Issuu

Volume 18 Issue 7 December 2012

12 AUTHENTIC EXPECTATIONS

Exploring one of today’s biggest trends.

16 PIZZA ON WHEELS

How Pizza del Fuego is making wood-fired money on wheels in New Brunswick.

22 TOPPING OFF PULLED PORK

Two recipes to complement November’s feature on making the perfect pulled pork.

26 THE INS AND OUTS OF 20

RENTING How to protect yourself when entering a lease agreement.

www.canadianpizzamag.com

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

pizza bites

canadian pizza online

the pizza chef

making dough

marketing insights

pizza on fire

DECEMBER 2012 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 December 2012, Vol. 18, No. 7

Defining authenticity t one time, one could argue Oprah held the record for overuse of the word “authentic.” Finding yourself and living your best life became inextricably tied to the idea of authenticity. The foodies are about to take the title. The concept of authenticity is everywhere in today’s food choices, which have become as closely tied to our identity as the clothes we wear. John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods, spoke about our evolving food consciousness at Taste Tomorrow, an event hosted by Puratos in Chicago. He said that “food is a type of self-expression” now, and his customers feel they are saying something about themselves by being Whole Foods shoppers. When you wrap the authenticity movement and self-expression up in food, what kind of pizza does that deliver? There are so many questions surrounding authenticity that it can be a complex question to answer. What does authenticity mean? It’s one of those words such as “natural” that have an instinctive resonance more than a dictionary meaning for people. How do consumers measure it? Sejal Sukhadwala asks in a blog for the Guardian titled “The bogus quest for ‘authentic’ food” if authenticity is perhaps tied up in the person making it being true to oneself. Boy, that really muddies the waters. Authenticity is a hit right now for many reasons, but the one that boils right down to the bottom line of your pizzeria is the fact that it can be a real point of differentiation that resonates with consumers today. At the Taste Tomorrow event, which released Puratos’ extensive global study on consumer preferences and brought together some highly influential minds

in the food industry, I heard the same theme pop up over and over again. People want natural food in a bed of authenticity wrapped up in heritage and sealed with a healthy kiss. Selling this platter to today’s consumer depends largely on how well you can sell the story because perception of these characteristics is subjective. The quest for authentic food is not bogus, but it is in the eye of the beholder. Authenticity in cooking requires knowing the history of ingredients and the traditional way a dish is made in its indigenous culture. Selling authenticity requires knowing this plus what people think is the “real deal.” As Sukhadwala notes in her blog: “In many places dishes considered to be classics of the local cuisine don’t taste as they used to even five or 10 years ago, let alone back in the mists of time. The influences of travel, trade and other cultures, the availability of ingredients and changes in technology are all factors in their evolution.” If this is true, then authenticity as exact replication is impossible. But selling the story is not. I think you can make a pizza that is your version of authentic and still sell it successfully to your customers by making sure they know the traditional aspect and the twist. In this way, it becomes authentically yours, which is more powerful than an exact replica of anything because it cannot be repeated anywhere else. The combination of authentic and yours is a powerful one. In this edition’s cover story, we explore what people’s expectations are when it comes to authentic pizza. Canadian Pizza wishes all our readers and supporters a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous close to the year. We will see you in 2013! •

@CdnPizzaMag

6 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Assistant Editor Stefanie Wallace swallace@annexweb.com 888-599-2228 ext. 277 Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Sales Assistant Sandy Mels smels@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 e-mail: subscribe@canadianpizzamag.com Published seven times in 2012 (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 $ 24.00 (+ 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. ©2012 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 Preparations underway for Bakery Congress 2013 T

Do you have an idea for Canadian Pizza? We’re looking to fill our pages with stuff we know you’ll want to read and with ideas that need to be shared. If there’s something you’d like to know, let us know and we’ll work on finding answers for you. This is the place where Canada’s pizza industry can come together. Also, let us know what you’d like see or hear about at our 2013 Canadian Pizza Show. Contact us laiken@annexweb.com or 416-522-1595 and tell us about it.

8 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Photo credit: Gabriel’s Pizza

he Baking Association of Canada (BAC) will be hosting the 2013 Bakery Congress trade show and conference in Vancouver from May 5-6, 2013. Bakery Congress 2013 will unite attendees and exhibitors, acting as a platform for the baking industry in Western Canada. Opportunities at the Bakery Congress 2013 include almost 45,000-square-feet of trade show floor, educational sessions, networking, social activities, the introduction of new and upcoming products services,and cultivating new business relationships. The BAC hosts its annual tradeshow on a rotation that sees it move from Vancouver to Montreal and then Toronto, where it is known as Bakery Showcase. The show will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the PNE - Forum Building in Vancouver. For more information on exhibiting and/or attending the event, visit www.baking.ca or call 1-888-674-2253.

Michael Hanna, on right, with his plaque from Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

Gabriel’s Pizza founder receives award from Ottawa mayor ttawa Mayor Jim Watson presented the Mayor’s City Builder Award to Michael Hanna, founder of Gabriel’s Pizza, on Oct. 10, in recognition of his outstanding generosity and community service. Hanna is a successful entrepreneur who immigrated to Ottawa from Lebanon in 1968 with little money and no English. He started work as a busboy and then waiter at the Skyline Hotel, learned English and set aside enough money to bring his family to Canada. In 1977, the Hanna family founded Gabriel’s Pizza on St. Joseph Boulevard in Orleans, Ont. They remain a proud, locally owned and familyoperated business and show their thanks by giving back to the community. Gabriel

Pizza now operates 30 locations in the National Capital Region. Through Hanna’s direction, Gabriel’s Pizza has provided valuable support to many local sports and charities, fundraising events and education programs either by donating pizza or by donating to fundraising campaigns. This amounts to more than $40,000 per year for each of the past five years alone. Teaming up with CHEZ 106 morning show for the Doc & Woody CHEO Pizza, Gabriel’s Pizza raised more than $36,000 over the first four years of the campaign. Similarly, Gabriel’s has helped with fundraising for organizations including the Ottawa Food Bank, the Canadian Cancer Society and the United Way.

pizzabites

Research reveals how businesses fare with daily deals aily deals have grown in popularity among customers in the last few years, but what do restaurants really gain from them? A report conducted by Utpal M. Dholakia, an associate professor of management at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University, has revealed interesting statistics about the success of online daily deals from the perspective of participating businesses. The study examined performance of daily deals from five major websites in 23 different American markets. A survey revealed that of the 324 businesses surveyed that had conducted a daily deal promotion between August 2009 and March 2011, just more than half (55.5 per cent) reported making money. More than a quarter (26.6 per cent) lost money on their promotions, and 17.9 per cent broke even. Nearly 80 per cent of deal users were new customers, but significantly fewer users spent beyond the deal’s value or returned to purchase at full price. Findings lead the researchers to conclude that it is hard for one site to stand out from the rest, and pointed out red flags regarding daily deal promotions as a whole, with two notable ones for the restaurant industry: • A fairly low percentage (35.9 per cent) of deal users spend beyond the deal value. An even lower percentage, only 19.9 per cent of users, are returning for a full-price purchase. “Guests take advantage of the deal by buying low cost ticket items and stop buying once they meet the dollar value,” one respondent commented. • Only 35.9 per cent of restaurants and bars that had run a daily deal asserted they would run another such promotion in the future. “Since restaurants/bars . . . represent the bread-and-butter for many daily deal sites, these findings raise questions regarding the continued availability of a sufficient pool of viable revenue-generating merchants,” the paper states. The study also found that 47 per cent of “dollar promotions” (where customers get a certain amount of money to spend on anything they wish, for example, $20 worth of food for $10) were profitable, but not as profitable as item promotions (those that promote a particular product or service) at 59 per cent. Overall, only 35.9 per cent of restaurants/bars that had run a daily deal indicated they would run another such promotion in the future. These numbers could certainly have a big effect on the daily deal industry. “Over the next few years, it is likely that daily deal sites will have to settle for lower shares of revenues from businesses compared to their current levels, and it will be harder and more expensive for them to keep finding viable candidates to fill their pipelines of daily deals,” the report concluded.

Papa Murphy’s looking for bigger slice of the pie apa Murphy’s has its eyes on expansion throughout Western Canada. The take ‘’ n’ bake pizza chain recently opened its 18th store in Canada in Surrey, B.C. Other recent openings include a location in Sherwood Park, Alta., and in Winnipeg with the restaurant’s first location in Manitoba. “We have 18 stores, and our business plan is based on growing to about 80 locations in the next five years,” says Chuck van der Lee, owner and president of Papa M Pizza Canada. “But we’ve done the network plan, and we will be able to do more than 80 just in Western Canada. As we expand into Ontario and Atlantic Canada there’s room for more.” The company is focusing on Western Canada for now. “We’re located out here,” van der Lee says. “In the United States, the concept has grown extremely successfully from west to east. It works best where you have critical mass and awareness in each market. For the next 18 months we’re going to focus on Western Canada.” The take ’n’ bake concept has been around since 1981 when two chains merged, forming Papa Murphy’s, according to van der Lee. The goal was to provide fresh pizza that customers can bake in their own oven, at their convenience.

DECEMBER 2012 pizza 9

pizzabites

Boston Pizza reveals new restaurant design oston Pizza International unveiled its new restaurant design at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Canadian Convention in October. The design, created by Ædifica, features a state-of-the-art sports bar, a family-friendly, a modern dining room experience and a sports-inspired outdoor patio. “We spent more than a year working on the new design for Boston Pizza restaurants and landed on this one because it is scalable and allows us to carry the same look through all of our current and future stores, no matter the size or location,” said Ken Otto, chief operating officer. “From downtown to small town, urban to suburban, the new design fits.” Boston Pizza’s new look will begin to roll-out across the country through store renovations in 2013. The new interior layout maintains Boston Pizza’s current dualformat model with a sports bar on one side and family-casual dining on the other, but otherwise, the space is completely reset. A long hallway flanked by smoky glass walls

leads to the host station, while the sports bar has been re-imagined to accommodate better sightlines to the patio as well as provide optimal views of the large-screen televisions behind the bar. In the dining room, ceilings have been lowered to create a more intimate dining experience and the overall

approach to lighting has been enhanced to create a better dining experience. The restaurant’s exterior will also undergo a complete makeover with a full stone facade, larger windows and an angled overhang over the front door that welcomes guests to the restaurant. The patio has also been completely redesigned to become an oasis for sports enthusiasts. “The new concept revisits design elements and materials intrinsic to Boston Pizza’s brand DNA. Opening up the exterior facade with a monumental vestibule, the entrance is more inviting and the angled canopy serves as a beacon for the store,” underlined Stéphane Bernier, director of design for Ædifica. “Inside, a new lobby area common to both the restaurant and dining room enhances the user experience and provides a visual connection throughout the space. The materiality and character of the dining room encourages a warm, friendly family atmosphere, while the bar and newly designed terrace draws upon sports-stadium design language to create an open and contemporary environment.”

READ THESE STORIES AND MORE AT WWW.CANADIANPIZZAMAG.COM

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS •

PIZZA FUNDRAISING LUNCHES AT RISK

•

NIAGARA POLICE OFFICER CHARGED IN CHEESE SMUGGLING CASE

•

CANADIANS PREFER PIZZA OVER OTHER QUICK-SERVE ITEMS

•

STUDY FINDS CICI’S PIZZA IS AMERICA’S FAVOURITE PIZZA CHAIN

READ THESE STORIES AND MORE AT WWW.CANADIANPIZZAMAG.COM

10 pizza DECEMBER 2012

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Or your soup. Or salad. Burke’s line of fully cooked meat toppings works everywhere. And we’ll help you find the perfect fit. Smart for you. Personal to us. Request a sample. For Canada, Chase Global Foods www.BurkeCorp.com/CP or 800.263.1964 ©2011 Burke Corporation. All rights reserved.

feature

Authentic expectations Consumer demand for genuine, unique recipes is growing every day BY JULIE FITZ-GERALD

here is a change happening in the pizza industry, a culinary evolution that is seeing an increased demand for authentic and regional-style pizzas. Grabbing a quick slice to satisfy a craving has morphed into friends lining up on a Saturday night to indulge in century-old dough recipes and gourmet toppings that are baked to perfection in a wood-fired oven. It doesn’t get much more authentic than this. A report issued by Technomic in April found that pizza consumption in the United States has risen by more than 50 per cent in the last two years, with demand for authenticity and regional specialties emerging as growing trends. The report also found that 34 per cent of consumers are willing to pay more for gourmet pizza ingredients, up from 22 per cent in 2010, while 57 per cent of those surveyed want restaurants and pizzerias to offer premium pizzas on their menus. Sara Monette, director of consumer research at Technomic, says that consumers are being driven by an appreciation for unique products. “Looking more broadly at the trend of what’s making people want more authentic pizza, it’s more about a call for the uniqueness in the things that they spend their money on and the food that they are willing to purchase.”

12 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Perhaps one of the most sought-after regional pizzas is the Neapolitan. Cooked in a wood-fired dome oven at approximately 900 F, the crust has a charred, blistered effect while still being soft and chewy. The all-natural, fresh and nonprocessed ingredients that make up an authentic Neapolitan pizza include type 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh Fiore di Latte or buffalo mozzarella, basil, extravirgin olive oil, sea salt and yeast. The Neapolitan-style pizza is so coveted that an international non-profit organization known as Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) was formed in 1984 to cultivate the culinary art of Neapolitan pizza making. VPN Americas is responsible for certifying Neapolitan-style pizzerias across Canada and the United States, with 10 pizzerias in Canada having already received this designation for meeting the strict guidelines. While Neapolitan pizza is the only style to have its own regulating body, other regional pies are just as distinct in their characteristics. Consumers are extremely savvy when it comes to the claims of specific regional pizzas, such as New Yorkstyle, Chicago deep-dish and Detroit-style pies, to name just a few. If a pizzeria touts New York-style pizza as its specialty, customers are going to expect hand-tossed,

One of the biggest factors for consumers in determining authenticity is simply whether or not they buy your story.

oversized, foldable slices with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. If an establishment advertises Detroit-style pizza, the offerings had better be a square, deep-dish crust with a fried crispy texture on the outside and a chewy inner crust, topped with marinara sauce. Anything less will not be tolerated. Similarly, if a restaurant has carved out a niche for Chicago-style pizza, customers will expect a round, deep-dish, pan-baked pie loaded with toppings and chunky tomato sauce, more suitable for eating with a knife and fork than your hands. There is no margin for error when it comes to authentic regional offerings. Consumers are knowledgeable and, if their expectations are not met, they will take to their mobile phones and computers, letting everyone know of their disappointment. The Internet is rife with blogs and social media updates from pizza-lovers who revel in spreading the word about which pizzerias get it right and which ones earn a failing grade. Monette refers to this information-sharing generation of foodies as the “millennial generation.” They range in age from 20 to 35 years and are characterized by their constant quest for unique foods and new flavours, and their love of social networking. “Talking about your latest trip to a new restaurant or a new menu item that you tried is very common and people want to be part of that conversation, so I think a lot of that leads to consumers looking for more unique options as well,” she explains.

Enter the montanara: the American incarnation of an ancient Naples recipe where dough is flash-fried, then topped with ragù and cheese. In the United States, the dough is finished in the oven, giving it an airier crust and turning it into a modern-day bestseller. Pizzerias around the United States. are carving out their niche market by putting the wildly popular montanara on their menus and consumers just can’t seem to get enough. While Canadian preferences for pizza seem to run the gamut as far as regional styles are concerned, there is a common thread that links them all together: If pizzerias are promoting unique and regional styles, they must deliver on these promises. As Monette explains, authenticity in the pizza market is a trend that is here to stay. “Consumers are not only interested in food, but they are more ethnically diverse and populations are too, so they’re looking for that authentic experience. As they look for greater value, they look at what a restaurant does to differentiate itself from another. I see that as something that restaurants are going to have to continue to do. You can’t offer the same old pizza and stay competitive in this market.” With the bombardment of sensational advertising and stretched truths that consumers face every day, it’s no wonder that the demand for genuine, authentic products is on the rise, and those products include pizza. If pizzeria-owners can meet their clients’ expectations, they are sure to capitalize on the growing trend of authenticity. •

Julie Fitz-Gerald is a freelance writer based in Uxbridge, Ont., and a regular contributor to Canadian Pizza.

FOOD AND IDENTITY The Institute of European Studies at Berkeley University of California hosted two events in 2010 that explored food cultures and history and resulted in the report, Food: History and Culture in the West. The paper raises an interesting point in its overview in that “it has become more difficult to know where our food comes from, and consequently, harder to feel connected to it.” Perhaps this is part of the reason people gravitate towards a tangible food source they can bring to life through story or even through the reality of its existence in their own backyard. It’s understandable that people would feel so lost when you consider the meaning of food in a social context. Darra Goldstein, founding editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, noted that one of the important ideas to come from a working group with the Council of Europe was that food is a “social process rather than a commodity and thus central to multicultural understanding.”

DECEMBER 2012 pizza 13

the pizza chef

The power of forecasting Why all months are not created equal Diana Coutu

his is the perfect time of year to make a business plan for next year. Unless you opened your doors recently, you should have at least one full year’s worth of data to review. Ideally, you should be able to see an overview of your sales grouped by week and by month. If you’re really on top of things, you should also see your food and wages costs grouped together in the same format. While weekly and monthly numbers are important for determining what this next year will look like, it is only data. Be aware of some potential errors: for example, not all months are created equal. One month could have four Fridays and four Saturdays, while another could have three of each. If you were to compare October 2011 monthly sales with October 2012, you may find that your sales this year were lower, which may lead you to think that you’re not doing very well. But if you check the calendar, you’ll see that there were four Fridays and five Saturdays in October 2011, and only four of each in October 2012. Since most pizzerias bring in the largest portion of their weekly sales on the weekend, the loss of Saturday sales could account for lower monthly sales from one year to the next. For this reason, we use 13 four-week periods. This makes it much easier to compare sales from one year to the next, as each period will have the equal number of days. The next part of planning ahead is looking at your costs. You can expect that your variable costs (including food and labour) are going to increase this year; typically everything does by three to five per cent. Fixed costs, like your rent, hydro, gas and business taxes, tend to stay the same from year to year, but your variable costs will increase. You need to determine

14 pizza DECEMBER 2012

if you will need to raise your prices too, should be able to accurately project your in order to maintain your margins and to sales for a given period. make the same amount of money as you Lastly, look at whether you have did this year. Many independents worry enough staff on your schedule to handle that they will lose customers if they raise the sales you are projecting, keeping in their prices. However, not raising prices mind that there will be some turnover, can often lead to sourcing lesser quality and times when key staff will want time ingredients to make the math work. This off. We use a specialized calculation to always results in lost customers because determine the appropriate number of staff your regulars will notice needed for our operation the difference in and stop and our projected sales (I Before you rule will be discussing this in coming back. Before you rule out raising prices, ask detail in the January/Febout raising yourself what your sales ruary edition of Canadian prices, ask would look like if you lost Pizza). This is a key tool we your core customers. Studuse to make sure we don’t yourself what ies show that customers overschedule, or converseyour sales would rather pay a little ly, understaff. It’s a delicate more for the same or betwould look like balance that must be mainter quality than save a few tained. It’s important to if you lost your dollars. hire ahead of a busy period The next part is projectcore customers. in order to give your new ing your sales. Many indestaff time to acquire the pendents say that they want skills they need. This is also to increase sales by 25 per an area where independent cent over last year, but the operators falter, because real question is how? Look at your mar- training is seen as an expense. But imagketing calendar and see which promotions ine that crazy Friday supper shift and debrought in the biggest return on invest- cide if you’d rather have staff who have a ment last year. Then, look at whether you few shifts under their aprons, or staff who can pump up the promotion. For example, have no idea what to expect. One shift will if you sent out 3,000 pieces and the cam- be much more enjoyable than the other. paign brought in X dollars, is there a way The choice is yours. • double the number of pieces and therefore also double the return? Look at other Diana Coutu is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine chef of the year champion, internationally recognized promotions that you haven’t implemented gourmet pizzaiolo, co-owner of Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria that may increase sales and profits, and see in Winnipeg, and a member of the board of directors for if you can incorporate them into the plan- the CRFA. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is also a consultant to other pizzeria owner/opning. When it comes to marketing, small erators in menu development, creating systems to run a hinges swing big doors, and even smaller pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and positionpromotions that net a positive ROI should ing to help operators grow their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited be implemented. With your marketing basis, for more information contact her at Diana@dianasplan and the corresponding analysis, you gourmetpizzeria.ca.

the 2013 Canadian Pizza show oCtober 29, 2013 international Centre toronto

Platinum sPonsor

SHO

Gold sPonsor

distributed by

visit www.canadianpizzamag.com to Watch video tips from this year’s speakers. • SpeakerS

• exhibitorS • DemonStrationS

• FooD

here’s What some of our attendees had to say about our 1st ever pizza shoW in 2012: “Great event very informative, awesome speakers, lots of great food, I met some very nice people and can’t wait to attend next year!” Sukh – Pizza Depot, Guelph

“It was very informative, inspiring and confirmed other pizzeria owners have the same ideas as us. Lots of what we learned we have thought of, just now we know we need to ACT. The experience was just overall great!” Josh & Rhonda Schlueter – Lotamecheese Pizzeria, Cambridge

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“Thank you for all your hard work and we will most definitely attend another ‘Canadian Pizza show’ again.” Sue and Dave Lanktree – Pizza Junction, Kitchener

Watch canadian pizza magazine and WWW.canadianpizzamag.com for details on the 2013 shoW!

feature

New Brunswick’s mobile wood-fired pizza oven is making a statement across the province BY STEFANIE WALLACE

he food truck phenomenon that travelled through the United States has made its mark on Canada. Larger cities like Vancouver, Hamilton, Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto are filled with gourmet food trucks and mobile eateries, and the trend is still making its way across the country. Over the last year, New Brunswickers have had the chance to see what the hype is about thanks to Pizza del Fuego, a travelling wood-fired pizzeria owned and operated by Natasha Miller and Cody Pendleton. Pizza del Fuego is a popular staple in farmers markets across the province. Canadian Pizza spoke to Miller about the inspiration

behind the business, and some of the trials and tribulations of owning a mobile eatery. Why did you decide to open a mobile business over a restaurant? I’m from Vancouver Island and Cody is from Prince Edward Island and we were going to start a restaurant out east somewhere, but we couldn’t decide where to live or what to do. Cody is a trained chef, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of Canada, and he knew he wanted to have a restaurant. We were looking at doing something with a wood-fired oven. We’ve travelled extensively over the last six years, and spent time in South and Central America, specifically in the Tierra

del Fuego region of Chile, where they do a lot of wood-fired cooking. That’s where we got the idea that we really wanted a wood-fired oven, but we couldn’t commit to a location, so we thought about doing something that’s mobile or on wheels. We started looking at building a clay oven on a trailer. We found a company in Colorado that imports Italian ovens and they have a heavy-duty trailer company that mounts them on a trailer. We worked with them to customize our oven; it weighs 3,000 pounds and can cook a pizza in less than a minute. When we were deciding on a name we felt that we needed a Spanish accent to it. We have the Italian side with the

Above: Pizza del Fuego’s menu changes daily, depending on what fresh ingredients and toppings owners Natasha Miller and Cody Pendleton can get their hands on.

16 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Photos credit: Pizza del Fuego

Pizza on wheels

oven, and the name is a nod to our travelling experience. Are mobile eateries becoming more popular in New Brunswick? They’re starting to be. I’m not 100 per cent certain, but other than a few hotdog carts, I’m pretty sure we’re one of the first mobile food carts [in New Brunswick]. It’s been a struggle that way, I know the government is becoming more aware in giving permits and finding spots for us on the street corners, but right now I think there are only two available permits that you can get to do that. It’s really expensive and really time consuming. That was the route that we wanted to go, but we thought we would give it a few years, until the government decided that they want more mobile food carts. It would be ideal to be downtown Saint John and Tweet our location so people could come to us for lunch: that’s what we would love. In the meantime, we started doing the farmers markets to see what would happen and now we have about 200 regular customers at every market. Other than getting another oven, I don’t know how we could do both! We’ve done a few concerts and private events and events in town when there are special functions happening, but it goes back to having the permit, of course. And, of course, our schedule: we’ve had to turn away a lot of weddings or private events because of our schedule. We make everything from scratch, so when we’re at five markets a week, the other days are spent making our dough and doing other prep work. A farmers market sounds like a great place for ingredients. What’s on your menu? We focus on using local ingredients and we grow a lot of our own stuff. We partner with a lot of farmers; we’ll buy our veggies at the market and put the farmer’s name on our menu, which changes daily. Whatever we can get our hands on that day is what we’ll offer. Typically it’s whatever is coming to season. That’s the great thing about the farmers markets: you can really watch the food come into season and see how our menu changes, basically every week. We always have four pizzas: a cheese and a pepperoni are always there. Our veggie pizza and our “works” are the ones that really change. Our bestseller is always the

Pizza del Fuego’s wood-fired clay oven weighs 3,000 pounds.

pepperoni. Everyone likes it. Sometimes we get into crazier pizzas, which turn out to be the ones people request a lot. This summer we did a pear and pesto pizza with blue cheese, lime and cilantro. Our customers can be stuck in their ways, but they’ve been really branching out. Getting people to try goat cheese for the first time is really rewarding. Next year we’ll be doing a lobster pizza because we’ll be lobster fishing all winter. But our menu is seasonal and depends on what we have. What happens when the markets close for the season? Even when the weather starts to get bad, people still come out to support us and the markets. Our main markets close for the winter, and we’ll be lobster fishing this winter, but we’re thinking about doing flea markets next year. The oven is 1000 degrees but it’s well insulated, so we’re looking into building a shelter [to operate outside]. This will help for private events too; we have to say no all the time in the summer, and during the winter we’re not so busy. What are some of the challenges of operating a mobile eatery? Besides permits and climate, the price

of gas is our number 1 challenge. Having to draw the line and not go to a market because it’s too far is hard. You can imagine the wear and tear on our vehicles! Wood hasn’t been a problem yet – we’ve been pretty fortunate with that but we do go through a lot of it. Between operating at your different market locations, serving a wide variety of customers and coming up with new combinations, you have lots on the go. What’s your favourite part of it all? We’ve talked about it, and if we had a restaurant we’d be limited to the same client base or same topographical spot, which you are in some way. Not that that’s bad, because it’s reliable, but the really exciting thing is we travel as far as four hours away to get to an event. That’s kind of fun, seeing different stuff, it’s exciting. Some of our towns and markets are touristy so there are lots of people, but there are some markets where you’ll never get a tourist: it’s just locals. There’s such a broad spectrum of customers, from age three to 95. It’s neat to see that variety. • Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed.

DECEMBER 2012 pizza 17

guest column

Making attitude adjustments Improving customer service behaviors in your frontline staff Jeff Mowatt

ot long ago, if a customer service employee fouled up, he or she was warned, then if improvements didn’t happen, shown the door. However, today it’s so difficult just maintaining staffing levels that dismissal doesn’t really fix the problem – it just changes the problem. It’s more important than ever for managers to be able to confront unacceptable employee behaviours without causing the person to simply quit. Next time one of your frontline employees needs an attitude adjustment, consider how this teacher handles a surly student. Imagine you are a 12-year-old who hates school. It’s late one Friday afternoon and you’re stuck in math class gazing out the window at the beautiful day, counting the minutes until the bell rings and the weekend starts. Your reverie is suddenly interrupted by the sound of your teacher’s voice. He’s in the middle of issuing a three-page homework assignment due on Monday. You and several other students start groaning. He looks directly at you and says in a low, serious voice, “I’d like to speak to you in the hallway – right now.” Now, you’re embarrassed and you’re probably angry. Mostly you’re scared about what’s next. Then it happens. Looking you square in the eye in the deserted hallway, the teacher says, “I’ve been watching you lately and I’ve noticed that you have real leadership potential. When you act a certain way, other students watch you and start doing the same thing. The problem is that when I give a homework assignment, you start rolling your eyes and saying, ‘Oh, no! Do we have to do this?’ Other students watch you and start doing the same thing. That makes my job harder. I wonder if you could do me a

18 pizza DECEMBER 2012

favour? Next time I give a homework as- TWO KEYS TO CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK signment, could you just do nothing? It First, he focused on behaviour, not attitude. will help me, and I also think it will help It doesn’t do much good for a manager to tell you because with your leadership abilities employees that they are not friendly enough you could go a long way in life. Thanks. with customers. Friendliness is an attitude. Let’s go back inside the class.” The employee thinks, “I am friendly! You’re Not a bad way of handling a problem being unfair.” Instead, a supervisor would student, in theory at least. But as Paul get better results by focusing on observable Harvey would say, “That’s not the rest of behaviour. The supervisor might say, “The the story.” The rest of the story is that the customer walked in. You avoided making 12-year-old was me. eye contact until she asked you a question. I hated school so much Then you frowned as you that I counted the days responded.” That’s observIn other words, until I was old enough to able behaviour. No one can rather than drop out. I remember the argue the facts. That leads us afternoon in Varsity Acres saying you need to a second reason Mr. McElementary math class Cullough’s approach worked. to be more when my teacher, Mr. McHe gave a positive direcCullough, gave us that tion. He told me exactly the friendly, explain homework assignment. I behaviour change that needed exactly what was trying to look cool as I to be made (“Next time I give was being marched into the a homework assignment, that looks like. hallway. But I was scared. could you just do nothing?”). When Mr. McCullough In the case of an unfriendly gave me that two-minute employee, we might say, “The talk, however, it changed my life. expectation here is that within ten seconds Here was a teacher telling me I could of a customer walking in the door you are be a leader and showing me a simple way I expected to smile enough to show teeth and could make it happen. My parents had al- greet them.” In other words, rather than sayways encouraged me and told me I had po- ing you need to be more friendly, explain extential – but they were only my parents. At actly what that looks like. Add to that your 12 years old, your attitude is “what do my underlying belief in the potential of the emparents know?” I took Mr. McCullough’s ployees and you could end up making a sigadvice, and it changed everything. From nificant impact not only on your company that day forward, I got along better with but also upon the lives of your employees. teachers and, not surprisingly, received Maybe, like me, they’ll not only improve better grades. I ended up staying in school their behaviour, they’ll also remember fondly because Mr. McCullough knew how to what you said decades later. • change a cynical kid’s attitude. I’ve thought article is based on the critically acclaimed book about that conversation many times since This Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month, by then and realized as I began studying front- customer service strategist and professional speaker Mowatt. To obtain your own copy of his book or to line employee motivation, that he did two Jeff inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.jefthings particularly well. fmowatt.com or call 1.800.JMowatt (566.9288).

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

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

Atlantic Provinces/Maritimes Vision Foodservice Systems Halifax, Nova Scotia Tel: (902) 461-4615 Contact Ted Mussett Email: ted@visionfoodsystems.com

making dough with Diane

SEO strategies How to push your page to the top Diane Chiasson

he pizza business is a very competitive one. Type “pizza” into your Google search bar and you will probably see hundreds of millions of results. So how can you get your pizza operation to appear on the first page of a search? To accomplish that feat, you need to create an online presence. Today, your website needs to offer much more than just an address, phone number and menu. It needs to engage your visitors, and get them to visit your website over and over again. Your website also needs to have proper search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve in search engine rankings. SEO is a must for all businesses today. Here are some tips to improve yours.

1. GOOD KEYWORDS Good SEO starts with your keywords. Research the most important keywords and phrases that relate to your pizza operation by asking your customer what keywords they would use to search, studying your competitors’ websites, or using a keyword research tool. Include these relevant keywords in your homepage, your title tag and the rest of your content. Make sure you mention your location (city, town, province) repeatedly. 2. UPDATE OFTEN One of the key things that search engines look for is whether or not a website is constantly changing. Make sure you update your website on a regular basis (once a week at a minimum). Update new photos of your pizza or other products, promote your specials, upload videos, or start a blog. All the movement on your website will help you move up in the search rankings.

20 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Search engine optimization is an ongoing journey, not a one-time thing.

3. BUILD RECIPROCAL LINKS Another way to increase your SEO is by building more reciprocal links to and from your website. Work with all the local noncompetitive businesses in your area to help increase the number of links leading to and from your website. You can also get your suppliers to do reciprocal links.

6. MAKE YOUR WEBSITE ATTRACTIVE Convey the personality of your pizza operation through your website via colour, text, graphics, videos, games, design and content. Your website should be like your storefront – it should draw potential customers inside to try your products.

4. PROVIDE VALUE-ADDED CONTENT Yes, your website should provide important information like location, operating hours, your menu and a map. But you should also provide value-added content like recipes or how-to videos. Offer recommendations for wines that pair well with your pizza. Develop a series to entice your customers to visit your website on a weekly basis.

7. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS Make your website a place where you can interact with your customers. Allow customers to order pizza or make reservations online, have them sign up for a newsletter, allow them to post their comments on a comment board – the possibilities are endless. Whatever you choose, make your website interactive. •

5. USE SOCIAL MEDIA Social media will help you increase your search rankings significantly, but make sure that you research which social media tools would work best for your pizza operation. Certain social networks may not be very effective, depending on the demographics of your operation’s customer base.

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 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 1-888-9266655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com.

March 19-21, 2013 Las Vegas Convention Center

It’s Coming! It’s All Pizza an d It’s All for You!

51⁄2 Football Fields Size Show Floor!

The best and the brightest in the field of pizza will convene on the Las Vegas Convention Center for International Pizza Expo® 2013, March 19-21, 2013. Be one of the 7,000 pizza professionals at the show that has everything for your business. With 1,000 booths and 80 seminars and demonstrations, Pizza Expo is a one-stop shop for all things pizza.

Keynote 1 - Robert Irvine

The celebrity chef and host of “Restaurant: Impossible” on the Food “Triathletes” Enter the World Pizza Network will kick off the first day of Games A new event is being added to the 2013 Pizza Expo with a rousing presenta- Games, and it will test the skills and versatility of pizza makers. Competitors in the Pizza Triathlon will be timed tion inspired by his prime-time TV show. for three separate skills—box folding, tossing out a 22-ounce dough ball to cover a 16-inch screen, and Keynote 2 - Bill Jacobs tossing out a 22-ounce dough ball to cover a 24-inch In a new format for Pizza Expo, the owner of the 2011 Independent Piz- screen. The best total time for all three tasks will win zeria of the Year will appear in a candid this fast-paced and entertaining competition. one-on-one session with Pizza Today editor Jeremy White.

Power Panel 1 — The Million-in-One Club It’s the dream of every independent operating a

single pizzeria: achieving $1 million-plus in annual sales from one store. We’ll be gathering together four such super-operators for a discussion on what it takes to get to the highest level. (Special pre-show Monday panel.)

2013’s Most-Sought-After Pizza Awards — Culminating In the Pizza Maker of the Year Bake-Off Plan to see—and taste—the

entries at the IPC Traditional (Tuesday) and Non-Traditional (Wednesday) preliminary rounds, which lead up to the Thursday finals. You’ll be able to watch 60 entrants in each division assemble their pies and compare your own notes to those of the judging panel. The winner in each division takes home $7,500 and has a shot at $5,000 more as a qualifier in the Pizza Maker of the Year mystery-ingredient bake-off at show’s end. Two other divisions will be held for specialty pies—the American-Pan (Tuesday) and the Italian-Style (Wednesday). Sixteen competitors in each of these divisions will vie for the two $4,000 winners’ checks and a shot at Pizza Maker of the Year. In addition, four past champions will take part in a special “Best of the Best” blind-box competition on Tuesday. Interest crescendos on Thursday with the finals in the competition area inside the Exhibit Hall. Division winners from the Traditional and Non-Traditional categories vie for those championships, followed by the always-engaging Pizza Maker of the Year bake-off. The show closes with the $20,000 MEGA BUCKS GIVEAWAY™ and one extremely lucky winner! To register or for more information, visit our Web site at: www.PizzaExpo.com.

World Pizza Games® Finals & Rockin’ Party Wednesday, March 20, 6:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

You won’t want to miss the Freestyle Acrobatic Dough Tossing finals, where the pizzaiolo-jugglers who have advanced from preliminary competitions put on a show for you and the judges. Routines from past winners have made network television, and you’ll see why as you sit back and Craft Beer Pavilion New to the show floor: a enjoy a cocktail or other cold beverage and munch on hors Craft Beer Pavilion featuring samples for attendees from top U.S. craft breweries. You’ll get to taste flavorful d’oeuvres. You’re invited, and it’s all FREE. It’s a once-a-year stage show designed exclusively for brews that match the artisan caliber of your pizzas. pizza operators—with music, awards and, in 2013, an In addition, craft beer will be a topic of panel discusexpected cameo appearance by the nation’s newest doughsions in the seminar hall on Wed., March 20. tossing prodigy. To learn more about the World Pizza Games and enter one of the events visit www.PizzaExpo. com or see the show brochure in next month’s Pizza Today.

Register TODAY! www.PizzaExpo.com • March 19-21, 2013 / Las Vegas Convention Center Follow us on Facebook and Twitter@PizzaExpo

feature

Topping off pulled pork I

n the November edition of Canadian Pizza, writer Tony Palermo interviewed retired butcher and caterer Gary Edwards for a feature on how to make the perfect pulled pork. Here are two recipes courtesy of Palermo to showcase your housemade meat. Keep in mind, pulled pork isn’t just for pizza. It’s an economical cut of meat that seems to be popping up everywhere these days. Menus featuring pulled pork sliders, pulled pork on a steamed bun, pulled pork tacos and of course pulled pork pizza are commonplace. November’s article examined smoking pork but there are also many variations in preparation ranging from slow-cookers to braised and straight to the dutch oven. What they all have in common is ‘low and slow’. You’ll find southern style recipes of course, but can also ferret out Mexican and Cuban variations. The pork shoulder’s cow cousin seems to be beef brisket, which will also shred up juicy and tender with two forks after a slow cook. A well seasoned beef brisket would also make a great companion to pizza and is also generally an inexpensive cut of meat. •

UNCLE GARY’S PULLED PORK PIZZA Toppings: • Portabello mushrooms • Caramelized onions • Red and yellow peppers • Black and green olives • Plenty of pulled pork • Mozzarella and cheddar cheese, with a sprinkle of Parmesan When the pizza is done, finish it off with a light sprinkle of thyme, oregano and marjoram.

UNCLE GARY’S PULLED PORK DRY RUB Ingredients: • ¾ cup paprika • ¼ cup pepper • ¼ cup of coarse salt, such as kosher or sea • ¼ cup of brown sugar • 3 tbsp garlic powder • 3 tbsp onion powder • 2 tbsp chili powder • 2 tsp cayenne pepper Mix and blend all of the ingredients together so everything is evenly distributed. If you don’t like the heat and want a milder version, omit the cayenne pepper. “Your choice of ingredients is really unlimited and the sky is the limit,” says Gary Edwards. “So feel free to experiment and make it your own.”

WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT HOT PIZZA TOPPING? Today’s customers love the gamut of toppings. Chicken wasn’t always the mainstay it is today, nor were plenty of ingredients. What do you think will be the next hot seller? Tell us on Twitter @CdnPIzzaMag.

22 pizza DECEMBER 2012

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marketing insights

Menus that make money How to engineer your offerings for maximum profit Michelle Brisebois

aving money is a noble goal, but it also implies that you’re actually making money in the first place. Restaurants typically run on thin margins as it is. Looking for ways to increase profitability can be a challenge. Your greatest weapon in the war for profitability lies within the corners of your menu. Part seductress, part educational tool, your menu – and its design, engineering and promotion – can make all the difference. Your menu’s first job is to entice and intercept customers. It should be posted on your website and, ideally, displayed near the entrance to your restaurant. If you offer dietary accommodations and vegetarian dishes, don’t keep them a secret. Approximately two to five per cent of Canadians actually have a food allergy or intolerance, but anywhere between seven and 20 per cent believe they do (according to Health Canada and Portsmouth University). If just one person in a group of four diners vetoes your menu because they think you won’t accommodate their restrictions, you’ll likely lose the reservation for the whole group. Mention accommodations and vegetarian options on your online menu, because as people are planning their dining experience, they’ll be less likely to eliminate you from their list if they know what you have to meet their needs. Chances are the vegetarian option is attractively priced, so having it there provides a loss leader item that gives the impression of a value-priced option. Menu design is a contentious issue within psychological circles, as many experts have differing opinions as to how a menu is read and what gets noticed first. A Cornell Hospitality School study looked at communication of prices on menus and how they impacted customer purchasing behaviour.

24 pizza DECEMBER 2012

The menus tested expressed the prices three are more involved, allude to this on your different ways. Prices were shown written menu in the item’s description. Free range, with decimals and dollar signs, written out organic protein or exotic cheeses can and in words and written as numbers with no should command a higher price, and decimals or dollar signs (numerical only). many people are fine with paying it. You “Contrary to expectations, guests given the just need to ensure that difference is exnumeral-only menu spent significantly more plained either in your menu copy or by than those who received a menu with prices your serving team. showing a dollar sign or those whose menus A beautiful menu on premium paper had prices written out in will convey a more upscale words,” the study reported. image, but you don’t have If you offer Menu content should to break the bank. Look at pull its weight financially as how you can print a robust dietary accomwell. Pizza is traditionally inventory of blank menus modations and known to possess an attracso you can print new ones tive margin, so make sure in house as you make vegetarian that you have a few verchanges. Don’t pre-print dishes, don’t sions displayed prominentmore than you need – you ly and that your servers are don’t need to leave them keep them a actively promoting it tableon the tables; they can be secret. side. Side orders that allow handed to the customer as customers to “add on” will they are seated. Your goal increase cheque average. should be to ensure that Including some text with your menus are “stolen” recommendations for wine, dessert and as they then become marketing pieces to coffee pairings with each entrée will help remind your guests about the wonderful to stimulate sales in those profitable seg- meal they’ve just had, or to allow them to ments. If you find that you’re losing sales show their friends and talk about your resbecause lots of customers are sharing main taurant. Put a little effort and investment courses and appetizers, find out if the is- into having them professionally designed sue is related to the cost of the food or the to be beautiful, and you’ll likely find they amount of food. Many people are simply tend to go home with the customer. If your choosing to eat less. As a population ages, menus are too expensive to produce to let people tend to select smaller portion sizes, walk out the door, have a take-away piece so it may turn out that you can maintain created for people to have, or consider reyour revenue and margin by simply cre- vising your menu so you can let it leave. ating a small flight of a salad, side and Marketing pieces that can play both inside main for a profitable price point. If you and outside of your business are much market the flight as being lighter and less more effective. • filling, you’ll likely have no problem getting people to order the entrée. If an entrée Brisebois is a marketing professional with expecommands a higher price point because Michelle rience in the food, pharmaceutical, financial services and the ingredients and preparation process wine industries. She specializes in retail brand strategies.

feature

The ins and outs of renting How to sign a lease that protects you BY ALBERT S. FRANK, LL.B.

If the two sides sign a document called an offer to lease and then never replace it with an actual lease, the offer to lease might be as binding as if it were a lease. Ensure you do not sign an offer to lease casually.

izza may be a marvel verging on the supernatural, but it does not drop on us like manna from heaven. Pizza has to be made and sold from a physical location on earth. The location will probably be rented, so the question is, “How do I protect myself when renting?” Here are some things to keep in mind when renting a building for your establishment. ZONING AND LICENSING The mere fact that you lease space for a restaurant or a food production facility does not mean that the government agrees you are allowed to run such a business there. It is up to you to check that the premises are zoned for your planned use, and that you have the necessary licences. Make sure of zoning and licensing be-

26 pizza DECEMBER 2012

fore you sign the lease or offer-to-lease documents. Your lawyer can help you check the zoning. Ask the various levels of government what licences you need and how to get them. A restaurateur once bought the assets of a restaurant including its name, planning to run a restaurant in the same place with the same name. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) then said he would first have to pay off the massive debt the prior owner had run up with the LCBO – otherwise, no liquor licence. The LCBO did not care in the slightest that he was a new owner, nor that he had bought assets rather than shares of the prior company, so he and his new company were not legally liable for the prior company’s LCBO debt. The LCBO did agree,

however, that he could get a liquor licence without paying the debt if he used a certain name he picked that was similar to, but not exactly the same, as the old restaurant name. His real estate lawyer had asked me to help in court with various issues about the sale, and as part of that I got an order from a judge reducing the purchase price because the restaurateur could not use the exact name he had bought. OFFER TO LEASE Oddly enough, if the two sides sign a document called an offer to lease and then never replace it with an actual lease, the offer to lease might be binding as if it were a lease. Do not sign an offer to lease casually – it could have important legal consequences.

TRIPLE NET LEASES You might think that your rent is all you have to pay for the space. In fact, many leases, such as the typical triple net lease, also make you pay just about any imaginable expense associated with the space. Before you sign, find out – at least approximately – what you will really have to pay. Ask your accountant and lawyer to help with this. LEASE PERIOD AND RENEWALS You will want to have the option to stay in the same location for a long time. Check not only that the lease is for a certain number of years (I have seen five-year terms on many leases), but also that you have the right to renew repeatedly if you choose. SUBLEASING You should be able to sublet some or all of the space you are renting. Ideally, you could sublet to anyone you choose in your absolute discretion. The landlord is likelier to agree that you may sublet with his or her consent, which consent is not to be unreasonably withheld. Avoid agreeing that the landlord has an unfettered discretion to grant or withhold consent. If the lease says you need the landlord’s consent, but does not say that the consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, in any dispute the landlord is likely to argue that means the landlord has unfettered discretion.

As with the other terms in the draft lease, you never know if you can negotiate a change until you try. You can refuse the offer and look elsewhere for space. ASSIGNABILITY At some point you might want to assign the lease, for example, if you are selling the business. As with subleasing, ideally you want to be able to assign in your absolute discretion. However, the landlord is likelier to agree to a lease providing for assignment on consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld. Of course, you will be careful to check that consenting or withholding is not in the landlord’s unfettered discretion. A MASSIVE AND MYSTERIOUS PILE OF PAPER A commercial lease can be a massive, mysterious pile of paper. I have mentioned just a few of the many factors. If you do not know the ins and outs of commercial leasing, get help from people who do, such as your lawyer, real estate agent or accountant. Asking the landlord would cause a conflict of interest. With the right lease ingredients you can be happily making and selling pizza for years to come. • Albert S. Frank is a business and trial lawyer with Rosenbaum & Frank LLP in Toronto. He blogs at www.rosenbaum.com/albertfranklawandlife. To contact him please call 416929-7202 or e-mail afrank@franklaw.ca.

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Marketing

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DECEMBER 2012 pizza 29

pizza on fire

Controlling food costs Tom Stankiewicz

ontrolling food costs is a top priority for every pizza business. The cost of food increases year after year, and nobody expects it to decrease. It becomes difficult to provide a consistently high-quality product to your clients while keeping your prices the same. Your customers want the same highquality pizza every time they place their order. As a business owner, you must find ways to provide it at the lowest price possible. Switching food producers is not the answer. Rather, you must employ strategies that will help you control how fast your food costs rise. Over the years, many business owners have come up with different ways to control food costs. These basic strategies can benefit everyone, and keep rising costs to a minimum. The first strategy is to train all your pizzamaking employees properly on keeping portion sizes consistent. You need to ensure that everyone uses the same amount of toppings on a large pizza. A scale is the most accurate way to do this. Telling your employees to use two scoops of cheese on all large pizzas is a guaranteed way to lose money. When you have five pizza makers, it can be safely assumed that each of them has a different idea of what two scoops of cheese means. A very simple and cost-effective solution is to outline specific, measured amounts of cheese for all pizza sizes. The same idea would apply to various pizza toppings. Instead of telling employees to use a handful of pepperoni, give them a specific number: for example, every medium pizza needs 25 pieces of pepperoni. In my experience, when employees have clear and specific guidelines to follow, they become more efficient. They don’t have to stop and wonder if they have put

30 pizza DECEMBER 2012

Simple tips to keep your ingredient spend predictable when food costs are on the rise enough cheese on a pizza – it’s easier to because your orders are of minimal value. look at the training chart and follow the If you are dealing with many suppliers, measurements listed on it. take the time to review what each of them Another simple way to control food offers you, and consider eliminating some. cost is to pay attention to your everyday Creating a good rapport with your suppliprep routine. It should take you no more ers may lead to special prices or promothan a few weeks to have a pretty good tions, which will contribute positively to idea of which days are your busiest, and your control of food cost. which are your slowest. For most of us, Finally, keep your inventory up to weekends are considered date. When you’re ready prime time, and it makes to place an order, do not A very simple sense that most of your raw use the same standard list produce would be used up without determining what and coston those days. If, for examis really needed. By doeffective ple, Tuesdays are the slowing so you run the risk of est day of the week for your wasting product. Even if it solution is to business, then you need to seems that you always end outline specific, up ordering three boxes of have just enough toppings ready to last that day. In this green peppers, you must measured scenario, you are directly double-check every time amounts of controlling food costs by to avoid unnecessary waste knowing how much proof food. The rule of thumb cheese for all duce needs to be prepared for controlling food cost is pizza sizes. for each specific day. This to minimize the amount of can help you prevent situfood leftovers you have at ations where food is wasted the end of each night. This and needs to be thrown is especially true for raw out, which will hurt your bottom line. produce, as it tends to spoil rather quickly. How often and from whom you order Well-maintained storage definitely helps produce also makes a difference. From when you have leftovers, but tomatoes can my own experience, I know that it’s more only last so long. cost effective to deal directly with one or As the owner of your operation, you two suppliers. You are the customer of need to be aware of the business’s needs the produce suppliers. Just as you would and train employees accordingly. The show consideration for a loyal and fre- business will never run itself. Firm guidequent client of yours, your suppliers will lines need to be implemented to ensure often make it worth your while to place the cost of food is kept in line while your large orders with them. They may offer customers are kept satisfied with highyou preferred pricing and let you know quality pizzas. • about various promotions. When you spread your orders across several com- Tom Stankiewicz has been in the pizza business for more than 15 years. He has been the proprietor of Bondi’s panies, your bargaining power decreases. Pizza in London, Ont., since 2000, and is president of the Simply put, you’re not as valuable to them Canadian Pizza Team.

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