and thickness. A true Sicilian pizza is rectangular. A true Sicilian pizza has a crust that is almost a half-inch thick. How do I know this? I know this because next door to my boyhood...
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Menu Development
Pasta Primer: Fettuccine
This is the time of year that many of us (especially those of us living in the Midwest) go bananas over fresh tomatoes. If I had the time, I would write another cookbook called “101 Ways to Use Fresh Tomatoes.” So this time of year I am constantl...
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Menu Development
Pizza Bianco
White pizza is often defined by what it lacks rather than what it offers. White pizza is devoid of tomato sauce, but not flavor. By omitting the bold, acidic base that most pizzas build on, the toppings take center stage with nuance, subtlety and com...
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Employee Management
2009 July: Main Menu
At any restaurant, the quality of the food served is the most important factor in a customer’s happiness. But it’s not the only thing that matters. Consciously or not, customers are forming an opinion about their dining experience from the moment...
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People & Pizzerias
Delivery driver safety begins before driver ever leaves the store
In the time between when the pizza leaves the parlor and the delivery driver returns to the store, any number of mishaps can occur. While millions of pizzas are delivered safely in the United States everyday, a prepared parlor is less likely to run i...