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What do your employees want? Find out – or risk losing your best workers

Volume 20 Issue 6 November 2014

12 IS MONEY EVERYTHING?

When it comes to hiring and retaining good employees, how important is the almighty paycheque?

16 THE MEAT OF THE MATTER

Canadian pizzerias are finding new and inventive ways to jazz up the meat offerings on their menus.

20 PIZZA, KOREAN-STYLE

Neapolitan Famoso Pizzeria’s Don Letendre shares his recipe for a Korean-inspired pizza.

26 THE LIFE OF PI

A math-themed pizzeria proves that differentiating yourself from competitors can create a formula for success.

www.canadianpizzamag.com

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

pizza bites

pizza pete

the pizza chef

making dough

guest column

pizza on fire

NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 3

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Something to bank on o you know what your employees really want? If your answer is “no” or “not really,” you aren’t alone. As it turns out, many employers don’t know the answer to that seemingly straightforward, but essentially complex question. However, not knowing the response can put you at a disadvantage. In today’s employment culture, you must take the time to discover what employees seek in the workplace if you want to recruit and retain good staff. Is money their main motivator? Does atmosphere matter? Is career advancement on their radar? These days, with hiring rates (and job dissatisfaction) on the upswing in many industries, paying close attention can make or break success in your establishment. A study released in August 2014 by Towers Watson (www.towerswatson.com) examined this issue. The company’s Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey queried 32,000 participants around the world, including 1,000 from Canada. Among other findings, the survey revealed that the top five priorities for employees in 2014 are: 1) salary/base pay, 2) job security, 3) career advancement opportunities, 4) learning and development opportunities, and 5) challenging work. These results may not come as a big surprise. Yet, on the flipside, when employers were asked the same question, their ideas about “top attraction drivers” for employees were: 1) career advancement opportunities, 2) salary/base pay, 3) challenging work, 4) organization’s reputation as a good employer, and 5) organization’s mission/vision/values. While the employer responses aren’t vastly different from the employee answers, there does seem to be a discernible disconnect between what employees and employers view as crucial for work satisfaction. In our cover story, “Is Money Every-

6 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

thing?” writer Julie Fitz-Gerald examines this issue from an industry-specific standpoint. Her research turned up a variety of factors that attract and keep today’s pizzeria employees happy – from the location of the business to the culture of the organization to the company’s “fun factor.” These are particularly appealing to younger workers, who do not have the same financial needs as older staff. But despite the age demographic, does all of that mean that these issues supersede the almighty paycheque? To find out more, please check out our story on page 12. Columnist Diana Cline also weighs in on a similar theme with her piece: “How good are your hiring systems?” Noting that, “any business is only as strong as the weakest employee,” Cline discusses the importance of employer strategies when it comes to selecting the best employees. In “Making Dough,” consultant Dianne Chiasson continues the topic with “Eight ways to be an effective team leader.” Chiasson notes that behind every successful pizza operation is an effective manager/owner. Read more to learn about what makes a good leader – and what enables these people to motivate their staff and promote their businesses. And, while we are on the subject of staffing, you’ll likely note that mine is a new face at this publication. I am happy to announce that I have come on board to take over for Laura Aiken while she is on maternity leave. It is an exciting time to be in this industry and I am really looking forward to immersing myself in it. With that said, I’d love to hear from you and find out about your business, learn what you’d like to read about in the magazine, and discuss “all things pizza.” Please feel free to reach me at jdruery@ annexweb.com and start the dialogue. • @CdnPizzaMag

November 2014, Vol. 20, No. 6 Editor Janine Druery jdruery@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Associate Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexweb.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261 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 Emily Sun 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 email: 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 email: 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

pizzabites Inventive drinks boost restaurant visits rinks matter! A fifth of consumers say beverages play a very important role in their decisions about which restaurants to visit for meals, says a report from Technomic. According to the survey, operators are maximizing “potential beverage occasions” by promoting off-peak dining hours and launching innovative beverages that get people through the door. It also points out that consumer demand for variety and customization will lead to more innovation in terms of beverage types and flavours, and that an increasing focus on health and natural ingredients will inspire drink development. “Operators must focus on increased consumer demand for variety and health when they are developing or revamping their beverage menus,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice-president of Technomic. “Restaurants with strong beverage programs can play into health and variety by offering customization options for core drinks.” The report highlighted several findings, including the following: • Eighty-nine per cent of consumers purchased food/beverages in the last month at a fast-food restaurant. • More than two-fifths of consumers call for healthier beverages at restaurants. • At least two-fifths of consumers agree that full-service restaurants and fast-food concepts should offer greater beverage variety. These findings suggest it may be profitable for restaurants to offer more beverage choices and healthier options.

8 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

Chef Fabio Lorenzoni demonstrates the strength and durability of pasta sheets made with Canadian durum wheat semolina.

Surgital launches ‘fresh-frozen’ products n a quest to answer “a proposal of pasta,” about 30 food industry buyers gathered together to enjoy “fresh-frozen” pasta made by Italy’s Surgital. The pasta encompasses five new lines that Bertozzi Importing is offering in Canada. The hungry crowd gathered for the product launch and tasting at the distributor’s kitchen in Etobicoke, Ont., on Sept. 15 and 16 to sample Surgital’s deep-frozen – or what the company calls “fresh-frozen” – pasta. Surgital, located in the region of Romagna in Italy, uses a deep-freezing method aimed at keeping products fresh for 18 months without the use of preservatives. Surgital’s head chef, Fabio Lorenzoni, assisted by chef Giancarlo Perbellini, prepared the pasta and suggested different ways of serving it. Among the dishes were scrigni with Apulian burrata cheese, tagliolini with porcini mushrooms and gran gnocchi potato dumplings. The process of deep-freezing involves quickly lowering the temperature from 80 degrees down to -120 degrees within 45

minutes. “Liquids in the pasta are frozen so quickly that they maintain their cellular structure,” said Lorenzoni. The company uses Italian and Canadian durum wheat semolina, which is high in gluten, said Roberto Ciccione, export manager for Surgital. Because it is a harder wheat, it holds the filling well without breaking, absorbing more sauce, Lorenzoni noted. The “collection” consists of five lines: Divine Creazioni, Fiordiprimi, Prontosfoglia, Laboratorio Tortellini and Sugosi, the last a line of ready-made sauces in frozen pellet form. It encompasses 140 products of long, short, shaped and filled pasta, and potato gnocchi. Sugosi frozen sauces, which include red, Alfredo and seafood, are designed to be ready in five minutes in the pan. You can thaw them overnight. The trays, designed for easy opening, are custom-made to suit each type of pasta. These dishes are particularly useful for small operations that don’t have a lot of staff, said the chef.

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pizzabites

Pizza cheese studied

Pizza Nova hires new staff

he relatively small elasticity of cheddar, colby and Edam cheeses makes them less likely to blister for a less burned appearance, according to a study on how composition and function affect the appearance of pizza cheese. The study, published by New Zealand food scientists in the Journal of Food Science, evaluated the pizza baking performance of different cheeses in conjunction with a new evaluation technique to see how their composition and functional differences affected browning and blistering. The study found that the elasticity, free oil, moisture, water activity and transition temperature all influence the colour uniformity of cheeses. Blisters were not formed for cheddar, colby, and Edam cheeses because of their small elasticity. A sufficient amount of free oil prevents moisture evaporation, and thus less intensive browning on Gruyere and provolone, and hardly at all with Emmental. This means these cheeses can be combined with the easily blistering mozzarella to create a gourmet pizza with a less burned appearance. For this study, researchers developed a machine vision technique coupling careful imaging with quantified image analysis to help quantify a description that can be used by pizza manufacturers to make an appealing product for consumers.

izza Nova has made two new hires. Gerry Aloise has been named the new director of marketing and Vince Morano is now the director of franchise development. Aloise joins the company after working for Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada. “We are very pleased to have Gerry on board at Pizza Nova in this key leadership and marketing role,” said Domenic Primucci, president of Pizza Nova, in a news release. “Gerry will lead all consumer and trade marketing initiatives. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and Gerry Aloise Gerry’s vast marketing experience will allow us to continue down this path.” Morano has held roles in management, business development, and training consulting, most recently serving as director of franchise development at Extreme Brandz, a division of MTY Group. “Vince will lead the franchisee recruitment and development process, as well as all other departmental activities,” noted Primucci. “With Vince’s proven success in the areas of OpVince Morano erations Management, Corporate Training, and Business Development, we are confident that he will add great value to the company.”

Partnership to help students and industry olland College and Restaurants Canada will join forces to give graduates from several tourism and hospitality programs an edge in their employment search. The Graduate Partnership Program, announced in September by the P.E.I. college’s president Brian McMillan, will give students graduating from several of the college’s programs, including those of Culinary Institute of Canada, a special “GradPass.” The one-year pass will allow graduates to access research and information on Restaurants Canada’s members-only website, give them free admission to industry trade shows in Halifax and Toronto, and allow them to post their resumes and profiles on a new, specialized job site exclusively for GradPass holders and Restaurants Canada members. “Holland College is committed to providing our students with the skills and knowledge that they will require to enter their chosen occupational field,” said McMillan in a news release. “The GradPass is a tool that will give them direct access to prospective employers in the industry.” For more information about programs that are associated with the GradPass program, visit www.hollandcollege.com/gradpass.

10 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

cover story

Is money everything? When it comes to hiring and retaining good employees, how much does the almighty paycheque figure into the equation? BY JULIE FITZ-GERALD

inding excellent employees is a difficult task, but keeping them is an even greater challenge. Recent data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows the number of employees in the restaurant industry is expected to rise from 1,165,700 in 2013 to 1,390,000 by 2023. Combined with government warnings of a possible labour shortage and with recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers program, it is clear that restaurant owners must go above and beyond to retain good staff. But does retention always come down to money? The answer seems to depend on the age demographic of the employee. Ken Whiting is the founder of WAVES for Success, a California-based company that specializes in recruiting, motivating, educating and retaining teens and young adults. “If it’s younger employees, pay does not matter the most,” says Whiting. “There are other benefits that rise somewhat higher and they might be as simple as flexibility of scheduling.” Factors like the location of the business, the culture of the organization, how the company is perceived by others, advancement opportunities, and enjoyment in the role and workplace are all significant to young workers. “Clearly pay is of significance, but most students have a level of understanding that they’re coming in at an entry-level wage,” says Whiting. “However, if pay is number five on a list for a younger student, it is going to be number one or two for an older employee. I think the points about culture and opportunities for advancement still matter, but the need for flexibility isn’t as high. Pay is clearly a driver in this age group because they have bills to pay; they’re contributing to family finances.” SENSE OF PRIDE Hugh Johnston, based in Toronto, Ont., has been in the foodservice industry since 1998, consulting in the areas of strategy,

12 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

marketing and advertising, and finance. As former CFO of Bento Sushi, Johnston is proud of what he calls “an industry-leading low turnover rate” among the company’s 400 locations across Canada. Johnston has learned that a sense of accomplishment and pride in a job well done are much more important factors to employee satisfaction than the amount of pay being received. “I think you just have to take it off the table,” Johnson says. “You have to pay them enough to take it off the table as an issue. Then it’s all about engagement. Do they enjoy what they’re doing? Is the employer fair?” Johnston says that for employee contentment to soar, there are two things employers must accomplish: 1) select employees who are the right fit for the job, and 2) have great leaders. “People don’t leave companies, they leave bosses,” he notes. “One of the big secrets for low turnover and high retention is great frontline leadership. A person who ran a big chain once said to me, ‘If you want to see what a manager’s like in a store, just watch all the employees. They’re just like the manager.’ Good frontline management is number one.” MOTIVATE AND LISTEN Building a positive environment and culture where employees can thrive is a concept that rings true across the industry. Managers who can motivate their staff, listen and understand their concerns, and bring all employees into the team fold will achieve much higher rates of success where employee retention is concerned.

TOP FIVE PRIORITIES FOR EMPLOYEES IN 2014 1.

Salary/base pay

2. 3.

Job security Career advancement opportunities

Learning and development opportunities

Challenging work

Source: Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey, Towers Watson (www.towerswatson.com)

“If you’ve got a manager with zero understanding, appreciation, and tolerance of the needs of a teenage employee, then you’ll have increased turnover simply because of that manager’s attitude,” says Whiting. “You need to hire people who are committed to make the work environment different and to understanding young people’s needs.” After all, high turnover comes at an enormous cost to business owners by way of both time and money. And it’s a cost that many operators simply cannot afford. “Every time you turn an employee over, it costs you a lot of time, money, and productivity-loss until they get good at what they do,” says Johnston. “Then there’s the cost of customers who are being served by employees who aren’t good at their jobs yet, who aren’t engaged, who aren’t happy. When they’re not happy, the customers aren’t happy either.” While some turnover is inevitable, business owners must strive to minimize the damage each and every time it occurs. “It’s pretty easy to measure the hard costs of training, materials and uniforms, but it’s the loss of productivity and service to the customers and you don’t overly know the real impact of that. It can be huge if all of a sudden service levels have decreased because of a team that’s less experienced,” adds Whiting. “The cost can be huge; thousands of dollars per employee.” BOOSTING HAPPINESS The goal then must be to reduce turnover rates by boosting employee contentment, which will ultimately translate into better customer service. There are several cost-effective ways this can be done, such as fostering open communication among team members, offering opportunities for advancement, implementing incentive

programs, and ensuring everyone has fun. Steve Silvestro, corporate executive chef with Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar, believes that communication between managers and staff is crucial to employee retention. “We have shift meetings every day, sometimes twice a day and we talk about our values and promises,” says Silvestro. “Good managers will be using these tools on a constant basis.” Shift meetings provide a platform for employees to ask questions, raise concerns, and motivate one another through common goals for that shift. It’s an important team-building opportunity that should not be overlooked. “In some work environments you clock in and go to your work area,” says Whiting. “You may not even have one co-worker, supervisor, or manager communicate with you. The other option is to be welcomed when you come into work. Younger age groups are highly stimulated. They need to be informed and welcomed. They’ve lived a lifetime of social media and have been fully informed with everything that’s important to them, so communication really matters. It’s really key to how they feel about the company.” OPEN COMMUNICATION Dave Manno, co-owner of Buon Gusto in Guelph, Ont., keeps the lines of communication open at his establishment by offering weekly wine seminars and regular shift training to his staff. “We make sure that all employees know what to expect from us,” Manny says. “That’s key. We spend a tremendous amount of time in training, particularly in product knowledge, which is paramount. We feel knowledge is power and we want our frontof-the-house and back-of-the-house staff to be very familiar and Continued on page 24

NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 13

the pizza chef

How good are your hiring systems? Diana Cline

hen I opened my new restaurant this past summer, I had the opportunity to conduct interviews for a number of positions. “I’m the kind of guy that likes to see jobs getting done,” one young man told me during his interview. “I’ll look around for things to do and I just do them, you don’t have to ask.” He looked me in the eye and said: “My work ethic tends to motivate other people too.” It sounded impressive, and it was exactly what I wanted to hear. This young man was just the kind of employee I was looking for to join the new team, and so I hired him to start the following week. Unfortunately, a completely different person showed up to do the job. Other staff complained that this person liked to stand around and watch them work. Managers told me that he would find a seat on a horizontal surface – any horizontal surface. In my 16-plus years of owning and operating my previous concept, I’d seen this pattern repeated over and over: a stellar job interview, a new hire, and then a less-than-adequate performance. I was at a loss to understand the complete disconnect between how these people represented themselves in the interview versus how they were in reality. It’s true that a lot of people want jobs but some don’t actually want to work, but it was getting more and more difficult to recognize those people during interviews. They were, for a lack of a better description, well-rehearsed. I began to refer to them as the “Academy Award interview performances.” You’ve likely experienced this phenomenon. You thought a new hire was going to work out great, take some of the load off, and then “wham,” you get a dose of reality

14 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

before the first paycheque is even issued. information from the applicant. I call this Some say it’s the cost of doing business, the application kit. but training is expensive. And training When someone walks in and asks if someone who doesn’t really want to work they can drop off a resume, I give them an is even more expensive. Add in the cost application kit with the following direcof such an employee providing a poor ex- tions: “Take this home, read it, and then perience to a customer and you are play- fill it out. If you have a resume, staple it to ing with the deck stacked the back. When you’re finagainst you. ished filling it out, please Once you discover that bring it in and then we will you’ve had an Academy schedule an interview.” There is no Award interview and a If the next thing they ask reason to keep is for is a pen, I will give slacker shows up for training, you need to let that them one, but their applian actor on the cation kit is flagged as “not person go. There is no reason to keep an actor on the considered” because they payroll unless, payroll unless, of course, ignored the very first inof course, you you have dinner theatre. struction I gave them. When a person looks you Here’s the best part: For have dinner in the eye and tells you every 10 application kits theatre. something untrue, how are that we hand out, eight you to know? Sure there never come back. That are reference checks, but means eight out of 10 peowhat about young people ple think that reading three with no previous experipages and filling out anence and no references? other four is too much work to get a job at This was the beginning of my new hir- my company. And that’s the kind of inforing system. Now I don’t accept resumes mation I need to know before I give them without my company’s application kit. I a uniform and add them to the payroll. don’t have the standard application forms Any business is only as strong as the that you can buy at Staples; these aren’t weakest employee, and every business important in our industry. Our industry needs a system to weed out the slackers is labour-intensive and if you’re the kind from the workers. • of person who likes to “hardly work” instead of “work hard” then there will be a Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza Magazine chef of the year champion, internationally recognized problem. gourmet pizzaiolo, owner of Diana’s Cucina & Lounge Here is what I did: I wrote three pages in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a director for the CRFA about what an employees can expect from from 2009-2013. In addition to creating award-winning Diana is also a consultant to other pizzeria our company and what, in turn, we ex- recipes, owner/operators in menu development, creating systems pect from them. I wrote a little about the to run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing company and our goals in the community and positioning to help operators grow their business and strategically. She is available for consulting and in business. Attached to these three effectively on a limited basis, for more information contact her at pages were four more pages of requested dianaslcline@gmail.com.

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feature

The meat of the matter Canadian pizzerias are finding new and inventive ways to jazz up the meat offerings on their menus. BY COLLEEN CROSS

ome pizza lovers insist on pepperoni or nothing at all. But many Canadian pizzerias aim to appeal to a more adventurous customer (including the avid foodie) and are seeking new ways to perk up carnivores’ palates. Anthony Del Balso of Montreal’s Artigiani favours pancetta, soppressata and fresh shredded sausage as toppings, and he likes to marinate his meat ingredients. One of Del Balso’s favourite marinades consists of semi-dried cherry tomatoes. Another – a mixture of caramelized peppers and onions – really brings out the flavours in his three-meat pizza, he says. His wild boar ragout pizza, a recently

featured pizza of the day, met with approval from patrons and may find its way onto the regular menu, he says. However, the item is fairly labour-intensive in that it requires three hours to cook the pork, which then needs to be shredded and dried. NEED TO EXPERIMENT Alfredo Mercuri, manager of Montreal’s Il Fornetto, also satisfies the urge to experiment and test the market by showcasing a pizza of the week. He likes to use salami, in particular, filomena, which is similar to prosciutto but cured differently. “I bring out the flavour of sausage by stuffing it with fresh rapini,” Mercuri

says, “which is a cousin of the turnip with broccoli-like buds and bitter-flavoured greens.” Because his specialty is thin, baked crust, he prefers not to load up his pies with heavy toppings: the meatiest topping you will find among his 18 regular menu features is one that features capicola and pepperoni. Janet Zuccarini, owner and head pizza chef of Toronto’s Gusto 101, also focuses on ingredients in the sausage family. A traditional Neapolitan pizzaiolo, she tries not to stray from the Italian style. For the most part, she sticks to the traditional pancetta, chorizo and other meats in the

Credit: Rocky Mountain Flatbread

Rocky Mountain Flatbread’s Naturally Meaty pizza features chorizo sausage and spicy certified organic ground beef.

16 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

Contact your local repesentative to arrange a demonstration British Columbia Castle Agencies North Vancouver, BC, Canada Tel/Cell: (604) 904-7681 Contact: David Terretta Email: king@castleagencies.ca

Alberta MAC Sales & Marketing Calgary, AB, Canada Phone: 403-281-8540 Contact: Steve MacKell Email: mackell@telusplanet.net

Manitoba/Saskatchewan Dennis Braun Agencies Winnipeg, MB Canada Tel: 204-663-8077 Cell: 204-229-4613 Email: denbraun@mts.net

Ontario Distex M.&M. Inc. Mississauga, Ont Tel: 905 565-5990 Toll Free: 1 888 645-7324 Email:info@distex.ca

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Quebec Distex M.&M. Inc. St-Laurent (Quebec) Tel.: (514) 382-3620 Toll free : 1-800-567-3620 Web: www.distex.ca

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feature sausage family. “I personally don’t do chicken, it’s too Americanized or Canadianized,” she says. However, she recently branched out by offering a topping typical to Greek cuisine. “We are developing new sausages such as lamb sausages to give people a different flavour experience.” Zuccarini serves a “brunch” pizza with a twist on the Margherita pizza. She replaces the bacon with pancetta, tops the whole thing off with an egg and finishes it in the oven. PREMIUM INGREDIENTS At Rocky Mountain Flatbread’s Calgary location, the top seller is the Naturally Meaty pizza, which features chorizo sausage and spicy certified organic ground beef, says general manager Pierre Massey. Close on its heels is their apple pizza featuring lemon-raspberry pulled chicken. Another menu favourite, coconut-crusted chicken with coconut curry, takes chicken in a Thai direction. Rocky Mountain’s meats are gluten-free, prepared locally and enhanced using local barbecue and tomato sauces. “We are careful not to let the sauces overpower the meat,” says Massey. As one might expect in Western Canada, the pizzeria incorporates venison, deer and wild boar sausage on occasion, but high price points limit the use of such premium ingredients. Like Il Fornetto’s Mercuri, Massey tries to promote even cooking by not loading the flatbread, wood-fired pizzas with heavy toppings. PLAYING WITH MARINADES Tony Saberwhal, owner of Magic Oven in Toronto, also likes to play with marinades that stray outside of the standard Italian flavourings. “Our hamburger is not just seasoned with salt and pepper. We cook it with garlic and a bunch of herbs,” Saberwhal says. “Chicken we do a couple of different ways,” he says. “We do an herb-grilled chicken as opposed to just a straightahead chicken.” Magic Oven also does a tandoori chicken, which they marinate with the tandoori sauce, bake or roast, and slice up for use as a pizza topping or

18 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

ingredient in other dishes. Saberwhal says they make their sausage in house. It is organic and in the form of an extremely coarse crumble. “We tried different sausages from different sources and either they were not spicy enough or too spicy,” he says. “We’ve started to do that in-house as well. Also, some of our customers had issues with the casing: they didn’t know whether it was from pork or from beef or where it came from.” He says customers were asking for gluten-free options. “We wanted all our toppings to be gluten-free, and that’s another reason we wanted to do it ourselves. Not half soy or half wheat.” ETHNIC FLAVOURS Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria is venturing into Korean-inspired cuisine. This fall, the pizza chain plans to test its New World Pizza featuring Korean pulled pork, flavoured with chogochujang. (please see recipe on page 20). What is chogochujang? “It’s the new sriracha and the ketchup of Korea,” says Don Letendre, corporate chef at the Vancouver location, who adds that serving Korean-American pie in a Neapolitan pizzeria is pushing the envelope. He is excited the chain is making its own pulled pork in house in a nod to “slow-food” cuisine. The method involves brining, applying a dry spice rub and slow-cooking pork butt overnight until the meat becomes tender, juicy and begins to fall apart. This technique and resulting flavour is what he calls an “American” twist. “We infuse our brine at Famoso with sugar, star anise, fennel and coriander seeds,” says Letendre. “This provides a layer of flavour to the meat before we dry rub the pork. This infused brine complements the spices in the dry rub.” For the sauce, he mixes gochujan, a Korean hot pepper paste, with brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, pineapple juice and rice wine vinegar to get chogochujang. Hoisin sauce is to balance the heat of the chogochujang, and Famoso infuses a base hoisin sauce with ginger, garlic, lime juice, chipotle peppers, green onions and

fish sauce to add flavour and depth. “The elements of taste for this pizza are tastes that push,” Letendre says. “Salty, sweet, and picante heighten all other tastes in this recipe.” HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS Pi Eatery owner Meghan O’Dea in St. John’s, N.L., also aims to please the more adventurous pizza lover without losing sight of health considerations. O’Dea says she generally prefers thinner meats such as dry cured pepperoni in smaller circles, which, she says, are a healthier option with a lot less sodium. “We also do a shaved steak and inside round beef shaved very thinly,” says O’Dea. Most of their meats, including sausage, are sliced thinly – bacon would be the chunkiest meat topping, she says, explaining that at 0.3 centimetres thick the restaurant’s authentic Neapolitan style pizza doesn’t hold a lot of weight. “Our bacon is slightly different from most pizzerias. I do bacon ends, which are marinated in maple syrup, so the bacon has a kind of smoky maple taste to it.” Ends are chunks of bacon left over that can’t be used as spices. “It’s actually more like a ham than a bacon and then we chop it roughly.” Like Massey and Zuccarini, she has added lamb to the menu. “We take a deboned lamb leg and shave it very, very thinly.” She is considering trying her hand at comfort food with a meatloaf-style pie. “It might have ground beef or pork layered roasted vegetables in the middle and be sliced very thinly.” She saw one in Las Vegas and would like to try it out. “When I travel, I try to look at the unique side of toppings.” Many customers seek to satisfy that same desire for the “different.” What’s more, it may be a natural, unlearned impulse, suggests a recent NPD Group report that found 42 per cent of parents polled say their kids will eat anything. Testing the waters by adding a pizza of the week or month to a menu is a great way to keep things interesting. And it’s a great way to keep customers coming back for more. •

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NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 19

recipe

on Letendre, corporate chef at Neapolitan Famoso Pizzeri’s Vancouver location, shares his recipe for an inimitable, Korean-inspired sweet and salty pizza that should wake up taste buds.

THE PIZZA Method: • Preheat oven to 260 C (500 F) • Stretch out 1 x 10 oz. dough • Add 2 fl. oz. of Korean barbecue sauce (chogochujang) and spread evenly over pizza dough • Add 2 oz. fior di latte, break up and spread evenly over pizza • Add 3 oz. pulled pork, spread evenly over pizza. (See spice rub instructions, brine instructions and pork butt cooking procedure, below) • Add 1 oz. grated medium aged cheddar cheese, spread evenly over pizza • Add 1 fl. oz. of hoisin sauce, dot onto pizza evenly • Add 2 oz. thinly sliced green onions, spread evenly over pizza • Cook until crust has speckled, about 2 minutes

20 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

SPICE RUB FOR PULLED PORK Ingredients: Brown sugar 50 g White sugar 60 g Smoked paprika 60 g Granulated garlic powder 40 g Salt 60 g Cumin 32 g Chili powder 1 tsp. Cayenne pepper 1 tbsp. Dried oregano 0.5 tbsp. Ground white pepper 1 tsp. Method: • Collect all ingredients and equipment • Place all ingredients into the stainless steel bowl • Mix ingredients with a whisk • Once mixed, take your fingers and run through spiced to ensure all spices have broken down and are well mixed. • Store in an airtight container in a cool dark cupboard up to 3 months. Note: Ensure spices are broken down and well mixed

Credit: Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

Korean BBQ Pork Pizza

The World’s Largest Pizza Show Is Bigger and Better Than Ever!

March 23-26, 2015 (Exhibits March 24-26) Las Vegas Convention Center www.PizzaExpo.com 800-489-8324

Plan on bringing a good pair of walking shoes! For the last three decades, International Pizza Expo has strived to provide you with a pizza-specific, all-underone-roof marketplace. This year is no exception. If you’re a Pizza Expo Veteran, then you know what to expect — if you’re a first-time attendee — get ready to experience our 5 1/2 football field-size show floor — the largest, best-stocked show floor on the planet! Our exhibitors are there for one thing and one thing only — to provide you, the pizzeria owners and operators with the products, support and contacts you’ll need to grow your operations over the coming year. Here are just a few of the highlights of the upcoming International Pizza Expo® 2015:

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• School of Pizzeria Management – advanced training in pre-show workshops • Special Monday Programming – a can’t-miss event for new operators • Keynote Addresses Free for All Attendees – by “Gen Y Guy” Jason Dorsey and Chicago pizza advocate Lou Malnati • Expanded International Pizza Challenge – Pizza Maker of the Year Competition • Pizza Expo Block Party – FREE for all attendees * $20,000 MEGA BUCKS Giveaway – One lucky attendee will WIN! • Craft Beer Pavilion and Related Education Sessions • 90-Plus Seminars, Workshops and Demonstrations • Over 800 Exhibitors

recipe PORK BUTT COOKING PROCEDURE

from touching the bottom of the pan.

Method: • Preheat oven to 250 C (482 F)

•

• •

Use a cocotte pot big enough to hold

Place lid onto cocotte pot and place in the oven.

lid off the pot and let the pork cool enough to handle Take two dinner forks and start to pull

•

Cook for 3-4 hours, or until meat starts

at the meat, shredding it

the piece of pork butt

to fall apart by pulling away with the

•

Let the meat completely cool. Wrap

Place 3 large carrots cut in half lengthways, on the bottom of the pot

end of fork Internal temperature should read at

•

and place in fridge for future use You will only need 3 oz. per pizza.

•

Then place the pork butt on top of the carrots. This prevents the pork butt

•

least 195 C (383 F)

Whatever you do not use, place in freez-

Pull pork out of the oven, take the

er bag and freeze for up to 1 month

BRINE FOR PULLED PORK Ingredients: Water Salt

2L 20 g

Sugar Star anise Coriander seeds

60 g 3 pieces 1 tsp.

Fennel seeds

1 tsp.

Pork butt

1 kg

Method: • Collect all ingredients and equipment. •

Place 2 L of water in the pot on high heat

•

Place salt and sugar in the water, then stir with whisk

•

Place the fennel seeds, star anise, coriander seeds in the pot of water, bring to rolling boil, then remove from heat.

•

Strain brine, collecting all the spices. Place remaining 2 L of water in two food storage containers. Let cool to room temperature

•

Place pork butt in a container big enough to hold the 1 kg pork butt. You must ensure that all pork is submerged in brine Cover and store in fridge at 4 C (39 F) overnight.

Notes: 1. Make sure brine is completely cooled before adding the pork butt 2. To accelerate the cooling process, place pot in an ice bath, stirring constantly until it reaches 30 C (86 F), then strain 3. HACCP/CCP rules – store in a cooler at 4 C (39 F) •

For more pizza recipes, visit canadianpizzamag.com

22 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

making dough

Diane Chiasson

ehind every successful pizza operation is an effective manager or owner who knows how to successfully lead staff. Good leaders are able to motivate staff, promote the business, deal with situations and be supportive. Superior leadership is especially important in the restaurant and foodservice industry, because staff wages are generally quite low. This means that there is little incentive to stay put, resulting in high levels of turnover. Most foodservice operations are unable to pay their staff the money it would take to give them incentive to be team players, so it is up to the owners and managers to lead and motivate their staff to work to the best of their abilities. Regardless of whether you serve the best pizza in town, or are in the most ideal location, without great staff and great customer service, your operation will not see the success it could potentially have. A good manager leads by example. Here are eight ways to get your team to follow your lead:

1. COMMUNICATE A great leader is able to communicate visions, set goals, teach and train staff, reinforce rules and regulations, and provide support to a team. The most important attribute you can have as a great leader is the ability to communicate. Hold meetings with employees on a regular basis, post notes on a bulletin board, send emails – whatever it takes to always be in touch so that everyone knows what is going on. However, keep in mind that great communication skills are a two-way street – you must also be a great listener, and hear what your employees have to say.

Eight ways to be an effective team leader 2. BE CONFIDENT AND DECISIVE The only way to gain respect from your staff is to be confident in your ability to run your pizza operation. You must be clear and decisive in your decision-making. Employees who sense that their owners or managers are weak or indecisive will quickly lose respect. 3. BE ABLE TO DO EVERY JOB A good leader is actively involved in all aspects of the operation, in both the front and back of the house. You should be able to confidently perform every job function, whether that means making the pizzas, operating the cash register, washing the dishes, greeting customers or cleaning the restrooms. This allows you to effectively direct your staff – and be credible in doing so.

6. DON’T LOSE YOUR SELF-CONTROL It is crucial that you always maintain your self-control, even in extreme situations. Whether dealing with a tricky customer or a difficult staff member, always handle the situation in a calm and collected manner. Listen to both sides of the story and resolve the issue fairly.

Great leadership is especially important in the restaurant and foodservice industry, because staff wages are generally quite low.

4. TREAT ALL EMPLOYEES EQUALLY An effective leader does not play favourites. Treat your employees fairly and with respect and, in return, you will gain their respect. Your operation should have a policy handbook for personnel so that your employees know what to expect when an infraction occurs. 5. FOLLOW THE RULES If you set out policies and procedures for your staff, but do not follow them yourself, you are letting your staff know that you do not take your rules seriously. This means they won’t take the rules to heart.

7. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL A great leader is aware of each minute detail in his/ her operation – whether it’s recognizing that a light bulb has burned out, being aware of how loud the music is playing, or checking that the oven is set at the correct temperature. You must be aware of all of the details to ensure your business is operating at its highest level. If you pay attention and care about the small details, so too will your staff.

8. DON’T BLAME OTHERS Always take full responsibility for any mistakes made by your staff. Instead of blaming and berating the team, a good leader will work on how to prevent the situation from happening again. • Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years. She is recognized as one of the best restaurant consultants in North America. 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.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com.

NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 23

cover story Continued from page 13 knowledgeable so they can engage with guests. Manno says “when people stop learning and become stale, that’s when we lose them. Our job is to instill our passion for excellence in our team.” The opportunity for advancement is also an important consideration for employees, often being a reason why they’ll stay instead of looking for a higher-paying job elsewhere. “Promoting from within is a great way to build your culture and control your cost. We talk about it every day. Lately we’ve been really successful at promoting from within and team members see that and want to discuss career development,” says Silvestro. GIVE INCENTIVES Incentive programs sweeten the pot even further for employees, while boosting productivity and sales. In short, incentives are a win-win for operators and staff, whether you’re trying to reinforce company procedure or boost product sales. “You can ‘incentify’ anything,” Whiting says. “It might be for perfect attendance, a perfect safety record, positive comments for service provided.” He says that “every time someone’s recognized for doing

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Factors such as the location of a business, company culture and career advancement are all significant to young employees.

something well, they can be entered into a draw or receive points. They’re little things but they keep people engaged in the process. It also gives managers a tool to reinforce what they want to get done anyway.” The incentive doesn’t have to be overly expensive to be appreciated either. The reward can be as simple as a gift card to a movie theatre or coffee shop. Silvestro recently handed out tickets to the Toronto FC soccer game. “Our leader gave me six tickets to a soccer game, so I gave those to the chef and he rewarded six people with them,” he says. “The effect it had was amazing. Everybody was so happy to be chosen to go to a soccer game. It’s not the most expensive thing, but it had the desired effect. It was a culture-building moment.” At Buon Gusto, Manno and his partner, Bernie Dyer, work hard to hire the right staff and keep them. They often hold wine and sales competitions with gift cards as the reward, as well as higher-cost perks. “It’s not always about wage, although we do offer better than competitive wages to sort through the clutter and get more experienced people,” says Manno. “We offer benefit packages for our employees and we also have gym memberships available.” While the above strategies are wonderful ways to help retain staff, perhaps the simplest and most overlooked way to keep everyone smiling is to make it fun. The foodservice industry is a dynamic, fast-paced setting where having fun is crucial to getting through a busy shift. It’s important for staff to enjoy their time together, working toward common goals. One mistake that can zap the joyful atmosphere in a workplace is to under-staff the shift. “The best way to make sure somebody has no fun when they’re working is to under-staff the store when it’s busy. They can’t do anything well when there aren’t enough people to do the job right,” Johnston warns. By following these proven staffing tips, you can successfully develop a devoted team of employees who value the workplace culture you’ve created – far above a simple wage. •

feature

The life of Pi A math-themed pizzeria differentiates itself from its competitors – and creates a formula for success. BY JANINE DRUERY

eghan O’Dea didn’t intend to create a pizzeria with a mathematical theme when she founded Pi Gourmet Eatery in 2008 in her hometown of St. John’s, N.L. She says she and (silent) partner Dave Hopley just drew up lists of names for the establishment and somehow it evolved into Pi. “After we chose a name, we then decided to have numbers running around the restaurant [to reflect Pi’s endless numerical sequence] and name most of our pizzas after mathematicians,” she recalls. With pizza names like Pythagoras, Fibonacci and Pascal, the theme caught on with local mathematicians, math groups and tourists, alike. “It works,” says O’Dea, 36, who admits she wasn’t much of a “mathlete” in school. “We are now known for our math-themed restaurant. I didn’t realize how popular math was until I opened.” But the clever marketing aside, Pi has also become a favourite among St. John’s locals for the niche it has carved out for itself: a gourmet pizzeria with authentic Neapolitan-style pizza that caters to a variety of palates. YEARS IN THE MAKING O’Dea dreamt for years about opening her own establishment, having been around foodies – and restaurants – her whole life. “All of my family is pretty much into food, but none are chefs per se,” says

26 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

O’Dea. “We all grow our own herbs, vegetables and fruits in our gardens, as we did growing up. And I’ve been cooking for years.” After cooking in a few eateries abroad and in some of the most popular restaurants in St. John’s, she decided to take a course in food and beverage management and open her own place. She had one other restaurant (part bakery/part pizzeria) before opening Pi with Hopley. They modelled the venue after Hopley’s funky living room, complete with lime green and cherry red hues, and eclectic prints and photos that range from Mickey Mouse to Hank Williams to Godzilla. After they gave their pizzas some pretty original names (care for an Archimedes, anyone?), they covered the room in numbers and Pi Gourmet Eatery was born. ENDLESS OPTIONS “We serve really unique pizzas,” notes O’Dea, and one look at their menu certainly backs that up. Take, for example, one of Pi’s most popular pizzas, the Fibonacci, which has a roasted garlic and olive oil base and is topped with a compote of caramelized pear and red onion braised in port, baby greens, toasted walnuts and Gouda cheese. Then there is the Sir Isaac Salmon, a pie with a sun-dried tomato and avocado cream cheese base and toppings of smoked salmon, sweet potatoes, red onion, fresh tomatoes and feta and Italian cheeses.

The restaurant boasts 21 different pizzas, nine different bases and about 45 toppings – everything from classic fare like pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers to gourmet goods such as artichoke hearts, avocado and grilled asparagus. And then there are the toppings that you rarely see elsewhere, such as toasted almonds, red grapes and sesame seeds. “I’m surprised, but they go over quite well,” notes O’Dea of the more atypical toppings. Unusual pizza combos like her Wok pizza (a sesame seed crust with a teriyaki base topped with shaved steak, green peppers, red onion, Portobello mushrooms and Italian blend and parmesan cheeses), have even become fan favourites. O’Dea believes creativity is important in a pizzeria. She competed at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas earlier this year and picked up the top prize in her division (non-traditional) for a mint, lemon balm and pesto pizza with fresh mozzarella. That pizza is now on her menu and is dubbed “The Vegas Special.” To foster creativity in her pizzeria, she

Main: The Wok pizza has a sesame seed crust with a teriyaki base. It is topped with shaved steak, green peppers, red onion, Portobello mushrooms and cheese. Above: Meghan O’Dea, co-owner and pizza chef at Pi Gourmet Eatery

holds a contest for her staff that takes place every summer. Each staff member (there are currently nine plus O’Dea) creates a pizza that customers enjoy during the warmer months. Whoever sells the most of their special pizza receives $500 and gets the honour of seeing it on the Pi menu. HEALTHY OPTIONS In addition to Pi’s unique and sometimes unorthodox flavour combinations, the restaurant really stands out for its food options for people with various allergies or health concerns. “We do gluten-free pizza, vegan pizza and accommodate people with all kinds of dietary restrictions, like lactose intolerance,” O’Dea notes. “Where we are located in Newfoundland, there isn’t a lot for people who have dietary restrictions. I have a lot of people who come in here and say they haven’t eaten pizza in 20 years and are really thankful. If someone wants something, I’ll pretty much just give it to them.” That flexibility has the funky digs hopping most of the time. Pi seats about 45

people at full capacity, and they do takeout (pizzas, crusts and dough) as well. “I love it,” says O’Dea, who says her staff is as close as family. “We have fun and we work hard.” O’Dea spends time on the floor, time in the kitchen – and even creates most of the restaurant’s desserts (everything from a warm gingerbread pudding cake with hot rum sauce to a dense cocoa cake with a chocolate-Kahlua ganache). Unfortunately, an allergy she acquired of late has her spending less time baking than she’d like. “I have developed an allergy in the last four or five years to flour – the bleaching agent in flour – so I’ve slowed down my desserts and I’ve bought some,” she notes. O’Dea tells a funny story about learning about her allergies. Her doctor told her to close down her restaurant or she’d always suffer from terrible allergic reactions. When O’Dea said she’d never shut down Pi, her doctor’s eyes widened. “The doctor said: ‘You own Pi? That’s my favourite restaurant. You can’t close it down,’” laughs O’Dea, who noted that the

doctor then set to work on helping her figure out how to deal with her situation. MOVING FORWARD Many people have suggested that O’Dea open a few more restaurants like Pi, but she isn’t entirely convinced. She worries about the workload – and the quality of the food – should that ever happen. “People have said: ‘Meg, you should really open one of these in Ottawa or Toronto or wherever.’ But I think that the reason Pi is so good is because I’m always there. I’m a workaholic and work seven days a week, roughly 12 hours a day. I live upstairs, so I pretty much do not leave the building unless it’s to take my dog for a walk.” Yet, she isn’t completely ruling out opening another restaurant some day, even if it means a lot more work for her. “It could be an option,” she notes. “But this is my little baby, and it’s really all I think about.” And with the crowds she sees day in and day out, O’Dea seems to have worked out the perfect algorithm for success with her beloved Pi. •

NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 27

guest column

How to get more done in less time Marc Gordon

f you’re like most business owners, you’re probably wearing far too many “hats,” and taking on a variety of responsibilities like sales, marketing and purchasing. You know you need to delegate more, but let’s face it, it likely won’t happen any time soon. Let me share five tips with you that will save you time in your workday and still allow you to manage every detail, no matter how small:

1. ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE Today’s accounting packages let you keep track of expenses, receivables, payables and contacts. And you don’t even need to know accounting. Online software allows you to check your books, pay bills and send invoices from anywhere, even from your smartphone. While these won’t replace an accountant, they can make you more efficient. 2. A VOIP PHONE LINE A voice over internet line (VOIP) usually costs less than a conventional phone line. In addition, it provides you with abundance of useful features such as line roaming, multiple voicemail boxes, call transferring, conversation recording, unlimited long distance and the ability to provide you with an area code of your choice. 3. A CRM TOOL A customer relationship management (CRM) tool lets you manage and document all of your interactions with customers, suppliers and others. You can set reminders on when to follow up with associates, create tasks, generate reports and sync emails, all from a single tool. Many CRM programs such as Insightly and Bitrix24 are available free to single users.

28 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

Personal meetings are great, but web-based tools like Skype can be just as effective.

4. AN EMAIL MARKETING SERVICE Using programs such as Gmail or Outlook are great for sending and receiving individual emails. However, using them for mass emails could potentially get you flagged as a spammer. You also have no way of knowing who opened your emails and there’s no way for people to opt out, which is required by law under CANSPEP and CASL. Email marketing services such as Constant Contact and Mail Chimp allow you to safely and efficiently manage and create email campaigns. In addition, you can customize your emails with your logo, images and different layouts for a branded look.

5. ALTERNATE WAYS OF TALKING FACE TO FACE While personal meetings are great, webbased tools can be just as effective and efficient for everyone involved. Skype, Google Hangouts, and TeamViewer are all free services that allow for video conferencing and sharing files through your PC or mobile device. Meetings can be one-on-one or with groups of people anywhere in the world. • Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing expert. His articles appear in dozens of publications, journals, and blogs throughout North America. His online show, marctv, has been rated one of the top 25 marketing video blogs on the web. Get more marketing tips at www.marcgordon.ca or www.marctv.net.

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Annex Bookstore ...................................................19 Ardent Mills ............................................................7 Burke ...................................................................11 Canada Post ...........................................................9 Canadian Pizza Show ...........................................22 Heinz Canada .......................................................15 Middleby Marshall ................................................17 Moretti Forni/Faema .............................................25 Pizza Expo 2015 ..................................................21 Ricco Food Distributor .........................................19 Salerno ................................................................24 Saputo .................................................................32 Springer’s Meats ..................................................19 Stanislaus ........................................................4 & 5 Viau Food ................................................................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.

NOVEMBER 2014 pizza 29

pizza on fire

Tom Stankiewicz

all is always an exciting time. The kids head back to school, after-school activities resume, and parents get back into their regular routines. This is also the time when most pizzerias start getting busier, particularly with kids looking for quick lunches and parents seeking easy solutions for dinners. It’s the perfect time to look for ways to get your pizzeria involved in your community – and make it more visible. One of the classic ways is to put more emphasis on school lunch promotions. This could involve school kids, in addition to businesses, that are near your pizzeria. With the recent emphasis on healthy eating habits, many pizza stores promote lunch choices where pizza comes with a better-for-you side dish. If you are located near schools, it would be worthwhile to introduce student discount cards. The most popular discount cards are the ones that allow them to get a free pizza after a certain number of regular purchases. Another idea is to advertise a student discount (say, 10 per cent) on any purchase during lunch hour. The discount, offered during one hour per day, will give you additional exposure. You might choose to offer lunch specials only one day a week. It’s best to pick a day that is not busy and use the lunch special to invite more people into your store. The fastest and easiest way to advertise your lunch specials is to use social media like Twitter and Facebook. This is especially true if you’re trying to reach the younger generation. Although it’s your choice how often you provide updates for your specials, keep in mind that you don’t want to overwhelm your account with the same information. If the special changes

Community involvement: A recipe for success

30 pizza NOVEMBER 2014

It makes good business sense to put more emphasis on school lunch promotions.

every day, it makes sense to send out daily updates. If the lunch special is the same throughout the week, two updates per week should be enough. Some businesses choose to reach out to schools and sport clubs in their communities. This gives you a different avenue to promote your business among groups that might not have otherwise heard of your pizzeria. At those sport events you could distribute coupons containing your pizzeria’s website. Some business owners who use these events to promote their various pizza contests. For instance, customers are asked to sign up by providing their email accounts to become eligible to win a pizza dinner for their whole family. Another way to support your community support is to participate in a school’s fundraising program. Many schools have established annual fundraising events where they collect money for their various needs. You can offer support by doing things like providing pizza coupons that will see half of the proceeds donated

to the school. This shows that you care about your community and allows you to use those opportunities as valuable advertising tools. Being involved in the community offers many rewards. You might not see them right away, but over time your business will benefit. People will not only recognize your business name, but will also associate it with the many good things that are provided to the community. If you’re a beginner, there is no better time to start getting involved than during the back-to-school season. Naturally, this will give your business valuable advertising through word of mouth. New customers are more likely to try your pizza if it was recommended by someone they know. The more you remind people that your business is an important part of their community, the more ways they will find to support you in return. • Tom Stankiewicz has been in the pizza business for more than 15 years. He has been the proprietor of Bondi’s Pizza in London, Ont., since 2000 and is president of the Canadian Pizza Team.

LOCAL LEGEND? Tell us your story! We’re looking for interesting stories from our pizzeria customers. Simply share your unique story with your Saputo Sales Representative and you could be featured on our Facebook page!

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WIN $10,000 worth of Free Saputo Pizza Mozzarella! Want to participate in the 2014 Pizza Hall of Fame Contest? It’s easy! Simply let your Saputo Sales Representative know that you would like to participate and they’ll register you for a chance to win!

Registration starts on September 22, 2014 and ends on October 17, 2014 Customer voting begins on October 27, 2014 and closes on December 5, 2014

Winners will be announced January 22, 2015 and IT COULD BE YOU! Join the conversation and spread the word!

saputopizzahalloffame

Contact your Saputo representative or call your local Saputo branch office for more contest details. VANCOUVER

(604) 946-5611

TORONTO

(905) 264-7600

DARTMOUTH

(902) 468-5700

EDMONTON

(780) 468-5811

OTTAWA

(613) 741-9718

MONCTON

(506) 859-8888

SASKATOON

(306) 931-0040

MONTRÉAL

(514) 328-3466

ST. JOHN’S

(709) 753-3943

WINNIPEG

(204) 987-6345

QUÉBEC

(418) 651-5220

No purchase necessary. Contest registration ends on October 17, 2014 at 11:59 pm (MDT) and voting ends on December 5, 2014 at 11:59 pm (MST). Visit www.pizzahalloffame.ca for complete rules. One (1) grand prize consisting of a one year supply of pizza mozzarella cheese (value of C$10,000), ten (10) secondary prizes* consisting of free pizza mozzarella cheese (value of C$1,000 each). The odds of winning depend on the number of participating pizzerias and the number of votes received by each of them from consumers. Correct answer to a mathematical skill-testing question required. Saputo is a registered trademark owned by Saputo Dairy Products Canada G.P. *There is one secondary prize remitted to one pizzeria per Canadian province, the Canadian territories being expressly excluded. to win a secondary prize.

pizzahalloffame.ca