5 Top Pizza Success Tips

Fast Casual Pizza 

There are several areas that are key to success and while all these areas are important any one is not the end all and be all to a successful formula. I’m sure you can think that local chain that has the worst pizza in town and yet you see their delivery vehicles everywhere you go. My own personal mystery was a pizza place in Brooklyn that was run by a guy with no personality that I am sure inspired the soup Nazi years later with his disrespect and rudeness to his customers. Aside from the pizza makers smoking while they made pizza, he would tell you to eat the unburnt part of the pie if you dared to complain. How about the places that are so far off the beaten path you need a guide to find them or better yet they have no name on the joint? You can’t make this stuff up but it gives one hope that there is room for all of us to succeed. I want to qualify this as my own personal opinion from working with, knowing and visiting with hundreds of pizza men and women all over the country. By no means is this THE BIBLE OF PIZZA or to be taken as law but it will give you a pretty good idea of what to concern yourself with if your new to the game, stale or in deep trouble.

1) Location, Location, Location-the best way is to be the only game in town or be in a tourist location where there are no other options available or the ones available are of no consequence due to being very expensive or a different and specialized category like a fish house.  Some the most successful places specialized in malls, theme parks, schools, military bases or small town USA.   

2) Make the best pizza known to man or there about. If you are making a really top notch product people will find you and not only that, people will talk. Word of mouth is the best advertising it has been said. The reason for this is that people will trust the opinion of friends and family over silly unfounded claims of the best pizza in town and such advertised in the local paper.

3) Be unique. Examples of this are everywhere but they may not seem apparent. Like making a Chicago pie where there never was one, having a wood burning brick oven, using insects as a topping or having a pizza drive through like OL Jose’s in Pineville West Virginia where they are using a revolving brick oven.

4) Be a social maniac. Take pride in being part of your community. Before there was social media, there were social men and women. These wonderful people actually cared about the people they met and considered customers as friends to share joys and sorrows with. One very moving example of this is when people would come to Goodfella’s Pizza in Staten Island on their way home from work in the days after 911 just to get out of the house and be with people who cared in a friendly and safe environment. There are many examples I can think of; like the guy who coaches the local little league, the girl who hosts local heroes with pizza parties, the place that supports boy scouts, the place that sponsors Special Olympics or the guys that collect donations for slices to feed the homeless. There are so many ways to build good will in a community and give back while earning respect and loyalty that I could write a book about it but you get the idea.  

5) Service. Run a tight ship that gives service and shows genuine care for the customer’s experience. I don’t know about you but when I am ignored, the host is not pleasant, the server acts like he is doing me a favor, the table is dirty when I am seated or my unfamiliarity with ordering and the menu is treated with impatience, you have lost me, and more importantly, any future income my patronage may have brought. This may seem like a given but if you are not on top of this and setting a good example for your crew it will never happen. A little thing like a smile or help and directions can go a long way in building a relationship with your customers. One terrible example I won’t forget was having my little daughter with me in a new town when she had to use a bathroom so we walked into a place and we were treated so rudely I swore I would never visit that place. I understand the old “Bathrooms are for paying customers” routine but sometimes being human and having discretion can earn you a great deal of loyalty. In other words, if it isn’t costing you anything to be kind-always be kind. Believe it or not but this also includes salesmen wasting your time. Those salesmen are not only people but potential customers with family and friends that also eat.

While no list will guarantee your success, if you follow these points your odds will greatly be increased and if you earnestly follow point 5 you will contribute to a better world by treating your fellow citizens with courtesy. Happy pizza my friend and best wishes.

Lone Survivor 2014 January

The devil is in the detail, a popular saying that comes in handy when you run a business. In some industries the amount of competition is much larger than in others and the pizza industry is one of the big ones with fierce competition. For example there are 1163 pizza places in my home town of Brooklyn New York. How crazy would you have to be to compete in this market without paying attention to the basics let alone the details? What are the basics? First: How to make pizza? Second: What kind of oven should I use?

These questions are key but how about your type of pizza, your location, decor, promotion, marketing? Now we get into the details. The Pizza School of New York can help with making pizza and the The New York Brick Oven Company can provide you with the industry leading revolving deck brick oven then all you need is staff training and some trial and error and you too may be one of the Lone Survivors in the pizza making game. Happy pizza to you and good luck making the dough.                

2014 Tips for Success -New Years Resolutions

Each year millions of people start the year with resolutions and a great many of us are quite sincere when we make them, so what happens that we don't keep them or start off strong and quit. Usually the target is unreal, meaning the person making it doesn't have the tools, information or ability to keep it. Secondly many of us charge in with fantastic enthusiasm only to hit a wall and fail.

 How do you overcome this? 

My suggestion is make smaller incremental goals toward your overall goals. Some  examples could be hiring new staff, losing 25 lbs. or writing a book. Well the first one could be overwhelming if you just fire all the dead wood and have to handle your whole business by yourself so maybe it would be a little easier to sit down and decide who needs to be replaced as a first DOABLE step. Look at overall performance and decide on one person you want to retrain(yes that is a possibility and always a first choice at Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza) or replace, then work out a plan to do that and have a win doing so. Losing weight is a killer for most because it is a slow process and requires patients and will power. Well what if you set the goal for 1 lb. in three days  and then figure out exactly what you have to eliminate from your diet or where you could reduce portions to attain the goal? Once you have made the 1 lb. goal you set your sights on 2 lbs. and so forth winning as you go. Writing a book is another big target and having wrote  Routine Patrol I found that years went by until my friend Dan suggested I just write what comes to mind and complete one idea or chapter. This was much easier to do and led to next and so on until I had enough material  to start arranging, editing and putting it together. The small win of seeing the first chapter completed was the inspiration needed to continue. You can take this idea and apply it to any goal or project you can imagine. the key is attainable targets that lead toward your goal. Yes there will be obstacles and set back but just re-evaluate and start fresh. I wish you great health, prosperity and success in this New Year! Best wishes. Start!!!

Speedy Pizza from the World Champs!

How about 52 pies in 19 minutes? The guys from the original Wold Champion Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York demonstrate the InfernoSeries  Revolving Deck Brick Oven model 140 from the New York Brick Oven Co.

As you can see from the video, you would be hard pressed to keep this oven filled for any length of time because it is that fast. More importantly it cooks each pie to perfection without having to spin the pies as they cook. This is an amazing way to save time, labor and ensure a consistent product.

Revolving Deck Brick Ovens

Revolving Brick Ovens are the wave of the future. Between new the fast casual chains using the revolving ovens and old school pizza places retrofitting the new revolving ovens it seems apparent that this is the trend in the industry and a big trend it is.

One of the top innovations is the patented electric heating element that augments the wood fire or gas fire of the New York Brick Oven Co. Inferno series. They are using old world brick oven technology with the option of using an incredible modulating gas flame source for heat or wood fire. Between the gas, wood and electric you get the highest production oven turning out perfect pizza every time. The turntable cooking surface eliminates the need for highly skilled pizza men to work the oven. This in turn ensures each pizza once placed in the oven need not be turned as it cooks. This is a huge cost saving as the pizza man can continue making pies instead of having his attention(and head in the oven). One of the top pizza places in America-Goodfella's of Staten Island has been leading the industry with this oven for years. If your serious about high volume and consistent products check out the revolving ovens from the New York Brick Oven Co.   

350 Slices Per Second or Exploding Pizza

The latest figure for pizza consumption in America is an amazing 350 slices per second! The average family eats pizza at least once a month and for many it's once a week. That is a lot of pizza. With pizza sales for 2012 at $36,000,000,000 we are talking a lot of dough. With many established chains adding pizza to the line up along with stadiums, bars and convenience stores it's no wonder pizza is one of the top foods in America. Now if your in the industry or considering joining the craze you may want to look at fast casual brick oven pizza since this is where it is all heading now. Gourmet pizza places like Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza in Staten Island New York has been setting the trend with their Revolving Brick Oven for years along with fresh mozzarella, oven roasted peppers and other choice ingredients. Even the big chains are talking about "better ingredients" make better pizza. People are getting more health conscience and the variety of places catering to the savvy consumer are making for great competition where every one wins.