COMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE
Tips for keeping diners happy, costs down
Volume 23 Issue 7 December 2017
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14 COMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE Keep control on your costs by establishing guidelines for offering complimentary food
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COVER: Are loose comping practices eating into your bottom line? Turn to page 14 to learn how to set best practices for your staff and keep a tight rein on those unexpected costs.
12 FOOD INNOVATION
IN MILAN The HostMilano food-service event showcased tradition, technology and solutions for pizzerias
18 CANADIAN PIZZA SHOW 12
GROWS Lots to see, learn and taste at our annual industry show! We have all the highlights
24 NEGOTIATING A LEASE
RENEWAL RENT REDUCTION Are you paying too much monthly rent? Get expert tips for lowering this regular expense
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www.canadianpizzamag.com
DEPARTMENTS 6
editor’s desk
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pizza bites
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guest column
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the pizza chef
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making dough
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Giorgio’s corner DECEMBER 2017 pizza 3
from the editor’s desk December 2017, Vol. 23, No. 7
Labour pains
Managing Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexweb.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261
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inimum wage hike. There are scarcely three words more provoking. Recent and proposed provincial government wage hikes in Alberta, B and Ontario have small businesses worried, frustrated and in some cases downright angry at the burden these increases bring to bear. Independent restaurants are extra vulnerable. You employ a high proportion of people on the lower end of the pay scale, labour comprises a lot of your fixed costs and you have very thin profit margins. Raising the minimum wage is a contentious issue. Advocates argue increases are long overdue and give vulnerable workers protection and dignity. They say the practice puts more money in the pockets of those who need it and encourages spending. Critics argue the increases will force businesses to cut back on staff, and lead to higher prices on goods and services for everyone. One of three things happens to a business when the minimum wage goes up: It absorbs the increase at a loss in the hope that the increased revenue generated will make up for the financial loss. It raises prices and risks losing customers. Or it cuts back on jobs, hours or new hires. Restaurants Canada predicts high job losses. The association polled members and the results suggest 98 per cent will raise menu prices; 97 per cent will reduce labour hours; 81 per cent will lay off staff; three-quarters will explore labour-saving technology such as self-service touch screens; and one-quarter are likely to close one or more of their locations. The association is not against increasing the minimum wage but says in Ontario’s case it is going up too quickly. You also may believe in higher wages but feel there must be a more reasonable way to get there. After all, many owner-operators and managers worked your way up from
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entry-level jobs to be the one signing the paycheques. You understand what it’s like to be earning the minimum wage and the vulnerability that goes with that position. There is another point of view out there that a fair minimum wage may cause job seekers to take on jobs they may not have wanted and slowly lead to a better level of service. The jury is still out on that, as I know plenty of you offer fair wages already and still struggle to find and keep “the good ones.” Still, forward-thinking businesses are in good company with groups like Better Way Alliance that consider staff assets rather than expenses. The minimum wage debate has overshadowed other important aspects of Ontario’s proposed legislation – known as the Bill 148, or Fair Wages, Better Jobs Act – that will mean significant changes for small businesses in Ontario and may influence practices in other provinces. Employees will be entitled to three weeks’ paid vacation after five years of employment. The act will prohibit employers from misclassifying employees as “independent contractors.” And it will invoke scheduling changes: if an employer cancels a shift within 48 hours of its start, affected employees will be entitled to three hours of pay. However you feel about these issues, as a businessperson, you are forced to deal with their effects on your livelihood. While we don’t have easy answers, we promise to work with you on strategies for handling changes that are out of your control. Meanwhile, we wish you a happy and prosperous holiday season. •
Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Account Coordinator Shannon Drumm sdrumm@annexweb.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Brooke Shaw Circulation Manager Anita Madden amadden@annexbizmedia.com 416-442-5600 ext 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 (main) 416-510-5133 Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com COO Ted Markle tmarkle@annexweb.com President & CEO Mike Fredericks Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Published seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec) by Annex Business Media Circulation email: lmalicdem@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext. 3547 • Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 19.00 (+ applicable tax) Best pricing (Can/USA/foreign) available online at www.canadianpizzamag.com Occasionally, Canadian Pizza Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.
Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbizmedia.com • Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2017 Annex Publishing and Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianpizzamag.com
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SAVE THE DATE • MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2018
THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE • MISSISSAUGA, ON PRESENTED BY
WWW.CANADIANPIZZASHOW.COM PZ_savethedate_Dec2017_MLD.indd 1
2017-11-06 3:07 PM
A SLICE OF THE PIE: HOW TO BUILD A BIG LITTLE BUSINESS
When Nick Sarillo decided to open a family-friendly pizza restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago, people thought he was nuts. Everyone told him no one else would ever care about his place the way he did. They warned he’d have to work 20-hour-days and monitor every employee just to stay in business. But Sarillo saw things differently, and set out to run his business in a radically different way. Today Nick’s Pizza & Pub is one of the top ten busiest independent pizza restaurants in the country, with two locations that gross about six times the revenue of the typical pizza restaurant. How did he do it? The secret lies in Nick’s purpose-driven culture, in which every employee—from the waiters to the chefs to the managers—is equipped with the tools necessary to do their jobs while also advancing the company’s overall mission. The result is higher sales, a dedicated team, and a big little business that is beloved by the entire community. In A Slice of the Pie Sarillo tells the story of how he built his extraordinary culture and shows how anyone can follow his methods and help transform even the smallest, simplest, and most ordinary business into a successful, highperformance organization.
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 7 Pizza Book Ad aprilmay15.indd 1
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pizzabites BRIEFLY | Toronto food hall looks to promote independent restaurants; How climate change is affecting olive oil; Pizza Pizza celebrates 50 years | FOR MORE pizza news, check out our website, canadianpizzamag.com.
Pace of Ont. ‘fair workplaces’ bill concerning estaurants Canada told a committee on Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, that the proposed legislation could put more than 17,000 food-service jobs at risk. Ontario MPPs have sent Bill 148 to committee for final considerations before it faces third and final reading in the Legislature. The bill has become infamous as the “minimum wage” bill, but the 64 amendments to various pieces of legislation have severe implications for the food-service industry in Ontario. On Oct. 30, Joyce Reynolds, executive vice-president for Restaurants Canada, presented the industry’s concerns to the committee on the significant implications for our sector and told the committee the proposed legislation could put more than 17,000 jobs at risk in the food-service sector. Reynolds said the industry is not opposed to the minimum wage adjustments in Ontario but is very concerned about the pace of implementation. “The aggressive timelines will compromise the ability of the sector to absorb all of these additional costs,” Reynolds told the committee. “We have grave concerns that countless small businesses and entrepreneurs will be placed at risk of closure, downsizing and reduction of service to the communities they serve,” she said. Ontario’s restaurant industry directly employs nearly 473,000 Ontarians, roughly seven per cent of the province’s total labour force. Restaurants Canada continues to call on members to reach out to their MPPs and candidates in advance of the spring Ontario election. If the Fair Wages, Better Workplaces Act passes, many of the changes are slated to go into effect Jan. 1, 2018. Some parts of the legislation, such as the scheduling provisions, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2019.
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Canadian diners seek novel flavours and top-notch delivery ustomers are craving new flavour combinations, plantbased and Indigenous cuisine, and superior delivery practices, suggests a new trend report from Technomic. The research firm’s 2018 Canadian Trends Forecast reports that innovation on menus and technology have played a large part in shaping where the food-service industry is headed. These trends are creating new opportunities for operators to reach their customers. “Third-party delivery has brought Canadian operators to the tech forefront,” said Erik Thoresen, principal at Technomic, in a news release. “Despite hurdles around fees and deliverability of certain menu items, these platforms have opened up new marketing channels for operators and increased their ability to compete within a broader trading area.”
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Three trends to watch: 1. Putting plants to work: Plants are cropping up across the menu, with veggie noodles, plant milks and indulgent plant-based proteins poised to solidify more prominent placement on menu boards next year. 2. Indigenous cuisines inspire. It’s predicted chefs will bring new attention to the foods of the First Nations by shining a light on Canada’s native cuisines. 3. Delivering convenience. To stay competitive, operators that are quick to perfect their delivery process – maintaining food temperature, food quality and friendly customer service – will excel. Look for a detailed analysis of food and consumer trends relevant to the pizza industry in the January/February edition of Canadian Pizza.
pizzabites
Saputo to acquire business of Australian dairy co-op
Pizza, gelato and barista courses launching in Toronto
aputo Inc. will acquire the business of Murray Goulburn Co-Operative Co. Limited, based in Australia. Murray Gouburn produces high-quality dairy foods, including drinking milk, milk powder, cheese, butter and dairy beverages, as well as a range of ingredient and nutritional products, such as infant formula, Saputo said in a news release. The Australian company, which supplies the retail and foodservice industries internationally with its Devondale, Liddells, and Murray Goulburn Ingredients brands, has some 2,300 employees and operates 11 manufacturing facilities in Australia and China. The acquisition of the co-operative will add to and complement the activities of Saputo’s Dairy Division (Australia).
he Faema showroom at 672 Dupont St. in Toronto will be home to the Faema Culinary Academy in partnership with Moretti Forni of Canada. The academy will host pizza, gelato and barista courses for professional chefs and the general public. Two types of education will be available: two- to three-day courses chefs may take for certificates, and two- to three-hour cooking beginners may take, which the company expects to be held on weekday evenings. The Moretti Lab provides students an opportunity to try out equipment, including electric, gas and wood-burning ovens. The Dupont location also serves as a test kitchen for larger companies. Joe Di Donato, Faema’s vice-president, chief buyer and operational manager, said the school plans to hold a pizza-related event in early March. Those interested in taking courses may contact Faema Canada for more information.
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Biggest temptation for Canadians is eating out, survey finds
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hree-quarters of Canadians confess to overspending on groceries, and more than half blow the bank on eating out, according to a recent survey commissioned by Credit Canada Debt Solutions and Capital One Canada. Temptation and reward are the biggest reasons Canadians gave for overspending, and the biggest temptation listed was food, the agencies said in a news release. While this has obvious implications for the restaurant business, the survey results suggest consumers could benefit from learning about financial planning, the sponsors said. One-third of Canadians admit winning the lottery or receiving a large inheritance is part of their plans for a secured financial future, yet more than two-thirds have felt anxious or lost sleep thinking about their financial situation over the past year. “It’s troubling to see so many Canadians putting more trust in the lottery than sound financial planning – but I see the effects every day in our agency,” said Laurie Campbell, chief executive officer of Credit Canada Debt Solutions.
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Correction Canadian Pizza wishes to clarify that Salamina of Laval, Que., a federal plant and HACCP-certified manufacturer of meat toppings, is currently working toward GFSI certification. The company is not yet GFSI-certified, as was earlier reported. We also wish to correct a misspelling of the name of director Giovanni Frassetti. We regret any confusion these errors may have caused for readers.
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 9
guest column
Shep Hyken
t happens all the time. As a customer, you interact with good people who don’t seem to deliver great customer service. They are nice, even knowledgeable, but they don’t seem to be what I would call customer focused. So, I took a few minutes to talk to several people about how they were trained. I talked to a retail salesperson, a flight attendant, and a server at a restaurant. I asked them what kind of customer service training they received from the companies they worked for. The retail salesperson was sharp. She delivered great service, however, her fellow employees didn’t seem to operate at her level. When I walked into the store, most of the employees just stood there and watched me look over their merchandise. When she engaged me, it was obvious she had initiative and wanted to help, which also meant hopefully make a sale. It turns out that when she was hired, she went through training. Part of that training included a good amount of time spent on how to deliver good customer service. She went on to say that in the 18 months she had worked at the store, she received no additional customer service training. I had a similar discussion with a flight attendant. She was amazing. Unfortunately, the other flight attendants on her flight were not. I had a similar conversation and received a similar answer. She received extensive customer service training when she went to flight attendant school but had not received any formal training in the last five years since she was hired. The third conversation was with a server at a restaurant. The difference
The best customer service training is never finished!
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Many companies have a good customer service initiative. They put their recently hired employees through powerful training. But good training shouldn’t end there.
here is that everyone at the restaurant was laser-focused on making sure their customers were delighted with their experience. We had a similar conversation but with a completely different answer. It turns out that when this server was hired, he also went through training. And, since that initial training, every day he has come to work, his manager has had a team meeting before the shift starts. The meeting is only about 10 minutes long, but every day the manager takes just a few minutes during that meeting to talk about customer service and shares examples from the day before or suggestions on what everyone can do. Every day, every employee hears a customer service message. It is constantly reinforced. It becomes top of mind. It turns into a habit. Do you see the difference between the three examples? The retail store and the airline hired good people. They even trained them when they were
hired. But, they didn’t continuously reinforce that training. For many of the employees, it appears it was almost forgotten. But, the restaurant took just a few minutes each day to remind and emphasize the importance of customer service. Many companies have a good customer service initiative. They put their recently hired employees through powerful training. And then they think they are done. It doesn’t work that way. The only way customer service becomes part of a company’s culture is to train and reinforce. When it comes to customer service training, it’s not something you did for your employees. It’s something you do for your employees! • Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information, visit www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken
the pizza chef
Vegetarian and vegan pizzas are a thing Diana Cline
s I write this, I am freshly back from the Canadian Pizza Show, and I want to say that it was great to meet so many of you! I really enjoyed hosting the Seasonal Pizza Challenge, and I am thrilled that my talk about vegan and vegetarian pizzas became an open discussion with everyone in attendance! I feel it’s important to share what were some very important takeaways from this year’s show. My purpose isn’t to discuss the rights and wrongs of things but only to inform and educate other independent pizzeria owners as to what changes are occurring in your marketplace, namely, that there is a starving market ready to be catered to with just a little tweaking of your menu. In the last two years, the vegan market has grown by leaps and bounds, mainly because many of our aging population and millennials are turning to clean living vegan diets. Google Trends shows a 90 per cent increase in searches for the word “vegan” in 2016. The biggest growth is in meat eaters who are cutting back. People choose vegan or vegetarian diets for three main reasons: 1. They need to accommodate food allergies: In North America, we are lot of ingredients that simply did not exist when we were kids – from artificial food dyes and artificial growth hormones, to excess levels of pesticides now used on genetically engineered foods (GMOs). A lot of Canadians suffer allergic reactions or serious health issues if they don’t change their diets. 2. They wish to eat in accordance with their religious or spiritual beliefs: There is a growing spiritual movement that urges us to “do no harm.” This includes environmental damages caused and created by our current animal farming and processing methods. Also under this banner is cruelty
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to animals: many of our current animal red peppers, oven-roasted zucchini and ovfarming and processing methods are seen en-roasted marinated mushrooms. as inhumane. Try caramelizing your onions. Add 3. They want to live a clean lifestyle olive oil and brown sugar to some onions that includes clean eating. Clean eating in a pan, roast them for a few minutes is a deceptively simple concept. Rather then add balsamic vinegar and roast them than revolving around the idea of ingest- a few more minutes to get phenomenally ing more or less of specific enhanced flavours for your things (for instance, fewer pizza that any customer calories or more protein), will love! I also like to toast the idea is more about being cashews and pecans. They When creating mindful of the food’s pathoffer a nice “bite” and are new specialty way between its origin and very satisfying to a vegan your plate. At its simplest, and vegetarian palate. combinations, clean eating is about eating Another topping line of think about whole foods, or “real” foods mine features roasted and – those that are un- or minmarinated beans, peas and temperature, imally processed, refined, lentils. Each of these has flavour, and and handled, making them incredible nutritional value as close to their natural and is unique to find on piztexture. form as possible. zas. You could be the first in your area to offer them! TERMINOLOGY When creating new speA vegetarian is someone cialty combinations, think who does not eat meat, but still eats dairy about temperature, flavour, and texture. like cheeses and milks. Many also eat eggs. Textures are extremely important. Here A vegan is someone who eats only a plant- is a great combination: spicy roasted pebased diet. They do not eat meat, dairy or can, olive-oil-and-herbs-roasted zucchifish. Vegivore, semi-vegetarian and flexi- ni and caramelized onions topped with tarian are all words used to describe some- fresh arugula. Also, consider toppings like one who has cut most of the meat out of diced pickles, mango salsas and chutneys their diet but still eats some every now and to enhance the textures of your pizzas after then. baking. • CATERING TO VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN CUSTOMERS There are a few ways to enhance your menu to cater to vegetarians and vegans. You can offer roasted and marinated veggie options. The easiest way to do this is to marinate your veggies with some olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, pepper and basil, and roast them in the oven. Also good are oven-roasted
Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions, a judge for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and a partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, and marketing to help operators grow their business strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited basis; for more information contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 11
feature
Food innovation in Milan The HostMilano trade event showcased products for pizzerias BY COLLEEN CROSS
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ilan, Italy, a city that brims with history and bustles with the Zanolli booth, we found International Pizza Challenge industry, provided the perfect setting for HostMilano, winner Carmelo Oliveri, an instructor at the Zanolli Academy a food-service event that showcased artisanal baking in Verona, making sausage and spinach pizza. tradition alongside technological innovation. Held in October, the show was touted as a one-stop shop HIGH-TECH OVENS for food-service buyers. Aisle after gleaming aisle made the Mainstays of the trade-show floor included high-tech ovens connection between labour-saving technologies and how designed to make shift changes smoother by giving staff various baking programs to activate. Unox’s BakerLux they can make life easier for the hard-working and BakerTop models are examples of this restaurant industry. HostMilano welcomed 2,000 companies from Show organizers strong trend. Their innovative features include metal alloy plates that help the ovens retain the 52 countries. More than a dozen halls dedicated handed out moisture needed in so many pastry applications. to pastry, gelato, bread, pizza, pasta, coffee, tea, Another manufacturer, Alto-Shaam, had on vending and tableware provided inspiration and about a dozen display its CT PROformance 7-20 Combitherm ideas businesses can use to save time, money and oven, which is suited to high-production labour, and help them stand out from the crowd. Smart Label kitchens. Users can place it on a stand or stack Many of the booth events were carried out in awards for two together to save space. The company, Italian, but most booths had an English-speaking headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wis., has a representative. Fortunately, the language of innovative Canadian division. food is international and language was not products. too difficult a barrier to learning. Most of the GELATO APPEALS TO THE EYE pizzas encountered were roman style and light Canadians know pizza and ice cream go together; on the toppings. The School of Italian Pizza Italians believe it too. Gelato is a force to be Makers pumped out creative pizzas by the hour, including one that featured a butternut squash base and fior reckoned with in Italy, and at least a dozen exhibitors have di latte cheese topped with deep-fried squash and fennel. At mixes available for sampling in colourful, crowd-drawing cases
Frigomat’s futuristic glass-domed cases contain machines that allow customers to watch as gelato is mixed in a process that takes about 30 minutes.
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The Skymsen pizza dough opener, which received a Smart Label designation, uses cones to slowly roll out the dough at a rate of three pizzas per minute.
that prove we do indeed “eat with our eyes.” Among these were Rubicone, whose Spiral Blue gelato, naturally flavoured with spirulina, a type of microalgae, prompted lineups at the tasting counter; and Cuor di Gelato, whose powdered gelato bases in natural, traditional and vegetable fibre are designed for quick preparation. PreGel highlighted Halloween and other themed gelato formulations and shared details of its customizable “New Cookie Idea” mix for a sort of cookie-tart that can hold fillings of various textures. Several exhibitors featured gelato display cases that treated food as theatre. These futuristic glass-domed cases house machines that allow customers to watch as gelato is mixed. MUST-SEE CRUSTS ItalMill of the nearby town of Cologne was showcasing its sourdough and special “Black Venus” or “Riso Venere” flour through delicious roman pizza crust sliced horizontally to create a crisp mortadella sandwich. The company, which started out in the pastry sector, now serves bakeries and pizzerias as well. Its natural sourdough flour is higher in lactobacilli and thus sweeter, said company representatives. The Black Venus flour is rich in antioxidants, minerals and fibre, and solves the problem of lengthy fermentation time, they said. Roman pizza dough, they told us, typically takes four days to ferment as it is made up of 80 per cent water. That fermentation time is reduced to 24 hours when using their formulation. They have created timesaving mixes as well.
holds five large bins and eight pizza boxes. CaterTeam Food Service Equipment had its CookTek pizza and food storage bags on display. The insulated cloth bags contain a disc. When the bag containing the disc is placed on an induction charger base, it automatically heats up. The threepart system (bags, disc and charger) is designed to keep pizzas of up to 40 centimetres (15 inches) warm for up to 30 minutes. COOL TECH Show organizers handed out about a dozen Smart Label awards for innovative products. The Skymsen pizza dough opener received one such designation for its “high performance, agility, design and technology.” The machine is eye-catching in action. A dough ball is placed on a tray inside that then rises to come in contact with two large cones. The cones slowly roll out the dough to a circle of up to 50 centimetres (20 inches). Rafael Fantini, a sales executive with the manufacturer, said the machine could open three pizzas per minute, which translates to 180 per hour. It is well suited to a delivery-only operation, Fantini said. • For more product information, visit canadianpizzamag.com > New Products
STORAGE SOLUTIONS The folks from Cambro, a California-based company, were there with some cool wheeled storage options for restaurants that are especially suited to caterers. The newest cabinet on display was the Cam GoBox, which holds several polypropylene bins of hot or cold food safely for many hours and is unaffected by oil, grease and most chemicals. Another model, the ProCart Ultra,
The School of Italian Pizza Makers pumped out pizzas by the hour, including this one featuring a butternut squash base and fior di latte cheese topped with deep-fried squash and fennel.
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 13
feature
Comp and circumstance Are you giving away the “farm to table”? Here are guidelines for offering honourable and dishonourable complimentary meals BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS
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re you giving away the “farm to table?” Restaurant margins aren’t that huge to begin with and when a restaurant doesn’t get paid for the food they make, it chips away at what little buffer is there. Giving away meals for free or “comping” (short for providing complimentary meals) is a common practice. According to research by Paytronix Systems, meals prepared and not paid for typically account for three to five per cent of sales. At best – as a marketing expense – comping can be used to court media influencers and VIPs. It also can be a way of fostering employee engagement to let team members eat for free while working or dining when they are off the clock. Removing an item from a bill can sometimes be a way of retaining a customer who is unhappy with their food or service. It happens to the best of us and is a reasonable response to an honest mistake. The underbelly of comping, however, includes giving away potential revenue when a little structure and process around when and how to comp could rescue the bottom line.
THE HONOURABLE COMP: MARKETING DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Sampling is an effective way to drive sales. You may wish to provide each table with a sample of a new menu item or beverage as a way to get them interested. Food writers have always been a group to court, but in this age of social media food bloggers with strong followings are especially worthy of enticing to your establishment. As long as there is a process for vetting who is worthy, it’s likely money well spent. Make sure only certain managers can approve who qualifies as an influencer worth courting and then ensure the visit is controlled in terms of where they are seated and who serves them. You don’t want the experience to fall flat even if the food is great. Make sure the menu items are documented as being promotional in nature so they can be accounted for properly. One of the biggest mistakes restaurants make in their accounting practices is to include promotional meals in their cost of sales. The policy should be: No sale, no cost of sale. The costs must be captured elsewhere for final accounting
RIGHT: It’s important you set a budget for your promotional activity including complimentary meals.
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purposes. Accounting for your promo items as sales will overstate your revenue and have an impact on your taxation, so be sure to keep it clean on your books. Many restaurants offer their employees a free meal either during their shift or as a perk when they come in to dine by themselves or with friends and family. It’s a lovely gesture either way but can really add up for a whole team over time. Many restaurants will make the employee meal in a large batch to be left in the staff room for team members to help themselves. This may be cost effective but it may cause more harm than good. If your team is eating cold bulk pasta or pizza, they may appreciate the thought. But it’s not really increasing engagement. It would be better to allow them to order from a selection of items from the menu and simply charge them the cost of the item to make sure you’re not out of pocket. Allowing them to eat from their choice of menu items can be easier on the kitchen team operationally and it doubles as product training. Employees will appreciate receiving the meal at cost and understand your business rationale. It’s always more compelling to customers for servers to personally endorse a menu item they’ve eaten and enjoyed. If a meal is comped because a customer is dissatisfied, that may be unfortunate but it is still an honourable use of the promo line. Mistakes happen, but there are ways to catch those mistakes before they cost you dearly. Make sure the server checks in with the customer shortly after dropping the plates and again about halfway through the meal. It’s harder for a customer who’s admitted the meal tastes fine to suddenly decide at the end that it wasn’t and expect a comp. Most people are honest but there are some who take advantage. Ensure the reason for removing the item from the bill is noted in the POS. This will allow you to track any problems. If you have gift cards, talk to your provider about creating a special pre-paid card specifically for promotional activity. This allows you to more easily track what’s given out and to have it automatically accounted for appropriately on your financials. Of course, there are some who take advantage. Those of you who focus on delivery probably have tender pain points
around the complaints that come from food consumed off-premises. Checking in with the customer during the dining experience is difficult. Consider how technology may help here. If your customers give you their mobile numbers, you can use cost-effective texting services to automatically send a quick message a few minutes after receipt of food. The message could say, “Just checking in to see how you’re enjoying the food.” The customer can respond with a one-letter confirmation to say Y or N for good or not. Conversational e-commerce is the wave of the future and tools like iAdvize now integrate with Facebook Messenger to allow customer follow up with a live person instead of a chatbot. THE DISHONOURABLE COMP: ‘EVERYBODY’S A FRIEND OR FAMILY’ The hospitality industry is close-knit and there’s lots of cross-pollination of staff and information. This can create a situation where former employees are still given their staff privileges even after they’ve gone to work elsewhere. Employees may send their family members in expecting them to receive a discount or free meal. Your business could end up taking a big hit if this practice isn’t clearly defined and monitored. Decide if employees will get a discount to dine with guests, clarify how many guests will also receive the discount and define how often each month they can take advantage of it. Make it formal policy that the employee be present at the dining occasion for guests to receive the discount. As with all other promotional activity, track the transactions to understand what percentage of your business they represent. Make sure you set a budget for your promotional activity including complimentary meals. Start with three to five per cent of sales and track it to see where your baseline sits. Taking that number down even a couple of percentage points can really shore up the bottom line. The bottom line: honour the food by making sure it feeds both the people and the profit. • Michelle Brisebois is a marketing consultant specializing in e-commerce and digital content strategy and retail/ in-store activation. Michelle has worked in the food, pharmaceutical, financial services and wine industries. She can be reached at michelle@textrixconsulting.com.
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 15
making dough with Diane
Diane Chiasson
How to get your pizzeria ready for New Year’s
ew Year’s Day is one of the most internationally recognized and celebrated holidays, and it can be one of the most challenging times of year when it comes to managing your restaurant. However, with planning, organization and creativity, it also can be one of the most profitable times if you create a warm and inviting haven for your customers. Shoppers are flooding malls, boutiques and other stores for their last-minute holiday shopping and bargain hunting. As these shoppers go from store to store, they will develop a hunger that will perhaps bring them to your pizzeria for something quick and tasty to eat on the spot. Or they may simply order your food to go. Here are five helpful suggestions to get you ready for this busy time.
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1. ADD SPECIAL LAST-MINUTE DECORATIONS TO CREATE THE Your customers are looking for an enjoyable experience when they come to your RIGHT ATMOSPHERE pizzeria. This means creating a space that not only looks great but also feels like home. Decorate and brighten up your pizzeria with sparkly garlands and other colourful, unique and festive decorations that complement looks great but also feels like home. Make sure you have enough seating for all your customers. your brand. Add soft, twinkling lights around your restaurant and windows. These elements will create an enjoyable You should also have a plan for your table layouts if they need atmosphere in your restaurant while customers dine or wait to to change to accommodate larger groups. Make sure they are pick up their orders. Before you start putting up your special comfortable for all of your customers. decorations, have your staff go through your pizzeria and clean everything from top to bottom. Make sure your pizzeria 2. EFFECTIVELY ORGANIZE, SCHEDULE AND sparkles and is squeaky clean. Dust all your fixtures, clean the TRAIN YOUR STAFF windows, and make sure all your walls, ceilings and floors are All these extra orders are great for your pizzeria, but you may have your staff stretched to their limits. As you know, one of spotless. Add some New Year’s themed napkins and table covers, the most important operational aspects of being successful is and play some seasonal music. Your customers expect a warm, scheduling your staff effectively and giving them enough time comforting, attractive and inviting place where they can stay to learn your systems in order to provide superior service. Make sure you have plenty of seasonal staff to help you get and enjoy a great meal. Just remember that your customers are looking for an enjoyable experience when they come to your through the rush of the New Year’s events. Whether it’s a cashier, pizzeria, and therefore you should create a space that not only a busser or an extra cook, making sure you have a full staff is
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key during this time of year. You may consider bringing in a few temporary staff members to ensure your pizzeria is prepared for the New Year’s rush and to provide customers with top-quality customer service. Students will be looking for ways to earn a little extra cash during that time, and you could post your ad on college and university job boards. Use social media, post on your storefront windows and reach out to current employees for some help with your search. Be sure to give yourself enough time to select and carefully train your new employees before the rush begins. Just remember that one of the keys to a successful dining experience for your customers is fast and friendly service.
to get their yummy pizza. Send out press releases to local newspapers, magazines, and This is the time nearby industrial and manufacturing facilities. of the year when Make sure you promote extensively to nearby businesses. Visit all the surrounding office your customers buildings and drop off marketing material, New Year’s menu and catering menus. will pay just a Don’t forget to ask for the business! Train little bit more for your staff to give customers a mini menu with each receipt. You should also spread the word those delicious about your New Year’s menu through your seasonal website and via your social media channels. New Year’s can be one of the most challenging offerings. times of year, but with planning, organization and creativity, it can be one of the most profitable times if you create a warm and inviting haven for your customers. •
3. KEEP YOUR KITCHEN WELL STOCKED Running out of advertised pizzas is never the mark of a solid restaurant operation, and it is much worse when this happens during these special and meaningful holiday meals. There is nothing more disappointing than hearing the words, “Sorry, we’ve run out of that.” Don’t leave your customers with a bad impression of your restaurant. Plan ahead by looking at your last year’s sales data and by ordering extra ingredients and supplies. Keep a close eye on your inventory, and make sure you stock up on your most popular items so that you don’t run out of anything. But make sure you don’t also incur waste from overstocking. You certainly don’t want to run out of ingredients on one of the busiest days of the year, so make sure you talk to all your vendors early so they will have exactly what you will need. Use your restaurants’ POS inventory management system capability to optimize stock. 4. ADD SOME SEASONAL OPTIONS TO YOUR MENU Consider bringing in a unique and festive New Year’s menu to satisfy your regular customers who will be expecting new offers. Customers love menu items that incorporate holiday flavours and ingredients such as butternut squash, chestnut, and pumpkin spice. This is the time of the year when your customers will pay just a little bit more for those delicious seasonal offerings. I looked online for some special pizza dishes and found one that I would certainly like to order that included carved roasted turkey breast, sage and onion meatballs, pork sausage, bacon, and a topping of cranberry drizzle. Yum! One good way to start the new year is by giving your customers something for free when they walk into your restaurant, such as a glass of bubbly or sparkling wine. Give something to your customers that they will remember, and you will entice them to come back in the future. 5. PROMOTE YOUR NEW YEAR’S MENU Send New Year’s email greeting cards to your customers and remind them your restaurant is the best place for them
Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping food service, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com
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Canadian Pizza Show grows again Lots to see, learn and taste at our annual industry show BY CANADIAN PIZZA SHOW STAFF
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he Canadian Pizza Show marked its fourth year with a record attendance of 215. The trade event, which is the only one dedicated to the fresh pizza industry in Canada, was held at the International Centre in Toronto on Oct. 16. This year’s audience was a mix of pizzaiolos and people interested in opening a pizzeria. Attendees were treated to a great variety of exhibitors, excitement on the competition show floor and educational sessions.
AND THE WINNER IS… Matteo Cesarotto said he never dreamed he’d go home Chef of the Year, and he never imagined he’d be facing pal Giuseppe Cortinovis in a final bake-off. But that’s just what happened as Cesarotto’s “Mush ’n Boar” pizza, featuring wild boar sausage cooked in white wine and marinated portobello mushrooms, edged out Cortinovis’s “Covent Garden” pizza topped with plum prosecco lime and chili conserva, and smoked Maldonado salt. The two friends won trips to Las Vegas to compete in the 2018 International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo. In addition, Cesarotto picked up $1,000. Cesarotto, a chef at BUCO Pizzeria & Vino Bar in St. Albert, Alta., won the Traditional division, Mike Giresi of Giresi’s Pizza in Sarnia took second place, and Marco Zambri of Slopes of Vesuvius Mobile Pizzeria in Uxbridge, Ont., placed third. In the Open division it was Cortinovis of Nightingale Restaurant in Vancouver in first place; Antonio Rupolo of Gusto
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Pizzaria in Brampton, Ont., in second, and Alon Zohar of XO Pizza in Concord, Ont., rounding out the top three. Maurizio Mascioli, owner of Maurizio’s Inc. in Parry Sound, Ont., won the new Seasonal Pizza Challenge with his brownsugar-laced Great Canadian Apple Bacon Cheddar Pizza celebrating Canada 150. Mascioli wins 5,000 flyers for his restaurant, designed and printed by Annex Business Media, publisher of Canadian Pizza. Check out our chefs gallery in the next issue. Moderator of the Seasonal challenge Diana Cline, owner of Diana’s Cucina and Lounge in Winnipeg and a multiple award-winning pizza chef, talked with competitors as they prepared pizzas built around holidays and special occasions, noting there is lots of potential for attracting adventurous customers looking for a fun themed pizza experience. A friendly yet furious afternoon Great Pizza Box Fold-Off saw Jason Seitanidis, owner of Matador Pizza and Steakhouse in Calgary, outfold Giovanni Campisi of Casa Mia Restaurant in Niagara Falls, Ont., and Joe Leroux, owner of Amadio’s Pizza in Port Credit, Ont. Giorgio Taverniti, owner of Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto, clocked in ahead of the Somerset dough sheeter to win the first Sheeter Beater Challenge sponsored by Somerset and SP Sales (distributor). Taverniti served as a judge for the Chef of the Year competitions, along with award-winning pizza chef Marina Rondinelli, former Chef of the Year Tom Stankiewicz, owner of Bondi’s Pizza in London, Ont., and current Chef of
the Year Carlo Raillo, head chef at Vivo Ristorante in Edmonton. Pizzeria owners, employees and entrepreneurs thinking of opening a pizza business walked a show floor of exhibitor booths featuring ingredients, equipment and services curated to meet their needs. The Canadian Pizza Show was presented by Canadian Pizza and show sponsors Saputo Foodservice (Diamond), Marsal Pizza Ovens, dist. by W.D. Colledge (Gold) and Ardent Mills (Gold). Gold sponsors for the Chef of the Year competitions are Saputo Foodservice, Moretti Forni (Faema Canada) and Escalon Premier Brands (Heinz). BACK TO SCHOOL The education component to this year’s show comprised two important facets of today’s pizza business: customer service and market trends. Longtime industry veteran and pizza chef extraordinaire Diana Cline shared her top tips for capturing the vegan pizza market in your community. Cline, who developed her own vegan cheese as part of her foray into the growing niche, gave the audience ideas for marinating and seasoning vegetables and using ovenroasted pulses like chickpeas and various beans. Cline has written about the vegetarian/vegan market in her column for this edition on page 11. Jeff Dover and Geoff Wilson, principals of FS Strategy management consulting firm brought next-level inspiration to the show floor with a focus on the “premiumization” of ingredients, how to effectively increase prices and menu strategy for greater profits.
In the Chef of the Year competition area, the pizza paparazzi close in for one last beauty shot before hungry tasters descend.
A TOUR OF THE SHOW FLOOR Exhibitors brought an exciting array of pizza products and services to Canada’s only pizza-dedicated event. Thank you to Lallemand, LeSaffre and Gay-Lea for providing a full day’s supply of coffee and tea on the show floor (it was a busy spot). If you missed the show, here’s what you missed out on: Viau and their distributor Daniel’s: The first company to produce and market dry cured pepperoni in Canada, this large manufacturer of meat toppings is still best known for its market share in pepperoni. Haymach: Specializes in new and used equipment for front and back of the house. Ontario based but ships worldwide. Kraft/Heinz: The booth, a Chef of the Year gold sponsor, showcased its Escalon line of premium California tomatoes; steam-peeled and fresh packed without citric acid. The company was also featuring dip cups and new single-serve
frozen cheese curds. Valassis: A marketing specialist in quick-service restaurants and pizzerias on the print and digital side, the booth showed a number of samples of company capabilities. Ardent Mills: The company, a gold sponsor of the show, was educating the industry about its Primo Mulino Neapolitan complete pizza flour mix designed for thin-crust pies cooked in high-temperature ovens in 60 to 90 seconds. Pizza makers just add water and yeast to the mix. Krinos: This gourmet toppings specialist was highlighting its olives and feta cheese, while introducing its new cubed feta product. Marsal & Sons pizza ovens: As a sponsor, Marsal was showcasing double brick ovens doing double time as one of two available for Chef of the Year competitors. The oven uses two different
types of brick to create an even heating environment that absorbs moisture. The MB series gas-fired ovens feature a unique burner design that eliminates the need to spin and rotate the pizzas. W.D. Colledge Co.: A kitchen supply distributor showcasing Marsal ovens and a gold sponsor of the show. Lallemand Baking Solutions: Attendees could stop by for a whiff of their new beer and wine Florapan aromatic yeast line for added flavour in your finished product. For pizza, they can provide both flavour and leavening. Dough makers can choose from beer, white wine or French red wine. Reiser: Equipment manufacturer of pizza-forming machines, dough ball dividers, packagers and slicers, the booth focused on its Vemag Robot 500 to demonstrate its dough-dividing capabilities. LeSaffre Yeast: The booth focus centred on the company’s SAF Pro Relax +YF
DECEMBER 2017 pizza 19
deactivated yeast. The yeast is designed to improve the handling of the dough, and reduce shrinking and tearing. Produces a mild yeast flavour. Finica Food Specialties: Local goat cheese and Canadianmade cow mozzarella were up for sampling alongside a showcase of premium menu toppings from Italy. Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA): The safety authority was on hand with messaging about “lowering the heat in the kitchen” through proper ventilation, equipment, technicians and fire-extinguishing systems. Chase Global Foods: Representing Sugardale and Burke brands, which include fully cooked pork and beef in sliced and dry-cured formats. Some of the latest Burke products Chase Global is promoting for 2018 include a cooked sriracha sausage crumble and a cooked breakfast sausage crumble. The booth was bringing attention to Burke’s hand-pinched style sausage for pizza. Designed to be user-friendly and safe/fully-cooked. Pizzabot: This text message ordering system is based in Ontario and brand new to the market. Neil Jones: The booth highlighted its Old California line fresh packed tomatoes and prepared sauces packaged in shelf-stable plastic bags. Heritage Parts Canada: This parts supplier of commercial kitchen equipment introduced a new flat rate delivery of $18
for anywhere in Canada. The company recently launched a new e-commerce site – heritageparts.ca. Hobart: The equipment manufacturer showcased its entrylevel pizza prep table, which exceeds NSF standards for refrigeration. Its dishwasher on the show floor carried energyrecovery technology that captures the heat used to wash the dishes, thereby saving usage on the hot water tank. Salamina: Quebec-based experts in protein for pizza. MSG-, gluten-, peanut- and lactose-free. The booth focused on precooked bacon and pepperoni. Ak-Pak: A pizza ingredient importer based out of Quebec. Message on Hold: This service sells on-hold advertisements in North America to raise your average ticket by upselling while also reducing hangups. Specializes in the pizza industry. Olymel: The foodservice company reps were serving and sharing wings and things with the crowd and exhibitors. Olymel was showcasing its add-ons designed to build the average cheque. Bakers Journal: Attendees could pick up a copy of Canada’s trade publication dedicated to bakers for helpful dough and dessert tips. S.P. Sales (Somerset): Host of the new Sheeter Beater Challenge! The distributor put up a BakerStone commercial pizza oven box as a grand prize. Faema (Chef of the Year gold sponsor): Canadian Pizza learned
ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: Roy Sciotto, director of food service sales for Saputo, presents the award for Chef of the Year to Matteo Cesarotto of BUCO Pizzeria & Vino Bar in St. Albert, Alta. Cesarotto impressed judges with his Mush ‘n Boar pizza featuring wild boar sausage. Moderator Diana Cline quizzes Maurizio Mascioli about his Great Canadian Apple Bacon Cheddar Pizza during the Seasonal Pizza Challenge. Mascioli, owner of Maurizio’s in Parry Sound, Ont., was named winner of the new competition. Antonio Rupolo of Gusto Pizzaria in Brampton, Ont., who took second place in the Open division, works his dough expertly.
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that the Faema Culinary Academy will be taking students starting in early winter. Courses in pizza, barista skills and gelato will be offered at the company’s Dupont Street showroom in Toronto. Moretti Forni (Chef of the Year gold sponsor): As a Chef of the Year sponsor, an oven was fired up for competition action. Customer focus was on the company’s economy iDeck ovens. Favero Mills: The booth highlighted its Antica Pinza Romaina flour, which incorporates wheat, rice and spelt. The company also sells thermodynamically sealed flatbreads made out of the flour and bean flour that come frozen and bake up soft on the inside and crispy on the outside (true to taste test). PizzaAR (Ecocarrier): The company turns the pizza box into a source of income – that’s been done – but the logo on the box becomes a dynamic interactive moving ad when the phone app is hovered over it (a house for sale can turn into a virtual tour on the phone). Show video straight from the box. AR/VR/MR -enabled. Captures data. Location aware. Cool! Crown Cookware: Only large Canadian-made and -owned manufacturer of pizza pans, racks and other commercial cookware. Been in the business for 37 years, and do custom metal work. Among the products on display were Covertex delivery bags. IGG International: The global food importer displayed its Daniel’s line of pizza toppings. Splice Digital: The team, which provides marketing and creative services to businesses, is focused on website development and mobile experiences. The next Canadian Pizza Show will be held Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. Watch for event updates through canadianpizzamag.com and Canadian Pizza magazine. •
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Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton e have seen far too many pizzeria tenants pay too much monthly rent to their landlords. What many such tenants may not realize is that this regular expense can be decreased if handled properly! These are just a few of our tips for successfully negotiating a rent reduction on your restaurant’s lease renewal. You must get organized and do your homework. Getting organized and beginning the lease renewal process should start 12 to 15 months in advance for pizzeria tenants leasing commercial space. In most cases, you should not need to exercise your lease renewal option clause as long as there has been a dialogue with your landlord and it has been established that the landlord wants you to stay for another term. Preparing for the battle. When we begin to negotiate a lease renewal for a tenant, our first step is to review the lease document that was signed five or 10 years ago. You may have provided a personal guarantee, letter of credit, deposit, etc., and these terms can be renegotiated during the lease renewal process as well. If you simply exercise your lease renewal option clause, often the rental rate will increase and the tenant will forgo the opportunity to negotiate on other important terms. If a rent reduction on a lease renewal is justified either by a change in market rents for the area or a decline in sales revenues for the tenant you should be prepared to show profit and loss statements. We also like to show the landlord restaurant industry articles, trends or other supporting information about your industry and how it is doing in the marketplace. Talk to other tenants in your building. Valuable information can be gathered by
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How to negotiate a rent reduction on your lease renewal talking with your neighbouring tenants. parties are part of the lease renewal process. We interview tenants to gather information If you try to slam-dunk the lease renewal too and to determine their future plans. If other quickly, your attempts for a rent reduction tenants are not planning to renew their will probably fail. We recently negotiated a lease, thereby creating more vacant space in lease renewal, deliberately slowed down the the property, you will have more leverage. If process and renegotiated every single term another tenant has renewed his or her lease, in the formal lease agreement, thus saving the rental rate they have agreed to pay will the tenant tens of thousands of dollars. likely factor into the rental Negotiate, negotiate, rate the landlord expects you negotiate. Most pizzeria to pay on your renewal. tenants are not negotiating Most pizzeria Creating competition to win at all … they are tenants are not negotiating not to lose. for your tenancy. So many pizzeria tenants go straight The landlord and/or the negotiating to to their landlord regarding landlord’s representatives their lease renewal. We like win at all … they are negotiating to win and to find alternative locations are negotiating you must do so as well. It and solicit lease proposals is extremely expensive for from other landlords as a landlord to replace an not to lose. a means of making your existing tenant. By the time existing landlord re-earn a landlord pays real estate your tenancy. commissions (which could Approaching your landlord and your be $20,000 to $40,000), changes the look property manager. Confirm your landlord of the unit, puts in tenant allowance money, contact and make sure you are negotiating and so on, the process gets very expensive. with the right person. You may have entered A good boxing match doesn’t go two into the lease agreement negotiating with a rounds; it goes 10 rounds. Remember, commercial agent or broker. Once again, you this is not an event: this is a process. need to size up your opponent and position Some of the best deals we got for pizzeria yourself for the lease renewal process. tenants took four to six months to Get the landlord’s lease proposal. We negotiate. Even if you don’t have that don’t believe in negotiating on the first much time left on your lease, usually you date. We prefer to discuss and request the can hold over without paying extensive lease renewal proposal from the property penalties. • manager or landlord. This puts us in a position to counter-offer and negotiate Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield of The Lease Coach are commercial lease consultants who work exclusively on behalf of the commercial tenant we for tenants. Dale and Jeff are professional speakers and are working for. Most of the negotiating co-authors of “Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals process will take place verbally – but only for Dummies” (Wiley, 2013). Got a leasing question? Need help with your new lease or renewal? Call 1-800-738after the landlord has provided the lease 9202, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com or visit renewal proposal or document. TheLeaseCoach.com. For a copy of our free CD, “Leasing Submit the counter-offer to your Do’s & Don’ts” for Commercial Tenants,” email your request to JeffGrandfield@TheLeaseCoach.com. landlord. Multiple counter-offers from both
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Annex Bookstore .....................................................7 Burke.......................................................................2 Canadian Pizza Show 2018 .....................................7 Middleby Marshall.................................................27 Pizza Expo 2018...........................................22 & 23 Pizza Power Page ..................................................25 Ricco Food Distributor ..........................................13 Salerno..................................................................21 2017-09-06 9:22 AM Saputo ..................................................................28 Springer’s Meats ...................................................17 Stanislaus ........................................................4 & 5 Use these advertiser contact numbers to find out more about a product advertised in this issue or to place an order. This index is provided as a service. Canadian Pizza Magazine is not liable for errors or omissions. DECEMBER 2017 pizza 25
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Giorgio’s corner
Giorgio Taverniti
he flow of traffic and sales is difficult to predict in any industry but especially tricky in the food industry. It’s possible to make general predictions by reviewing numbers from previous months and years, but it’s also true that you may experience lower sales than you’re used to for no apparent reason. The economy and society’s disposable income fluctuates and this is potentially frustrating for independents because we really can’t know how busy we will be, how much staff we will need or if our product will go to waste. Despite all these factors, the bills still keep coming like clockwork and in this unstable economic time it is easy to wind up in the red. Although we can’t predict our sales, we definitely should be proactive about how many payables are going out. Let’s explore how tactics like staff cross-training, preparing items in house, sourcing your own products and revising business hours may help keep your business in check. It is important to always have staff present and ready to serve clients. However, what happens when you have more staff than you do patrons? The ever-changing cycle of busy and non-busy periods makes scheduling properly a difficult task. A great way to ensure your staff work to their fullest potential is to provide cross-training. Not only does cross-training allow your staff to try on different roles, but it can also decrease your payroll, especially on a slow day. Slow days happen and having extra staff there simply because they know how to perform only one role is a waste of their potential and your dollars. All staff, when possible, should be cross-trained to know other roles and be capable of performing those roles with confidence. This will allow them to learn new skills and ensure
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How to keep your overhead out of the red you are not overstaffed. Every business owner should know There are many suppliers, wholesalers the peak traffic times of any day, month and buyers that provide varying grades of or year. This knowledge allows you to be product. You may have a regular supplier fully prepared with ingredients, product or a buyer who sources everything for you. and staff. It’s important to frequently reA great tip that shouldn’t be ignored is to view and analyze your sales and traffic. A explore sourcing certain products your- small business has the best advantage in self. This can be time-consuming; howev- this category as we can set and change our er, it also can be cost-effibusiness hours according to cient for small businesses our clients and traffic flow. by saving you unnecessary I have always been closed Although we extra fees, lowering prodMondays (my only day of can’t predict uct wastage from overbuyrest) and generally a day of ing and allowing you to anlittle to no traffic. However, our sales, we alyze the different products I also have noticed a steady definitely should decline in my lunch traffic available. Every business needs on Tuesdays and Wednesbe proactive to have inventory on hand days. I recently reviewed and in ample supply. We about how many my figures and decided it can guesstimate how much would be beneficial to my payables are we will need of each item business and longevity to but sometimes we underremain closed for lunch going out. buy or overbuy. An easy fix on those slow days. This to this guessing game is to allowed me to have extra convert items you usually time to incorporate the tacbuy to house-made vertics I mentioned above and sions. A perfect example of this is desserts. the freedom to offer the highly requested I love dessert and I always wanted to have late-night delivery on the other days that a great variety; however, over the years I’ve were in higher demand. noticed a steady decline in the demand Decisions made to alter anything in for desserts and seen much of my prod- your business must be made after gathuct go to waste. I condensed my dessert ering as much information as possible. menu to the most popular items and also When executed correctly – and this instarted to make my own in-house desserts. cludes advising your patrons of big changYes, making your own in-house anything es via word of mouth or social media – can be time consuming. However, doing they will ensure you stay out of the red it yourself also can reduce wastage and zone for every economic wave. • keep you in control. You can replenish as you need to without minimum orders, Giorgio Taverniti owns Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto, which has been in his family since 1990. A graduate of extra-large quantities and delivery sched- George Brown College’s culinary management and Italian ules. This will eliminate waste and allow culinary programs, Giorgio helped found a popular you to keep your costs balanced rather pizza-making workshop at the college and ran it for three years. than in that red zone.
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