PZ - July - August 2020

JUL/AUG 2020

CANADIANPIZZAMAG.COM

EXPLORING

GHOST KITCHENS How the disconnection of front and back of house can boost profits

P. 7 Virtual Canadian Pizza Summit PM40065710

P. 14 Mambella’s Italian Kitchen pivots P. 18 Delivery co-op?

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July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

JULY/AUGUST 2020 Vol. 26, No. 4

DEPARTMENTS 6

From the Editor Looking ahead

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Industry News Movers, shakers, legislation and news you can use

12 The Pizza Chef Finding inspiration

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19 Making Dough with Diane Don’t stop marketing, Part 2

COVER & TOP PHOTO CREDIT: © DMITRY VERESHCHAGIN / ADOBE STOCK

MIDDLE PHOTO: KIRSTEN MERRIFIELD OF FIELD PHOTOGRAPHY

26 Cross-Canada Viewpoint Operators have their say on issues that matter

ONLINE

CONTENTS

Good Neighbours

COVER STORY

Throughout June we highlighted Good Neighbours – pizzerias helping their communities.

We hope their stories will inspire creativity and generosity among pizzerias to be there and be an indispensable part of their community. Thank you to Gold sponsor Parmalat and Silver sponsor HungerRush, formerly Revention, for supporting this initiative. Find Good Neighbours stories on canadianpizzamag.com.

10 Exploring ghost kitchens

ON THE COVER Call them ghost kitchens, virtual kitchens or cloud kitchens: this business model is disrupting the restaurant industry. Learn more starting on page 10.

CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

How the disconnection between front and back of house can boost profits and give restaurants an afterlife

By Michelle Brisebois

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14 Mambella’s pivots How playing to her strengths and looking ahead is helping one savvy operator handle the uncertainty of the pandemic

By Colleen Cross

16 Pests in a pandemic How to avoid nasty pest surprises when reopening your pizzeria for outdoor and indoor dining

By Alice Sinia

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18 Delivery co-op You can deliver your pizza via your own drivers and/or using third-party services. But is there a viable third option? We meet an entrepreneur who thinks so

By Colleen Cross

CanadianPizzaMag.com

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FROM THE EDITOR

BY COLLEEN CROSS

July/August 2020, Vol. 26, No. 4 EDITOR Colleen Cross ccross@annexbusinessmedia.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261

Time for a bold move?

P

izzeria operators and their teams are a pretty positive bunch. When faced with an obstacle, they seem to persevere, find a workaround or make the best of a bad situation.

Often that means reaching out to others less fortunate. That’s the social power of restaurants and, as we’ve seen this spring during the grimmest shutdowns, pizzerias have been good at keeping their regular customers in the loop. It shows you don’t necessarily need four walls to bring a community together.

When pizzeria dining rooms were shut down, many of you made the most of the down time by doing deep cleaning, re-arranging your space to meet social distancing requirements or, where possible, doing renovations that were previously on the back burner.

This is getting on with it, or seizing the day.

Not to sound like a Pollyanna, but there sometimes there are unexpected consequences to even the worst of situations and we witness the resilience of human nature.

Other operators acted quickly to change their operation’s focus or streamline their menu to reduce food waste and help with the back-of-house flow.

We’ve seen some pretty major changes happening out there. One that happened locally in the small resort town of Port Dover, Ont., took our breath away with its 360-degree boldness.

It was a brave, but inspired, move.

Opening a restaurant amid coronavirus may seem crazy but it’s a thing. And when you correctly read the mood of the community – staycationers and vacationers longing for excitement but also craving comfort food – it could be a very good thing. Ryan and Jennifer Rivard, owners of well-established restaurant The Combine, already having done a huge pivot from dine-in only to porchside pickup, decided to do themselves one better and convert their newer Italian restaurant, Lago Trattoria into a burger joint. Mustard + Relish opened last week and were welcomed by people tired of cooking, looking for something new, need-

ing something affordable and craving comfort food.

The walk-up restaurant makes its featured and build-your-own burgers with locally sourced protein with names like “The Cow,” “The Hog,” “The Bison” and “The Garden” (featuring their “Know Meat” patty) and served with “hand-punched, double-dropped french fries.” They are partnering with local makers gourmet popsicle makers Beach Day Pops, who use local fruit and honey and sport the classic tagline: “Beach Day Pops – This summer doesn’t have to suck.”

As Ryan Rivard described the thought process for the huge change to local newspaper the Simcoe Reformer: “I knew that Lago itself was not going to be a viable option post-COVID. . . . I knew instinctively that no one was going to be buying spaghetti and meatballs to go sit in Powell Park in the middle of the summer.”

Another key factor was the cancellation of the summer theatre season, normally a big draw for Lago.

Rivard added, “I had two choices. One was to close the doors and walk away. And the other was to continue to fight and to continue to try to make this work.”

Time will tell how the gamble goes, but there is excitement about the new spot and, five days in, they are selling out early.

We are not suggesting you close your Italian restaurant and open a burger joint. Taking a risk like the Rivards have taken is not for everyone. You have to be practical, you have to be realistic, you have to do the math.

But the pandemic has forced operators to be smart, flexible and think long term.

If you’ve got fight left in you, it may be time to unleash it. Is there a change you’ve been thinking about making to your operation or menu? Is there a partner you’ve been thinking of working with? If you’ve run the numbers, listened to trusted advice and your gut is telling you to make a bold move, maybe it’s time to get off the fence. | CP

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canadian_pizza_magazine July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

JOIN US ONLINE OCTOBER 19, 2020

VIRTUAL EVENT Canadian Pizza is hosting a live, half-day Virtual Canadian Pizza Summit to promote conversation and fresh ideas for your pizzeria.

Don’t miss this chance for pizzerias across Canada to share experiences and explore trends!

‘Don’t Stop Marketing’ Ideas Panel Regional Pizza Roundtable Pizza Demopalooza!

Virtual Great Pizza Box Fold-Off Product Showcase featuring Pizza-Focused Products, Services and Expert Advice Exciting news about our next contest – it’s changing for 2020-21 to PIZZERIA OF THE YEAR! Premium Sponsor

Prime Sponsor

canadianpizzamag.com/virtual-events

ON THE WEB Saint Andrews, N.B., to close part of street to help businesses; Freshslice donates portion of Canada Day pizza sales to Black Lives Matter; B.C. restaurants tighten guidelines amid new spike in COVID-19 cases | FOR MORE PIZZA NEWS, check out our website, canadianpizzamag.com.

P.E.I. Restaurant Association encourages members to wear masks when serving customers

CHEESE

DuPont launches culture to help pizza cheese makers with browning control, consistency DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences has come out with Choozit BC 02, a new phage alternative for cheese makers looking to help ensure quality and consistency in pizza cheese.

The new culture joins Choozit BC 01 as a proprietary formulation designed to assist cheese makers to create added value and flexibility for their foodservice customers, enabling them to achieve a consistent quality pizza cheese in a wide range of ovens around the world, Dupont said in a news release.

Benefits of the cultures include robust processing conditions, browning control, better flexibility for pizza baking in oven conveyors and consistent cheese quality with no change in texture before shredding 8

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and a lower risk of spoilage.

The Choozit BC 1 and 2 cultures helps pizza cheese makers meet consumer preferences for natural products by using less water in production, a lower volume of whey and less energy for whey drying.

The company said Choozit BC 01 is in commercial use by a significant number of leading pizza cheese producers and in approval phases in several countries around the broader European region. These countries represent roughly 77 per cent of the total pizza cheese produced in Europe.

“The cultures have been designed to provide the right acidification kinetics and proteolytic features to manage the yield and mineralization of the cheese,” said Annie Mornet, global product manager of cheese cultures at DuPont.

“The metabolism of the different species allows for a better consumption of the sugars, especially galactose, throughout the process.”

Working closely with the Prince Edward Island government, the Prince Edward Island Restaurant Association is encouraging its members to wear masks while serving customers.

The association sent an email to its members July 14 reinforcing guidance from the P.E.I. Department of Health and Wellness that wearing a non-medical mask is recommended when physical distancing cannot be maintained

in the workplace. Its website provides information on masks and how to wear them.

“Following this recommendation is not only an important way to show we care about our staff and customers, it’s key to supporting the ongoing recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector on Prince Edward Island,” said P.E.I. Restaurant Association president Carl Nicholson.

Working closely with Restaurants Canada and the Government of Prince Edward Island, the P.E.I. Restaurant Association has provided the Island’s restaurants with a COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Guide to help them comply with evolving public health guidance.

TOP LEFT PHOTO: © SMSPSY / ADOBE STOCK

MASKS

ILLUSTRATION: BRIAN FRAY

INDUSTRY NEWS

July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

INDUSTRY NEWS

DEMOPALOOZA

Join us for the Virtual Canadian Pizza Summit on Oct. 19 We can’t meet in person but, on the bright side, we can all meet online without having to buy a plane ticket or leave our shops and offices. Let’s get together virtually to gather ideas for your menu, learn strategies for marketing your signature pizza and feel a sense of community with other pizzerias.

Join us on Monday, Oct. 19, at 1-4 p.m. (EST) for an informative and fun virtual experience that’s just for you. Over three hours (with a 15-minute break) we’ll have roundtable sessions with pizza operators and experts talking about their experiences and giving you ideas to help your pizza business thrive in these difficult times. Watch, ask questions and give shout-outs to other operators in real time!

We’ll have a pizza demonstration by past Chef of the Year Dean Litster of Armando’s Pizza in Amherstburg, Ont. With so many great pizza chefs out there, we decided to hold a Demopalooza! We invite YOU to send us a short video (10 minutes or less, please) demonstrating a CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

pizza-making technique, describing an innovative signature pizza, displaying your at-home pizza kit or showing recent changes you’ve made at your pizzeria to meet social distancing guidelines and keep staff and customers safe. If you have a video offering wisdom or information for other pizzerias, we want to see it! We will choose some of the best videos to display during and after the Virtual Summit on the Demopalooza page and share through social media.

The Virtual Summit will be capped off with a Great Pizza Box Fold-Off! Send us a video of you folding 10 large boxes with a timer next to you displaying the time. We’ll have an exciting live fold-off with the top three folders! Send your video to ccross@ annexbusinessmedia.com.

Before, during and after the Summit, you can visit suppliers’ dedicated pages to learn about their products and services, see demonstrations or contact a representative.

The Canadian Pizza Virtual Summit is brought to you by our generous industry supporters, Premium Sponsor Ardent Mills, and Prime Sponsor EM Bakery Equipment. .

Get details and register at canadianpizzamag.com/virtual-events.

RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

Groups call for urgent action to help restaurant industry survive pandemic An alliance of chambers of commerce and boards of trade across Canada is calling for “urgent action” from three levels of government to help restaurants survive the eco-

nomic effects the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian Business Resilience Network, which includes Restaurants Canada and Molson Coors, published a joint open letter to the Prime Minister, Council of the Federation and Federation of Canadian Municipalities highlighting ways government can help the industry recover.

Among other measures, the CBRN is calling for the federal government to implement the proposed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy improvements, eliminate the automatic annual federal excise tax increase on alcohol and start to encourage Canadians to return to pre-COVID activities while observing safety measures, such as masks.

It is asking the federal government, provincial and territorial governments jointly to extend the Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, remove parent company revenue eligibility cap (to prevent franchisees from falling through the cracks) and explore a means to substantially increase program subscription.

It is asking provincial/territorial governments to put in place and monitor a commercial eviction moratorium, and expand liquor licencing, or make permanent COVID-related licencing changes to allow more restaurants to offer alcohol sales.

SUPPORT SMALL BIZ

CFIB launches campaign asking public to support small businesses The Canadian Federation of

Independent Business has launched a campaign called #SmallBusinessEveryDay to encourage the public to support local businesses.

The campaign includes a small business recovery dashboard that will be updated weekly. Three-quarters of consumers report not spending as much overall as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, yet almost half report spending more at larger retailers, many of whom were allowed to stay open when the pandemic hit.

CFIB wants to help level the playing field.

Pizzerias: Ask your customers to share their experience with your business on social media using #SmallBusinessEveryDay and the graphics and tools provided through the website.

At SmallBusinessEveryDay. ca people will find a series of doable challenges like walking to a local business and buying a treat for a neighbour. The website also will promote the many other Canadian campaigns that have been launched to support local businesses and has tools for business owners such as free posters they can use to thank customers for doing their part.

The posters are available in several languages.

CanadianPizzaMag.com

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COVER STORY

How the disconnection between front and back of house can boost profits and give restaurants and afterlife

BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS

G

host kitchens, virtual kitchens or cloud kitchens are names for the latest restaurant industry business model disruption. A ghost kitchen is defined as a restaurant operating often in a lower rent location with only a back-of-house team and no sit-down service. The front-of-house team is few in number and focused on interacting with the delivery services. With off-premise food consumption growing steadily for several decades now and delivery services consolidating and growing more powerful, the conscious uncoupling of front of house from back of house started to make economic sense. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, off-premise consumption took off on rocket fuel and it looks like the next food fight will take

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The growth is coming from restaurants opening locations themselves or running a ghost kitchen from their existing location – minus the sit-down dining.

place on the consumer kitchen table.

At the time of this article’s publication, the world is in the midst of a global pandemic. The restaurant industry has long been the canary in the coal mine, being the first to suffer any economic downturn. This health-care crisis has precipitated an economic crisis that would normally pose enough of a challenge. Throw in social distancing as the most effective way to fight the spread of the virus and the traditional restaurant business model (based primarily on physical proximity and active socializing) simply isn’t viable. Restaurants will survive as they have other pandemics in history, and we will dine in groups again. But it won’t be soon, and until it is safe to dine in, food consumption will primarily be off premise.

Restaurants are typically low-mar-

gin businesses with more than 71 percent of restaurants reporting profit margins of less than 10 per cent in 2019 according to Independent Restaurant Coalition. Also reported in 2019 by Angus Reid Global, in partnership with the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, 29 per cent of Canadians had ordered food using a delivery app at least once. Delivery apps make ordering easy for the customer, but they take a big bite out of the restaurant’s profits. It’s easy to see that restaurant margins were getting squeezed on all sides. Rent and payroll are the two big costs for restaurants and ghost kitchens are an effective way to mitigate these expenses.

A ghost kitchen doesn’t serve the public: it focuses on food preparation and connecting with the delivery service. In Canada, there are four main players in the delivery sector: UberEats, Skip the Dishes, DoorDash and Foodora. According to an article in the Globe and Mail, UberEats estimated having nearly 100 online-only ghost restaurants across Canada usJuly/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

PHOTO CREDIT: © DMITRY VERESHCHAGIN / ADOBE STOCK

EXPLORING GHOST KITCHENS

COVER STORY

ing their platform. Delivery apps are notoriously expensive for restaurants to use with many taking up to 30 per cent of the order value from the restaurant as payment, but this too is becoming more affordable. A Canadian startup called Helcim out of Calgary has created an affordable food-ordering app and payment processor that they are offering restaurants for free for the first six months to help businesses survive these tough times.

As of summer 2020, UberEats has acquired Postmates, giving it dominant market share in the U.S. There are likely more delivery service alliances to come. Mergers are good for keeping costs down because bigger companies can drive efficiencies more effectively because of scale. Hopefully these big delivery services will become more affordable for restaurants.

When food consumed away from physical restaurants was a smaller piece of the restaurant revenue stream, the high cost of delivery services was easier to absorb. According to Restaurants Canada, prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 70 per cent of breakfasts, 48 per cent of lunches and 56 per cent of suppers were eaten off-premise. As people sheltered in place and takeout became the only option, a trend that was already in motion gained speed. Until there is a vaccine, accurate and easy testing, or a cure for the coronavirus, on-premise dining will not return to its pre-pandemic levels. Off-premise consumption is here to stay.

A ghost kitchen will often choose a lower-rent location such as an industrial mall or warehouse to set up operations and the final tab for this model can cost only tens of thousands of dollars to mount as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of dollars a full-service, sit-down restaurant can cost. Many ghost kitchens are operating with line cooks rather than more expensive chefs because the menu changes less frequently and recipes are not as complex as they might be CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

in a full-service restaurant. This new model feels more like a production line than an elegant dining experience, but it is more profitable and aligned with the delivery services.

Recipe Unlimited (formerly known as Cara Corporation) has opened its ghost kitchen arm called Ultimate Kitchen recently. The company uses the main kitchen to produce food for its brands including Swiss Chalet, East Side Mario’s, Montana’s, New York Fries and Harveys. Though a third-party app is currently being used for delivery, the company is reportedly considering launching its own delivery arm.

The customer has six brands to choose items from (pleasing everyone in the family) and the company reduces costs.

It’s also not uncommon for several

yet to penetrate the market here. The growth is coming from restaurants opening locations themselves or running a ghost kitchen from their existing location – minus the sit-down dining.

A ghost kitchen might make sense for your operation if you have several locations that could benefit from one production source or if you want to expand without the big cost and risk of another location. Collaborating with other local restaurants to share a ghost kitchen might also be a cost-effective way grow your delivery operation apart from your sit-down dining. If you all used an affordable app like Helcim and shared the cost and efficiencies of the labour for delivery, it could be a viable model. The delivery driver would be going to one

This new model feels more like a production line than an elegant dining experience, but it is more profitable and aligned with the delivery services. different restaurants to operate out of the same ghost kitchen location. Think of it as a co-working space for restaurants. A company may set up the ghost kitchen and lease the space to restaurants to cook out of. The restaurant supplies its own equipment and labour and pays a membership fee to the company operating the ghost kitchen. The ghost kitchen company often also provides the technology to take the orders by app and they also supply the staff who liaise with the delivery service.

The restaurant gets to focus on the cooking. One such company spreading across the U.S. is called Cloud Kitchens, founded by Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber. Google and Amazon are also eyeing up the market. The Canadian ghost kitchen landscape is growing as well but these bigger companies have

location to pick up orders and chances are that your customers are often in similar neighbourhoods so it’s a streamlined process.

Removing the culinary artistry and the server to customer interaction from the dining experience may feel like we’re stripping the most important things out of the equation, but it’s probably wise for us to realize there are different customer dining motivations. Some want the dining experience and some just want the food. Having these channels separate allows you to focus and do each of them well. Unfortunately for the foreseeable future – sit-down dining will need to be on life support. | CP For more features on delivery trends, visit canadianpizzamag.com CanadianPizzaMag.com

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THE PIZZA CHEF

BY DIANA CLINE

Finding pizza inspiration

I

am often asked where my inspiration for creating new pizza combinations comes from. Where does any inspiration for creative types come from? For me, it must be love.

I have always been particular about my food, my preferences for the best have come naturally. When I was very young I was told I was a “picky eater,” and years later, after winning more than one top culinary pizza award, a family member joked that I’ve “always had sophisticated tastes.” And I am very passionate about gourmet pizza made with top-quality ingredients.

With this discerning taste for all things that I put in and also on my body, I like to research the ingredients, and also, the ingredients in ingredients. It’s interesting that this natural tendency of mine has been good for me both personally and professionally. More than a decade ago, by request, I developed a gluten-free pizza recipe when some of my regulars had celiac and gluten intolerance diagnoses and they and/or their family members could no longer eat wheat-based pizzas along with many toppings found upon them. Having already researched ingredients that can cause havoc with anyone with nut allergies, this was also an enlightening experience.

When I create a designer specialty pizza for my menu I like to play around with the build of the pizza. I am inspired by flavours and textures and I will play around with the layers and the textures and flavours of each ingredient until I’m satisfied that what I’ve created is a masterpiece of edible art. Sometimes I’ll get an inspiration when I’m driving, or doing some mundane task, and I make a play date time in the kitchen to try out the creation. Sometimes, in the middle of creating, I get an inspiration. I begin to make one thing and hear another ingredient whisper, “I want to play

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Ricky’s Revenge.

You have to be willing to try new things, to stretch beyond your beliefs about pizza, and you have to be willing to fail.

with those guys.” Voila, something new comes together.

The Diana-Saurus Rex came about with a segment of regulars who were asking for a “gourmet meat” pizza.

Even though we already had the “All Meat” specialty pizza on the menu, some said they wanted more meat.

So, the inspirational thought was, “If I was a T-Rex, what kind of pizza would I eat?” Seven premium meats with a heap of mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses on a beer crust later, the Diana-Saurus Rex was born.

Actually the Kung Pao Chicken was created in response to a challenge from one of my managers. He asked me to create a Christmas pizza, and said that it didn’t have to have the typical Christmas dinner foods as components. After I thought about it, inspiration came where I chose ingredients based on colour and taste. You’ll find both red and green peppers, red and green onions, Kung Pao chicken and pineapple on a bed of mozzarella

cheese with an olive oil and herbs sauce. I have made this pizza for highend wine and pizza pairing events and have had several hard-core pineapple-doesn’t-belong-on-pizza people tell me this pizza changed their minds. I agree that pineapple does not belong on all pizzas, but it plays nicely on many.

Ricky’s Revenge is a Trailer Park Boys inspired pizza. Years ago, my then-husband and I would watch the show regularly, and we wondered what Ricky’s favourite foods would taste like on a pizza. It definitely was a stretch at the time – chicken fingers on pizza?! Really?! But we tried it, with our premium dry-cured pepperoni, chicken fingers and jalapenos, loaded with extra mozzarella and medium sharp Cheddar and sprinkled with “special herbs” on top, on a beer crust, with our from-scratch marinara. It’s actually “*bleep’n amazing.” Back in 2007, Ricky, Julian and Bubbles actually came to my first location and enjoyed this creation. It’s still one of the most popular pizzas ordered.

You have to be willing to try new things, to stretch beyond your beliefs about pizza, and you have to be willing to fail. The thing about pizza that I have come to understand, is that some creations are not for everyone, and that’s OK. One afternoon I brought some slices of a new pizza creation home, offered some to my mom, who had been looking after my children.

As soon as I listed the toppings, she immediately and emphatically said no. Another time I brought a different new creation home: with an olive oil and herbs sauce, seasoned french fries, gravy, farmer sausage, strip bacon, smothered with a garlic-and-chive Havarti and mozzarella cheese blend, and finished with diced dill pickles after being baked. It was a weird pizza creation day, but this one she loved, as did my boys. Personally, for me, as an artisan pizza chef, it doesn’t get much better than that. | CP July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

PHOTO: DIANA CLINE

Diana Cline is an award-winning pizza chef, a partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating operational systems and marketing to help operators grow their business strategically. Contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com

FEATURE

MAMBELLA’S PIVOTS How playing to her strengths and looking ahead is helping one savvy operator handle the uncertainty of the pandemic

BY COLLEEN CROSS

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Tina Brisbin has owned and operated Mambella’s Italian Kitchen in Waterloo, Ont., since 2007.

We served more than 200 customers a day. After RIM was gone, walk-in dropped to 80 to 100 a day but we made up for it with the catering sales.

We had just finished climbing back up. Last year we got into ready-to-eat.”

When COVID-19 hit, she steeled herself for another upheaval. Alone in the kitchen, after being forced to lay off nine employees, she set to work pumping out lasagnas and other comfort foods to sell for takeout. Mambella’s already did takeout, so that wasn’t a huge shift. Before COVID-19 the dining area accommodated about 20 people, but 80 per cent of customers picked up their food to eat at their office or other location.

Brisbin worked hard. She cal-

Funded by a local charity, Brisbin also fed staff at Grand River Hospital, preparing 1,150 meals, each of which had to be individually labelled so they could be handed out to frontline workers.

culates that in April and May she pumped out 25 per cent of the output her full team did in March. She was physically tired, emotionally tired and mentally tired. “Until this spring, I never understood the difference between mental and emotional stress. I was brain dead at end of the day.”

Before the pandemic, walk-in was 80 per cent of the business and catering was 20. Then it flipped to 60 per cent catering, 32 per cent walkin and eight per cent frozen meals.

They were open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

During the pandemic, she extended her hours to 6 p.m. to keep up with demand and make up for the much slower lunch hour.

July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

PHOTO: KIRSTEN MERRIFIELD OF FIELD PHOTOGRAPHY

hen Tina Brisbin heard the coronavirus was shutting down businesses in Canada and much of the world, two words came to mind: Déjà vu.

To explain: about five years ago, Brisbin, the owner of Mambella’s Italian Kitchen in Waterloo, experienced an event that was out of her control but affected her restaurant and many area businesses. It wasn’t a health scare but the downsizing of one of the area’s largest employers, tech giant Research in Motion, maker of the once-dominant BlackBerry now overshadowed by the iPhone.

“I thought, ‘Been down this road before,’ ” the entrepreneur says, recalling the March shutdowns. “Of course, that was a Waterloo region event.

This is a world crisis.” The 13-yearold restaurant, located off the beaten path in a commercial area and heavily reliant on business lunch customers, took a financial hit. “RIM affected us.

FEATURE

Streamlined menu and pivot to frozen Mambella’s carried frozen meals for years but Brisbin started to think about promoting them only after she took part in an accelerator program in Calgary in 2019 where I met her mentor, chef Christine Couvelier. “In March we streamlined the menu, offering 10 different items. We already had very little waste, but we started using every ingredient in at least two dishes. We keep it clean and mean. Ninety per cent of ingredients are going into the frozen food such as Stuffed Eggplant Parm, made fresh in house. People asked for it frozen, so we started selling it frozen. You kind of learn as you go. Get rid of the fluff and do what you do best. For us that’s basic comfort food.”

The Frozen Dirty Mac and Cheese is proof people craved that comfort. Made with homemade cheese sauce and pulled pork, the bestselling dish was not on Mambella’s menu until the pandemic hit. They sell it in large and small portions. They also make a notso-dirty version with chicken that sells equally well and will make a vegetarian version on request. The frozen meals have sold well.

Relief fund grant a lifeline Running on adrenalin, Brisbin applied to the Canadian Business Resilience Network Small Business Relief Fund, which was designed to help small businesses stay afloat and support their recovery by paying salaries, retrofitting their workplaces or acquiring technology to adapt their business model. Her 800-word letter helped land Mambella’s a $10,000 grant.

According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which ran the program, sponsored by Salesforce, recipients “best demonstrated their financial strain, how the business will use the grant to change or innovate, how the change or innovation will sustain the business’s recovery and allow it to prosper, and how the grant will support the role each business plays in their community.”

Brisbin isn’t sure why she was one of 62 small businesses chosen for the relief fund out of 1,100 who applied, but she is extremely grateful for the lifeline. The entrepreneur thinks the success of her application, which included an 800-word letter, might have something to do with the research and planning she had already done with an eye to selling her frozen lasagnas, cannelloni and other comfort foods at retail.

In her grant application, Brisbin wrote that she didn’t see catering and walk-in sales coming back anytime soon. She had changed direction to focus on frozen food, which, she says, had already been on the rise before COVID. The pandemic will accelerate that trend, she predicted.

She also had been working with Innovation Guelph since January to develop her business plan. “I think part of why I was looked at is that I had already started with this prior to COVID. I got one foot in already. I did the background work.”

“I talked about pivoting and how, if I did get the grant, I would use it for marketing,” Brisbin says, adding that marketing is essential because few people outside of her area know about the business. She will use the money to continue the marketing plan set up with advertising company Jump Branding & Marketing and put on hold in March.

Always looking ahead, she sought out and received a grant from

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to hire a marketing graduate, Kirsten Merrifield, from nearby Conestoga College. The government will pay her salary for seven months at a minimum of 30 hours a week.

Looking ahead to fall In fall she’s been told to expect 30 per cent occupancy for nearby offices.

“I never thought it would go on this long. Restaurants are reinventing the wheel,” Brisbin says, predicting that any business related to entertainment is changing. “If they’re not thinking some way of pivoting, they’re not going to survive.”

She hopes to launch her new brand this fall and to hire some people back, especially if sales ramp up. Originally meant to be 20 to 30 per cent of her business, frozen meals are now expected to make up 90 per cent. Her business plan involves three paths: walk-in or curbside customers, online ordering direct to customers from a limited menu, and sourcing a co-packer, which will help her get into grocery stores.

“I’m looking ahead eight months to a year, bracing myself for the hard times to come. I am very focused and determined to stick with what I want to do.” | CP For more profiles, visit canadianpizzamag.com

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CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

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2020-05-27 9:42 AM

GUEST COLUMN

BY ALICE SINIA, PHD

Alice Sinia, PhD, is quality assurance manager of regulatory/lab services for Orkin Canada focusing on government regulations pertaining to the pest control industry.

With more than 20 years of experience, she manages the quality assurance laboratory for Orkin Canada and performs analytical entomology as well as provides technical support in pest/insect identification to branch offices and clients. For more information, email Alice Sinia at asinia@orkincanada.com or visit www.orkincanada.com.

Pests in a pandemic

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With human activity at a minimum for the past few months, many pests have had to find new food, water and shelter sources, and restaurants make the perfect target.

doors and windows. During times of reduced service, inventory that may not have been stored properly is also highly susceptible to stored product pests such as weevils, flour beetles and Indian meal moths. Because of this, it is crucial to inspect the pantry and storage areas for any signs of pest activities.

Maintaining a healthy environment for food and customer safety has always been important in the industry, but effective pest management has never been more crucial than now. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is an effective way to help ensure your restaurant is protected from pests. Instead of focusing on treating issues as they arise, IPM takes a proactive approach and uses preventive measures such as exclusion, good housekeeping practices and proper sanitation to keep pests out.

Whether reopening for business or continuing your operations, knowing what to expect when it comes to pests is better than getting a nasty surprise at the last minute. Here are some signs of pest activity you should be looking out for:

Signs to look for With human activity at a minimum for the past few months, many pests have had to find new food, water and shelter sources, and restaurants make the

perfect target. Each business varies, but there are a few common hot spots and signs you should be aware of: • Droppings, cobwebs and insect cast skins inside your restaurant.

• Deceased rodents, cockroaches or other pests.

• Nests in your roofing, storage rooms and other typically hidden or overlooked spots.

• Gnawing marks, chewed wiring and other physical damage that wasn’t present before.

• Holes or tears in product packaging that could signal contaminated food.

• Insect trails on dusty or dirty surfaces.

• Any live insects spotted near stored food.

Once inside, these filthy critters can spread bacteria and pathogens that can contaminate your food and make customers ill. If you paused your pest management services during the lockdown, you might also be returning to a pest infestation. If you notice any of the signs above as you restart service, contact your pest control provider immediately to get a treatment plan in action.

What you can do now While you can’t keep every single pest out forever, the following tips can help you avoid a costly infestation and July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

PHOTO: © GEORGE DOLGIKH / ADOBE STOCK

espite being one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant industry was also one of the first to adjust operations to continue service.

As many restaurants begin reopening and offering dine-in service again, the last thing operators need to deal with is a pest infestation.

In a recent survey by Restaurants Canada, six out of 10 restaurants open for takeout, delivery or dine-in service were operating at a loss. A pest sighting by a dine-in customer or a delivery contaminated by pests could lead to significant losses for restaurants. Even worse, unknowingly serving contaminated food to patrons could cause them to become ill and ruin your business’ reputation as you recover from the pandemic. These are only a few of the threats your restaurant faces when it comes to dealing with pests.

All pests need food, water and shelter to survive and restaurants happen to have an abundance of all of these.

Even if you weren’t fully operating before, pests could have still slipped into your establishment and caused structural damage, contaminated surfaces and much more. Depending on how well you secured your restaurant during the lockdown or your adjusted operations, you might be in for a surprise when you return, especially considering many restaurants downsized staffing making it easier for pests to slip by unnoticed.

Pests such as rodents and cockroaches can slip into small spaces and could chew away at your much-needed profits, leaving harmful bacteria and pathogens behind as they move through your restaurant.

And even though your dining room remained closed up until now, takeout service could have helped many other pests such as ants and flies sneak in through frequently opened

maintain a pest-free dining experience for your guests: • Inspect your restaurant for any potential pest entry points and seal all cracks and crevices. Install pest monitoring devices to detect any present pests, such as insect monitors and light traps – your pest management professional can help with this.

• Ensure doors close properly behind guests and employees to prevent pests from sneaking in undetected.

• Inspect all incoming deliveries of goods for potential hitchhiking pests like cockroaches and stored product pests.

• Take trash out daily and keep dumpsters away from the building.

• Encourage employees to practise good hygiene by washing their hands frequently.

• Implement a strict sanitation routine to help eliminate potential food and moisture sources for pests.

• Disinfect kitchens, dining rooms and other high-touch spaces as often as possible to help prevent the spread of bacteria and pathogens pests might have left behind.

• If you recently expanded outdoor dining options, make sure you monitor for standing water and re-

If you recently expanded outdoor dining options, make sure you monitor for standing water and remove any vegetation and landscaping that might attract mosquitoes and ticks.

move any vegetation and landscaping that might attract mosquitoes and ticks.

• Inspect the pantry or storage areas for signs of infestation.

• Open and inspect all stock, especially those nearing their expiration date.

• Always rotate stock on a first-in, first-out basis – the stock that comes in first should be used first to ensure it does not sit untouched for extended periods of time.

Maintaining smooth operations and happy customers during a global health crisis is tough enough, but you don’t have to add fighting pests to your to-do list. Be sure to work with your pest control provider to create or adjust your pest management plan as needed so you can focus on providing quality food and service while they protect your business from pests. Despite the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, your guests will feel safer dining at your establishment knowing that their health and safety are your top priority. | CP For more features on health and safety, visit canadianpizzamag.com

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CanadianPizzaMag.com

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FEATURE

DELIVERY CO-OP Could a new co-op model called Radish give pizzerias control and build a sense of community?

BY COLLEEN CROSS

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@CdnPizzaMag

Father and son recently opened Buffet Maharani, an all-you-can-eat concept that prepares food according to demand and serves it at the table.

They were hard hit by the pandemic but have carried on with delivery.

“At the new restaurant, we’re not exclusive. We also have UberEats and SkipTheDishes. Our goal is to be an alternative.” Still, he says, with outside services, too often the service is bad, drivers argue with customers and bags and boxes are not insulated.

The young entrepreneur got the idea of using the co-op model while working for Desjardins credit unions.

“Businesses that join the platform get to vote and participate in general assemblies and committees,” he says.

“In our case, if a majority of restaurants want something we have to do it. We’re structured by region and each setup depends on population and density.”

Every member buys a share, he says. The goal is to keep fees low as possible: he estimates fees as a percentage roughly equal to half of what most delivery services take. The difference is that the surplus is returned to members using a global calculation.

About 10 per cent stays in community good works and the rest is redistributed. Rahman estimates restaurants could get back about 33 per cent of the profits, depending on how much they use the platform.

For now it’s a Montreal venture, but Rahman hopes other cities will be

Radish founder Mansib Rahman and his father, Masum Rahman, run an all-you-can-eat restaurant in Montreal.

The goal is to grow and make sure the business works here (in Montreal) but we’re in talks with other regions. We want to be hyper-local.”

interested in starting a co-op: “First, we want to do things on a local scale, then there is a rapid growth. Once we have the formula right it will be easy to onboard others.”

A handful of large chains are interested as well as many independents.

“Right now we don’t have the means to go everywhere but we’ve been in touch with Vancouver and a few cities in Ontario. I do see us working to go elsewhere in Canada, but we don’t want to impose the model.

Radish prefers to hire full- and part-time drivers but also will hire independent contractors at a lower rate. “Drivers are members of the coop who vote and share in the profits.

Benefits include insurance and longterm career opportunities,” says Rahman, who believes the model shines in communities that rally around it.

“With some technology, the relationship between the restaurant and the customer has been eroded,” he says. “We would like to restore that relationship. We want to put the restaurant front and centre for the consumer.” | CP July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

PHOTO: MANSIB RAHMAN

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ention food delivery and you get strong opinions from pizza operators about what works or doesn’t work. It usually comes down to two camps: employing in-house delivery drivers vs. using third-party services.

But is there a third option for pizzerias? Radish, a Montreal delivery coop owned by its members aims to put restaurants, delivery drivers and consumers on a more level playing field.

Radish (a play on “Rad Dish”) is owned by its members. The concept is described at radish.coop: “As with other online delivery platforms, you can make orders online and have them delivered. Where we differ is that restaurants, drivers and consumers on the platform all have a say in how the platform is operated.”

Mansib Rahman, who has a background in both restaurants and technology, is co-founder of the online service (in future also to be a smartphone app). with Qudsia Saadat and his father, Masum Rahman.

His parents spent 25 years in the business, most of those running franchises for pizza and pasta chain Toujours Mike’s, and he worked in restaurants from a young age. Later, he managed locations while his father was away with an illness. After studying engineering he worked for the likes of Microsoft and Desjardins Group.

MAKING DOUGH WITH DIANE

BY DIANE CHIASSON

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years by providing innovative, revenue-increasing marketing strategies. Contact her at 416-926-1338 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit chiassonconsultants.com

Don’t stop marketing, Part 2

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during these difficult times. As you know, in a pizzeria, teamwork is vital to keep service running smoothly. You should definitely have quick, regular chats with your employees to see how they are doing. Try to schedule meetings with different employees 10 minutes before or after their shift just to answer the questions they may have and to have them share ideas with you. You will be surprised by what you may learn and how much you will be able to make your employees feel comfortable in just a 10-minute conversation. Studies have shown that feeling valued and appreciated makes employees feel more motivated at work. Make it a habit to compliment your staff for a job well done. Saying thank-you also goes a long way: it’s a great way to motivate your employees because it shows the work they are doing matters.

elcome to part 2 of marketing your pizzeria during this economic downturn.

Here are six additional ways to market your pizzeria during this slowdown.

5. Support your distributors This is not the right time to tie up your money in excess inventory. Overpriced supplies can also ruin your budget very quickly. As a pizza owner, you need a business partner who will actually listen to your concerns, who will respond quickly to your pizzeria’s needs and who will be as invested in your store’s success as you are. A good distributor-pizza relationship is like a marriage. Honest communication is vital. If your distributors treat you poorly, it’s time for a change. Look for vendors in your area that supply pizza stores with the types of items you need. Discuss with your suppliers and distributors what really matters to you and your pizzeria. Is it prices, product offerings, delivery timelines or service? You should rank those four criteria by how important they are to your pizzeria, and then use them to evaluate your distributors. Be very careful when switching to lower-priced distributors. It can ruin your relationships with your distributors and could affect your brand image. Discuss with your distributors extended financing or better terms as well as return and refund policies. You should try to get a small discount for paying early such as one to two per cent off for paying within 10 days. Consider using a charge card to further extend your payables. Just remember, the best way to maintain a good relationship with your suppliers and distributors is to pay on time.

6. Keep your staff members informed Excellent communication will help your team work together seamlessly CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

You will be surprised by what you may learn and how much you will be able to make your employees feel comfortable in just a 10-minute conversation.

7. Be creative and always try to tempt your customers How is the scent coming from your pizzeria? Since the weather is a lot warmer, consider keeping your doors wide open. It will not cost you anything to open your doors. You need to be tempting your hungry customers and passersby with the mouthwatering aroma of your products.

When you are marketing to your customers, you should always be tempting them with new, unique, and healthy options. It is perhaps the best time to give a new twist to some of your signature pizzas. You may consider developing a whole line of pizzas that are gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-reduced, GMO-free, vegan, organic, sustainable, or anything else!

Think outside the box and make some of the craziest pizzas around.

How about a ramen noodle crust pizza, or a falafel pizza, or a peanut bacon pizza, or a smoked salmon,

cream cheese and caviar pizza, or a hot Cajun pizza with three kinds of sausages? You could also tempt your customers with a new flavour or signature pizza that complements your current theme. What about making decorating your pizza by applying your sauce like a Jackson Pollock abstract painting with a few splotches here and drizzle there. Just make sure to avoid putting sauce right at the edges of your crust. How about promoting your pizzas made with some ripe farmer’s market veggies and fresh herbs?

How about smaller pizza portions, single-serve pizzas, or simply comfort food to go? You should discuss with your staff what makes your pizzeria stand out from the one around the corner. Is it your creativity in making unique and delicious pizzas, or is it the excellent customer service that you give at your store? When marketing your pizza operation, emphasize the qualities and products that make your pizzeria a great choice.

8. Develop a strong business website using good SEO, and include online ordering I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have and develop a professional website. Websites have become a necessity for any small business that wants to succeed. Every business must have a website.

Being visible and memorable to your customers and potential customers is crucial during this economic downturn. A presence on the web is a very cost-effective way of letting customers know about your pizzeria.

This will allow your pizza operation to inexpensively post up-to-date information on your products and services. Even if you have a business that does not normally promote through the web, you could still have a simple website that contains basic information about your pizzeria such as contact information, directions, etc. You CanadianPizzaMag.com

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can buy your website domain name for cheap and, if you can’t build it and maintain it yourself, outsource these tasks. It is also essential to have good SEO (search engine optimization) to improve user experience and to also make your website easy to use. You could publish a newsletter about your pizzeria virtually for free and create articles about your pizza operation. You should also have an easy-to-use ordering system on your website so patrons can get their pizzas on the go. Include a call-to-action button in the sidebar of your website that says “ORDER A PIZZA NOW.”

9. Revisit and optimize your online presence and use social media effectively Before you start posting, take some

To give your pizza business a personal touch, try to show the behind-the-scenes of your cooking process and introduce your entire pizza team to your followers.

time to understand social media marketing. On social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, people don’t want to be sold to constantly. People like to browse photos, videos, and catch up with family members and friends. It’s best that you mix interesting and entertaining content, education, advertising, promotion and a little conversation. Just be honest and communicate well with your customers. There are some pizza promotion ideas that will work well on social media in raising people’s awareness of your brand. To give your pizza business a personal touch, try to show the behind-thescenes of your cooking process and introduce your entire pizza team to your followers. Hold fun contests, offer some freebies and collaborate

with some influencers.

10. Ask for reviews from your customers Today’s customers understand the power of reviews, and you should always ask for reviews from satisfied customers! Good reviews, after all, will bring a lot of credibility to your business. You should ask for a review right after a customer purchases a product or service from you. Reviews will range in quality, and every pizzeria will eventually get some negative ones. It is very important to respond to any and all reviews that you come across. If someone says they loved your pizzeria products, respond with a thank-you note. In case of negative reviews, try to remedy the issue right away and turn the experience around for the customer. | CP

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July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA 2019-07-10 10:40 AM

BUYERS GUIDE

2020 BUYERS GUIDE

& MANUFACTURERS DIRECTORY Alphabetical listings of manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of equipment, ingredients and supplies to the Canadian pizza industry

ADM MILLING COMPANY 7585 Danbro Crescent Mississauga ON L5N 6P9 e-mail: info.cdnmill@adm.com Website: www.adm.com Description: Industry leader for your flour supply and pizza mix. Custom blends available and a wide variety of bakery mixes. Give your customers your best. ADM - “We unlock the power of nature to enrich the quality of life” AM MANUFACTURING COMPANY 9200 Calumet Avenue, Suite NW07 Munster IN 46321 e-mail: lserafin@ammfg.com Website: www.ammfg.com Description: Dough dividers, rounders, pizza presses, proofers, dockers, and complete bakery engineering services. AM is the world leader in dough handling equipment for the pizza industry since 1961.

ARDENT MILLS ULC 6860 century Avenue, Suite 301 Mississauga ON L5N 2W5 Tel: 855-407-4906 e-mail: info_ca@ardentmills.com Website: ardentmills.ca Description: Ardent Mills®, the premier flour-milling and ingredient company, offers the industry’s broadest range of traditional and organic flours, on trend pizza flours like Primo Mulino® Neapolitan-style, pizza mixes, whole grains, customized blends, and innovative specialty grains. Our operations and services are backed by a network of more than of 35 community mills, unrivaled technical support, food safety solutions, a specialty bakery and an Innovation Center. Ardent Mills Canadian headquarters are in Mississauga, Ontario, with facilities located throughout Canada, the U.S., and Puerto Rico.

CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

wood, gas and coal fired forno ovens. Classic design with solid performance.

DELUXE PRODUCE LTD. 40 Magnetic Dr. unit 1 Toronto ON M3J 2C4 e-mail: joelsf12003@gmail.com Description: Deluxe Produce LTD, a family-owned business focused on providing families across the Greater Toronto Area with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs sourced from local and regional farmers.

Our rigorous quality control process guarantees that every vegetable we sell is crisp, every fruit retains their fresh, organic flavors and that customer satisfaction will be met with diligence and care.

Our first-class service is known the world over, as we’ve developed a reputation for developing the most efficient and sustainable fresh produce solutions, i Shop Deluxe Produce and we’ll work towards helping your business thrive, providing 100% fresh produce for your business. Some highlights: - 6 Day Deliveries - no Minimums - break cases - Only Use Number 1 Produce - We are growers ourselves so we know quality

EARTHSTONE OVENS 6717 San Fernando Rd Glendale CA 91201 Tel: 800-840-4915 e-mail: info@earthstoneovens.com Website: earthstoneovens.com Description: Earthstone Ovens manufactures a premium line of

FAEMA CANADA 672 Dupont Street, Suite 201 Toronto ON M6G 1Z6 Tel: 877-323-6226 e-mail: espresso@faema.ca Website: www.faema.ca Description: Importer and distributor for Moretti Forni, commerical electric and gas pizza ovens. We also carry a complete line of espresso/cappuccino machines and cafe/pizza parlour refrigerated equipment.

FOODTOOLS CONSOLIDATED, INC. 190 Veterans Boulevard South Haven MI 49090 Tel: 800-644-2377 e-mail: dougp@foodtools.com Website: www.foodtools.com Description: Portioning equipment, pizza cutters, cheese cutters.

IFOODEQUIPMENT.CA 170 Millennium Blvd Moncton NB E1E 2G8 Tel: 855-388-5999 e-mail: sales@ifoodequipment.com Website: www.ifoodequipment.ca Description: New & Reconditioned Food Service Equipment • Shop Online 24/7 • Online Auctions • We Ship Anywhere in Canada • Shop In Store - Moncton, NB or Halifax, NS

LESAFFRE YEAST CORPORATION 7475 West Main Street Milwaukee WI 53214 e-mail: peter.jacobs@lesaffreyeastcorp.com Website: www.lesaffreyeastcorp.com Description: Lesaffre Yeast Corporation is a manufacturer of high quality Yeast and Dough Conditioners, which will provide: flavour, strength and the security to support your quality products.

LLOYDPANS 3808 North Sullivan Road, BLDG 25-J Spokane Valley WA 99216 Tel: 800-748-6251 e-mail: sales@lloydpans.com Website: lloydpans.com Description: LloydPans, a USA manufacturer of food preparation solutions: pizza pans, cookware and bakeware.

Both stock and custom pans are engineered for optimal results for conveyor, impingement, rotary and deck ovens. Products are completely manufactured in our plant including engineering, metal spinning, forming and welding and in-house anodizing.

Exclusive to LloydPans are three proprietary coatings that provide integrated release finishes with unique advantages. Custom products receive fast prototyping, timely production, and low minimums at competitive rates.

Stock items available online, manufacturer direct and from your distributor.

Giants in the foodservice industry turn to LloydPans® for new product launch and cost savings. With experience designing products that provide optimum performance, we’ve helped countless customers with practical solutions to their baking challenges. Shop online at lloydpans.com CanadianPizzaMag.com

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BUYERS GUIDE MIDDLEBY MARSHALL c/o Escan Supply Co., 15-6400 Millcreek Dr. Suite 617 Grimsby ON L3M 1P2 e-mail: sales@escansc.com Website: www.middleby-marshall.com Description: Middleby Marshall is a recognized global leader with conveyor ovens approved and used by the top 5 pizza chains in the world.

MIMI FOOD PRODUCTS INC. 1260 Creditstone Rd. Vaughan ON L4K 5T7 e-mail: info@mimifoods.ca Website: www.mimifoods.ca Description: We specialize in custom formulations. BRC & HACCP Certified. Our Products: Pizza Dough Balls (Traditional, Caputo ‘00’, Whole Wheat) Ciabatta : Flatbreads : Focaccia (variety): Panuozzo Breads/Slider Buns : Pinsa Romana : Pizza Crusts : (White, Whole Wheat, Thin + Thick Crusts) and Sheeted Dough. We have also launched our new Gluten Free Product line consisting of: 10” parbaked crusts, sandwich buns, dinner rolls, hamburger buns and dough balls (available in these six flavours of beetroot, black bean, broccoli, cauliflower, white, and red lentil.

OK FROZEN DOUGH 4145 Spallumcheen Place Armstrong BC V0E1B6 e-mail: info@okfrozendough.com Website: www.okfrozendough.com Description: OK Frozen Dough has been producing a wide variety of frozen bread & bun dough including pizza dough for over 25 years.

Quality, consistency,reliability, and competitive pricing is always our priority.

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P& H MILLING GROUP CORPORATE OFFICE 1060 Fountain Street North Cambridge ON N3E 0A1 Tel: 800-621-0588 e-mail: sales@phmilling.com Website: www.phmilling.com Description: We manufacture Hard, Soft and Organic flours for your pizza manufacturing needs. With eight mills strategically located across Canada and a vast distribution network. We are focused on providing high quality flour and grain products with a commitment to delivering customer value every day!

PARMALAT CANADA 405 The West Mall Toronto ON M9C 5J5 e-mail: ingredientsinfo@parmalat.ca Website: parmalat-foodservice.ca Description: Parmalat Canada Foodservice is a full service dairy supplier providing a broad range of quality products including milk, yogourt, cheese and tablespreads.

PARRHEIM FOODS (P&H MILLING GROUP) 817 48th St. East Saskatoon SK S7K 0X5 Tel: 800-621-0588 e-mail: sales@phmilling.com Website: www.phmilling.com Description: Specialty products for the Pizza industry such as Pea flour concentrates (starch, protein, flour and fibre) - both conventional and organic.

QUANTUM TECHNICAL SERVICES 9524 West Gulfstream Road Frankfort IL 60423 e-mail: info@q-t-s.com Website: www.q-t-s.com Description: Automated pizza topping equipment, pizza cutters, sauce applicators, cheese applicators, pepperoni slicer/applicators, dry ingredient applicators.

SHAFER-HAGGART LTD. 2855 Arbutus Street, Suite 201 Vancouver BC V6J 0E6 e-mail: info@shafer-haggart.com Website: www.shafer-haggart.com Description: Shafer-Haggart, established in 1934, is a privately owned Canadian corporation, offering a wide selection of canned fruits and vegetables to the foodservice and retail industry. Let our experienced team of buyers find you the best quality ingredients with fixed contract costs. Pineapple, olives, peppers, mushrooms and more. Private label inquiries welcomed.

REDIHEAT, INC. 4516 St. Clair Avenue, Suite 101 Cleveland OH 44103 e-mail: dave@rediheat.com Website: www.rediheat.com Description: RediHEAT manufactures quality heated pizza delivery bags, 7 sizes available. Each bag includes our heater which ensures your pizza is delivered hot. All heaters come with a 2-year warranty.

REISER (CANADA) LTD. 1549 Yorkton Court Burlington ON L7P 5B7 e-mail: salescn@reiser.com Website: www.reiser.com Description: From dough dividing to topping production, from cheese shredding and depositing to vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging, Reiser is the one supplier that pizza producers trust for better, smarter solutions.

SABRINA WHOLESALE FOODS INC 1 Romina Drive Vaughan ON L4K 4Z9 e-mail: orderdesk@sabrinafoods.com Website: www.sabrinafoods.com Description: Sabrina Wholesale Foods - located in Vaughan, Ontario since 1987.

For over 30 years, we have been supplying thousands of customers in the Foodservice industry with top quality products and great customer service at competitive prices. We are a family run business helping you get what you need when you need it.

July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

BUYERS GUIDE

PIZZA EQUIPMENT

Automated Pizza Eqpt.

Am Manufacturing Company Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Quantum Technical Services Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Cheese Handlers Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Bagel Equipment Am Manufacturing Company Ifoodequipment.ca Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Conveyors Am Manufacturing Company Quantum Technical Services

Bake Sheets Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Bakers Boards Ifoodequipment.ca Baking Stones Barbecue Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca Beer Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca Beverage Dispensers Ifoodequipment.ca Bins Ifoodequipment.ca Blenders Ifoodequipment.ca Broilers Ifoodequipment.ca Bucket Openers Ifoodequipment.ca Calzone Eqpt.

Reiser (canada) Ltd. Can Openers Ifoodequipment.ca Cappuccino Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Coffee Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Cookware Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Cooling Fans Ifoodequipment.ca Counters Ifoodequipment.ca Cutting Boards Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Dishwashing Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca Dispensers Ifoodequipment.ca Quantum Technical Services Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Equipment Am Manufacturing Company Earthstone Ovens Faema Canada Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Middleby Marshall Quantum Technical Services Rediheat, Inc. Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Juicers Ifoodequipment.ca

Refurbished Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca

Manual Cutting Equipment Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Lloydpans

Restaurant Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Middleby Marshall

Espresso Eqpt.

Faema Canada

Mobile Kitchens Faema Canada Quantum Technical Services

Exhaust Equipment Degreasing Ifoodequipment.ca Food Processors Ifoodequipment.ca Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Shelving Ifoodequipment.ca Sinks Ifoodequipment.ca

Freezing Systems Ifoodequipment.ca

Packaging Eqpt.

Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Frozen Dessert Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Packaging Machinery Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Smokers Ifoodequipment.ca Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Panzarotti Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca

Stoves Ifoodequipment.ca

Pasta Eqpt.

Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Tables Ifoodequipment.ca

Fryers Ifoodequipment.ca

Dough Eqpt.

Am Manufacturing Company Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca Middleby Marshall Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Grinders Ifoodequipment.ca Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Dough Mixers Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Heated Delivery Systems Ifoodequipment.ca Rediheat, Inc.

Dryers Ifoodequipment.ca

Hot Boxes Ifoodequipment.ca Rediheat, Inc.

CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

Scales Ifoodequipment.ca

Freezers Ifoodequipment.ca

Griddles Ifoodequipment.ca

Catering Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca

Oven Accessories Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans

Roasting Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca

Ovens Earthstone Ovens Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca Middleby Marshall

Display Cases Ifoodequipment.ca

Carts Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans

Meat Nugget Forms Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Heat Lamps Ifoodequipment.ca

Ice Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca Iced Beverage Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca

Pizza Making Eqpt.

Am Manufacturing Company Earthstone Ovens Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca Middleby Marshall Quantum Technical Services Reiser (canada) Ltd. Racks Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Ranges Ifoodequipment.ca Refrigeration Sys. Faema Canada Ifoodequipment.ca

Slicers/Dicers Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Quantum Technical Services Reiser (canada) Ltd.

Toasters Ifoodequipment.ca Tortilla Eqpt.

Am Manufacturing Company Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Reiser (canada) Ltd. Trays Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Used Eqpt.

Ifoodequipment.ca Utensils Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans

CanadianPizzaMag.com

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BUYERS GUIDE

FOODS & INGREDIENTS Appetizers Mimi Food Products Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Baking Ingredients Ardent Mills Ulc Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Parmalat Canada Parrheim Foods (p&h Milling Group) Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd. Baking Powder Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Beverages (cold) Parmalat Canada Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Beverages (hot) Faema Canada Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Bread Products Adm Milling Company Ardent Mills Ulc Mimi Food Products Inc. Ok Frozen Dough Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Dessert Toppings Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Garlic Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Desserts Ardent Mills Ulc Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Herbs Deluxe Produce Ltd. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Desserts (Frozen) Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Meat Products Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Dough Ardent Mills Ulc Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Mimi Food Products Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Meatballs Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Eggs Deluxe Produce Ltd. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Mixes Adm Milling Company Ardent Mills Ulc Parmalat Canada

Flavours Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Flour Adm Milling Company Ardent Mills Ulc Faema Canada Parrheim Foods (p&h Milling Group) Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Croutons Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Foods & Ingredients Adm Milling Company Ardent Mills Ulc Deluxe Produce Ltd. Faema Canada Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Mimi Food Products Inc. Ok Frozen Dough Parmalat Canada Parrheim Foods (p&h Milling Group) Quantum Technical Services Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Crust Mixes Adm Milling Company Ardent Mills Ulc

Frozen Baked Goods Mimi Food Products Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Crusts Ardent Mills Ulc Mimi Food Products Inc.

Frozen Pizza Mimi Food Products Inc. Quantum Technical Services

Dairy Products Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Fruit Deluxe Produce Ltd. Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Breading Ardent Mills Ulc Cheese Parmalat Canada Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Condiments Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd.

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@CdnPizzaMag

Mexican Products Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Nuts Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Oils & Shortenings Deluxe Produce Ltd. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd. Olive Oil Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Salad Dressings Quantum Technical Services Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Sandwich Items Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd. Sauces Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Seafood Shafer-haggart Ltd. Seasonings Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Snack Foods Mimi Food Products Inc. Parmalat Canada Soups Soy Products Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Spices Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Syrups

Pasta Products Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Tomatoes & Prod.

Deluxe Produce Ltd. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Potatoes Deluxe Produce Ltd.

Toppings Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Prepared Foods

Vegetables Deluxe Produce Ltd. Shafer-haggart Ltd.

Pretzels Prosciutto Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Yeast Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Deluxe Produce LTD, a family-owned business focused on providing Food Services across the GTA and surrounding areas with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs sourced from local and regional farmers.

• 6 Day Deliveries • Only Use Number 1 Produce CONTACT • No Minimums • We are growers ourselves 416-819-2644 • Break Cases so we know quality joelsf12003@gmail.com July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA PZ_DELUXEPRODUCE_EYECATCHER_BG_JULAUG2020_ASK.indd 12020-07-28 9:01 AM

BUYERS GUIDE

SUPPLIES & SERVICES Aprons & Bibs Ifoodequipment.ca Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Delivery Sys. Deluxe Produce Ltd. Rediheat, Inc.

Bags Rediheat, Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Dinnerware Ifoodequipment.ca

Brushes Ifoodequipment.ca Cleaning Products Ifoodequipment.ca Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Cleaning Tools Ifoodequipment.ca Containers Ifoodequipment.ca Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Dough Boxes Lloydpans Gloves Ifoodequipment.ca Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Lids Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Napkins Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Online Ordering Lloydpans

Smallwares Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans

Oven Mitts Ifoodequipment.ca Packaging Supplies Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Pan Coatings Lloydpans Paper Products Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Pizza Pads Ifoodequipment.ca Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc

Supplies & Services Deluxe Produce Ltd. Foodtools Consolidated, Inc. Ifoodequipment.ca Rediheat, Inc. Sabrina Wholesale Foods Inc Thermometers Ifoodequipment.ca Trays Ifoodequipment.ca Lloydpans Uniforms Ifoodequipment.ca

DOUGH PRODUCTS

Advertisers Index Company

PZ_Mimifood_PP_June20_CSA.indd 1

Page #

Annex Bookstore ........................................... 20 Ardent Mills ULC .............................................. 2 EM Bakery Equipment B.C. Limited .............. 13 Faema Company (Canada) Ltd. / Euro-Milan Inc. ......................................... 28 Lesaffre Yeast Corporation ............................ 15 Mimi Food Products Inc................................. 25 2020-05-15 8:12 AM Pizza Misc ........................................................ 7 Reiser / Robert Reiser & Co. ......................... 27 Ricco Food Distributor ................................... 17 Springer’s Meats Inc. ..................................... 17 Stanislaus Food Products ............................ 4,5 Use these advertiser contact numbers to find out more about a product advertised in this issue or to place an order. This index is provided as a service.

Canadian Pizza Magazine is not liable for errors or omissions.

CANADIAN PIZZA · July/August 2020

CanadianPizzaMag.com

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1

CROSS-CANADA VIEWPOINT

BY CANADIAN PIZZA STAFF

DIY pizza kits

W

hen the pandemic forced Canadians to stay home, takeout and delivery took on more importance than ever. Many pizzerias either began selling do-ityourself kits – or put more focus on kits they already had available. Here’s what a few pizzerias are up to.

‘Genius idea!’ Video feedback encouraged: Moe Alhaj, founder, G-Street Pizza, Halifax Opened a year ago with by Moe Alhaj with business partner Paul Jebailey, G-Street Pizza in the north end of Halifax is known for its hybrid mix of a New York-style thin crust with a Maritimes-style thicker crust. “We met right in the middle between thick and thin,” Alhaj said. And although it wasn’t planned, the pizzeria also has proven to be a draw for the vegan and vegetarian crowd. “We didn’t plan for it but we became one of the strongest options for vegan, gluten-free and halal options. All it took was a couple of vegan and vegetarian customers sharing screen shots and it built from there.”

Alhaj told us about the makeyour-own-pizza-at-home kit they started when their dining area was shut down and their customers starting to go stir crazy at home. “We wanted to keep people engaged and stay on people’s radar during and after the pandemic shutdowns.” The kit gives customers a choice of a medium pizza with either cheese and pepperoni for $10 or vegan cheese and vegan sausage for $14. At-home chefs can add regular toppings for $3 each or vegan toppings for $4.

Their bestselling pizza – and kit – is their signature G-Street pizza, which includes a medium dough ball with pepperoni, cheese and jalapenos.

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When G-Street encouraged customers to share their experience of making the pizza in videos, they got great feedback.

Couples and families posted videos as did a popular Youtube channel.

Here you’ll read about pizzeria operators from across Canada and have a chance to share your own views on a wide range of topics. To offer feedback or ideas for future topics, get in touch with editor Colleen Cross at ccross@annexbusinessmedia.com or 519-428-3471 ext. 261.

Kit sales gradually started increasing day by day as people learned about them, Alhaj said. “People commented on Facebook and Instagram, ‘Great idea! Genius idea!’ They liked having something to do at home with the kids.”

The DIY kits include a very detailed instruction sheet that includes temperatures and cooking tips and, when G-Street encouraged customers to share their experience of making the pizza in videos, they got great feedback. Couples and families posted videos as did a popular Youtube channel, who, Alhaj said, “made a serious video.”

G-Street, whose tagline is “Our roots are local but our flavours are global,” will update its menu soon.

At the moment, one challenge is to get good, fresh ingredients. “We get a delivery every day and we’ve had to send it back three or four times,” Alhaj said. They are investigating working with some of the smaller farmers in the area, including Hope Blooms, a social co-operative started by neighbourhood teenagers and kids that grows produce for its signature salad dressings.

Promoting home, comfort and charity: Giorgio Taverniti, owner, Frank’s Pizza House, Toronto Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto sells DIY pizza kits for $19.95. “We’ve been selling for a few years but they are doing really well right now,” owner Giorgio Taverniti said when he talked with us in June. Included is “everything you need to make 10-inch pizzas at home,” including three mini pizza dough balls, 16 ounces of pizza sauce, grated mozzarella, cheese and pepperoni. Doughs also are sold separately: a 10-inch dough costs $2.50 and a large 16- 18-inch dough costs $3.50. Sauce lovers can pick up Frank’s 24-ounce portions of pasta or pizza sauce for $9.95 each. In advertising this option, the website plays up the idea of home

and comfort: “Buy our in-house, homemade tomato sauce for the enjoyment of your family in the comfort of your home.”

A blog post tells home chefs how to assemble and bake the pizza.

Taverniti, who is very active on social media, used a tried-and-true method to get the word out about their charitable and business activities. He had about 1,000 double-sided business cards made up and sent them out with every order, including the pizza kits.

From pizza parties to pizza kits: Suzanne Fielden, co-owner, Rocky Mountain Flatbread, six locations in B.C. and Alberta The pandemic shutdowns halted a normally busy events schedule for Rocky Mountain Flatbread that included their trademark pizza-making parties – normally held at Kitsilano and Main Street Vancouver locations.

“That’s what we’re known for,” said co-owner Suzanne Fielden. In a creative twist, they started selling the kits to go. They delivered 118 kits to one organization, which hosted a Zoom catch-up meeting with participants all making pizzas.

The kits figured into Rocky Mountain’s Mother’s Day marketing. Thinking of overworked parents juggling kids and work, they offered a Mother’s Day special: a $45 family pizza kit with four regular doughs, tomato sauce, mozzarella, four toppings and four housemade brownies. They posted a video of staff showing how to make the pizza using the kit and reminded people they could donate a meal to a single mom in need in Vancouver through a local organization. | CP Have you ramped up or got creative with take-home pizza kits?

Let us know!

July/August 2020 · CANADIAN PIZZA

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