Is your pizzeria shouting or whispering? Because the noise a restaurant makes influences a customer’s dining experience, operators need to listen. “Acceptable noise levels in a restaurant or bar will depend on the type of establishment, its c...

Recently, I spoke to a reporter from USA Today. He asked me about pizza’s place in the fast-food hierarchy. When he picked up the phone to call me, I doubt he expected such an animated and strong response to what seemed like a simple, innocent ques...

A soft opening, also known as a Friends and Family dinner or a mock training, is the event a restaurant hosts before the grand opening. It’s the practice session in which the kitchen and the front of the house staff work a shift and feed a full res...

Willy Olund took second place in the International Pizza Challenge’s non-traditional category at the 2010 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Q. Entering International Pizza Challenge can be a daunting task. Why enter a gluten-free pizza rather ...

For many pizzerias, call-in orders are a substantial part of their business. Whether it’s families or college co-eds, customers are used to picking up the phone to order their favorite pie. You can capitalize on those calls by ensuring that every c...

The sandy shores of Pensacola Beach, Florida, yield a plethora of dining options ranging from shaved ice shacks to Zagat-rated dining rooms. Seated comfortably in the middle is Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom. But this two-unit company, owned by...

Beauty lies in the bottom line. Simply put, beautiful menus are money-making menus. All the rest are money losers. What kind of menu do you have and how do you know? Let’s slice and dice a typical pizzeria menu. Profitability should be the deciding...

“The funny thing about eggplant is that the people who love it, really love it.” So says Tony DiSilvestro, owner of Ynot Pizza, a three-unit operation based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. From Ynot Pizza’s eggplant specialty pizza, eggpla...

Since it showcases our annual Independent Pizzeria of the Year, I always carry a little extra enthusiasm for our August issue. After all, running an independent pizza business to the highest of standards and success levels is the crux of what Pizza T...

“Jack of all trades, master of none” is a figure of speech used in reference to a generalist — a person that is competent, but not outstanding. Is that you? Is that your pizzeria? Recently I came across a menu/fl yer and found multiple ...

Q: We make our own dough as we have been for many years. We use an air impingement oven to bake our pizzas, but for some reason, we can never get the pizzas as crispy as we would like them to be. The edges are crispy, but the rest of the pizza leaves...

The legalese and tax speak made Kelvin Slater’s head spin. In 2003, as Slater readied to open Blue Moon Pizza in Marietta, Georgia, he struggled to discern the best legal entity for his restaurant. Even as he poured over research and heeded profess...