Never look down on the idea of stick food as an appetizer option. Children and adults alike love stick food –– it’s fun, easy to eat, something a bit different. Stick food is here to stay. I have written about fried mozzarella sticks for Pizza ...

Here we are, October and National Pizza Month. It’s time to celebrate! For some operators the summer has been slow, but now that kids are back in school, pizza is back on the menu again for social and school functions, and home meals for families o...

The other day, I was talking to a young woman who worked her way through college by bartending at a busy restaurant. I asked her if all the second-hand cigarette smoke she had to inhale in order to do her job bothered her. She answered in the affirma...

My son just over a small bar/restaurant and really wants to offer hand-tossed pizzas. Can they be cooked in the convection oven? A: You can bake a decent pizza in a convection oven, but you can’t bake it in a pizza pan. See, in a traditional pi...

I’m thinking of hiring a store manager and want to know your opinion on promoting from within or bringing someone new into the company. I’ve done both and it is definitely an easier transition to promote from within if you have the right ...

I’m looking at two locations. One is 3,000 square feet and centrally located in a busy shopping plaza. Rent is high and it will cost a lot of money to renovate. Parking is a bit of a problem in this busy plaza. The second location is across the...

Three big pizza-consuming days are about to roll around. New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday each present opportunities for pizzeria operators across the country. Don’t let them go unnoticed in your community. And d...

How do you determine portion sizes? How much difference should there bebetween lunch and dinner portions? Well, first you need to determine what food cost percentage you want to run. Then you’ve got to cost out your raw product by the ounc...

I bought some new pizza screens for use in my conveyor oven, but pizza keeps sticking to them. What is the problem? Before using new pizza screens, you need to spray them (make sure it’s an oil-based spray) and run them through the conveyo...

What are the advantages of portion control, or is it best to freehand? The biggest advantage of portion control is definitely food cost control. This is an area that many foodservice workers miss out on. Over-portioning can account for a la...

I’m not sure what I should expect to pay for rent. What percentage of my sales should rent account for? You really can’t know what your sales will be projected at until you find an appropriate space that is suitable for your concept. ...

I prefer using fresh vegetables on my pizza, but they have more water content and create a soggy pizza. Is there a solution to this problem? A: Yes, there is. I like fresh veggies too, and I solved that problem by using a Japanese breadcrumb. I find ...