Let’s take a look at a few sauces that are unique yet useful. Sauces that will catch the eye of your customer and, just possibly, leave your competition in the dust. I am not suggesting that you go through a complete sauce makeover, because tha...

Vitello parmigiana, veal parmigiana, or veal Parmesan? Take your pick as to which wording you want to use to list this classic dish on your menu since all of them will serve your customers well — as long as you make it great. You have to admit, tho...

If you serve pasta-based dishes that feature chicken or fish, a velouté may be a sauce worth exploring. Veloutés are cheap to make, tasty and perfect matches for pasta. Start with a basic chicken stock — canned, concentrated or fr...

By Pasquale “Pat” Bruno It was at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, circa 1964, that owner Teresa Bellissimo created the now famous Buffalo chicken wings. As the story goes, she received a large order of chicken wings from a supplier a...

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...

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 ...