PZ - November 2017

CREATING GOOD MANAGERS • PIZZA AUTOMATION canadianpizzamag.com • November 2017

SPREADING THE LOVE Zen’Za Pizzeria’s clean-eating concept helps all diners get what they crave

Volume 23 Issue 6 November 2017

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12 SPREADING THE LOVE

Zen’Za Pizzeria’s uncompromising clean-eating concept helps London, Ont., diners get what they crave

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16 PIZZA AUTOMATION

At Zume Pizzeria in California, a leader in restaurant automation, robots work alongside humans

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NO ‘I’ IN TEAM When your pizza place gets busy, communication, organization and teamwork are the order of the day

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20 SURF’S UP

ONLINE

Paris Surf provides a culinaryretailing experience in Paris, Ont., that highlights fashion and pizza

ABOVE AND COVER: Wayne deGroot and Jocelyn Morwood-deGroot of Zen’Za Pizzeria in London, Ont., are championing a healthier pie.

Photos by Jill Whelan Photography

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

8

pizza bites

10

the pizza chef

22

recipe

24

making dough

26

Giorgio’s corner

WHAT MAKES GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE? Good customer service is more than having a great attitude: it’s about meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations, customer service expert Shep Hyken writes. Find out how to keep those demanding customers happy at www.canadianpizzamag.com.

CANADIAN PIZZA EXTRAS | Kitchen equipment available on Canadian website; Yorkshire pudding pizza; Only 4% of Canadians would download a restaurant app …plus, the latest industry news and new products. www.canadianpizzamag.com

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 3

from the editor’s desk November 2017, Vol. 23, No. 6

Giving healthy drinks their due I

can be tempted when I see an interesting selection of teas, flavoured waters or diet soft drinks such as those you find at the fancy self-serve dispensing machines that offer a gazillion choices. I have a hunch others feel the same way and that there is untapped potential in the healthy drink market for pizzerias. The beverage market in Canada has boomed over the last decade and continues to grow, Statistics Canada’s numbers tell us.

Average monthly sales of non-alcoholic drinks in all food services have shown a steady incline from over $3.5 billion in August 2007 to over $5.5 billion in June 2017.

Full-service restaurants have seen their average monthly drink sales grow from about $1.5 million in June 2007 to nearly $2.5 billion in June 2007. Limited-service restaurants have seen similar growth.

Pizzerias can only benefit from staying in touch with drink trends and offering interesting and healthier choices. As these three trends suggest, it is wise to keep health in mind when stocking the drinks cooler.

1. Hybrids: Non-alcoholic beverages include hot drinks like coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and cold options like soft drinks, iced tea, energy drinks, juices, cold brew, milkshakes and bottled water. Some divisions are coming down and beverages melding together, a recent study by research firm Euromonitor suggests. For example, coffee and tea is percolating into soft drinks.

2. Hydration: Concerned about their health, people are becoming more active.

Keeping well hydrated goes along with that healthy lifestyle. The Euromonitor research is saying carbonated bottled water, coconut and other plant water, liquid concentrates and ready-to-drink coffees and teas, benefit from this demand.

3. Health: Consumers are also wary of their sugar intake and shy away from artificial ingredients such as sweeteners, colours and artificial flavours. This affects

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sports drink sales, research firm Technomic says. Diet drinks sweetened with zero-calorie sugar substitutes (for example, aspartame) are not perceived to be healthy by everyone. Other, more natural, sweeteners such as agave, Stevia and honey are getting customers’ attention.

On the hot side, high-quality coffees and teas are big drawing cards and there is solid research to back up their health benefits. Recent coffee research suggests coffee drinkers have lower blood pressure, fewer cardiovascular problems and were living longer. Tea has polyphenols that are powerful antioxidants, the Tea Association of Canada reports.

You can keep in step with these trends by making small, immediate changes to your menu. A webinar by Fast Casual magazine and food company Litehouse Inc. last year suggested a first step restaurants can make toward the clean-eating movement is to add healthier drinks and snacks that are ready to go and don’t require extra prep time and buying different ingredients.

When promoting your beverage options, however, consider taking a forward-thinking approach. In a recent report, the U.K.’s Royal Society for Public Health argues that restaurants should be rewarded for promoting healthier drinks (and for not upselling those proven to be unhealthy). This has not happened yet, but there is plenty of concern about the role promotion plays in customer’ decisions. The point is, you can offer a wide variety of drinks and still be sensitive to the problems of obesity, diabetes and other health issues in the way you present them.

Customers will notice and know you care about more than just your bottom line. •

Managing Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexweb.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261 Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Account Coordinator Shannon Drumm sdrumm@annexweb.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Curtis Martin Circulation Manager Anita Madden amadden@annexbizmedia.com 416-442-5600 ext 3596 Fax: 416-510-6875 (main) 416-510-5133 Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com COO Ted Markle tmarkle@annexweb.com President & CEO Mike Fredericks Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Published seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec) by Annex Business Media Circulation email: lmalicdem@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext. 3547 • Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 19.00 (+ applicable tax) Best pricing (Can/USA/foreign) available online at www.canadianpizzamag.com Occasionally, Canadian Pizza Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.

Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbizmedia.com • Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2017 Annex Publishing and Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianpizzamag.com

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pizzabites BRIEFLY | Kitchen equipment available on Canadian website; U.K. diner sells Yorkshire pudding pizza; Only 4% of Canadians likely to download a restaurant app | FOR MORE pizza news, check out our website, www.canadianpizzamag.com

Coupons, discounted meals driving restaurant traffic D

iscounted meals, coupons and other specials are likely to drive restaurant traffic, says a new report from research firm Technomic.

These specials and promotions include discounted meals, coupons, combo meals and all-you-can-eat specials, Technomic said in a news release.

Price is important, but there are other important aspects that factor in, the U.S. study suggests.

“Operators will increasingly focus on value that is driven by quality, service and convenience to meet rising

consumer demand,” said Kelly Weikel, the firm’s director of consumer insights, in the release. “Highlighting sustainable ingredients can help with quality perceptions, while greeting guests with a smile and thanking them for their visit goes a long way on the service front. As expectations for convenience increase and new technology emerges, offering the right mix of tech-based amenities will be key to enhancing the value proposition.”

More than half of consumers polled for the study say the use of sustainable foods represents good value at

Quebec’s Salamina celebrates big 4-0 alamina is celebrating 40 years in business in the Canadian restaurant industry. The Laval, Que.based company, which supplies meat toppings and sauces, is focused on steady growth and the manufacture of quality products.

Sotiris Antypas founded Salamina in downtown Montreal on May 13, 1977. In the early years, pepperoni was the focus, but later the company branched out into Italian and Greek sauces, and such toppings as bacon, ham, sausage, porchetta and capicolla.

Giovanni Srassatti joined as a director and partner in 1997.

In 2005, when it became GFSI certified, the company moved to a modernized location in Laval. “We needed a more modern facility to meet customer demand and match the company’s growth,” said Bruno Garofalo, sales director, who has been with Salamina since 2013. The new facility, which is three times the size of the original, will be able to handle the larger volumes they expect.

The entire plant is gluten-free, MSG-free, lactose-free, nutfree and peanut-free, Garofalo said. The goal is to keep up with Health Canada’s evolving list of known allergens. The trend in food service is to have as clean a label as possible, he adds.

Antypas and Garofalo have seen many changes in the Canadian pizza landscape over the years, and they agree the focus should be on quality: “There is still a lot of good volume and the industry is growing,” Garofalo said, suggesting the pizza industry would be wise to increase the quality of its ingredients to keep the bar high and give themselves a point of differentiation.

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restaurants. Almost half of consumers ages 18 to 34 say they are looking for a higher quality of menu items than they were two years ago. Thirty-one per cent of consumers say they use deal apps and websites and 43 per cent do so every week.

pizzabites

SickKids recognizes Topper’s for 6-year partnership T

he Hospital for Sick Children gave Topper’s Pizza executives a tour to thank them for their help in raising more than $200,000 for the hospital over a six-year joint campaign.

In that time, Topper’s Pizza has partnered with SickKids Foundation on an annual “Feel Good Meal” campaign that raises funds through customer online and in-store donations for The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

Over the years, their efforts have yielded more than $200,000 for the highest priority needs at SickKids, Topper’s said in a news release. This year, more than $44,000 was raised over a 10-week campaign across Topper’s locations in Ontario.

To thank them for their passion and commitment, SickKids Foundation invited Topper’s Pizza chief executive officers and executives for a donor appreciation tour on July 13.

“We rely on the generous support from the community and are grateful to the ongoing commitment of Topper’s Pizza and its customers,” said Seanna Millar, senior vice-president of corporate and community partnerships for the foundation. “The funds raised from their annual initiative will help SickKids continue to fund the fight against the greatest challenges in child health.”

“So many people have positive stories about SickKids, and we were thrilled that once again our customers chose to contribute to this campaign through our 40 pizzerias across the province,” said co-CEO, Kelly Toppazzini.

Customers could donate online, by phone or in store or order the Topper’s Feel Good Meal, created specifically for this campaign. Topper’s donated $2 from every Feel Good Meal sold, which included one large four-topping pizza and a dessert pizza.

Ont. workplace safety rate framework strives to be fair and transparent O

ntario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board says that it is changing the way it calculates employer premium rates, adding that the process will be easier for employers to understand and will more accurately reflect the risks associated with operating their businesses.

According to WSIB’s website, “We are changing the way we set premium rates for the 300,000 Ontario businesses covered by our workplace injury and illness insurance because every business deserves a system that is fair, transparent and easy to understand.”

The new premium rate-setting model will change the way Schedule 1 employers are classified, and the way their premium rates are set and adjusted. The framework will classify Ontario’s 300,000 businesses by adopting the North American Industry Classification Structure system (NAICS), which is used by Statistics Canada and Canada Revenue Agency.

In the new framework, employers will be assigned to a Predominant Class based on the class that represents the employer’s largest percentage of insurable earnings. WSIB says the framework is an approach “that ensures a fair premium for workplace coverage, and is based on each employer’s individual risk and claims experience.”

“In addition to your annual rates, you will be given projected premium rates in advance, which will act as an early indicator of the direction of your premium rates. This will help keep you informed and prepared for any changes to your rates in the future. As well, any rate changes as a result of the new model will be phased over time, to allow you to adjust,” WSIB says.

“We will continue our risk-sharing arrangement among all employers who collectively pay premiums to maintain the insurance fund,” WSIB says. “The rate framework is revenue neutral; the overall total amount of premium dollars collected by the WSIB will not change.” This rate framework will be implemented Jan. 1, 2020.

– Anthony Capkun

Studies find Swiss cheeses have health benefits P

From left to right: Seanna Millar, vice-president of corporate partnerships at the Hospital for Sick Children; Kelly Toppazzini, co-CEO and owner, Topper’s Pizza; Stewart Barton, director of marketing and communications, Topper’s; Keith Toppazzini, co-owner and COO, Topper’s; Mike Clewer, president, Topper’s; and Sheryl Yip, manager of sponsorship and cause marketing at SickKids.

robiotics found in Swiss cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyère could help reduce inflammation and boost immunity, a study out of Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea, suggests. As reported by Britain’s Independent, these probiotics, which are also found in other dairy products such as milk, can improve signs of aging, the study claims.

For more news updated daily, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 9

the pizza chef

Creating good managers Diana Cline

ow do you identify and bring along internal staff to management positions?

The pizza business is not a business of one: even independently owned takeout and delivery operations require additional staff to answer phones and to make and deliver pizzas.

Also, every owner needs a day off to rest and recharge, although I think for many of us these days are spent catching up on dozens of other things.

Many independent operators I know feel they cannot take a day off because the business doesn’t run as it would if they were there and because problems come up whenever they aren’t on site.

They feel the time off is not worth the problems. This is your warning flag that you’ve set yourself up with a job, not with a business that creates an income.

It is a fatal mistake many independent operators make.

A business set up this way is no way to live. Think about it: if you worked for anyone else, you’d have a limit on the number of hours you work, and you’d have time off and vacation pay accruing.

Working for yourself with a design that gives you no time off is a certain path to total burnout. You must make the mental shift from employee to business owner and from working for an hourly wage to increasing the value of your business.

Some independent pizzeria owners I know have shut down their store for a week or up to a month to take a vacation. I understand why; however, consider what it would mean to you if your store were set up to operate without you.

What if you could take that vacation and still have the business income?

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Back to the main point of this column: you need additional help to work your business and key individuals to manage your business, yet how do you find the right individuals to promote to those positions?

Take a step back for a moment and put first things first: you must systemize your operation. I mean that everything must be written down as a step-by-step manual on how to run your operation.

This in turn creates a system of checklists that automates your operation.

Do you personally open up your pizzeria every day? What is the first step?

And the next? And the next? Write these steps down and now you’ve created your “opening checklist.” Print up a dozen copies and make it a policy that every staff member who opens completes the opening checklist. Now any one of your staff can follow this simple checklist. It’s not a matter of leaving it up to the employee to remember: it’s either done or it isn’t.

Next, follow the same process for the step-by-step checklist for closing your pizzeria. Identify the essential tasks a supervisor or manager needs to perform the way you do, then create a document that could also be used as a checklist for these jobs.

Initially, it’s not a matter of the “who” as much as it is the purposeful breaking down of your operation into the simplest steps imaginable. An opening checklist usually looks like this: 1) Turn on air make-up unit/hood exhaust. 2) Turn on oven and make sure it’s set to the correct temperature. 3) Pull out dough to warm up. 4) Pull out pizza sauce bucket(s) to warm. 5) At 11 a.m. turn on the open sign and unlock the front door.

Employees who have been proven to consistently follow your checklists are the best candidates to promote to supervising positions.

And so on.

Lastly, it’s important to inspect what you expect. Verify that the checklists are being completed to the standard you have set. The staff members who have been proven to consistently follow your checklists are the best candidates to promote to supervising and managing positions. They have demonstrated they are willing and able to follow your directions on how to operate your pizzeria.

They are the likely natural leaders who will make your operation run smoothly, whether you are there on site or not.

It’s really that simple. • Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions, a judge for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and a partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and positioning to help operators grow their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited basis, for more information contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com

feature

Spreading the love Zen’Za Pizzeria’s uncompromising cleaneating concept helps London, Ont., diners get what they crave

BY COLLEEN CROSS

W

ayne deGroot and Jocelyn Morwood-deGroot, the owners of Zen’Za Pizzeria in London, Ont., have been on a health and career journey and ended up right where they should be.

Wayne and Jocelyn sat down with Canadian Pizza to talk about the pizzeria they launched just over a year ago as a labour of love. With solid bookings, glowing online reviews and inspiring stories about satisfied customers, it’s safe to say Zen’Za is now much more than a dream: it’s a viable business, an important part of downtown London and a meal provider for an underserved clean-eating market.

This very grounded couple support customers who want to eat clean and who may not always find a restaurant to suit their special dietary needs or preferences.

That includes but is by no means limited to vegetarians, vegans, and those who have food allergies and sensitivities.

Jocelyn says, “I want people to feel good when they’ve eaten the pizza, maybe even

better than they did when they came in.”

Some people wonder if they are giving up taste by eating healthier, she says. “We looked at it in terms of ‘If we build it, they will come.’ And they have.”

Although they serve all kinds of customers, including those who eat meat, one situation that seems to represent their food and business philosophy is the family with different requests all sitting down to a meal together. She gives the example of a teenage boy who wants a meat lover’s pizza, a mother who wants a gluten-free pie, a father who is lactose-intolerant and a daughter who has a food allergy.

The shop is laser-focused on pizza and its appetizer and salad menus are small and complementary. The menu promotes inclusivity by asking outright for input and ideas from pizza lovers. “This menu is a starting point,” it reads, finishing the price list with the sentiment, “Love is already included in every meal.”

Wayne and Jocelyn describe their business as a mom-and-pop shop. Partners in

RIGHT: Not long after the two fell in love with each other, Wayne deGroot and Jocelyn Morwood-deGroot fell in love with a health-focused pizzeria they visited in Florida.

Unable to find its equivalent back home in London, the two opened Zen’Za Pizzeria at the former Rico’s Downtown location.

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life and business, they handle aspects interchangeably, although typically he makes the pizzas and she handles front-of-house duties. They both love to interact with customers and sometimes she has to rescue him from customers who want to chat. It’s a happy peril that comes with having an open kitchen visible to customers.

When not working in the shop, Wayne is an architectural designer, and Jocelyn, a yoga instructor. Their other jobs help support the recent venture into food service, but when looked at as a whole, each element seems to support the rest in one big wholesome hub.

The 36-seat restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Renaissance apartment building in the city’s downtown.

Which happens to be where the couple live. Zen’Za is directly across the street from Budweiser Gardens, a sports-entertainment centre that presents OHL hockey games, big-name music concerts and other events.

Rising up beside the Gardens is Covent Garden Market, where the partners buy most of their fresh vegetables from various suppliers and some of their meat ingredients from Field Gate Organics.

Every ingredient they use is fresh.

“There is no freezer in the restaurant,” Wayne says.

They have a few vegan cheeses and they make gluten-free meats such as their vegan sausage in house. “It is a bit more labour intensive,” Jocelyn says. Another popular specialty is their coconut bacon, which simulates the taste of bacon. Organic ingredients are more expensive, she says, but they are pretty easy to find these days.

THE INSPIRATION Not long after Wayne and Jocelyn fell in love, they fell in love with a health-focused pizzeria they visited in Florida. Jocelyn, a self-described “clean-eating freak,” wished they could find something similar back home. “There was nowhere I wanted to eat,” she says. Zen’Za Pizzeria was the result of that quest.

They serve people the food they would eat themselves, she says, and favour food that contains no genetically modified ingredients. “Food is medicine. You’re going to eat what makes you feel good. It’s a

whole new take on comfort food.”

After returning, opportunity came knocking in the form of friend Rico Lanzi, who operates longtime London business Rico’s Pizzeria across the city on Hamilton Road. Lanzi couldn’t find the right person to operate his second location, Rico’s Downtown. The veteran operator taught Wayne how to make pizza, they perfected an ultra-thin crust and took charge of the business. They changed the name with a nod to the former owner on their website and social media pages and also on their menu in the form of Rico’s Famous Margherita Pizza.

They use a gas-fired oven and cook on a stone, Wayne says. They can’t use a woodfired oven because their location beneath apartments wouldn’t meet regulations.

They make one size of pizza – 14-inch, round – on a very thin, toasted crust. The toasted style is easier to break down and digest, he says. “The crust is a vehicle for the toppings.”

A MULTI-USE SPACE The restaurant is a “multi-use, high-energy space that is whatever it needs to be,” in Jocelyn’s words. Wayne, a designer by profession, sees lots of possibilities for what the space could be. Already it plays host to Jocelyn’s yoga teacher trainees, private parties and their own family functions.

Last Christmas they surprised their family by taking their wedding vows during a rare extended family gathering that included their children – she has two grown sons and he has one. “It was the anniversary of our first date, and with everyone coming, it just seemed like the right time to do it,” Wayne says.

As for working together as a couple, Jocelyn says she and Wayne work well together because they communicate openly.

“We are transparent with each other. We don’t have any pent-up feelings,” she says.

Because they have other jobs on the go, work-life balance is especially important to the couple. They take time off when they need to and they take vacations. “We take care of us so we can take care of everyone else,” Jocelyn says.

That doesn’t mean they don’t talk about work during their time off. “This is our baby,” she says with a smile of the business

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 13

Photos by Julie Whelan Photography

feature

Zen’Za sells one size of pizza – 14-inch, round – on a very thin, toasted crust. The toasted style is easier to break down and digest, says Wayne deGroot, co-owner and head chef. “The crust is a vehicle for the toppings.”

they opened the business nine months after they got together. “So we talk about it all the time.”

In fact they took a week off last March to mix work and play by attending the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. The event opened their eyes to the industry. “There are a lot of positives to attending a trade show,” she says. “You see people doing something similar to what you’re doing. It’s just good to see what’s run-of-themill and what’s different.”

After taking time off, there is no sense of dread on coming back to work, she says.

Another way they maintain balance is to keep rather unusual hours for the restaurant business. They are closed Monday and Tuesday for private functions and to give Wayne time to work on his design projects. They are open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for lunch and dinner, and Saturday and Sunday for dinner only.

NO REASONABLE REQUEST DENIED However, they sometimes see faces of regular customers and friends pressed up against the glass – some of them finishing shifts in their own restaurants. If the oven is still on they will cook someone a pizza, Jocelyn says.

The couple are eager to accommodate all manner of special requests; in fact, they make it a point of honour not to disappoint.

They’ve had some interesting requests.

Anchovies, pineapple and hot peppers was a surprising combination ordered, they agree. “It covers the salty, the sweet and the spicy,” Wayne explains.

Is there any request they won’t meet? “We do not serve slices,” Jocelyn says. “And we do just one type of crust. So we don’t do a thicker crust.” But in typical people-pleasing fashion, they came up with an innovation meant to satisfy those who want a heartier, thicker pizza: the double-decker, which features two sauce and cheese pizzas, one on top of the other, with the toppings on the

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outside pizza only. It’s proven very popular.

Wayne loves making the double-stacked pie. “We hit hard on social with that one,” he says.

BALANCING TAKEOUT AND DINE-IN With its busy central location, the pizzeria sees lots of foot traffic.

They sometimes get a big order for takeout, which can slow down dining room service. To prevent bottlenecks, they encourage people to call ahead and place an order or reserve a table if they are going to an event afterwards.

She is a big proponent of being open and honest about how long an order will take, and keeping people happy with drinks and appetizers until their pizza is ready.

They opened in September 2016, by March 2017 they were listed on Trip Advisor as the No. 14 restaurant in London, and soon after that they ranked No. 1. As of this writing, they were listed as the No. 15 restaurant – not just pizzeria – in London.

Getting the approval of online vegan outreach group London Ontario Vegan Experience (L.O.V.E.) also proved a great boost to the business.

As for what the future will bring, Jocelyn says they have discussed the possibility of franchising someday, possibly out west.

She says she could envision that, if they found the right person to run it.

Right now, they are preparing to hire their first staff and are discerning about hiring. “We want someone who feels almost as passionate – if not more passionate – about what we’re doing as we do,” she says.

In general, Jocelyn says, London has not seen a huge variance in pizza styles. That’s partly why they opened their place. “We are not in competition,” she is quick to add. “We just want to be the best we can be.” • For more success stories, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com > Profiles

newproducts From equipment to ingredients to business technology, Canadian Pizza keeps you in the know. For more on new products for the pizza industry, check out our website, www.canadianpizzamag.com Colourful pasta suits a vegan diet Angel Pasta has come up with a colourful line of pasta it says is

Custom knives feature beautiful materials

vegan, all natural and contains no eggs, milk or soy.

The company’s couscous, orzo and gnocchi also are free of ar-

Custom Origin Handcrafted Goods is a small, family-run busi-

tificial colours and ingredients, R&D chef Scott Beale told Canadian Pizza at Pizza Expo.

Jerusalem couscous and Turkish orzo comes in several flavours: golden natural, confetti, lemon pepper, Persian saffron, spinach and Tuscan tomato.

Specialty flavours such as lavender, smoky black bean, squid ink and wild mushroom also are available. Couscous and orzo are sold in boxes containing six two-pound bags.

Sicilian gnocchi comes in natural, lemon pepper, spinach, primavera and tomato flavours. It is sold in boxes containing five two-pound bags. angelpasta@angel-pasta.com

ness in southern Manitoba that creates custom knives made from durable steel and a variety of woods from around the world.

Custom knives include a Japanese Nakiri (pictured) featuring a forged sawmill steel blade. The handle is made from Arizona desert ironwood with maple burl accents. Nakiri blades are the ideal choice for vegetable prep work because the broad, flat blade dices and chops easily, artist and company co-founder Marc Liss says.

Most knife handles feature a variety of woods from around the world, but they also incorporate metals, such as brass, or composite materials, such as Micarta. Many pieces feature wood from deer or moose antlers.

The knife blades are made using high carbon or tool steel. Unlike stainless steel, these blades will naturally oxidize over time, and age with a beautiful patina, according to the company website.

Orders may take about nine weeks to fulfil. originhandcrafted.com

TASTE THE

TRADITION

Manufacturers and Distributors of Italian Specialty Cheeses and Food Products

gaylea.com • 1-800-268-0508 • salernodairy.com NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 15

feature

Pizza automation Zume Pizzeria in California leads the world with restaurant automation

BY TREENA HEIN

16 pizza NOVEMBER 2017

Photos courtesy Zume Pizza

I

f anyone is a pioneer in automation of food processes, it’s Alex Garden. A Canadian ex-patriot and now-popular conference panellist, he founded Zume Pizzeria in Silicon Valley, Calif., with Julia Collins in June 2016.

“My original idea was actually to create a way to bake pizza en route to your door and didn’t have anything to do with robots – that came later,” Garden recalls. “I developed the idea for ‘Baked On The Way’ technology after sitting next to an owner of several pizza franchises on a plane, discussing the downsides of the business: weak unit economics, rigid delivery structure, no room for flexibility with ingredients, customer complaints from cold, soggy pies, etc. From there the idea sparked to take on the $40 billion per year pizza delivery market, but do it better.”

A few years later in 2015, Garden and Collins got together and fleshed out a pizza company based on one founding principle: high-quality food at a fair price.

“We then developed our first team of robots,” Garden says, “to support that mission.” There are no storefront Zume shops, only pizza delivered from a central facility, where robots Pepe and Giorgio dispense the sauce, Marta spreads the sauce and Bruno puts the pizza in the oven for pre-baking (after a human has put on the toppings). A human transfers the pizza to one of seven delivery trucks, each with up to 56 onboard ovens. A software program maps the routes to customer addresses and automatically co-ordinates baking times so that by the time the truck gets to your door (brought to you by the driver), your pizza is just finished cooking. Zume now delivers more than 400 pies a day.

The ingredients are local and very high-quality and Zume chooses non-GMO flour for the crust. The box is completely degradable, including all stickers.

Garden says that instead of focusing on stunts [he points to the unsuccessful use of drones and a cancelled plan to use reindeer in Japan, both by Dominos], they worked to develop a delivery process that would actually improve pizza quality and taste.

“Automation exists to improve the quality of human lives,” he notes. “Before we start any automation project we must have the conviction that it will create a safer, more engaging work environment for our employees – and that it will improve our margins so we can invest even more in delivering high-quality food to our customers.”

In the process, Garden and his team discovered there’s an

Zume Pizzeria robot Bruno puts the pizza in the oven for pre-baking (after a human has put on the toppings). This unit employs both a camera and a sensor to detect a pizza’s arrival in front of it and its exact location.

enormous selection of companies and equipment out there for process automation, and “with today’s CAD [computer-aided design] systems, flexible manufacturing and our imaginations to contend with, it’s really easy to engineer a complex system that checks the box of ‘so cool’ but fails in production,” he says. “In our experience, the best automations are the most simple.” Garden also notes that once they automate something, the real stamp of approval comes

which involves a screen mounted to the arm of an ABB articulated-arm robot. This enables a unique viewer experience featuring virtually unlimited movement to the video media. Another ABB articulated-arm robot is now being used in an automated luggage storage and retrieval system at Yotel, a brand new luxury hotel in Manhattan.

AUTOMATION AND HUMAN JOBS Zume has more than 130 full- and part-time human employees, and Garden says the use of the four robots has provided “several amazing advantages.” Labour savings allow Zume to provide an average hourly wage of $16.31, and all employees are shareholders with good benefits. Savings from robot use have also been reinvested in higher-quality ingredients.

In addition, Garden says further automation of the remaining repetitive pizza-making tasks will allow the replaced employees to get “involved in areas of the company that they are most interested in.” As kitchen staff is eventually cut from six to two (with the two remaining humans slicing and preparing toppings and overseeing quality control), the four replaced workers will move into what Garden describes as “more stimulating roles in the company, like marketing or data science.”

Robot Marta spreads the sauce.

He adds that “those jobs that require more advanced creative later from Zume’s “amazing food and delivery workforce . . . skills, like tasting and recipe development, will always be done when they tell us automation is really making their lives easier by humans. Jobs are sacred to us, so we believe there’s room for people and robots to coexist.” and safer.”

Not everyone shares that view. The topic of robots in restaurants came up in a May 2016 inAPPLICATION CHALLENGES terview on ‘Fox Business’ with former McDonald’s Bruno, the robot that picks up a topped pizza from In our USA CEO Ed Rensi. Commenting on a possible the conveyor and places it in the pre-bake oven, is experience, the $15 minimum wage, Rensi stated that “it’s cheapan ABB IRB 2600 made by ABB Robotics. Nicolas De Keijser, assembly and test business line man- best automations er to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee making $15 an hour” to bag French ager for the company’s North American division, are the most fries. Rensi went on to call a $15 minimum wage says enabling Bruno to maintain a pizza’s round “very destructive” and predicted it would “cause a shape proved to be a significant challenge. simple.” – job loss across this country like you’re not going “When transferring, dough can easily stretch or Alex Garden, to believe.” ripple up,” he explains. “This was addressed by Has the robot restaurant revolution already developing an innovative gripper attached to the Zume Pizzeria begun? At Pizza Hut restaurants in Asia, cusrobot arm with a built-in conveyor.” De Keijser tomers with a MasterCard “MasterPass” on says it was also a challenge to perfectly synchrocofounder their smartphones give their orders to robot nize the motion of the robot and the gripper with waiters named Pepper (menu screens are lothe movement of the main conveyor.

Marta, which spreads the sauce, is an ABB IRB 360 FlexPicker cated on the robots’ chests). Digital ordering kiosks have unit. This unit employs both a camera and a sensor to detect a been installed by Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Panera across the pizza’s arrival in front of it and its exact location. “This allows United States to speed up service and reduce the robot to accurately spread the sauce in a specific pattern,” labour costs.

For its part, Zume continues to automate. The firm has De Keijser says. “Depending on the type of pizza, the spreading installed a dough-pressing machine that can turn out a pie every pattern of the sauce varies.”

He says the use of robots in kitchens is very new, but that nine seconds, four times faster than without it.

“In terms of drones and self-driving cars, we’re always robots are being used around the world in similar applications such as spreading sauce in a frozen pizza plant and packing monitoring the latest technology and there may be room food items. And for ABB, De Keijser says novel uses of robots for those types of developments in the future,” Garden in the service, entertainment and retail industry are “definitely” says. He adds that “eventually, we’d like to grow across the an increasing trend. RoboScreens, for example, are used above West Coast, then the entire country, then across the globe! the main stage on Royal Caribbean Quantum Class cruise ships, Everyone loves pizza!” •

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 17

feature

No ‘I’ in team When your pizza place gets busy, communication, organization and teamwork are the order of the day

BY COLLEEN CROSS

18 pizza NOVEMBER 2017

Photo courtesy Tillson Pizza

S

teve and Le Roi Tran have owned and operated Tillson Pizza, a mainstay of Tillsonburg, Ont., for the past 15 years.

Ask any operator. A pizzeria is a hopping place, especially during the supper rush, those whirlwind nights-before-thelong-weekend and the insanity that is December. When orders are pouring in, how do you keep things moving and manageable while keeping your own sanity?

We spoke with pizzerias and staffing experts to glean a few ideas for keeping your team moving like a well-oiled machine.

Charbel Makhlouf has owned and managed Jessy’s Pizza in Dartmouth, N.S., for seven years. The busy pizzeria in the community of 67,000 on the eastern shore of Halifax harbour, is a hub for an elementary school, high school, community college and hockey leagues. The shop offers eat-in, takeout and delivery service.

Makhlouf’s employees range in age from about 20 to 60, and on any given shift, he has six people working, including himself. A cashier takes orders, handles cash, and – when there is time – walks orders out to the tables and clears them afterwards. Typically there is one cook there through the day and two or more at suppertime and during busy periods. Tips go to the cashier, who shares them with other staff on weekends.

As owner, he is on site all day and at other times as needed. He does the prep work himself – including making the dough, mixing the sauces and chopping vegetables. “I like to do it myself as a way to maintain consistency,” he says.

He moved the shop to the highly competitive Main Street to capture more business and feels the higher rent has been worth it. But with that extra business comes challenges.

Most of the time things run fairly smoothly. “The challenge is the time we have versus how busy we are during the suppertime rush,” he says. With two phones ringing, Friday is very busy, he adds. “Everyone jumps in when needed, including the drivers.”

When there is a slowdown or issue, “you hear it right away,” he says. And because they have an open kitchen, so do customers.

“There could always be a little bit more communication,” he says.

“We try to put everything on the order sheet. The problem is with new hires. Customers want pizzas made in all different ways. There is no time for the cashier to talk to the cook, so it’s important they write down the details.”

Employees must work as a team to keep the orders flowing, he says. “It directly affects my business.”

Steve and Le Roi Tran have owned and operated Tillson Pizza, a

Steve Tran is co-owner of Tillson Pizza, a family business that uses cross-training to maintain a steady flow of pizza.

mainstay of Tillsonburg, Ont., for the past 15 years. The couple immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong during the Vietnam War, living first in Toronto then settling in the growing town with a population of 15,000.

Daughter Phuong Tran is proud of what her parents have achieved. Tran and her three grown siblings – sister Suong, and brothers Duong and John – have worked in the business most of that time alongside a few part-time staff.

They have carryout and delivery and have no seating area, a strategy Tran thinks makes the business efficient.

The store gets very busy during the supper hour. Often there is a quiet lull but everyone is ready to spring into action when the phone starts ringing, Tran says.

She agrees teamwork and good communication are important.

All team members are trained to perform all jobs – front counter, prep work, pizza making and delivery – and they float between stations as required. Cross-training allows multiple people to work on one big order and scheduling becomes less of a headache, she says.

Of course, they all have their strengths, Tran says. Steve and brother Duong regularly do deliveries, Tran herself often works the front counter expediting orders and Le Roi’s specialty is doing the detailed prep work.

HIRING PROCESS Building an efficient operation and happy team starts with the hiring process, Makhlouf and Tran agree. When hiring cashiers, Makhlouf looks for someone who is detail oriented. “Volume is hard, so they must communicate a lot in writing,” he says. “We need someone who can keep a cool head.”

A resumé is no indication someone will be a good employee, he says. “People who have good qualifications don’t always work out.”

He has them work for a couple of hours to see how they handle themselves, a trial-by-fire method that helps him evaluate workers.

“You get a feel for people even in that short time,” he says. “You see who has the ability to hustle.”

The hands-on owner doesn’t often take time off, but when he does, it typically takes two employees to replace him: one to manage the restaurant and the other to do the prep work. “I have recipes for everything, of course.”

His ideal candidate is someone who can fill the role of cook and nighttime manager – and potentially fill Makhlouf’s shoes when he is away.

Because Tillson Pizza is a family business, their recruiting consists of hiring high school students for part-time work. When they do hire, Tran says, they look for people who are flexible, have good time-management skills, communicate well and are team players.

“Your dinner rush or lunch rush is only a couple of hours,” she says. “We learned very early and very quickly that whatever happens in that rush you can’t take personally and you can’t dwell on. So, anyone who is very flexible and easygoing is who we look for.”

COMMUNICATE! Both Makhlouf and Tran have plenty of ideas for keeping their teams happy and motivated – these ideas may be boiled down to one concept: communication.

“Make sure employees know what’s expected and what the rules and regulations are, Makhlouf says. “Writing down your expectations takes a lot of stress out of the training process and makes it automatically easier for you to manage,” he says. “When the night shift comes in, it’s a little easier when they can go over what went wrong through the day.”

To this end, he set up a whiteboard: on one side he writes down significant changes; on the other, he writes down recurring problems. The board is located in the employees’ rest area, giving them time to relax and think about the points.

Managers should realize employees are their greatest source of information, Tran says. “They’re the ones who are working the different stations, they’re the ones who know when time is tight and when the pressure’s on in the kitchen, they know what’s going to make it faster and easier for them.”

“Putting yourself in your employees’ shoes is the best way to know what’s working,” she says. “It’s so easy when tempers are hot for people to say, ‘Why don’t you do this faster?’ ” It’s helpful if managers can take a hands-on approach. Her parents, for example, will go to different stations and help if a person is falling behind or needs some help, and see what can be improved next time. “They can then make changes – not just ignore the problem. That night or the next day, they’ll try something new. If it works, stick to it.”

Every part is important, she emphasizes. “In a pizza kitchen it starts with a phone call and making sure it’s accurate, to the dough and making sure it’s thick or thin, to toppings to making sure they are what the customer wants. When it comes out of the oven, it’s making sure it’s cooked well and cut and the front line needs to give it to the customer hot and at the right price.”

Just one error can really affect the operation, she says. “We know

that as soon as that hiccup happens, it can cause problems for everyone – not just that one station.”

“Not all industries are like that, but for the pizza industry, because it’s such a high turnaround rate, from the minute you make a pizza to the time you it’s sent out – it’s about 20 minutes – is not a lot of time.

One error can really set everybody back.”

Karen and Ross Horton of Patrice and Associates, a recruiting firm in Niagara Falls, Ont., agree that good communication and a high level of empathy can go a long way towards helping a restaurant run smoothly.

“The best managers lead by example and work shoulder to shoulder with staff,” Karen says. Creating a level of appreciation and understanding for all roles is key. Gatherings before and after shifts are a good idea and working one on one also can be beneficial, she says.

She also recommends managers be observant when working with each staff member, for example, watching an employee enter orders into the POS system can help you spot potential problems in the process.

“It’s important to hire people who value teamwork. Ask them to tell a story of how they helped someone out,” Ross suggests.

Another way managers can help staff operate smoothly as a team is to practise showing appreciation and positive reinforcement, he says. Having some form of compensation based on overall team performance can go a long way. “The challenge is that people can get so busy,” he says. •

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profile

Surf’s up Paris Surf is L.A., New York and small-town humility all rolled into one glorious culinary-retailing experience

BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS

W

e forget sometimes that pizza is fun. It’s a sentiment not lost on Chip Foster, the Canadian fashion designer known for his premium jeans beloved by the likes of Robin Wright, Sarah Jessica Parker and Beyonce.

When the entrepreneur decided to open a business in Paris, Ont., he envisioned a cool place to party. A place where his kids would want to hang out. He found the perfect building and had the perfect fashion line to showcase – now to add the party to weave in the retailtainment that would bring the brand to life. Naturally, he reached for pizza.

Paris Surf is a mashup of L.A., New York and smalltown humility all rolled into one glorious culinary-retailing experience. You know you’re about to enter a special space as you reach to open the front door and realize the door pull is an axe. Foster fell in love with the building as he drove past it one day and soon afterwards purchased it. The fashion retailing resides at the front of the store while the pizzeria operates at the back.

WHY PIZZA? “I’m from the fashion industry and whether you’re in New York, L.A. or even Japan, pizza is there. I realized that even when it’s a bad pizza, it’s still an experience. After having worked with various retailers over the years I knew I didn’t want a cold, generic in-store experience. This is why retail is dying. Shopping needs to be experiential,” Foster says. He wanted to make the best pizza, so he went to the East Coast to train with some of the best pizza makers in the United States. He hit on the right dough and sauce combination and wanted to ensure the portions weren’t huge. Paris Surf boasts a mouthwatering menu of options such as a Cheeseburger pizza and a BLT pizza. They also offer a gluten-free pizza crust.

Chip Foster is clear about his desire to stay focused on pizza and do that well. “We talked about possibly adding a calzone or sandwiches to the menu,” he says. “I said ‘No, we’re sticking to pizza.’ ” The pizzeria is covered in white subway tile, including a gorgeous pizza oven branded with the Paris Surf tag line. “The oven is the first one in Canada with a double burner and rotating oven. It adds to the retailtainment when people can watch it operate,” he says.

20 pizza NOVEMBER 2017

The dining space features an eclectic mix of mismatched tables and chairs that might have come from the family cottage.

SOLID BRAND IDENTITY The pizza and the clothes deliver quality in spades but any marketing visionary knows that a solid brand identity gives structure to the storytelling that enhances the experience. Paris Surf’s name and tag line speak more to the promise it makes to the customer than to the actual product or service. The business name – Paris Surf – suggests an exotic party…a melding of rural Ontario and California. The logo showcases a big red heart reminiscent of the “I love New York” logo that works beautifully to elicit the right connection to both pizza and fashion. The logo is supported by the tag line “Paris Surf Loves You.” We ask Chip Foster where that statement came from and what it means to him and to the business. “Coming from the fashion business, I know how people fall in love with brands. I was in a hotel and woke up in the middle of the night knowing that ‘Paris Surf Loves You’ was the perfect sentiment. Not one thing about it says pizza. It’s about how we feel about the customer. That everyone is welcome. The team is trained to make it right for the customer and to ensure they have a great experience.”

That sense of fun, approachability and connection has seeped into every visual aspect of the store and restaurant. Good retail marketers know that the moment of arrival in a space is an

Photos by Michelle Brisebois

Paris Surf’s double-burner rotating pizza oven is meant to add to the clothing shop’s appeal as “retailtainment.”

opportunity to make a statement and Foster does this with verve.

The front door handle is an axe embedded in the door frame (blade on the bottom). You pause, you smile, and you enter ready to party. The clothing store showcases Foster’s designer denim and some shirts, caps and other accessories. Most of the clothing is

Canadian made with the exception of the denim jeans. “The denim is Japanese and Italian made,” the designer says. The clothing store has a cottage vibe that flows nicely into the pizzeria. The dining space is covered with white subway tile and offers an eclectic mix of mismatched tables and chairs that many people would recognize from the family cottage or their childhood. The beautiful wood rafters above showcase a canopy of dozens of vintage chandeliers.

Hanging from one rafter is an old outboard boat motor. It’s arresting and a curious choice but it also makes you smile and reminds you that this is no cookie-cutter space. Now we really had to ask, ”What’s up with the outboard motor?” Foster points out that beauty and good design can be found in many places. “This old stuff is like pieces of art. It’s not like the crap coming out of stores now.” While the designer is open to the idea of expanding to more locations, he is committed to doing it in a way that honours the brand identity.

“We want to do it in a controlled way, keeping it tight,” he says.

The rules of retailing are shifting quickly. Whether it’s clothes, food, dining, banking or widgets – we’re shifting from a transactional to an experiential focus. Paris Surf is a study in how to do it right. When asked to sum up his philosophy as a merchant, Foster is crystal clear about the path forward. “This is the future of retail.

We need to engage with people.” • For more success stories, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com > Profiles

VIVA LA PIZZA! THE ART OF THE PIZZA BOX Since the origin of to-go pizza, pizzerias and pizza chains have taken great pride in covering take-out boxes with captivating designs. They’ve also wrestled with the best way to manufacture a box that can keep a pizza both hot and stable.

Where does all of this art come from? Scott Wiener has been collecting and cataloging pizza boxes for 10 years. In Viva La Pizza!

– named after a popular box design – Wiener traces design trends over the past four decades and speaks to some of the world’s most prolific box designers.

Here the world’s expert on pizza boxes collects 100 weird and wild box designs and explores the curious history of the pizza box.

Included are international designs, corporate designs, and dozens of quirky images produced by and for mom-and-pop pizzerias.

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 21 VivaLaPizza_BookAd.indd 1

2014-11-11 8:38 AM

recipe

Pillow of dreams Looking for a new dessert pizza for the holiday season? Try this sweet innovation.

BY GIANLUCA DONZELLI AND STEFANO MANFREDI, PIZZAPERTA MANFREDI

P

izza New: A whole new era for the world’s favourite food, by chef Stefano Manfredi, looks at what happens when pizza is made using different stone-milled flours, various fermentation procedures and free of the strictures of tradition. It includes recipes for pizza rossa, pizza bianca, Roman pizza, and filled, fried and sweet pizzas such as the delicate dessert recipe below, “Pillow of dreams.”

“Italians love their Nutella,” writes Manfredi, who owns and operates Restaurant Manfredi and bel mondo and Pizzaperta Manfredi in Sydney, Australia. “It’s a treat given to them in their childhood and many continue this love affair when they become adults.”

He provides a history of the chocolate treat: “Nutella is now famous throughout the world, but its origins begin with Italian pastry maker, Pietro Ferrero, who created a chocolate bar cut with high-quality Piemontese hazelnut paste. That was in 1946 when chocolate was in short supply post-war. It became an instant success. Many loved having bread and chocolate for breakfast, so in 1951 a version with a creamy, spreadable

consistency was invented called Supercrema.

It was Pietro’s son Michele who rebranded it as Nutella in 1963 and it is now enjoyed by millions of people all over the world.”

“This is Pizzaperta’s version of a Nutella pizza. When our chef, Gianluca Donzelli, created it he said it was ‘like a dream.’ ” INGREDIENTS 250 g (9 oz.) ball of basic pizza dough (see below), shaped as you would a normal round pizza, but make it larger by not leaving a cornice on the edge • • • • • • •

4 tbsp Nutella 2 tbsp flaked almonds icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting 1 scoop of vanilla gelato 2 strawberries, halved 1 tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint leaves 1 sprig of fresh mint

METHOD To assemble: Place a large tile in your oven for the pizza, then preheat to full heat (without using any fan-forced function) for at least 20 minutes. Cut the pizza base into as large a square as possible. Place a tablespoon

CENTRE: This creative dessert pizza featuring Nutella is topped off by a scoop of vanilla gelato.

22 pizza NOVEMBER 2017

recipe of Nutella halfway between each corner and the middle of the square. Scatter the flaked almonds on top of each tablespoon of Nutella. Fold each of the corners of the dough into the centre over the filling, forming a smaller square, and seal by pinching the edges gently where the folds meet. Place the pizza in the oven for 3-5 minutes until cooked, turning to get an even colour. Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a board.

Sprinkle with a light dusting of icing sugar.

Place on a serving plate. Add a scoop of vanilla gelato in the middle, a strawberry half in each corner and scatter the sliced mint on top. Finish with a mint sprig on the gelato.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH The direct method for producing pizza dough is the easiest because all the ingredients are mixed together at about the same time. This is the method that the large majority of pizza-makers use because it’s simple and quick.

For our recipes, however, we extend the maturation phase of the dough in the refrigerator so the final cooked pizza is easily digested and the flavour of the wheat maximized. Using an unrefined, stoneground whole-wheat (not wholemeal) flour is important because of its rich nutrients and the fact that it means less yeast is needed for fermentation and the maturation phase is thus more effective.

not smooth. This should take only 3-4 minutes. Stop the mixer and let the dough rest in the bowl for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dissolve the yeast in the remaining water. Once the dough has rested, turn the mixer on to medium and add the dissolved yeast. Two minutes later, add the salt, mix for 2 minutes and then add the olive oil. Keep mixing until the dough is shiny and homogenous, about 6 minutes. Turn the speed up a little and mix for 2 minutes more.

A good way to check the elasticity is right is to stretch a piece of dough and if it forms a strong, transparent membrane without breaking (similar to blowing a bubble with gum), it is ready. Let the dough sit, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes in winter or 15 minutes in summer. The dough is now ready to be shaped into balls and then rested further in the refrigerator before shaping into discs (see pages 80–83). Makes 6 pizzas (250 g/9 oz. each).

COOKING BASIC PIZZA DOUGH In a wood-fired oven

With the floor temperature between 360400 C (680-750 F), a pizza will take around 90 seconds to cook. Some pizzaioli cook at temperatures up to 450 C (840 F) and this takes less time. The pizza is put directly on to the oven floor to cook, thereby getting an immediate ‘lift.’

Fresh yeast dough

This recipe is for making pizza using fresh or compressed yeast. Each 250 g (9 oz.) ball of dough will make one 30 cm (12 in.) pizza, which feeds one person.

INGREDIENTS •

Photo by Bree Hutchins

• • • • •

1 kg (2 lb. 4 oz./6²⁄³ cups) unbleached, stoneground whole-wheat flour or strong bread flour 550 ml (19 fl. oz.) water at room temperature 8 g (¼ oz.) fresh (compressed) yeast 20 g (¾ oz.) sea salt 30 ml (1 fl. oz.) extra virgin olive oil

METHOD Place the flour and 500 ml (17 fl oz./2 cups) of the water in a mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Begin mixing on a low speed and keep mixing until the flour has absorbed all the water but is still

In a domestic oven

My suggestion is to find a large terracotta tile that fits onto your oven rack. Place the rack on the bottom rung of your oven and the tile on top, giving you plenty of room above to manipulate the pizza. Turn to full heat without using any fan-forced function and let the oven run for at least 20 minutes to heat the tile completely. When the pizza is ready, use a floured paddle to take it from the bench on to the tile. Close the oven immediately. At around 250-280 C (480535 F) a pizza takes 3-5 minutes to cook, depending on your oven temperature.

It will have a crisp, bread-like texture and should be no less delicious than the wood-fired version. • This recipe appears courtesy of Murdoch Books, publisher of Pizza New: A whole new era for the world’s favourite food.

NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 23

making dough with Diane

How to hire the right staff: checklist (part 1) Diane Chiasson

inding the right people is not easy, and hiring can be one of the most frustrating aspects of running your pizzeria.

Here are important tips on how to hire the right employees for your pizza restaurant.

F

WRITE THE IDEAL JOB DESCRIPTION Basically, the first step before the hiring process begins is to clearly define what you need from each position and to identify the skills needed for each role.

Make sure your job descriptions really fit the requirements of the position and are as specific as possible. You should definitely write down all of your wants and needs on paper first, then rank your main characteristics from most important to least important. Developing a proper job description is not the most exciting task, but it will help you identify your business’s real needs.

POST SPECIFIC POSITION ADS When you are ready to search for your new employee, it’s time to create a job posting. Describe each position very carefully. Letting potential applicants know what to expect from the get-go will reduce time and effort spent interviewing unqualified applicants. Your concise and detailed ad should describe your company brand and culture, as well as your restaurant’s concept, style of service and hours of operation: Is it high-end, targeted at families, sophisticated or fun? Write down any other relevant aspect of each job description.

ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS Ask your current employees to recommend strong candidates from their

24 pizza NOVEMBER 2017

networks: it can save you time, money, and headaches. You should also ask colleagues, friends and family members to pass the word around that you are now hiring. These connections are a great way to quickly find prospective employees who are already verified by someone you trust.

Consider adding a new page on your website with a colourful banner at the top saying, “Work for the best pizzeria in town.” Include a contact form at the bottom of the page and this will ensure that you always have plenty of candidates sending their information.

Other online resources to check out are Craigslist, LinkedIn, Monster, Indeed, colleges, high schools and community centres, and also some events and festivals. Don’t forget to post flyers on your windows and in local coffee shops, grocery stores, libraries and bookstores.

DEVELOP INTERVIEW QUESTIONS In order to streamline the interview process and prioritize objective evaluation, you must first develop a clear picture of what kind of special person would be the ideal fit for your pizzeria and job responsibilities. Creating a list of standard questions will ensure you don’t forget to ask the right questions. You should ask the following questions: • Tell me about yourself.

• What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?

• What made you want to change workplaces at this time?

• What do you dislike about your current job?

• Have you ever worked in a similar restaurant?

• Why did you apply here and not other restaurants?

• What do you know about our pizzeria? Have you dined at our place before?

• What kind of restaurant experience do you have?

• What is your favourite and your least favourite part of working in a restaurant?

• What qualities do you think you possess for this job?

• What things do customers do that you dislike?

• Are there any customers you would refuse to serve?

• Give me an example of when you gave excellent customer service.

• How would you deal with a demanding or angry customer?

• What do you do in your free time?

What are your hobbies?

• Have you ever had a major conflict involving your co-workers? How did you handle it?

• What does being a team player mean to you?

• If your shift ended at 5 p.m. and your replacement hasn’t arrived by 5:15 p.m., what would you do?

• How do you feel about working an extra shift if asked?

• What would you do if you knew a fellow co-worker was stealing?

Look for more tips in part 2 of this article in a future issue. • Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping food service, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years by providing retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, and more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com

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NOVEMBER 2017 pizza 25

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Giorgio’s corner

How to prep for the holidays

By Giorgio Taverniti

ecember is a busy time for restaurants. It is a whirlwind of holiday office parties, family celebrations, gift exchanges and people gathering in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day and throughout Hanukkah.

The holiday office parties and the season itself seem to start earlier every year. Shopping malls dazzle with décor, Starbucks brings back its eggnog latte, and the music – yes, that holiday music starts.

Although the music starts up a touch too early in my opinion, it’s a great indication of when you should start to advertise and prep, as the months leading up to the holiday are just as important as the holiday itself.

These are a few suggestions to have you staffed, loaded and ready to rock for anything and everything the holiday season brings your way.

A long season means more foot traffic, more orders and the need for more staff.

An easy way to determine how much staff you will need is to review your traffic and sales from the year before. This will allow you to compare and measure how much staff you will need this year.

Once you review past sales and determine your new holiday hours, another point to consider is having split shifts. This will allow you to have proper coverage for the peak times and also to prevent overstaffing during the off times. Always make it a point to have a pre-holiday meeting with your staff to discuss extended hours, split shifts or any other new changes in effect for the holiday season. You will need the staff up to speed on all new changes and ready for the holiday rush, especially if they have yet to experience it.

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Catering is one flexible option you can offer. Not all companies have the budget or the time to go out to a restaurant. A catering holiday menu ensures you won’t miss any opportunities to gain business and gives your customers an array of options. Holiday menus don’t necessarily have to have new items; however, it is festive and fitting to add a holiday-inspired creation or offer an extra perk.

Holiday festivities generally begin before the holiday itself, but some company parties take place afterward due to the high volume of traffic they have within their own industry. An excellent way to accommodate all potential parties is to offer a prix fixe, or fixed-price, holiday menu. Companies that are treating their staff to a holiday party may have a budget in mind and may not want to offer an unlimited menu selection. Although you may not offer a prix fixe menu year round, you should consider it for this type of holiday. You don’t want to lose potential business because you won’t consider the option.

These new holiday options and menus need to be advertised so that customers who are not aware don’t overlook your pizzeria when thinking of where to celebrate. An excellent and cost-efficient platform to promote within is social media. Before the holiday season, you should start to post and drop some holiday hints. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be used for posting pictures, tags, hashtags and announcements. This is the easiest way to let your existing customers know you are offering holiday menus, promotions and extended hours. It also will ensure they don’t forget about your place when

Be sure to advertise holiday menus and options so that customers don’t overlook your pizzeria when thinking of where to celebrate.

selecting a spot for their celebration. A tip: create a posting schedule so that you are not bombarding your followers with too many posts.

If you want to extend the holiday buzz, invite people to share online the details of their holiday parties at your pizzeria. Give them access to your Wi-Fi so that they can sign in, post pictures and take videos. The reach of social media is the best new word of mouth that can stretch far beyond the old-fashioned advertising methods.

Lastly, don’t overlook your employees’ morale as you prep for the season.

It’s easy to forget about your own holiday party when you have so many others to cater to, but remember that your staff works just as hard as you do throughout the season and all year, so they will appreciate that holiday party too. • Giorgio Taverniti owns Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto, which has been in his family since 1990. A graduate of George Brown College’s culinary management and Italian culinary programs, Giorgio helped found a popular pizza-making workshop at the college and ran it for three years.

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Contact your local repesentative to arrange a demonstration MARITIME PROVINCES Flanagan Agencies, Inc. Moncton, New Brunswick 506.387.8757 Fax: 506.387.8750 sales@fai.ca

QUEBEC Distex M&M, Inc. St. Laurent (Quebec) 514.382.3620 Fax: 514.382.7837 info@distex.ca

ONTARIO Distex M&M, Inc. 905.565.5992 or 1-800.645-7324 Fax: 905.565.5992 info@distex.ca

MANITOBA and SASKATCHEWAN Simpson Wilson Ltd. Winnipeg, Manitoba 204.632.6941 or 1-800.342.3626 Fax: 204.633.9254 cam@simpsonwilson.com

ALBERTA Bert Johnson Ent., Ltd. (BJE) Calgary, Alberta 403.870.4763 Fax: 403.287.7788 Calgary: dave@bje.cc Alberta: erin@bje.cc

BRITISH COLUMBIA Distex M&M, Inc. Port Moody, BC 778.989.3620 cvandenhoven@distex.ca

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