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Big ideas for 2014 The trend report

Volume 20 Issue 1 January/February 2014

12 The predicTion pool

What will be the next hot seller? Here are over 40 ideas to inspire you in 2014.

20 Morris easT heads high-end in halifax

Meet Morris East, the creative vision of Halifax native Jennie Dobbs.

26 cuTTing The wasTe

Here are best practices to start the year by saving money on food costs.

deparTMenTs 6

editor’s desk

the pizza chef

pizza bites

pizza pete

making dough

marketing insights

the pizza dude

guest column

pizza on fire

www.canadianpizzamag.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 3

“Packed from Fresh Tomatoes, Not from Concentrate”...

President Tom Cortopassi (kneeling) and “Coach” Dino Cortopassi (standing) in one of our

Since 1942, our Restaurateur customers’ success has depended on the superior taste of the food they serve and of our products. As a family-owned business, it feels good knowing that so many of our customers have relied on our “Packed From Fresh Tomato” products from generation to generation.

Whether your restaurant has a long family history, or whether you’re the founder, you can depend on our family making the best “Real Italian” tomato products...always Packed From Fresh Tomatoes, Never From Concentrate...generation after generation!

Tom Cortopassi President/Owner

Dino Cortopassi Coach/Owner

Generation after Generation.

tomato fields in Stanislaus County, California

THE S

StaniSlauS E

O F

Q U

The “Real Italian” Tomato Company 1202 “D” Street

from the editor’s desk January/February 2014, Vol. 20, No. 1

Fresh and in fashion ood is as much a trend player as fashion. We all wear clothes and we all eat. We are all as much creatures of habit as we are creatures of novelty, and that’s where trends come in and cure us of all that bores us, be it staid restaurant experience or dull closet. For the first edition of 2014, Canadian Pizza magazine has compiled the reports of various trend experts to create one issue jam-packed full of ideas for refreshing the look, guest experience and flavours of your pizzeria’s menu. This is the runway report for your pizzeria. Many of the expert predictions in food and hospitality focus on what the cutting edge establishments are doing. Consumers drive trends in the overall sense through adoption of niche diets, changes in ethical mentalities towards food, demographics and what they buy at the end of the day. Suppliers set trends based on what they think people will buy, and then consumers decide whether or not these trends have staying power. There is one overarching consumer-driven theme that is conspicuously threaded through all the ideas and that should remain at the heart of reaching today’s customer. That concept is simply to always keep your customer in mind. How can you communicate a guest experience tailored to the individual (keeping in mind the old adage “you can’t please everyone” rings ever so true)? In many regards, pizza is the perfect vehicle for giving customers exactly what they want in a build-your-own-pizza kind of way. I have noticed that dine-in pizza restaurants tend to gravitate towards fixed recipes where the chef has taken considerable time and care in creating a balanced and creative pizza. Options to build your own seem limited, or if customization is an option it is not typically explicitly stated on the menu. I have dined with people who have expressed a wish for that feature to be a part of the experience. Perhaps there is room to

6 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Assistant Editor Karly O’Brien kobrien@annexweb.com 905-713-4358

use the menu as a vehicle for not just where ingredients come from, but also why they are served the way they are. There is always a balancing act in showing your guests the talents of the kitchen and delivering exactly what they want. Is where your pizzeria stands with regards to ingredient exceptions and substitutions communicated on your menu and by your staff? Perhaps you are more flexible than your patrons think, or vice versa. Either way, you have good reasons for your policies. Perhaps the kitchen wants to avoid opening the door to an onslaught of requests that would affect functionality and quality. A simple line on the menu reflecting this reasoning may be a great addition to how pizzerias communicate with their customers. It’s an idea I’m throwing out there in light of how much effort is going into communicating the story of the food and the brand in the industry right now. Perhaps there is also a story of the service, from back to front of the house. Service is a differentiator, and one that costs an operation in time spent training but not in hard goods. Ask yourself, what can I do to surprise my customers today? It is often in surprises that expectations are exceeded. It is by exceeding expectations that we make a customer feel the experience was tailor-made for him or her, whether it is customized for dietary preferences or for the occasion. Ask your customers, what can I do to take your dining experience to the next level? By asking just a few more questions before we seat them, serve them or deliver to them, we may find ways to communicate our way to more of a haute couture experience. •

@CdnPizzaMag

Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Sales Assistant Jarah Stefek jstefek@annexweb.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Chris Springle Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com President Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PuBLICAtION MAIL AgreeMeNt #40065710 returN uNDeLIVerABLe CANADIAN ADDreSS tO CIrCuLAtION DePArtMeNt, P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 e-mail: subscribe@canadianpizzamag.com Published seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec), by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Circulation e-mail: subscribe@canadianpizzamag.com tel: 866-790-6070 ext. 207 Fax: 877-624-1940 Mail: P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 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.. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2014 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

the pizza chef

The g-free decision Diana Coutu

luten-free has grown so fast in the Canadian market, that it could be argued it has gone from niche to mainstream. Many of the largest brands in the country, such as President’s Choice, have rolled out entire gluten-free product lines, making them a mainstay for their shoppers. Similarly, it seems that now many of the big pizza chains are offering a gluten-free pizza. Perhaps you’ve been considering whether or not there is enough demand in your market to add it to your menu. Something to note is that the celiac community is close knit. There are many factors to look into if you’re going to do it right. In 2008, we were getting dozens of phone calls asking if we made a gluten-free pizza. People with gluten allergies and intolerances were begging us to make a gluten-free pizza that they could eat. Something palatable was requested, but they were really hoping for something tasty. Often there was a young family member who had been recently diagnosed with celiac disease and that meant that pizza was no longer a meal option for the whole family. The people who were requesting gluten-free pizza from us needed to have confidence that it wouldn’t make them sick. They needed to be assured that special care in the preparation and cooking would be done so they could enjoy a pizza like everybody else, except that it would be a gluten-free pizza. In a way, it was very flattering to hear requests from people with gluten allergies; many said that we are known for being the best when it comes to all things pizza and these people really missed pizza.

Does your market want gluten-free pizza, and if so, how do you add it to your busy, wheat-filled pizzeria?

It took me a long time to develop our our system based on many suggestions own gluten-free pizza recipe. Our recipe from these experts. is made in house, from scratch, and when Part of the other challenge was to check we make it we take special care to limit the with all our suppliers about whether or not exposure to wheat flour. We could have their products were deemed gluten-free. sourced the pre-made shells like some We have a special shelf inside our other pizza places do, but we felt that we walk-in where we make the gluten-free could do better. pizzas. We use sauce, topItalians have been makpings and cheese from ing gluten-free pizza for the walk-in, which have Something years and they even have a not been in our kitchen, gluten-free-baking category exposed to the wheat dustpalatable was at the World Pizza Champiing flour that we slap onto requested, but onship games. our wheat pizzas. We also polled the peoWhenever we get an orthey were ple who were asking for der for a gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pizza crust if really hoping for a pizzaiolo takes a clean, there were other allergies something tasty fresh apron and makes or dietary restrictions to that gluten-free pizza in consider. We discovered that the walk-in, then loads it the majority of our sample in our granite stone conwere also allergic to dairy, and some were veyor oven. We use separate baking disks strict vegan as well. Many North American and we also use a separate pizza peel and gluten-free recipes are made with eggs and separate cutting wheel for our gluten-free or milk. I developed mine to be free of pizzas. dairy and eggs and vegan-diet friendly. We take extra special care that these While we were developing our glu- pizzas are not exposed to any wheat ten-free pizza dough recipe, we had several products. It’s a lot of work, but we realtesters who tried our sample batches and ize that not caring could make someone sent us evaluations of each test. We knew very sick and that’s just not acceptable. • we had the right recipe when all the evaluations came back with the same comment: Diana Coutu is a two-time Canadian Pizza Magazine chef of the year champion, internationally recognized “This tastes like pizza!!!” gourmet pizzaiolo, co-owner of Diana’s Gourmet PizzeEven though we had our winning ria in Winnipeg, Man., and a director for the CRFA from recipe, we still had to figure out how to in- 2009-13. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is also a consultant to other pizzeria owner/ corporate a from-scratch gluten-free pizza operators in menu development, creating systems to into a busy wheat pizzeria. I asked friends run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and in Australia and Italy how they have been positioning to help operators grow their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting able to successfully offer it on their menus on a limited basis. For more information, contact her at for the past 10 years. We then developed Diana@dianasgourmetpizzeria.ca.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 7

pizzabites Outlook for restaurant sales improving rowth in Western Canada and a rebound in sales in Central Canada will help push restaurant sales up a healthy 4.7 per cent in 2014, reveals the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). The association’s recent study finds that the new outlook is stronger than the previously projected 3.6 per cent rise. Every province will experience higher restaurant sales next year, but booming economies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba mean they will lead the country with growth of more than five per cent in each province. “The Canadian economy is turning a corner, but rising food and labour costs, as well as competition for the food dollar, will continue to make this a challenging environment for restaurant operators,” says Garth Whyte, CRFA’s president and CEO, in a media statement. “What’s clear from this forecast, however, is that our industry will continue to create jobs and investment in communities across the country in 2014.” CRFA uses an econometric model to forecast commercial foodservice sales by using the Conference Board of Canada’s forecasts of disposable income, real GDP, employment and tourism to predict sales across the restaurant and foodservice industry until 2017.

8 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Business hall of fame honours Emanuele Saputo manuele Saputo, chairman of the board at Saputo, was selected as one of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame’s 36th class of inductees, and a formal celebration is planned for May 15. The hall of fame also announced that Peter Brown, founder and honorary chairman of Canaccord Genuit; and Donald Smith, founder, former president and CEO of EllisDon (posthumously), were selected as inductees. Each year the Canadian Business Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates the lifetime accomplishments of Canada’s business leaders. These three business leaders are being recognized for

their business excellence, outstanding professional achievements and enduring contributions to Canadian society. “It is my great pleasure to announce these exceptional Canadians as inductees for their personal accomplishments and the legacy they have created for future generations,” said L.R. Wilson, chancellor of the order of the Business Hall of Fame, in a prepared statement. This year’s class of companions will formally be inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame at the 2014 Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremony on May 15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Higher cheque averages fuelling growth oodservice industry growth in Canada is coming from consumers spending more rather than making more restaurant visits, reports The NPD Group. Foot traffic in restaurants remained flat in the year ending in May, but there was a two per cent increase in consumer foodservice spending over the same period last year, with gains resulting from a higher average spend in diner cheques. Visits to quick service restaurants (QSRs), which represent 56 per cent of foodservice industry traffic, were flat but the segment posted a dollar gain of three per cent over same period last year, found NPD’s CREST service.

QSR traffic was up one per cent at morning meals and evening snacks, while visits at lunch were down three per cent. Across the entire industry, casual dining at full-service restaurants (FSRs) had the strongest visit gains (three per cent), with spending up by two per cent. “Over the years, there has been a steady increase in the demand for convenient dining options in Canada,” said Robert Carter, executive director of food service in Canada for The NPD Group, in a media statement. “Fewer people are making time to enjoy their meals in restaurants, and many are spending more at establishments that offer speedy service.”

pizzabites

hot stuff Tonguespank releases fiery new blends Tonguespank Spice recently unveiled its new hot spice lineup, Liquor and Heat, which uses liquor-infused hot peppers. There are five table blends that combine rare preservative-free peppers. The Smoky Bourbon has the sweet aroma of smoky morita chipotle peppers combined with garlic, bourbon and habanero. The Garlic Grappa is full of Tuscan herbs, alongside a balsamic vinegar and Italian brandy blend. The Citrus Rum blend contains three different citrus fruits combined with spiced rum and cloves to create a tropical taste. There is a dash of habanero peppers. The company recommends this one for pork and seafood. The Wasabi Sake table blend combines wasabi and horseradish with plenty of habaneros. The Scorpion Bourbon is the company’s hottest blend yet. This spice has a base of Smoky Bourbon with Trinidad Moruga Scorpion peppers. For more information, visit https://tonguespank-spice-company.myshopify.com.

Carlo Raillo takes 2014 Chef of the Year title hef Carlo Raillo won the title of Canadian Pizza magazine’s 2014 Chef of the Year and a trip to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Raillo is the head pizzaiolo at The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar in Edmonton Raillo was one of three finalists in this year’s showdown, which was hosted by Moretti Forni (distributed by Euro-Milan) at the Matheson Boulevard location in Mississauga, Ont. His pizza, a breakfast pie topped with fior di latte, cherry tomatoes, bacon, ham, hashbrowns, an egg and green onions, narrowly claimed victory over runner-up Steve Silvestro, who is the executive chef for Alice Fazooli’s. Silvestro’s recipe made use of pear and bacon flavours by combining a mascarpone cream base, mozzarella, caramelized onions, bacon jam, gorgonzola, pears and basil. Don Letendre, corporate chef for the Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria chain, was the third finalist with his recipe called Catalan, which featured a sauce Romesco, fior di latte, spinach, fire-roasted apples, piquillo peppers, golden raisins and manchego cheese All three finalists shipped their ingredients, including their own dough, sauce and toppings, to the Moretti Forni kitchen, where the pizzas were assembled, baked and scored by a panel of judges, including representatives from Canadian Pizza magazine, Moretti Forni, Saputo Foodservice. Raillo’s win will see him compete at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas from March 24 to 27. His total prize includes $1,000 cash, trip package to Las Vegas, a cover feature in Canadian Pizza magazine and a guaranteed spot in the finals of either the traditional or non-traditional category at Pizza Expo. Silvestro’s runner-up finish also secured him a trip to Vegas and a spot competing in the finals at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo. We extend congratulations to all finalists, and many thanks to Saputo Foodservice and Moretti Forni for their ongoing support as sponsors of this competition. Stay tuned for the April/May issue of Canadian Pizza magazine, which will feature Raillo on the cover. For more on this year’s winner, Raillo of The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar, visit http://centuryhospitality.com/parlour_pizzaiolo.php.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 9

making dough with diane

Top 7 pizza trends Diane Chiasson

arly food trends for 2014 seem to continue to point in the direction of consumers’ desire to eat more healthy foods, and to know where their food comes from. Today’s consumers are concerned about the environment, the economic landscape of our society, and eating socially acceptable and socially responsible foods. I believe these seven trends will be prevalent in the pizza industry this year.

ancienT grain crusTs Many pizza operations nowadays already offer a gluten-free crust, but in 2014, look for more whole-grain crusts as more and more consumers seek to avoid products made from “big, bad, white flour”. Expect to see pizza menus offering crusts made of spelt, cornmeal, quinoa, freekeh, farro, kamut, flax or even buckwheat flour. Ancient grains are considered a superfood, so ancient grain crusts fit right into the consumer desire for eating more healthy foods. sMaller, gourMeT porTions The gourmet pizza trend continues to grow at a rapid pace with more and more fast-casual chains offering custom-made, handcrafted, artisanal pizzas featuring high-quality ingredients. Consumers’ taste buds are getting more sophisticated, so there is stronger demand for artisanal pizzas. It’s also been shown that consumers will pay more for a higher quality product. Also, smaller-sized pizzas will help to eliminate food wastage, which is another area where socially responsible eaters want to help. food origins Consumers want to know what they are eating, and where it came from. It will be very important to specify where you

The pide, which is a Turkish pizza, is ripe for a sales rise given the current leanings towards Middle eastern flavours.

source your food on your menu. Expect to see more homemade pizza sauces made from the tomatoes grown in the garden, or handmade sausages using locally sourced, free-range, antibiotic-free, farm-raised animals. Technological Takeover Technology will soon take over the pizza industry. Ordering by telephone has been taken over by online ordering. Many large pizza chains have now developed an app that allows consumers to simply tap their smartphones to order. Digital ordering not only speeds up the order, payment and delivery service, but also helps you build your database at the same time. Next up, expect to see drones take over pizza delivery. Testing of such drones is already in the works and anticipated for 2015. Middle easTern flavours With its heavy reliance on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, spices, nuts, seeds, herbs and olive oil, Middle Eastern cuisine is beginning to get the attention of consumers. Middle Eastern flavours are expected to be a big trend for 2014, so look forward to seeing more pizzas – including the pide, a Turkish pizza – use them as toppings.

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The pizzariTo Each year, there is always a hybrid product that makes the Top 10 food trends lists (think of the Cronut in 2013). This year, a fairly fun trend that might spark up on some pizza operations’ menu is the pizzarito – a combination of a pizza slice and a burrito. The pizza slice replaces the tortilla in a burrito to create a fusion of Italian and Mexican flavours for the ultimate feast. desserT pizzas Dessert pizzas are expected to be quite trendy in 2014. Pizzas slathered in Nutella or marshallow sauce, and covered with fresh fruit, coconut and/or nuts are popping up on restaurant menus nationwide. Also expect to see cheesecakes baked in pizza dough, or more dessert pizzas featuring more refined toppings like apples and brie, or pear and blue cheese. Let these seven trends inspire your menu and help keep you on top of the latest advances in the pizza industry. • Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 25 years. Her company provides innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.co or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com.

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The prediction pool Hedge your bets on what will be the next big thing in 2014 BY LAurA AIKeN

nother year has arrived, and along with it a flurry of trend reports taking a stab at what’s on tap for foodie culture in the days ahead. There are trends in pizza, and trends in the restaurant industry at large that pizza can play with, borrow from and be inspired by. Canadian Pizza has rounded up our selection of the most intriguing predictions and oh-so-interesting tidbits that flew across our publishing palate for you to consider as you spin into the New Year. auThenTic neapoliTan pizzas Technomic, a Canadian market research company, identified Neapolitan style pizzas (certified by the Vera Pizza Napoletana Association), with their thin crusts, and speed-baked in a super-hot oven appeal, as a style of pizza gaining ground in the Canadian market. From Canadian Pizza’s observations, this style of pizza, certified or not, seems to be the most popular one for new pizza restaurants in trendsetting Toronto, where the past couple of years has seen several new openings: Osteria dei Ganzi, Gusto 101, Pizzeria Defina, and Pizzeria Via Mercanti. Pizzeria Libretto and

Queen Margherita have been keeping busy with expansions. Montreal’s six-week Pizza Season that kicked off in fall of 2013 saw media highlight places like Weinstein And Gavino’s and Arlequino, both making Neapolitan style, as local favourites. resTauranTs + reTail Food and drink is making a comeback as a key way for various retail environments to keep you with them longer and hopefully encourage you to spend more money. It smacks a little of Casino-style tactics, but why not take a page from the kingpins of hospitality? Thirty years ago, American department stores rid themselves of restaurants because they felt having one was unproductive or messy. Now they are changing their mind and restaurants are seen as good “anchors,” suggested Baum+Whiteman, a New Yorkbased restaurant consulting firm, in its annual trend report. They cited several examples of high-end restaurant openings in large New York department stores. Andrew Freeman & Co. (AF&Co.), a California-based hospitality agency, also identified the growing alliance between restaurant

12 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

and retailers as a location trend to watch this year. If you’re looking to open a new pizza restaurant, perhaps it’s the right time to consider who might want you to share their space. TasTing Menus Tasting menus, where guests are served a succession of many different items that add up to a complete meal, have arguably been growing in popularity throughout the 2000s with no sign of a slowdown. The combination of variety and small portions may be the components of a tasting menu that are piquing consumer interest these days. Baum+Whiteman identified this as a trend, and mentioned one pizzeria within their examples called Ramshackle Roberta’s in Brooklyn. This pizzeria, which the company reported is famous for artisan pizza,

Authentic Neapolitan pizza, particularly if it’s certified by the Vera Pizza Napoletana Association, is on fire in the Canadian market.

Trend-on A miscellaneous dash of more that’s hot

TechnoMic (canada) • • •

Fast-casual pizza restaurants that combine speed and affordability with a contemporary atmosphere Identifying what’s not on your menu, such as fat, sugar, or hormones. gluten is expected to lead the pack in claims of what’s not in the food Focusing on artisanal and house-made products as more chefs showcase what they make onsite (and diners are all the more loyal for the display of culinary artistry)

BauM+whiTeMan (u.s.) • • • • •

upscale food halls populated by local artisans Anchovies in pastas and salads Custom sodas infused with house-made syrups (think craft beer, craft sodas) Sour beer Butter and dips with panache, like smoked ricotta, and whipped beet butter and porcini oil, which liven up dishes

• •

Pop-ups, food fairs and single-item restaurants Buckwheat as the grain of the year

af&co. (u.s.)

created a dining counter that serves a $180 multi-course meal. This pricey an experience likely won’t fly in every market, but there are plenty of restaurants offering lower price points. In Toronto, L’Ouvrier serves a six-course tasting menu for $50. AF&Co. listed further regionalization of dishes as something to watch this year. Perhaps it makes sense for your pizzeria try a themed evening tasting menu that is specific to niche geography as a special occasion for your customers. The fuTure of chicken Pepperoni may be tops for meat pizza toppings, but chicken has joined it as a pizzeria staple. Baum+Whiteman and AF&Co. saw two different things happening with chicken this year. Baum+Whiteman pointed to various examples of sophis-

•

reinvented cobb salads

• • •

Highbrow ice cream sandwiches Alternative oils, such as argan and hazelnut, that go beyond olive Flambé, and other forms of exciting tableside service

•

using projectors to showcase digital artwork instead of hanging paintings on the wall

• • •

Wine paid for by the ounce teas in cocktails Chefs sharing what they are doing on Instagram

ticated chicken wings, an idea that could be suitable for pizzerias of all types. ChickA-Biddy in Atlanta is serving up flavours such as Thai chili and peanuts; spicy green Tabasco with ranch dressing; and wood grilled Piri Piri with cilantro garlic sauce. At AF&Co., their expertise suggested that chicken is going to be more of a boring meat this year, and cuts like pork belly or goat will play to the adventurous. Their conclusion cited an example of the Empire State South restaurant in Atlanta that didn’t even have a chicken dish on the menu. Is there an alternative wing in pizza’s future? eaTerTainMenT If food is what you are in the business of providing, then you have a lot of compe-

tition. Everyone from grocery to pharmacy and convenience is a potential competitor for you. Pizzeria owners need to give customers something they can’t get at home, and operators may be feeling the pressure to serve more than quality food with convenience and a smile. Baum+Whiteman cited several cases of how eatertainment is being redefined in the food world. The following examples are global and extreme, but they give you a taste of where the avant-garde are headed. For example, Ultraviolet restaurant in Shanghai takes 10 big spending diners to a secret room that drastically changes moods with each course. The experience seems to spare no expense: uplights in the floor, 360-degree high-definition projectors, changes in room temperature, four smell diffusers,

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 13

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22 speakers, LEDs, and even servers changing customers to suit the food. At the Casino de Madrid, chef Paco Roncero created a nine-seat invitation only techno dining room that blurs the lines between food and perception through diffusers that waft aromas like grassy wetness or mushrooms, and ceramic tables that heat, cool or vibrate plates on cue. David Bouley’s private dining room, called The Pass, contains a giant screen where guests in New York can chat in real time with the farmers and vintners who created the products that are currently on the table. It would be difficult to imagine a diner walking away and not telling their friends about any of these experiences. in flavours There doesn’t seem to be any slowdown in Asian fusion. Baum+Whiteman predict that gochujang, and shichimi togarashi, which is a Japanese seven spice of sesame seeds, ginger, nori and hot peppers, will be sought-after flavours. The firm went so far as to call shichimi togarashi the new salt and pepper, and suggested sprinkling it on those upmarket chicken wings they are seeing this year. Technomic predicts restaurants in Canada will be feeling the heat from Latin America and Asia. Sriracha, ghost peppers and kimchi are predictively poised to be bigger players, as are old friends jalapenos and thai chillies, with lesser known friends like

habernos getting in on the taste bud tickling. Technomic also identified “sweet on sour” as a combo to watch for. Consumers may be moving past sweet/salty/umami and onto the spectrum of mildly tangy to super tart. For a pizza-specific trend in Canada, Technomic indicated that ethnic pizzas are growing as global flavours find their way into traditional Canadian dishes. These currently run the gamut of Mediterranean, Mexican, Polish and Asian ingredients and flavours. Two restaurant consultants have hedged their bets on Middle Eastern flavours. Diane Chiasson of Chiasson Consultants in Toronto sees Middle Eastern flavours, and pides, a Middle Eastern style of pizza, as having the potential to be popular (for more on Chiasson’s trends, see her column page 10). Sterling-Rice Group, based in Colorado, also pointed to flavours of the Middle East such as sumac and za’tar as being trendy in 2014. vivacious veggies Vegetables appear to be the culinary darlings of 2014. Baum+Whiteman’s predictions anticipate expanded vegetarian menus because there are opportunities to capture several diet markets, such as gluten-free, paleo, the diabetic community and vegans. When one looks at the combined markets vegetables appeal to, operators can see that the opportunities extend beyond serving their vegetarian customers. Canadian Pizza would like to add boomers, with their need for healthier food, as a broader market that would be well served by improved vegetarian menus. AF&Co.’s annual trend report suggested an increased sophistication in the use of vegetables, whether in cocktails or as a replacement for meat. Technomic’s pizza-specific trends for Canada listed gourmet vegetarian toppings in its top five. Technomic reported that operators are differentiating their menus by featuring more upscale and gourmet vegetarian ingredients, many of which are locally sourced, organic and non-traditional vegetable varieties. good Morning! Technomic’s pizza trends roundup pointed to breakfast pizzas as a growing player for independent and chain menus. Operators can feature toppings like eggs, hollandaise sauce, breakfast meats, cheeses and vegetables. Technomic pointed to Trattoria Di Mikes menu, which has a selection of breakfast pizzas prepared with the chain’s traditional crust and served with home-fried potatoes or fresh fruit, and coffee or tea. Its newest pie comes with poached egg, bacon, tomato slices, Alfredo sauce and a three-cheese blend. Inspired yet? Satisfy your customers’ need for the new and fun in new seasons and certainly in new years. If there’s a trend you’re spotting in your market, we’d love to hear about it. You can share it with Canadian Pizza magazine by e-mailing laiken@annexweb. com, follow us @CdnPizzaMag, or find us on Facebook. • for more on what’s hot, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

14 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

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marketing insights

What’s ahead for wine and beer Michelle Brisebois

ne of the fastest ways to grow your total revenue is to increase your alcohol sales. While traditional “watering holes” are significantly down in sales, consumers haven’t necessarily given up enjoying a glass or a pint of something special altogether. Consumption of alcohol has shifted from an activity separate from dining to one very much connected to enjoying a meal. This is great news for restaurants, since the addition of a glass of beer or wine to a meal can increase the dollar value of the guest cheque significantly. As we welcome 2014, let’s examine some of the beer and wine trends that will help restaurants benefit from their consumers’ passion to experience food and drink together. Kristina Inman is a business development co-ordinator and wine instructor at the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College. Here, innovations around food, wine and beer are studied and celebrated, and Inman has a front row seat to the emerging trends. For some time now, a big trend has been the growth of wine consumption at the expense of beer. From 1995 to 2011, wine went from 18 per cent to 30 per cent of Canadians’ total alcohol consumption, while beer fell from 53 per cent to 45 per cent, indicated BMO Economics’ special report on the Canadian wine industry. Spirits fell from 29 per cent to 25 per cent. “Baby boomers are a large group and are affluent and can afford nice wines,” Inman said. “The information age has made it easy for people to read and learn about wine, and having wine regions here in North America that are now making excellent wine has brought it closer to home so people can visit wine country. It’s not such an abstract concept anymore.”

from 1995 to 2011, wine went from 18 per cent to 30 per cent of canadians’ total alcohol consumption, while beer fell from 53 per cent to 45 per cent, indicated BMo economics’ special report on the canadian wine industry.

As North Americans have begun exploring wines grown and made closer to them, they’ve shifted away from the big monster brands and are embracing the smaller craft wineries. “A sense of place is very on-trend right now,” says Inman. “Indie wines, much like indie music, are hot.” This shift away from the big beverage companies has impacted the beer market too. Creemore Springs is owned by Molson Canadian, but the affiliation isn’t trumpeted in the marketing materials or packaging, presumably to maintain its niche appearance. While the local movement is thriving, so is exploring wine and beer from other countries. Germany and Ireland are al-

16 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

ready well known for ales, with Belgium gaining a bigger foothold. “As with wine, people aren’t just quaffing their beer – they actually want to think about the beer as they drink it,” said Inman. As such, beers with higher alcohol content are becoming more popular and some of the processing tricks normally associated with wine are being used to make beer. Beers are now being oak aged and fortified, described Inman. Brewpubs share beer tastings and many restaurants are pairing beers with their menu items in much the same way wine has been paired for years. Provence is a foreign wine region experiencing a surge of intersest. Exports from Provence to the U.S. grew by 41

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per cent, reported the Provence Wine Council. Rosé continues to grow in popularity, not as a sweet cloying wine, but as a fresh and dry and oh-so-food-friendly beverage. While Provence is a well-established wine region, other areas of the world are producing lovely wines and some of them might surprise you. Tasmania, Austria and Romania are making wines, and why not? They have the right latitude to offer the vines optimal growing conditions and are close to other wine regions. Countries like Croatia, Slovenia and Georgia are finally being recognized for their wines although they’ve been making them for hundreds of years. The Mediterranean region has been traditionally hampered by politics and export restrictions, but the climate is excellent for growing wine. “In fact, the Zinfandel grape’s DNA has been traced back to the Plavac grape

in Croatia,” said Inman. While a sense of place and exploring new wine regions is on-trend right now, knowing which wine varieties are hot is the key to encouraging your customers to enjoy a glass. Pinot Grigio and Riesling are two important varieties to have on your menu. They both have wide appeal and are well known to many customers. However, others are finding appeal as well. “Viognier is getting bigger with its notes of peach and jasmine,” she said. It would be great with Alfredo or a white pizza with prosciutto. Sparkling wine is making an appearance on more menus offered by the glass, as many people like to enjoy some sparkling wine before their meal while they’re reviewing the menu. When it comes to red wine, Pinot Noir continues to grow in popularity. It’s very food friendly and often referred to as the “white wine drinker’s red” because it’s

lighter in style than the heavy Bordeaux blends. Cabernet Sauvignon has become very popular with its bold, juicy notes. Consider including an icewine as part of your wine list. It can pair beautifully with luscious desserts or with a cheese plate as the saltiness of the cheese amplifies the sweetness of the icewine. Release your inner mixologist and try some icewine cocktails or add a splash to a glass of sparkling to make Kir Royale. If there were an overarching theme to 2014’s wine and beer trends, it would be the idea of offering options from some of these newer unique regions. It’ll generate some extra sales, but most importantly, enhance the quality of the dining experience you offer. It’s always good to have positive latitude. • Michelle Brisebois is a marketing professional with experience in food, pharmaceutical and financial services industries. She specializes in brand strategies. Michelle can be reached at briseboismichelle@sympatico.ca.

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18 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

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former financier Jennie dobbs caught the pizza bug. now she’s got a second location underway and a new cookbook about to be released.

Morris East heads high-end in Halifax BY JuLIe FItz-gerALD

ocal artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, delicious cocktails and wood fired gourmet pizza: Morris East is the creative vision of Halifax native Jennie Dobbs, and it’s taking the city’s pizza upmarket. This intimate, 37-seat neighbourhood restaurant with exposed brick walls and unique design elements is a long way from Dobbs’ financial career in the United Kingdom. Having done well in the finance industry but always yearning for cooking school, Dobbs decided to shift gears in 2007 and follow her heart back to her hometown of Halifax. Within four weeks of being home, Dobbs found a retail space and a mentor to help her navigate the world of food service. Her vision was simple: “I wanted to have a little creative neighbourhood restaurant. I really wanted everything to be small, but beautiful and delicious; some really great wines but not a huge wine list, great pizzas, delicious desserts, fun cocktails and delicious starters.” As it turns out, pizza lovers were eager

to try Morris East’s thin-crust pie. The response was incredible, said Dobbs, and it led to the opening of a second, larger location in the Bedford West suburb of Halifax. The new 100-seat location opened Aug. 1 and boasts an open exhibition kitchen, wine bar and dedicated take-out centre. “This is the next genesis of the business,” she said. “I started to realize that pizza in the suburbs was very fast food oriented and, with the growing food culture across Canada, that potentially people wanted a pizza product that wasn’t from the typical fast food chain.” Morris East has tapped into the growing trend of upscale pizza, but has stayed true to its Nova Scotia roots, garnering loyal customers who have been driving the business. Featuring local ingredients and placing an emphasis on customer service has proved to be a winning combination. “Everything we do is focused on customer service,” she said. “I think that we try to embody restaurateur Danny Myers from New York and his philosophy on enlightened hospitality. We try to embody

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that enlightened hospitality by putting our customers first in every decision and in every meal we serve them.” Dobbs has a talented staff that understands the importance of customer service, many of which joined Morris East when it first opened its doors in 2007. Attesting to the level of customer satisfaction delivered in the restaurant, Taste of Nova Scotia recently presented its annual Prestige Awards and Morris East’s own Amber MacLean clinched the win for Server of the Year. As part of taking its customer service to the next level, Dobbs recently rolled out the new Morris East app. Customers can download the app from iTunes. The Morris East app and online ordering system was developed by Chow Now, a California-based company that agreed to use Dobbs as its first beta tester here in Canada, much to her delight. Dobbs’ entrepreneurial spirit and constant quest to continually one-up her restaurant’s customer service has garnered attention from those around her. Dobbs was nominated for the RBC Canadian

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operationally efficient as possible. In a lot of ways I felt like I went from being a small little independent restaurant to being an HR manager because there was so much staff. I’m working through it by hiring and trying to evolve the team, putting in a little more structure around HR, and getting good policies in place.” Dobbs has successfully tapped into the

trifecta of successful trends and practices: outstanding local foods, exceptional customer service and a sound operating strategy. For this business-savvy Nova Scotian, the sky is the limit. • for more on marketing, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

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on our cover 2013 Winner The Muntains of TJ’s Pizza

ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY? Nominate your pizzeria for the Pizza with Purpose Award sponsored by Saputo Foodservice and share the spirit of generosity with your fellow pizzaiolos.

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Woman Entrepreneur Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and was a finalist in the 2012 Ernst & Young Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year in the hospitality/tourism category. Being recognized in this way has been a boost of encouragement for Dobbs. “It means a lot, because I think it’s a really challenging job; there’re a lot of daily challenges that you face. It feels really good to be acknowledged for it and it does make you want to do better. You wake up feeling encouraged to do a better job and it confirms that you’re on the right track.” At the heart of it all is an unbridled passion for food. In an effort to continue tempting taste buds, Dobbs changes about 30 per cent of her menu with the seasons, although this is becoming increasingly difficult to do with her regulars’ favourite dishes. Dobbs also manages to make 10 per cent changes every day to menu items like flatbreads, ice cream and charcuterie. “I look at what new products we have access to at different times of the year, as well as cheeses, sausages, other trends, and new interesting flavours that we might be interested in trying. Around the holidays we also do a holiday menu. This year we’re doing a red wine-braised short rib pizza with caramelized onions, housemade cranberry sauce, a chiffonade of brussels sprouts and Gruyère.” With Dobbs’ passion for food in full bloom, she is set to release her first cookbook, A la Mode. The book, slated for publication in 2014 by Nimbus Publishing in Halifax, will focus on pies and tarts that are both savoury and sweet, and will also highlight craft beer and local wine to complement her dishes. “I’m trying to update it for modern tastes, giving a modern flair to traditional recipes,” she explains. With her second location in full swing, a new app and online ordering campaign rolling out, and a cookbook on the way, Dobbs has no shortage of exciting things to keep her busy. She said her goal now is to hunker down and perfect her role as restaurateur. “My focus now is to become a really good operator. I think that we do a fantastic job at serving food with exceptional customer service to the highest standard, but I really want to make sure that I’m as

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2013-12-04

We want to hear about your fundraising, sponsorship, participation in community events and creative contributions. Activities can be local or national in scope. The winner won’t be determined just on an amount of money raised, but on all the ways, big and small, that your pizzeria is touching lives.

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Enter online at www.canadianpizzamag.com or e-mail: laiken@annexweb.com

2014 Entry Deadline Aug 31st! The Pizza with Purpose award sponsored by JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 21

Pizza_Purpose_Saputo jan14.indd 1

2014-01-03 7:44 AM

the pizza dude

The way back Roberto Vergalito

ello, all my fellow pizzaiolos! Let me say right off the oven, it’s GREAT to be back in this amazing business. It hasn’t been long since I reopened, and I have to say, it has not been easy, but it has definitely been rewarding. Even though I had a great name and product with a huge client base five years ago, now I am starting from the bottom all over again. This isn’t a bad thing: it’s been a very humbling experience. Over the last while, I have seen a steady incline in business from past customers and many new customers. My drive and passion grow every day, and bring me to the topic of this column, which is staying on top of your industry. I can’t tell you how important it is to constantly research, read and make sure you are on the cutting edge. The reason I love the pizza business so much is that the possibilities are endless. You can top a pizza with just about anything. Just think; a couple hundred years ago, all the Greeks put on pizza was olive and vegetables. Today, we are topping pies with the most tantalizing sauces, spices, cheeses, meats and vegetables. From thin crust to deep dish, and folded over every which way, we do it all in order to make our pizzeria stand out above the rest. I have found some great websites that educate and stimulate our creative pizza senses. I like http://pizza. com/fun-facts for some history and statistics on pizza. Also make sure you are keeping up to date on what is hap-

pening in the Canadian pizza market. overboard on advertising them. When What works in the U.S. doesn’t al- customers love your product, word of ways work here in Canada. Know your mouth goes a long way and it’s free. backyard, and you will know how to Also, if you are not offering anynavigate the landscape. Great customer thing in the healthy pizza category, service is an important now would be a good trend that should stand time to start. It can be as out above all else. With simple as tweaking your Great customer ingredients a little. Cut all these automated companies out there, I want back on salts, sugars and service is an to make sure my pizuse a lower fat cheese. important trend There are thousands of zeria doesn’t turn into a “press 1 for English” ways to create a healththat should business. Customers ier pizza and it doesn’t stand out above have to cut into your want to speak to you and they want someone bottom line. Remember, all else with knowledge to guide pizza already has your them when ordering. Be four basic food groups. kind and courteous to all And last but not least, of them; they are paying you for your I have found a new topping for pizza hard work. Give them what they want that is completely out of this world. It and allow them to give you the respect is a mixture of a variety of cured meats you wish to receive for the craft you turned into a crumble that is prepared worked so hard for. by an artisanal cured meats company Years ago, I found a great idea in in the Niagara region, which makes it our industry that has worked well also a local product for my pizzeria in for me, which is the pizza cone. It’s St. Catharines, Ont. It pairs beautifully a great concept to have pizza in the with a homemade Sicilian pesto and shape of ice cream and have it be hot mozzarella. rather than cold. Basically, it’s a cone Don’t get left behind in the indusmade with pizza dough and filled with try! Stay on top, strive for new heights sauce, cheese and whatever toppings and have fun. you can put in it. It seems these pizza May all of my fellow pizzaiolos cones have started to take off, and why have a successful and busy New Year. • not. Kids devour this stuff. It’s very creative and I have also found it to be Roberto Vergalito is “the Pizza Dude,” and he owns and operates Roberto’s Pizza Passion in St. Catharines, Ont. very lucrative. Comments and questions for Roberto can be sent to him c/o Sometimes a small investment Canadian Pizza Magazine, P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. leads to big profits. People love new S., Simcoe, ON, N3Y 4N5, or fax 1-888-404-1129. menu items, and there is no need to go

22 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

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guest column

Want to pay less rent? Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield f you want to negotiate a lease renewal that involves a rent reduction, you need to get organized and do your homework. The lease renewal process should start at least 12 months in advance for pizzeria tenants leasing commercial space. In most cases, you should not need to exercise your lease renewal option clause, provided there has been a dialogue between you and your property manager and it has been established that the landlord wants you to stay for another term.

Talk wiTh oTher TenanTs in your Building Valuable information can be gathered by talking with your neighbouring tenants. The Lease Coach (the authors of this article) will interview tenants to gather information and to determine their future plans. If other tenants are not planning to renew their lease, thereby creating more vacant space in the property, you will have more leverage. If another neighbouring tenant has renewed their lease, the rental rate they agreed to pay will likely factor into the rental rate the landlord expects you to pay. creaTe coMpeTiTion for your Tenancy So many pizzeria tenants go straight to their landlord regarding their lease renewal. We like to create competition for our tenant clients. Instead of handing over your lease renewal to your landlord on a silver platter, we find alternative locations and solicit lease proposals from other landlords as a means of making your existing landlord re-earn your tenancy (even when the tenant is not considering a move or relocation).

How to negotiate a lease renewal rent reduction for pizzeria tenants approach your landlord and your properTy Manager Confirm your landlord contact and make sure you are negotiating with the right person. You may have entered into the lease agreement negotiating with a commercial real estate agent for the landlord’s in-house representative; however, most lease renewal agreements are negotiated with a property manager with whom you may or may not have a good relationship. oBTain The landlord’s lease renewal proposal We don’t believe in negotiating on the first date. We prefer to discuss the lease renewal with the property manager and invite a proposal. This puts us in a position to counter-offer and negotiate on behalf of the commercial tenant we are working for. Most of the negotiating process will take place verbally – but only after the lease renewal proposal or document has been provided by the landlord. suBMiT The counTer offer To your landlord Multiple counter offers from both parties are part of the lease renewal process. If you try to slam-dunk the lease renewal too quickly, your attempts for a rent reduction will probably fail. We recently negotiated a lease renewal for a client who was pleasantly surprised by how effective this strategy was. We deliberately slowed down the process and renegotiated every single term in the formal lease agreement that needed to be revisited. negoTiaTe, negoTiaTe, negoTiaTe Negotiate to win. Most pizzeria tenants are not negotiating to win at all … they

24 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

are negotiating not to lose. The landlord and/or the landlord’s representatives are negotiating to win and you must do so as well. It is extremely expensive for a landlord to replace an existing tenant. If the landlord is giving lease inducements (like free rent and/or tenant allowances) to attract new tenants moving in, we believe that the landlord should offer those same incentives to you to entice you to stay. You are the repeat customer. You have the track record of paying rent. A good boxing match doesn’t go two rounds; it goes 12 to 15 rounds. Remember, this is not an event … this is a process. Some of the best deals we get for commercial tenants take four to six months. When we counter-offer, we will often throw in a few red herrings – things that we don’t really care about and can readily give away. Negotiate and ask for more than you expect to get: For one of our lease renewal clients, we successfully negotiated a $3/square foot reduction, a tenant allowance and several months of free rent as well as the elimination of the personal guarantee and the deposit refund. You don’t have to wait until the end of your lease term, and if your landlord is stalling you, this generally means that he’s got a rent increase in mind for your renewal term. For a free leasing CD entitled Leasing Do’s & Don’ts for Pizzeria Tenants, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com. • Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield – The Lease Coach are Commercial Lease Consultants who work exclusively for tenants. Dale and Jeff are professional speakers and co-authors of Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals For Dummies (Wiley, 2013). Got a leasing question? Need help with your new lease or renewal? Call 1-800-738-9202, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com or visit www. TheLeaseCoach.com.

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Cutting the waste What are some best practices to reduce food waste and related costs? BY KArLY O’BrIeN

anaging food waste can be an onerous responsibility for operators, but the money saved is worth the time and effort. Dinesh Prasad , the manager of a BK’s Pizza in Esterhazy, Sask., learned this first hand. Over the years, Prasad said he has learned to minimize food waste by trying to find a use for 100 per cent of each ingredient. He estimated that his operation now wastes about two per cent annually of the food he purchases, which is usually the result of vegetables going bad. “It’s all in how you maintain your kitchen, I think. It takes a lot of extra time and effort to plan ahead, but it is worth it when you see how much you can save.” Prasad has fried chicken as a menu item. He buys an entire chicken wholesale for $7. He then breaks the chicken apart into different pieces that he can sell individually for $4 per piece or three pieces for $9. He uses the bones from the chicken to create a broth for chicken soup, which retails at $4 per bowl. Some parts of the chicken he will use as a topping for pizza. He estimated that he makes about $40 from one chicken, not including the $7 he used to buy it. Across Canada, about $27 billion of food annually finds its way to landfills, with eight per cent of it coming from food service and restaurants, reported Statistics Canada. Giovanni Prioriello, president of DecorFood America, a company which supplies the hospitality industry and provides consulting, and Mary Rolph Lamontagne, a food author, consultant and blogger, have provided the following tips to Canadian Pizza magazine readers

on how to manage food more efficiently through training and managing staff, fridge organization and menu design. designing The Menu Before purchasing food, an operation needs to have a well-thought-out menu. An overly ambitious menu is where Prioriello said food waste starts. Sometimes menus are designed with too many options, which results in having to buy several varieties of cheeses, spices and meats that may not sell consistently from week to week. There are always going to be a few customer favourites, so slim down the menu and focus on what is selling the best. Take advantage of the local movement and its leanings towards simplicity by purchasing minimal ingredients that can help save on costs. Prioriello highly recommended using fewer ingredients that can be used for several different dishes. The key is to ensure that each recipe is still unique even if the same ingredient is being used for two or three menu items. Lamontagne also raised this point. “When you create a menu, you are keeping in mind how many various items can you use in so many ways,” she said. “If you can’t apply an ingredient to more than one dish, then maybe you want to reconsider putting it on the menu.” She added that it’s best to be practical. Passionate chefs sometimes find it difficult to part with favourite menu items or ingredients that may not be getting the consumer reaction to justify keeping it on the menu. However, it’s best to put the customer first as the business relies on catering to the patrons’ preferences.

26 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

organizing The fridge After deciding what goes on the menu, it’s time to take a look inside of the fridge and determine what tracking system is currently in place. Are the fruits, vegetables and meat separated and labelled in the fridge? Are they properly refrigerated? These are some common questions to ask in order to examine how the food comes in and out of the fridge and whether the fridge itself is contributing to any waste. Lamontagne recommended using a rotating system. New shipments get placed on the bottom shelf with each ingredient listed on the box. When the oldest shipments have been used, move the newer shipments onto higher shelves. This way it is easy to take stock and see right away if a new shipment is needed. “There should be a different shelf for each shipment, so when the food comes in it should be on its own shelf and it should move around the fridge depending on how old it is,” she said. She advises operators to be careful during peak hours. When the operation starts to get busy, organization can easily fall by the wayside with employees focusing on getting ingredients in and out of the fridge without properly packaging and wrapping the food. “That is where I always find that there is a lot of loss because food service is fastpaced and people end up just throwing stuff back in without properly wrapping it and put it on the wrong shelf, which brings about confusion when taking stock,” said Lamontagne. “That is how a lot of food waste starts.” Prioriello went a step further and said that operators would benefit most from

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having a kitchen management system that will communicate with an existing POS system. The kitchen management system tracks invoices, how many of each ingredient there should be in the fridge, and how much was paid for each shipment of food. The POS system tracks meal orders, what is popular and what isn’t, and peak hours, to name a few of the reports it will generate. If the two systems communicate, then the kitchen management system will subtract the ingredients based on the orders on the POS. From there, the employee in charge of stock will go into the fridge to ensure that the systems are consistent with each other. If there is less in the fridge than the kitchen management system says, then you may have another problem on your hands: your staff. Managing and Training sTaff Unfortunately, missing food can be the result of disloyal employees.

Prioriello experienced a case like this while consulting for a restaurant in the Toronto area. While trying to create ways for the business to save money, he realized that the restaurant was paying too much for food based on sales. Prioriello decided to implement a tracking system for the food after which he caught a couple of employees stealing food from the restaurant. “It was the result of not managing the fridge properly and checking stock regularly. When you fail to do that then mischief can start in the kitchen.” This case may not have been the result of food waste, per se, but it does reinforce the need to have a few staff members check on stock to verify the correct amount of food is in the fridge. It also shows how important it is to consistently track an operation’s food flow. To start a system whereby the food flow is being tracked, your staff need to get on board with the idea. The best way to do that is by collecting employee opinion and

feedback. “Ask them what they think and do some test runs of different management systems like a manual one, a computerized one and see what they think,” said Lamontagne. “This personalizes it for them and makes them feel like they’ve helped the business become more successful.” It can be troublesome to train employees to follow new rules, but over time it becomes habit. “Once it is in place and it’s been happening for a while, it becomes second nature, kind of like seatbelts. They will end up doing it as long as they see that it helps the business, but expect resistance.” Although it’s tough to break out of old habits, the reward of purchasing less food, making the most of that food and saving money are incentive enough to make changes. • for more on the prep table, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

How to open a Financially SucceSSFul pizza & Sub ReStauRant The explosive growth of pizza and sub shops across the country has been phenomenal. Take a look at these stats: Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or about 350 slices per second. Pizza is a $32+ billion per year industry. Pizza restaurant growth continues to outpace overall restaurant growth. Pizzerias represent 17 per cent of all restaurants. Pizza accounts for more that 10 per cent of all food service sales. Here is the manual you need to cash in on this highly profitable segment of the food service industry. This book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the restaurant. This superb manual should be studied by anyone investigating the opportunities of opening a pizza or sub restaurant. It will arm you with everything you need including sample business forms, leases, and contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; sample menus; inventory lists; plans and layouts; and dozens of other valuable, time-saving tools of the trade that no restaurant entrepreneur should be without.

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Annex Bookstore ................................................... 28 Burke ...................................................................... 11 CRFA ...................................................................... 25 Faema .................................................................... 19 Horizon Milling ....................................................... 15 Middleby................................................................. 23 Pizza Chef .............................................................. 17 Pizza Power Pages ................................................ 29 Pizza Show ............................................................ 27 Pizza With Purpose ............................................... 21 Ricco Food Distributor........................................... 14 Salerno ................................................................... 18 Saputo .................................................................... 32 Springer ................................................................ 18 Stanislaus ............................................................. 4-5 Viau .......................................................................... 2 XLT Ovens ............................................................. 31 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.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 pizza 29

pizza on fire

Specialty pies Tom Stankiewicz

here are many reasons a new pizza recipe gets added to the existing menu. Some operators use a new offering as a strategy to increase their sales by bringing in new customers. Others listen closely to their customers, and based on their feedback, decide that the pizza menu needs to be refreshed. Yet another pizza owner might create a new pizza to enter into the pizza competitions. Over the years, our team has created many new pizza recipes for various reasons. Through those experiences, we have realized that there is always a right place and a right time to create and present the new pie. I’m sure we all have noticed that some pizza recipes become more successful than others. For one reason or another, certain pizzas become so popular and such favourites that customers expect every pizzeria to offer them. For instance, there might be a slight variation when it comes to its taste and presentation but overall the deluxe pizza is the same in all pizzerias. What is the secret of a successful pizza recipe? Without a doubt, a truly successful pizza recipe must meet certain criteria. The most important one is that it needs to be cost effective. The recipe may still be very creative; however, it’s important to select pizza toppings that are not too exotic. Usually, their prices are higher and they will decrease your profit by a bigger margin. Additionally, unusual toppings might be difficult to find when required as not many stores or suppliers will offer them. This could result in a negative customer experience if you have to inform a customer that your specialty pizza will be missing two main toppings due to unavailability. If there is a pizza topping that absolutely must be included in the new rec-

Strategies for adding recipes to your menu that will be keepers

ipe, first research and find out how easily it not be ordered frequently enough for emcan be obtained. Through my conversations ployees to familiarize themselves with the with other pizzaiolos, I have learned that recipe. As well, most employees are not fullmany of us have created wonderful and tasty time workers and the fact they put in fewer pizza recipes and then later on had to adjust work hours might contribute to their lack of the recipes and eliminate toppings that were knowledge about the pizza recipe. difficult to locate. You may find, as we did over time, that The other criteria closely related to cost it is simply not practical to keep some of effectiveness is efficiency. In order for the your pizza recipes on the menu. Even pizza store to be at its best and be highly though we created highly successful – profitable, it needs to be managed effect- even award-winning – recipes in comtively. This means that every employee must petitions, our current business model be trained well and takes did not provide the right the same amount of time as place and time for them Depending on everyone else to prepare a to thrive. One of the pizza. During busy times, the pizzas we introduced the complexity expectation is that everyone was at its best when conof the specialty be able to move easily from sumed within 10 minrecipe, it might one workstation to the next utes of coming out of the without any major complicaoven. Since at this time we require triple tions. The next person in line offer only takeout and dethe amount of should easily be able to comlivery, we realized that our time it normally customers could not fully plete an unfinished pizza. This ensures that all pizza orappreciate its taste and takes to make ders flow smoothly through toppings combination. Howa pizza. the line and your operational ever, we know that in the efficiency is at its best. right place, which ideally The introduction of a would be a dining room highly specialized pizza recsetting, this recipe would ipe might create a wrinkle in this smooth continue to be highly successful. process. From my own experience, I can tell Adding a new pizza recipe to your menu you that preparing it will take longer than can be rewarding but also challenging at making any other standard pizza. Depend- times. We all know that the classic Canadiing on the complexity of the specialty recipe, an and deluxe pizzas have passed the test of it might require triple the amount of time it time and customers love them. normally takes to make a pizza. Who knows, maybe your new pizza One reason for the longer time is simply recipe will be the next sensation. • to ensure that it is done to perfection. In addition, it is very likely that not all employees Tom Stankiewicz has been in the pizza business for more than 15 years. He has been the proprietor of Bondi’s Pizza in will know how to make it the right way. This London, Ont., since 2000 and is president of the Canadian could be caused by many factors beyond Pizza Team. anyone’s control. The specialty pizza might

30 pizza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

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