PMQ Pizza Magazine April 2020 by PMQ Pizza Magazine

PIZZA MAGAZINE T H E W O R L D ' S A U T H O R I T Y O N P I Z Z A | P M Q . C O M | P I Z Z AT V. C O M

APRIL 2020

THE

Donatella Arpaia plans to turn Prova Pizzabar into a national brand thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as famous as she is. PAGE 28

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PLANT-BASED PROTEINS 38

THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY 46

GRAB-AND-GO OPTIONS 60

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APRIL 2020

THE

Donatella Arpaia plans to turn Prova Pizzabar into a national brand thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as famous as she is. PAGE 28

PLANT-BASED PROTEINS 38

THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY 46

GRAB-AND-GO OPTIONS 60

I BELIEVE PIZZA IS AN ART. I BELIEVE IN USING NOTHING BUT THE BEST INGREDIENTS. IF YOU WANT AN AVERAGE, RUN-OF-THE-MILL PIZZA I BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN GO. What’s your declaration of independence? Grande is championing operators who have an independent spirit and shared passion for excellence. By providing the finest all natural, authentic Italian cheeses, along with an unwavering commitment to quality, we’ll continue to advocate for independents and their love of the craft.

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FEATURED STORY “ENLIGHTENED CAPITALISM” PAID OFF FOR MOD PIZZA IN 2019 Seattle-based MOD Pizza, the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the country, increased its system-wide sales by nearly 25% and grew to 468 stores in 2019. MOD’s sales climbed to $493 million last year, while net revenue went up 26% over 2018 to $393 million. The company, known for employing people with disabilities and for partnering with nonprofit Generosity Feeds to combat child hunger, also wrapped up a $160-million equity financing deal, bringing its total equity raised thus far to more than $399 million. CEO Scott Svenson said MOD’s purpose-driven approach proves that a “more enlightened form of capitalism” can drive profits while creating positive social impact. P M Q . C O M /M O D P IZ Z A 2 0 1 9

ALSO ON PMQ.COM

ARE STATES GETTING READY TO CRACK DOWN ON THIRD-PARTY PLATFORMS?

PAPA JOHN’S GOES SPICYHOT WITH JALAPEÑO POPPER ROLLS

A bill in the California State Assembly would require thirdparty delivery companies to share key customer data with the restaurants they order from. It’s one of several third-party delivery bills being considered by states around the country.

Papa John’s spiced up its menu in February with a new side item that packs some serious heat: the Jalapeño Popper Rolls, featuring jalapeños mellowed by Philadelphia Cream Cheese in golden-brown dough that’s baked instead of fried.

PMQ.COM/FAIRFOODDELIVERYACT

PMQ.COM/JALAPENOPOPPERROLLS

PIZZERIA CREATES “SENSORY-FRIENDLY DINING” FOR KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

ZAPAPIZZA OWNER EXPLAINS WHY HIS RESTAURANT FAILED IN FACEBOOK POST

Children with autism and other special needs in Old Bridge, New Jersey, now have a pizzeria to call their own: Giusseppe’s Pizza and Fine Italian Cuisine, which offers a calming “sensoryfriendly” dining experience once a month.

A Portland, Oregon, pizzeria known for topping its pies with taquitos, chilaquiles and other Mexican dishes had to close down after just five months in business. Owner Nick Zukin took full blame in a heartfelt— and heartbreaking—post on Facebook.

PMQ.COM/SENSORYFRIENDLYDINING

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6 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

IN THIS ISSUE

APRIL FEATURES

ON COVTHE ER

The Iron Lady

A self-made success in a maledominated industry, Iron Chef America judge Donatella Arpaia has a bold strategy to build her New York-based concept, Prova Pizzabar, into a nationwide quick-service brand.

Ever Green: Plant-Based Toppings

54 Fire in the Hole! 8 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

The Third World

60 Up for Grabs

BELLISSIMO CHICKEN WINGS Increase Sales With This Satisfying Starter Bellissimo makes a lasting first impression with its easy-to-cook and quick-to-serve Chicken Wings. This profitable starter can be fried or oven baked resulting in a deliciously crunchy coating. Bellissimo Chicken Wings set the table to make sure your customers keep coming back. Bellissimo offers a full line of par-fried and fully-cooked chicken items. Bellissimo distributors are the exclusive source for Bellissimo Chicken Wings. Visit Bellissimo.com to contact a representative and request samples and pricing.

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IN THIS ISSUE A Publication of PMQ, Inc. 662-234-5481 Volume 24, Issue 3 April 2020 ISSN 1937-5263

APRIL DEPARTMENTS

PUBLISHER Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 CO-PUBLISHER Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 EDITOR IN CHIEF Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com ext. 130 ART DIRECTOR Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com ext. 134 SENIOR COPY EDITOR Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com

In Lehmann’s Terms: How to Choose a Cutting Surface

Wood and stainless steel have their advantages and disadvantages, but engineered stone could be a better choice.

IT DIRECTOR Cory Coward, cory@pmq.com ext. 133 DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH Blake Harris, blake@pmq.com ext. 136 TEST CHEF/USPT COORDINATOR Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER David Fischer, david@pmq.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail.com ext. 121 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tom Boyles, tom@pmq.com ext. 122

The Think Tank Gets a New Design

The pizza industry’s largest and oldest forum has new features to help you stay connected to your peers.

SALES ASSISTANT Brandy Pinion, brandy@pmq.com ext. 127 PMQ INTERNATIONAL PMQ CHINA Yvonne Liu, yvonne@pmq.com PMQ RUSSIA Vladimir Davydov, vladimir@pmq.com PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax

Pizza Hall of Fame: Pizza Garden

This Queens-based pizzeria, founded by a Polish immigrant, launched in 1960 but still feels fresh to younger generations.

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 Online @ PMQ 16 Moneymakers 20 Eye on the Chains

PMQ Pizza Magazine (ISSN #1937-5263) is published 10 times per year.

24 Tips From the Team 68 Product Spotlight 69 The Pizza Exchange

10 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Periodical postage pricing paid at Oxford, MS. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: PMQ Pizza Magazine, PO Box 9, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-9953. Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

~ 2020~

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IN LEHMANN’S TERMS

HOW TO CHOOSE A CUTTING SURFACE Q A

Do you have any suggestions about the best type of cutting top we should use at our pizza restaurant’s cutting/boxing station? While wood is a kind and gentle surface to your slicers and knives, it is also a real pain to work with as a cutting surface, because it’s so hard to keep clean. Additionally, your local food safety inspector will probably have something negative to say about it, due to the perception that wooden boards are unsanitary. So we won’t even go there for now. Fortunately, there are other options to consider. I see a lot of stainless steel being used for cutting surfaces, and it works well, too. It just needs to be firm enough to resist deflection during cutting. However, while a stainless-steel surface has a lot going for it, it doesn’t offer any “pizzazz” from a visual standpoint. That isn’t necessarily a big issue, but if your store is mostly dine-in or a fast-casual concept, you might want to consider adopting a cutting surface that is both highly functional as well as ornate. In this situation, the most visually pleasing materials that come to my mind are marble or granite. Marble and granite cutting boards are hard to beat, but they also have one flaw:

12 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Wood and stainless steel have their advantages and disadvantages, but engineered stone could be a better choice. BY TOM LEHMANN

Staining can be a problem, which means it can be difficult to maintain the surface’s attractive appearance. Enter modern technology: Man-made quartz—also called cultured quartz or, perhaps more correctly, engineered stone—comes to the rescue. Engineered stone is a popular material for kitchen countertops, but I’ve also seen it used as a cutting surface in any number of pizza restaurants, and it works like a champ. It can have many of the appealing visual attributes of a natural marble or granite surface, but it requires far less upkeep, simply because it wipes clean easily and doesn’t stain. As an added bonus, engineered stone is available in just about any color or pattern you can think of. Even better, engineered stone is competitively priced when compared to natural stone. If you’re thinking about sprucing up your cutting station, this is a good option to explore!

Tom Lehmann was the longtime director of bakery assistance for the American Institute of Baking (AIB) and is now a pizza industry consultant. T H E DOU GH DOCT OR@H OT MAIL .COM

YOUR PIZZA SOLUTION SINCE 1948

T H E T H I N K TA N K

THINK TANK GETS A NEW DESIGN The pizza industry’s largest and oldest forum has new features to help you stay connected to your peers. PMQ’s Think Tank, the largest and oldest online forum for pizzeria operators, underwent renovation in late February, but it’s back and better than ever, with a new look, new features and new ways to stay connected to the pizza industry’s leaders and innovators. No past content was lost during the transition to the new platform. All posts in existing categories, such as POS, Software and Technology, Marketing/Increasing Sales, Ask the Dough Doctor, Delivery Driver Discussion, Staff Problems and Praise, and others, are still readily available. Users will still be able to comment, answer questions and offer advice, and create their own posts. If you already have an account and will be logging in for the first time since February 20, 2020, here’s what you need to do: 1. Visit thinktank.pmq.com. 2. Click “Log In” and enter your email address in the username box, then click “With Email.” 3. A notification email will be sent to your email account. Click on the link provided in the message, and you will be taken back to the Think Tank, where you can start posting. 4. To speed up future log-ins, you might want to create a new password for your account. To do this, click on your avatar

on the upper-right side of the screen, then click on your username to open the user menu. 5. Click “Preferences” and then scroll down and click on “Send Password Reset Email.” 6. Return to your email account and check for the link with instructions for resetting your password. The enhanced Think Tank has several new features, including the ability to share posts on social media, email post links to a friend, bookmark posts for later viewing, earn badges, and upload profile photos for your account. You can also receive live notifications when other users reply to your posts by clicking on Enable Notifications. The section called Cakeday even features users’ birthdays (if available) and Think Tank membership anniversaries. To view all Think Tank categories and the most recent threads, simply start by clicking on the red box titled Categories. Past categories are now organized under Pizza Shop Talk. As always, we welcome your feedback and hope you will find your new Think Tank experience a rewarding and enjoyable one!

Get answers to your most perplexing problems and swap tips and ideas with the experts in PMQ’s Think Tank, the pizza industry’s oldest and most popular online forum. Register for free at thinktank.pmq.com. (Member posts have been edited here for clarity.) T H I N K TAN K.P MQ .C O M

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MONEYMAKERS

TRUE LOVE ISN’T CHEAP When it comes to gift-giving, it’s the thought that counts, but spending a bundle doesn’t hurt either. That’s why Eureka Pizza, with 10 locations in Northwest Arkansas, created a Valentine’s Day pizza that sold for a cool $1,000. It featured 24-karat gold-encrusted Kobe beef, Madagascar vanillapoached lobster, crème fraiche, Camembert and Fontina cheeses, a white truffle and porcini sauce, shaved black truffle, goose liver pâté meatballs, and Russian caviar, all on top of a crust that was infused with saffron, chestnut honey and fleur de sel. For an additional charge, Eureka Pizza added Delafee chocolate from Switzerland, Gia Russa Alla Vodka sauce or Olli Salumeria Toscano salami. Orders for the pizza had to be placed 48 hours in advance, according to Rolf Wilkin, the chain’s owner, who pronounced the pie “the most delicious—and expensive—pizza you are ever likely to buy.”

PIZZA MY HEART FALLS FOR DOORDASH Los Gatos, California-based Pizza My Heart chose DoorDash to be its Valentine’s Day mate this year, and their sweetheart deal caused a local sensation. Pizza My Heart, which has multiple locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the third-party delivery powerhouse partnered on a promotion that garnered free coverage in The Mercury News. DoorDash paid for the first 1,000 heart-shaped pizzas ordered through its online delivery service, as long as the customer also placed an order of at least $15 and used the promo code HEARTPIZZA. Along with the freebies, Pizza My Heart promoted two-topping heart-shaped pizzas for $24 throughout Valentine’s Day week. Owner Chuck Hammers told The Mercury News that the holiday has become one of his shop’s busiest days, thanks to the growing popularity of heart-shaped pies.

In addition to offering 1,000 free heart-shaped pizzas through DoorDash, Pizza My Heart charged $24 for a twotopping Valentine’s Day pie.

16 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Party Bear makes friends everywhere he goes at Party Bear Pizza and Tiny Chef in St. Louis.

SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR Provel cheese is nowhere to be found at Party Bear Pizza and Tiny Chef in St. Louis, but a fuzzy, Hawaiian shirt-clad mascot is always hanging around, ready to pose for pics with the Instagram crowd. Chris Ward, who co-owns the restaurant with Melanie “Tiny Chef” Meyer, purchased the 5’ stuffed animal on Craigslist with help from a crowdfunding campaign. Party Bear usually stands on a platform in front of a mural-covered wall for photo opportunities. Party Bear Pizza and Tiny Chef, which opened in the spring of 2019 and also offers a pinball area, is a collaboration between Ward, a pizza maker, and Meyer, who specializes in Koreaninspired street food. And their mascot is clearly smarter than the average bear—he also helps the owners advertise their specials, promote their frozen pizza brand and show off positive comments from their fans.

POKING FUN AT PAPA JOHN Villa Italian Kitchen, the cheeky Morristown, New Jersey-based chain known for creating the edible pizza bikini, poked a little fun at “Papa John” Schnatter with a one-day-only special called the Papa’s Pizza Pass. Schnatter, the ousted chairman and CEO of Papa John’s, claimed last November that he “had over 40 pizzas [from Papa John’s] in the last 30 days” and asserted, “It’s not the same pizza.” Schnatter later admitted in a podcast interview that he had only been “inspecting” the pizzas, adding, “I’m not eating every pizza. I may be eating parts of pizzas.” Villa called the Papa’s Pizza Pass “a new offer for authentic pizza lovers (and Papas) everywhere.” Customers who bought the pass received “40 classic Neapolitan Cheese Pizzas (the whole pizza, not just parts)” over 30 days for $50. And the chain noted that its pizzas “do not require hours and hours of ‘inspecting.’”

Villa Italian Kitchen is known for its cheeky approach to marketing, with promotions like the edible “pizzakini” and the Papa’s Pizza Pass, which takes a swipe at the founder of Papa John’s.

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EYE ON THE CHAINS

New franchisees won’t have to pay the $15,000 franchise fee to open a Snappy Tomato Pizza location in the next several months.

SNAPPY TOMATO WAIVES FRANCHISE FEES

Snappy Tomato Pizza is known for an oversize pizza called The Beast, which is the equivalent of three large pies.

The Snappy Tomato Pizza chain, headquartered in Fort Wright, Kentucky, announced in February that it will temporarily waive franchise fees for entrepreneurs who want to open their first Snappy Tomato store. Through the end of July, the company said, new franchisees won’t be charged the standard $15,000 franchise fee. The chain, which opened its first restaurant in 1978, is known for an oversized signature pie called the Beast, which is equal to three large pizzas. Currently boasting 47 locations in five states, Snappy Tomato hopes to accelerate its growth and double its total number of stores by making it more affordable to open a franchise in 2020. “We are excited to offer an incentive of this magnitude for our new franchisees,” said Jeremy Deters, Snappy Tomato’s president. “In waiving the $15,000 expense of the one-time franchise fee, we are looking to launch new owners in a ‘snap.’” Although franchise opportunities are available anywhere in the United States, Snappy Tomato plans to focus heavily on 10 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

BUDDY’S JOINS FORCES WITH DOORDASH

With its exclusive deal with DoorDash, Buddy’s Pizza has joined bigger chains like Pizza Hut and Papa John’s on the third-party bandwagon.

Buddy’s Pizza, the originator of Detroit-style pizza and a member of PMQ’s Pizza Hall of Fame, has buddied up with industry leader DoorDash to offer delivery. The company said it had already seen off-premise sales grow to 41% of its business through DoorDash prior to finalizing the new partnership. “While the majority of Buddy’s business is dine-in, offpremise—including delivery—continues to be a key growth area,” Buddy’s CEO Burton Heiss said in a statement. “DoorDash allows our current customers to have their favorite pizza delivered while also introducing Buddy’s to a brand-new customer base.” In celebration, on February 7, Buddy’s offered free Original 4-Square pizzas to the first 250 patrons who placed a minimum $5 order through DoorDash using the promo code PIZZABUDDYS at checkout.

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EYE ON THE CHAINS

PAPA JOHN’S AIMS TO “CONQUER LUNCH” Papa John’s has introduced a new flatbread offering, called the Papadia, in an effort to “conquer lunch” and boost its sales. Described as a “toasty, hearty alternative to the same old sandwich routine,” the Papadia sells for $6 at all U.S. locations. The Papadia was inspired by the piadina, an Italian folded flatbread sandwich from Northern Italy. Touted as a sandwich-pizza combination, the Papadia comes in four varieties, including the Italian, featuring Alfredo sauce, spicy Italian sausage, salami, mozzarella and banana peppers; the Philly Cheesesteak, with sliced steak, onions, green peppers, mozzarella and Philly sauce; the Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon, with grilled chicken, bacon, onions, mozzarella and a sweet, smoky barbecue sauce; and the Meatball Pepperoni, with spicy meatballs, pepperoni, red sauce, mozzarella and Italian seasonings. Papa John’s CEO Rob Lynch hinted at a new lunch sandwich in a November 2019 interview with Yahoo! Finance, noting, “The No. 1 thing our franchisees are asking for is to get our customers back and drive revenue, and we have a plan to do that.” He said the company’s strategy “has a lot to do with the product pipeline we are building with the core pizza menu and coming out with new ideas, things that we have never even looked at before that could help us penetrate new dayparts and drive business into parts of the day where our restaurants have a lot of capacity…I think we are going to conquer lunch first, and then we’ll start thinking about breakfast.” As part of its comeback attempt after flat sales in the past couple of years, the chain recruited NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal as its first black member of the board of directors in March 2019. O’Neal, who owns nine franchises in the Atlanta area, praised the Papadia in a statement: “I can tell you, I couldn’t put down this new menu item that combines everything you love about pizza and sandwiches into one meal.”

22 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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TIPS FROM THE TEAM

Gianni Gallucci won the Midwest U.S. Pizza Cup in 2018 with this gluten-free pie featuring rosemary cream, Yukon Gold potatoes, mozzarella di bufala and guanciale.

GOODBYE TO GLUTEN Gianni Gallucci has crafted a gluten-free Neapolitan-style pie that’s so good, some customers think he’s pulling a fast one. BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ Wood-fired pizza is a fast-growing market in the U.S. pizza industry. As more Americans are discovering the bliss that is a perfectly cooked Neapolitan-style pizza—with its soft and airy crust, perfect leoparding on the cornicione and fresh ingredients—one group of people has been left behind: the gluten-free customer. U.S. Pizza Team member Gianni Gallucci, owner of Gallucci Pizzeria Napoletana in Chicago, decided to attack that problem head-on. In this interview, Gallucci shares his thoughts on why it’s important to offer a wood-fired glutenfree option. Hernandez: You won first place in Classico and third place in Gluten-Free at the Midwest U.S. Pizza Cup in Chicago in 2018. Gluten-free has evolved from having the taste and texture of a yoga mat to something quite impressive. How do you make a gluten-free wood-fired crust? Gianni Gallucci: It starts with using the right flours and blends. For the most part, we treat our gluten-free pizza the same as a regular Neapolitan, with the same hydration and cooking temperature. We do cook it a little longer, about two minutes versus 75 to 90 seconds. We also add some fats to the dough, some olive oil and a little sugar. We’re not able to slap it out like

the Neapolitan, since it doesn’t have that gluten structure to give it strength, but it handles well as a “patting down” dough. We are, of course, keeping everything safe from cross-contamination, wiping down counters and tools. But you really need to test your own blends with your own oven. Hernandez: Are there some premade mixes available? Gallucci: There are, and they are really good building blocks for this particular style of gluten-free pie. Most even have a recipe on the side of the bag, so any beginner can start testing and then dial in their own recipe. Again, it’s about the ease of use. You want to be able to do gluten-free in approximately the same amount of time as your regular-menu pizza. The mixes definitely help if you’re a beginner. I personally competed and won with Caputo’s Fiore Glut at the U.S. Pizza Cup. Hernandez: How should someone introduce a gluten-free Neapolitan-style pie in their restaurant? Gallucci: When we first started, we did reservations only. We made maybe six to 10 gluten-free pizzas a week. We worked our way up to 450 a week. It’s a learning experience for you and your customers. If you can’t accommodate a party that has only

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Gallucci works on his gluten-free dough at the U.S. Pizza Team’s Midwest U.S. Pizza Cup in 2018.

(Left to right) USPT members Brian Hernandez, Gino Rago, Gianni Galluccci and Derrick Tung

“[Premade mixes] are really good building blocks for this style of gluten-free pie. Most even have a recipe on the side of the bag, so any beginner can start testing and then dial in their own recipe.”

one gluten-free customer, that party is going somewhere else. Once they know you offer it, though, they’ll start telling their friends as well, and from there it just snowballs. Hernandez: How did your customer base react to the gluten-free pies? Gallucci: We would serve the pizza, and the customer would say, “No, I ordered a gluten-free pizza.” We would have to assure them, “This is a gluten-free pizza.” Some would even push back again and ask to speak to a manager, saying, “There is no way this is gluten-free.” That is the best compliment you can get. Hernandez: Why do you think a Neapolitan-style pizzeria should offer a gluten-free pizza? Gallucci: When you’re a wood-burning restaurant, that oven is the focal point of your place. It doesn’t make sense to have numerous types of ovens to create different types of pizzas. If you do wood-fired pizza, create a wood-fired gluten-free recipe so you can still give that one gluten-free customer at a table the same experience as the rest of their party. The customers remember that, and it translates well for you. Hernandez: Does having one oven cause issues with your glutenfree customers? Gallucci: In the years we’ve been doing this, and the thousands of pies we have made, we have never had a complaint about [anyone getting ill]. We obviously cannot be a 100% glutenfree establishment. The key is to let the customer know you’re

— GIANNI GALLUCCI, GALLUCCI PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA

gluten-friendly (rather than gluten-free). Put a disclaimer on your menu. Customers will understand. Now, they are here eating an actual pizza! The days of customers feeling bad or embarrassed about being gluten-free are long gone. Just make sure to keep a small section of the oven available solely for the gluten-free pies. And always, always keep your gluten-free station, ingredients and tools separate from the rest of your kitchen production. Hernandez: What are your best tips for working with gluten-free in a high-heat oven? Gallucci: At the beginning, be patient with the oven. If you touch that pizza too soon, there is nothing holding it together. Also, be more careful and patient with stretching, as you would with most gluten-free doughs. Once you learn the dough and the motions, you’ll pick up speed.

26 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Hernandez: With patience in mind, what’s the average make time for someone at Gallucci making a gluten-free pie? Gallucci: I could probably make a gluten-free Margherita in about a minute, minus the cook time—three to 3.5 minutes out of the oven. Most of your extra time with a gluten-free wood-fired pie comes from the stretching and cook time. But the speed will come eventually. You can’t change how long it takes to do it right. It’s worth it in the end, and your customers will notice. Hernandez: What inspired your gluten-free recipe? Gallucci: It was when we started getting the samples from flour companies. I remember it was raining, a little slow at the time. I saw the bag sitting there and started playing around with it. Once I saw what its potential was, the pizzaiolo in me couldn’t stop refining it. There was a demand for it in 2018, and there still is today. It’s another revenue stream that can be done well without a lot of extra steps, if done correctly. It worked out well for my customers and the restaurant. Hernandez: Are there many wood-fired pizzerias that offer gluten-free out there? Gallucci: Not that I know of, but even if there are, there probably aren’t many in your town. It’s worth it to set yourself apart from the crowd. We’re in downtown Chicago, and we

As a consultant, Gianni Gallucci helped open some of Chicago’s top pizzerias before opening his own store in early 2020.

have customers driving from Wisconsin for these pies. Fresh is best. With the exception of gluten-free-only establishments, people tend to buy premade, par-baked disks. Nothing beats a fresh, right-out-of-the-dough-box crust, baked at 850° in a wood-fired oven. For an extended interview with Gianni Gallucci, visit PMQ.com/gallucci.

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APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

THE

IRON LADY From struggling restaurateur to celebrity chef, Donatella Arpaia is a self-made success. Next, she aims to turn Prova Pizzabar into a national brand that’s as famous as she is.

BY RICK HYNUM | PHOTOS BY PROVA PIZZABAR

As a hardworking restaurateur raising a family in Long Island, New York, Italian immigrant Lello Arpaia told his little girl, Donatella, that she could be anything she wanted to be when she grew up—just stay out of the restaurant business. It’s a good thing she didn’t listen. Strictly speaking, Donatella Arpaia, now famous as an Iron Chef America judge and one of the most successful restaurant moguls in the country, did heed her dad’s advice—at first. She went to college, studied law and even became an attorney. But that was Lello’s dream, not hers. Currently, she’s building a pizza restaurant brand, called Prova Pizzabar, that she hopes to take nationwide. And from her Neapolitan-inspired, trailblazing menu and stellar service to her bold expansion strategy, she’s taking care to do it right, one store at a time.

28 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

Like the menu, the interior design of Prova Pizzabar reflects Donatella Arpaia’s taste for innovation and elegance.

“I was tired of being completely beholden to chefs…I wanted to have the power to create the menu and, if I had to kick somebody out, I could.” — DONATELLA ARPAIA, PROVA PIZZABAR THE OBEDIENT DAUGHTER

Arpaia opened her first restaurant, Bellini, when she was just 26 years old. It wasn’t the kind of career Lello had in mind for her. After starting his own Italian eatery, called La Tavernetta, in Long Island and then pioneering fine Italian dining in New York with the celebrated Lello’s in the early 1970s, he knew the work was hard, the hours were long and the margins were thin. “My brother [Dino] started working in the restaurant when he was 14,” Arpaia recalls. “My dad made him do everything, from dishwasher to porter. But he wanted his daughters to be lawyers or doctors—we were not to go into the restaurant business…He felt it was blood work, sweat work. You don’t have a family life. You give your whole life to it. And he didn’t want that life for my sister and me.” But Arpaia spent much of her childhood living right next door to the family’s restaurant, and the food business inevitably seeped into her blood. “I was the youngest child and, because they couldn’t afford a babysitter, I literally slept by the dishwashing station as a baby, because that was the only way I would go to sleep,” she says. “My backyard was the restaurant kitchen. I would play on the swings and then run into the kitchen and steal the tartufo and the tortini.”

She also spent summers with her grandparents in Puglia, where she had her first taste of real Neapolitan pizza. “That’s ingrained in my mind as perhaps the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life,” she says. “Later, when I made my first foray out of fine dining and into pizza, I was looking to recreate that sense memory from my childhood of Neapolitan pizza.” But, ever the obedient daughter, Arpaia grew up and found herself practicing law in the Empire State Building—while living in a studio apartment above her brother’s restaurant on 54th and Park Avenue. “I was not happy,” she recalls. “I found the study of law very interesting, but the actual practice was totally not me.” One day, she had to fill in when the hostess didn’t show up at her brother’s restaurant. “I had that a-ha moment,” she remembers. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is so comfortable.’ I felt alive. I told my father the next day, ‘You said if I become a lawyer, I can be whatever I want to be, and I want to go into the restaurant business.’” THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST

Six months later, with her dad’s support, Arpaia opened Bellini on 52nd Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, where she

30 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Arpaia designed Prova Pizzabar for high-traffic areas with quick transition times.

“If you look at some of the reviews from back then, they were constantly critiquing my body, my look….But my approach was to realize the power of femininity. I was going to be really good and let the work speak for itself.” — DONATELLA ARPAIA, PROVA PIZZABAR

Despite an initial fear of public speaking, Arpaia, shown here on Fox 5’s Good Day New York, used local TV appearances to drive traffic to her first restaurant, Bellini.

served the kind of authentic Italian food she grew up eating. Just as her father predicted, it was a struggle, but she focused on friendly service, personality and marketing smarts to stand out from the pack. “I started writing handwritten notes to everyone,” she says. “I went to the concierges [at the surrounding hotels] and, because I couldn’t compete with other restaurateurs who were paying them, I would remember their birthdays and bake for them and bring them cookies. It was grassroots marketing.” It took a couple of years, but Bellini became a hotspot, attracting famous New Yorkers like Walter Cronkite. At 29, she partnered with chef David Burke to launch another fine-dining establishment, davidburke & donatella. “I went from small-town to one of the top-rated restaurants in New York,” she says. “And I was unprepared for it. David was the celebrity chef, and everyone thought I was the coat-check girl. But that really put me on the map and paved the way.” Dubbed the “Hostess With the Mostest” by Zagat, Arpaia was the queen of the front of the house. She also schmoozed the local press, overcoming her shyness and fear of public speaking to appear on area TV stations and polish her on-camera skills. But when she opened her third restaurant, she resolved to take full control of her career. “I was tired of being completely beholden to chefs,” she says. Although she knew Italian cuisine better than most, she enrolled in the Italian Culinary Academy to dig deeper into the craft. “That’s not because

32 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

MEDITERRANEAN PIZZA

Recipe by Donatella Arpaia

INGREDIENTS: 16 oz. pizza dough 1 c. mozzarella, shredded 1 c. feta, crumbled 4-6 Brussels sprouts, halved ¼ c. roasted red pepper, cut into strips ½ c. cherry tomatoes, halved 1/3 c. Tuscan kale 1/3 c. Gaeta olives, pitted and halved Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

DIRECTIONS: Roll out pizza dough into oblong shape. Add layer of shredded mozzarella and spread ½ c. of feta on top. Coat a sauté pan over high heat with 1 tsp. of extra-virgin olive oil. Add Brussels sprouts to pan and cook halfway through until they start to caramelize. Remove and place on pizza. Spread roasted red pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, Tuscan kale and olives evenly on pizza. Add remaining feta on top. Drizzle pizza with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bake until cheese is melted and vegetables are softened and slightly caramelized. Garnish with red pepper flakes to taste and serve.

Visit PMQ.com for two videos featuring Donatella Arpaia’s pizza recipes: the Bel Paese Chicken & Mushroom Pizza (pmq.com/donatellarecipe1) and the Gorgonzola Apple Pear Pizza (pmq.com/donatellarecipe2)!

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

Before she became a celebrity chef, Arpaia used a grassroots marketing approach and personalized service to set her fine-dining restaurants apart in a crowded field.

“I had to think about a dough that would work well in high-traffic areas, where there are quick transition times, and that would also appeal to American customers, who like heartier toppings, and, most importantly, would withstand delivery.” — DONATELLA ARPAIA, PROVA PIZZABAR I wanted to go behind the line and cook,” Arpaia clarifies. “I wanted to have the power to create the menu and, if I had to kick somebody out, I could.” Power, after all, wasn’t easy to come by for a female owner in a maledominated business. Professional waiters in fine-dining restaurants were mostly older men. Customers hit on her. Chefs thought they knew more than her. “When I opened Anthos, it was the only Michelin-starred Greek restaurant in the country, so I was getting these accolades,” Arpaia says. “But people had trouble dealing with me. If you look at some of the reviews from back then, they were constantly critiquing my body, my look. The first Zagat review said, ‘Go for the hot owner.’ But my approach was to realize the power of femininity. I was going to be really good and let the work speak for itself.” A ROMAN/NEAPOLITAN HYBRID

Over time, Arpaia’s work ethic, food smarts and TV skills landed her on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America, even as she was still attending culinary school. An instant hit with viewers, she would go on to judge more episodes of Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef than anyone else. How she found the time for that and the various acclaimed restaurants—such as Kefi and Mia Dona—she continued to open is anyone’s guess, but she finally found her way into the pizza business. After studying with Neapolitan pizza master Enzo Cocci, she went on to launch the stylish, upscale Prova Pizzabar at Grand Central Terminal in 2016 and opened a second location at the ultra-hip Moxy Hotel near Times Square in 2019. She’s also a spokesperson for Galbani and uses their cheeses in her menu recipes. Arpaia’s plan from the start was to turn Pizza Provabar into a nationwide quick-service brand. “With that in mind, I had to think about a dough that would work well in high-traffic areas, where there are quick transition times, and that would also appeal to American customers, who like heartier toppings, and, 34 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Find yo y your ur Ispirazione Italiana

What's my Italian Inspiration?

It’s never resting on past successes. Whether it’s setting world records in dough stretching or being named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, I’m always pushing to do my best. So when it came to my newest pizza concept, Rotolo’s Craft & Crust, I wanted only the best ingredients—like Galbani® cheese. We use 10 ounces in each of our Chicago Deep Dish Pizzas and the results are simply spectacular. —MITCH ROTOLO JR., VP OF OPERATIONS, ROTOLO’S CRAFT & CRUST

Prova Pizzabar uses lighting and a subdued palette to create a transcendent dining experience at its Moxy Hotel location.

most importantly, would withstand delivery,” she says. She describes her pizza as a hybrid of the Roman and Neapolitan styles. For her dough, she uses a proprietary blend of ancient grains from Naples. “Roman-style is more of a breadmaker’s pizza, the focaccia style, but I wanted that pizza taste, not the breadmaker taste, and that’s where Neapolitan flour comes in,” Arpaia explains. “My dough has a very high hydration point and a long maturation process—up to three days. I use very little yeast. Those dollar-slice places use a ton of yeast, let it rise quickly and sell it. You eat that slice with a glass of water, and your stomach blows up because that yeast is literally fermenting inside you. When you take a little bit of yeast and let it rise over a few days, it results in a lighter, more digestible dough that’s delicious. We par-bake it and then add the toppings and do the final bake on-site, allowing for consistency and a fast transaction time.” Prova Pizzabar serves classic pies like the Regina, Funghi, Four Cheese, Chicken Piccata and the Polpette, topped with Arpaia’s famous meatballs. She also likes to incorporate seasonal ingredients into her pies, such as her Pea Pesto Pizza. “In general, you have your classics, but I believe in seasonality,” she says. “I like to always have a couple of specialty pizzas determined by the season, such as a pumpkin pizza in the fall.” The restaurants’ interior design reflects Arpaia’s own elegant taste. The Moxy Hotel location, for example, boasts a subdued palette, balancing light and dark materials to create a transcendent experience of color and ambience. Its centerpiece is a stunning light sculpture composed of 350

Prova Pizzabar appeals to late-night diners with its highend cocktail bar and relaxed but elegant setting.

36 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Prova Pizzabar’s pizzas are a hybrid of the Roman and Neapolitan styles, with dough made from a blend of ancient grains from Naples.

3D-printed LED light shades, which went through nearly 45 digital and physical prototypes, according to New World Design Builders. “The sculpture transforms the space from day to night as a beautiful white chandelier turns Prova into an after-hours eatery bedecked in a full spectrum of raveworthy colors,” the design firm’s site explains. ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD

For some restaurateurs, juggling two locations can be a handful, but Arpaia has bigger ambitions. She’s focused on strategic expansion of the Prova Pizzabar brand far beyond the Big Apple. “Grand Central was the perfect place to launch my brand, because not only do you have transient people, it’s also a tourist destination, so I’m exposing my pizza to a lot of different cultures,” she says. “It was a very competitive bid—I beat out hundreds of people to get it.” She now splits her time between New York and Miami and wants to open a Prova Pizzabar in the latter city. Inspired by the Shake Shack model, she’s looking at airports, high-traffic hubs and iconic locations similar to the Moxy Hotel. “Shake Shack was the answer to Burger King,” she says. “In fast-casual, people expect more now, and I’m trying to give them that with pizza. As much as they’re looking for a user-friendly experience with delivery and pickup, they also want a better dine-in experience.” In other words, Arpaia has no intention of resting on her celebrity-chef laurels. “When I became well-known on Iron Chef America, I was also going to culinary school

full-time,” she says. “I’m a student at heart. With Iron Chef, I was constantly eating the best of the best from the world’s top chefs. One thing I discovered is that they were always learning…as opposed to some chefs who don’t have a tenth of the skills but think they don’t have anything to learn. In this business, if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind. It’s too competitive out there.” Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

Donatella Arpaia designed Prova Pizzabar to grow into a nationwide brand.

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

38 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

A MI CI ’ S

EVER GREEN Plant-based alternatives are growing by leaps and bounds in popularity, and pizzerias are increasingly tapping into their impressive versatility across the menu. BY TRACY MORIN

No longer are plant-based proteins solely of interest to vegetarians and vegans. Thanks to a rise in health consciousness and environmental responsibility among consumers, more people are flocking to meat alternatives— yes, including even hardcore carnivores. And you know it’s hit the mainstream when even fast-food giants like Burger King are hopping aboard the plant-based train.

Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria worked with animal-rights organization PETA to develop the One Step Beyond specialty pizza, featuring Beyond Meat sausage.

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

DONATOS

Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza offers plant-based sausage at all of its locations, plus the option of a cauliflower crust.

“What was once marginalized as ‘vegetarian’ is now being normalized by being called ‘plant-based’—and, for pizza, this includes vegan cheese, vegetablebased crusts and meatless ‘meats.’” — DANIEL LEVINE, THE AVANT-GUIDE INSTITUTE “Plant-based options are the fastest growing sections on pizza menus and part of a larger trend in foodservice in general,” notes Daniel Levine, trends expert, keynote speaker and director of The Avant-Guide Institute in New York. “What was once marginalized as ‘vegetarian’ is now being normalized by being called ‘plant-based’—and, for pizza, this includes vegan cheese, vegetable-based crusts and meatless ‘meats.’” ADDING PLANT-BASED PROTEINS

When Dan Snowden, executive chef at Chicago’s Pizza Lobo, realized that more customers were seeking plant-based proteins, he sought items that offer great taste and texture but are also easy to use for staff. Partnering with manufacturer MorningStar Farms, he created the “Anise?! Nice.” pizza, topped with fennel, mozzarella and Italian Sausage Style Crumbles, which he chose for its rich fennel flavor, reminiscent of traditional Italian sausage. “I play up the fennel flavor by using a fennel cream, caramelized fennel, fennel fronds and fennel pollen,” Snowden says. “The pizza has been very wellreceived by customers, enjoyed by vegetarians and meat eaters alike. In fact, many typical Chicago meat eaters are ordering and loving the pizza and are surprised to learn that the sausage topping is plant-based!”

Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza, with 161 restaurants in 10 states, now offers plant-based sausage at all of its locations, including three signature pies on the new option of a cauliflower crust: Cauliflower Bruschetta, Cauliflower Garden and Cauliflower Heat. Customers can also add the plant-based sausage as a topping to any of its other pizzas and crusts. Donatos, too, chose to work with a purveyor to provide the sausage, streamlining operations. “It makes more sense for us to rely on our business partners to provide plant-based meat options; they specialize in this and spend tremendous resources to develop these products,” says Tom Krouse, CEO of Donatos. “As consumer interest in plant-based options continues to grow, it’s important to have options on your menu to provide for more individual choice, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive from our customers.” Meanwhile, the 10-location Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria, based in San Mateo, California, worked with both manufacturer Beyond Meat and animal-rights organization PETA to develop the One Step Beyond specialty pie, with mozzarella, Beyond Meat sausage, roasted red bell peppers, red onions and wild baby arugula (with Daiya vegan cheese optional). “We thought it was a good thing to do, with more people going vegetarian and more concerned about animals

40 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PA UL I E GE E ’ S

HELPFUL HINTS

Operators share some key lessons they’ve learned when working with plant-based alternatives:

Vegetarians and vegans can substitute seitan sausage for pork on any pizza at Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn.

“As consumer interest in plantbased options continues to grow, it’s important to have options on your menu to provide for more individual choice, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive from our customers.” — TOM KROUSE, DONATOS and the environment,” explains Peter Cooperstein, president of Amici’s. “A contact at PETA had suggested some plant-based meat substitutes, and we tried many different samples—after all, we’re still a business and wanted to add something that tastes great and will sell!” As Amici’s makes its own pork sausage, staff members season the substitute as they would the real thing—and Cooperstein says the end product is so convincing, you’d never think it wasn’t real sausage. Similarly, Burke Corporation decided to add plant-based meats to its lineup for 2020 after observing some key changes in consumer habits and diets. Marketing manager Amy Thielking points out that using fully cooked premade meat alternatives allows for convenience, consistency and savings on labor. And Mike Dougherty, Burke’s VP of sales and marketing, notes that operators can enjoy versatility through different varieties, from Italian to chorizo. “Our research showed that plant-based has grown more than 300% in the last year,” Thielking says. “Most of our customers simply offer it as an alternative protein option, and you can use them anywhere traditional meat would go. The response has been great; orders are growing week by week.” 42 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

“Have a grasp of how differently a plant-based protein is going to react in a pizza oven. My pizzas fire for six to seven minutes at about 600º, so I leave the Italian Sausage Style Crumbles frozen rather than thawed, so they stay succulent and moist. Also, you need to adjust for fat content, so you might have to add a little bit of olive oil to make it the equivalent of what you’d expect from a meat protein.” —Dan Snowden, executive chef, Pizza Lobo, Chicago, IL “With our new plant-based sausage, we wanted to make sure that it was savory and complementary to our family-recipe sausage that we’ve served for 56-plus years. We also needed to make sure that there were no operational challenges from a prep or shelf-life standpoint. We’ll continue to consider all possibilities for additional plant-based toppings—for our pizzas, but also for our subs, salads and wings.” —Tom Krouse, CEO, Donatos, Columbus, OH “Aside from pizza toppings, a couple of other things are working very well for us: We make pastas with Beyond Meat sauce and offer Sloppy Joe Sliders as an appetizer, which are very popular. Keep in mind that plant-based alternatives can be twice as expensive as traditional meat—you’re not going to save money by offering them, but they do help bring in more customers.” —Peter Cooperstein, president, Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria, San Mateo, CA “On our first menu, we simply said, ‘Ask about our vegan variations,’ but guests didn’t notice, and staff didn’t always remember to suggest them. When I started a separate vegan menu with just four pies, it took off. Now, we have vegan soups, desserts, ice cream, wines and beers—even vegan sugar for our homemade limoncello. Vegans love it and thank us.” —Paulie Gee, owner, Paulie Gee’s and Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop, Brooklyn, NY

BURK E

GOING IT ALONE

On the other hand, some pizzeria owners have chosen to create their own meat alternatives in-house. At Denver-based Hops & Pie, vegan options comprise 15% to 20% of food sales, with smash hits such as vegan ranch, vegan sloppy joe (called Sloppy Jane) and smoked tofu gracing the menu. “From day one, we had vegan cheese and our extremely popular in-house smoked tofu as pizza toppings,” says owner Drew Watson. “From there, we added housemade vegan Sicilian sausage and our Sloppy Jane; our interpretation of a sloppy joe has smoked tempheh, mushrooms and other ground vegetables cooked down in a sloppy joe-style sauce.” At Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn, New York, adding meat alternatives from day one also felt like a must to serve the area’s large vegan population. He initially began with a storebought vegan sausage but changed his approach when one day an employee brought in some leftover seitan-based “turkey” he’d made. “It tasted so much better than what we were serving, so now we make it regularly,” says owner Paulie Gee. “It’s a simple recipe, with vital wheat gluten, water and nutritional yeast, plus we added fennel seed to get that Italian sausage flavor.” Vegetarians or vegans can substitute Gee’s seitan sausage on any pie, and it plays a prominent role on his vegan menu, along with housemade cashew ricotta on pies like the In Ricotta Da Vegan. And, with his vegan sausage, Gee doesn’t need to parbake the product

Burke Corporation added meat alternatives to its lineup for tasty vegan apps like this stuffed avocado with plant-based protein crumbles.

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beforehand, as he does with traditional sausage; chefs simply make the product, refrigerate, and place on the pie before cooking. He even offered jackfruit “meatballs” for a time and is looking to reintroduce them. However, at the new Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop around the corner, Gee takes a different approach to suit his simpler menu, working with The BE Hive to offer toppings like vegan pepperoni and sausage, alongside vegan cheeses from Follow Your Heart and Numu. For Watson, it’s all about offering something for everyone at Hops & Pie—but creating alternative meats does require extra care to make sure the end product is on point. “We look to popular ingredients and ask ourselves if there’s a way for us to create in-house a vegan substitute of a traditional meat offering,” he says. “The main consideration in creating vegan foods is to make sure it has a palatable texture. You can get so caught up in making something into a vegan product that the flavor gets destroyed on the way, or it just feels weird on your palate when you’re eating it.”

“We look to popular ingredients and ask ourselves if there’s a way for us to create in-house a vegan substitute of a traditional meat offering.” — DREW WATSON, HOPS & PIE MEAT-FREE MARKETING

When catering to vegans and vegetarians, meat alternatives practically sell themselves—but you still need to get the word out about these options (and even try to convert some carnivores). Donatos has taken traditional routes, with paid advertising via TV, print and digital ads, but the company has also met with food bloggers and Instagram users to have them try the new pizzas and share their authentic responses with followers. “Our TV spot was also more nontraditional, as we ‘punked’ our actors by feeding them the new cauliflower crust signature pizzas before they thought they were going to read

lines for the spot and recorded their actual responses to the new pizza,” Krouse says. “They could not believe they were eating cauliflower crust or plant-based sausage!” Thielking recommends treating your meat alternative options like limited-time offers, letting customers know they’ve been added to the menu through table tents, menu inserts, or clings and signage by the ordering counter. “You can even host an event in your pizzeria to have some interaction with customers,” she suggests. “You might try a ‘Can you taste the difference?’ challenge.” Meanwhile, Cooperstein has found that a combination of social media and suggestions by phone order takers and in-house servers help boost sales for meat alternatives. In fact, even the fast-food chains have helped with marketing, thanks to all of the buzz surrounding plant-based alternatives in major brands like Burger King. “That’s actually been helpful for us, as it builds brand awareness for these products,” Cooperstein notes. “When we put them on our menu, we started getting orders right away—and there’s been zero negative feedback yet.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

44 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Call Center capabilities for one to thousands of locations! Maintain control, and get the calls off the front counters. For a small chain all you need is a large office at one location. Cut labor hours up to 50% and/or shift labor to lower cost regions while increasing average ticket. Eliminate the constantly ringing phones at the front counters! Tight integration allows calls to overflow to stores, so you can choose when to staff the call center. The same tight integration, same detailed reports and call recordings in your hands, same ability to overflow back to the stores, but you let some one else hire and manage the staff. We can provide this service to you or work with your existing call center provider. Best for a chain with a simple menu, “A.I.” virtual call centers can flip on and off as needed. By day of week/time of day, by call load, by manual control from your phones.

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46 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

The

ThIrD wOrlD As the debate surrounding third-party delivery companies rages industry-wide, pizzeria operators share their experiences at all ends of the spectrum. BY TRACY MORIN

Call it customer laziness, the desire for home comforts, or simply an income-driven dining revolution, but the third-party delivery boom has reached unprecedented levelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and is expected to continue its meteoric rise. In 2019, DoorDash reported that the industry ballooned to $43 billion in 2018 but is expected to rise to $76 billion by 2022. Months later, Forbes predicted growth to $200 billion by 2025.

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

Walter and Judy Gloshinski, owners of Smiling With Hope Pizza in Reno, Nevada, say they’ll never do business with third-party delivery providers.

“We don’t want to turn over our product to somebody we don’t know. If it arrives cold or half-eaten, customers will get mad at me. These third-party drivers can be people with no food-handling skills or training.” — WALTER GLOSHINSKI, SMILING WITH HOPE PIZZA But in the delivery-friendly pizza world, many operators remain on the fence about trusting these third parties to transport their carefully crafted menu items. Some have nixed the option outright; others have tried it out and reverted back to status-quo operations; and some have hailed these services as a smash success. Here, we look at all angles of third-party delivery through the eyes of operators—the good, the bad and the ugly. FALSE STARTS

For Walter Gloshinski, owner of Smiling With Hope Pizza in Reno, Nevada, third-party deliveries will never make the menu at his establishment—that is, if he has any say in the matter. “We’re owner-operated, and my wife and I don’t want to turn over our product to somebody we don’t know,” Gloshinski says. “If it arrives cold or half-eaten, customers will get mad at me. These third-party drivers can be people with no food-handling skills or training.” Gloshinski found himself at the epicenter of a war when two companies, Postmates and Grubhub, posted his pizzeria and menu on their websites without his consent, and customers unaware of the situation innocently ordered online. Unfortunately, getting the mess resolved took months of

phone calls to the companies, which prompted Gloshinski to vent his frustrations to the Reno Gazette Journal in 2019. “Drivers would get irate when we told them we’re not working with them, and the menus they post can be out of whack, with old prices, items or hours,” Gloshinski complains. “It’s like the mafia: ‘Move over, buddy, we’re working with you!’ They don’t contact you or enter into any agreement. It’s lawlessness— technology running crazy with no checks and balances.” Gloshinski was further determined not to work with thirdparty delivery companies after monitoring a local Facebook group of Reno-area foodies (restaurant owners and customers alike), who, he says, frequently light up the board with complaints about these services. Now, his wife, who works the phones at his pizzeria, asks callers straightaway if they are with a delivery service, and he hangs a sign at the door that proclaims “No Postmates.” But he even implicates web giants like Yelp and Google for falsely advertising that he delivers through other platforms. “I check every couple of days to make sure I don’t end up back on these third-party sites,” Gloshinski concludes. “If these services make you money, great—one lunch place here does 3,000 orders a week with DoorDash. And if we lose business over this delivery stuff, so be it. You’ve gotta stand up for what you believe in.”

48 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Pizzeria owners, especially independents like Nicole Bean (right), have mixed feelings about third-party companies.

“Sometimes, you’ll get great drivers; others can be unbelievably rude. Some will sip out of a customer’s drink or drop a pizza; some pizzas never get delivered or get delivered upside-down.” — NICOLE BEAN, PIZARO’S PIZZA NAPOLETANA

A MIXED BAG

Fredi Bello, aka Fredi the PizzaMan in Melvindale, Michigan, was willing to take a chance on third-party, since he didn’t already offer delivery. Bello opted to give Grubhub a try, despite the roughly 30% fees charged. He kept the service for less than a year, he estimates, partially because there was a shortage of drivers in his area, leading to erratic pickups (and cold food). “I’d make the order, and the driver would show up an hour and a half later,” Bello recalls. “Then people would complain online, even though it was out of my control. Customers are going to come after me, not Grubhub.” Bello called the third-party company and explained that he makes the food fresh right away, not at a delay. He was unhappy with the customer service, which required numerous prompts to reach a human being. And he noticed drivers showing up without basics like hot bags in cold Midwestern temperatures, causing the quality of his food to suffer in transit. “For some people, it works, but I would not go through a third-party company now,” Bello says. “I think finding a driver is the better way to go, since you can control that. And you can choose to deliver only in peak times, like 5 to 9 p.m., to minimize that worker needing to be there. That way, you know your driver is there to take the order. Third-party drivers have no commitment to your pizzeria.” On the other hand, Nicole Bean, president and owner of Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana, with two locations in Houston, started working with third parties in 2017 and maintains those relationships now. But she hopes to employ her own drivers instead within the next year. She started with a local delivery company called Favor. After realizing her pizzeria was posted on DoorDash without her consent, she sent two cease-and-desist

letters, but later ended up working with them, too, as well as with Grubhub. “They all work very differently from one another,” Bean explains. “The setup is easy, but when it comes to correcting orders, there were some issues. When we started with Grubhub and DoorDash, there were huge benefits—they’d give us a customer’s email, phone number and address—but now, everything goes through them, and we get none of that information. Still, we did get a lot of new customers, including repeat ones who have now become our customers.” No surprise, then, that Bean believes certain types of pizzerias can greatly benefit from the exposure offered by third-party companies—especially those that are still growing their customer base and want to get their name out there to a lot of people. When trying out multiple parties, she recommends running a weekly report to see where the most orders are coming from (in her case, it’s DoorDash). And, she adds, the services themselves can be all over the map. “Sometimes, you’ll get great drivers; others can be unbelievably rude,” Bean says. “Some will sip out of a customer’s drink or drop a pizza; some pizzas never get delivered or get delivered upside-down. Orders can disappear from the system, or you get the full runaround when calling customer service.” In a perfect world, Bean says, these services would be great, but murky rules and regulations can create dissatisfied operators and clients alike.

50 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

MI CHA E L P RI CE

ATTENTION DELIVERY DRIVERS!

If you are disres pe to follow our pro ctful to any CRUST emplo yee, or are un cedures: willing

1. You will be asked to leave the premises immediately. 2. You will be reported to yo ur platform an police departm d, if necessary, ent. to the 3. You will no t be allowed to return to CRUS T.

Respectfully, Chef/Owner Klime Kovace ski

Klime and Anita Kovaceski, owners of Crust in Miami, have nailed down a formula for success with third-party delivery platforms.

“When you deliver quality, quantity and consistency, it’s fine to charge more, unless you’re already overpriced. If [third-party companies] are taking 30% of the order, you’ll go out of business if you can’t pass those costs to the customer.” — KLIME KOVACESKI, CRUST THIRD-PARTY SUCCESS

For a look at how third-party delivery can prove a massive hit for a pizzeria and restaurant, look no further than Crust in Miami, which now counts Grubhub, Postmates, DoorDash and UberEats on its roster—to the tune of drumming up 22% delivery as part of its $2 million yearly intake. “I would not have delivery drivers of my own at any cost,” asserts owner Klime Kovaceski. “We open at 5 and take delivery orders until 9:30 p.m. It’s terrific.” At Crust, Kovaceski has nailed the formula with a few key choices: He shuffles pickups from these drivers to the side door, complete with its own dedicated cashier, which leaves his front door unblocked for in-house diners and allows for traffic to flow uninterrupted inside the restaurant. He posts rules at the door for drivers explaining the kind of behavior he expects from them, which, he believes, “sets the tone” for their actions at the outset. Then, to streamline operations, he blocks the option to make modifications or special requests on any third-party order and deletes the “build your own” pie. On GrubHub, which doesn’t allow this block, each section of the menu reiterates “modifications and substitutions politely declined.” If certain menu items simply will not travel well, he deletes them from the online delivery menus. Meanwhile, to combat the hefty fees that accompany third-party delivery, Kovaceski’s response was simple: Raise

prices for his online menu by 30% over dine-in—and alert online customers about it up front via his website’s home page, where customers click through to the third parties’ sites. Thankfully, Crust’s extra-large portions and reasonable prices make at-home diners feel like they’re still getting a good deal. “If they have to take an Uber here and buy a bottle of wine, it’s still cheaper for them to eat at home,” Kovaceski notes. “When you deliver quality, quantity and consistency, it’s fine to charge more, unless you’re already overpriced. If [thirdparty companies] are taking 30% of the order, you’ll go out of business if you can’t pass those costs to the customer.” To combat less-than-ideal experiences beyond his control, Kovaceski points diners to the source, the third-party outlet— but he also overcompensates for anything that isn’t perfect, perhaps sending along a $25 gift card to a disgruntled delivery customer. Additionally, each third-party provider takes up its own tablet at a docking station in Crust, sending orders straight to his Revention POS system and kitchen. And if business heats up on a busy night, Kovaceski is ready to pull the plug on online orders for an hour or two or lengthen estimated delivery times. “We are, first and foremost, a restaurant, and the dining room has priority,” he says. “Overall, success with third parties depends on who you are and how you run your business.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

52 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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54 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Dating back to ancient Rome, wood-fired pizza ovens offer the perfect combination of form, function and flavor. BY RICK HYNUM

From the beginning, pizza was meant to be cooked in a wood-fired oven—and there’s a good reason for that. According to Andrey Varlamov, a physicist who studies superconductivity at Italy’s National Research Council, wood-fired ovens provide the perfect pizza bake—a crispy bottom and perfectly cooked toppings—through the science of heat.

YOUR PIE CO.

The key, Varlamov and fellow researchers concluded in a scientific paper published in 2018, is achieving the correct balance of heat flowing upward—via conduction—into the base of the pizza from the bricks below while using radiant heat to warm the toppings. In other words, sometimes the old ways really are better. In fact, today’s wood-burning ovens show little variation from the ancient Roman design: a round, domed chamber constructed of brick or stone, capable of housing an intense live flame and generating three types of heat: conductive heat from the brick oven floor, radiant heat from the dome that spreads throughout the chamber, and convection heat from the fire itself. That’s a key advantage of wood-fired pizza ovens, but not the only one, of course. Here are a few more:

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

WOODSTONE CORP

Wood-fired ovens, such as this model from Wood Stone Ovens at Warehouse 72 in Houston, are often eyecatching showpieces that lend an OldWorld esthetic to any pizza operation. The restaurant’s decor can be customized to match the oven’s visual appeal, creating an enchanting dine-in experience.

M ALAW I’S

A wood-fired oven’s cooking time and even heat distribution lock in the flavors of the toppings before they dry out while imparting that unique smoky taste. Malawi’s Pizza, headquartered in Provo, Utah, uses its wood-fired oven to create gourmet pies that also raise money for hungry children in Malawi, Africa.

56 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

DA NI E L P E RE A

Because wood-fired ovens can heat up to 900°F or hotter, they provide a speedy bake for faster service and turnaround. That’s key to success for Ali Haider, whose 786˚ restaurant in Sun Valley, California, has very limited seating.

Different types of wood create subtle changes in a pizza’s flavor profile, allowing you to experiment with signature recipes. Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, also uses its wood-burning oven as a teaching tool, explaining the benefits of a high-temperature, woodfired bake on its website.

CANE ROSSO

SMOKIN’ OAK WOOD-FIRED PIZZA

58 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

Oven tenders at Cane Rosso, an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria based in Dallas, know that wood-fired pizza is actually better for your health: The intense heat seals in the vitamins and nutrients naturally found in vegetable toppings.

DANIEL PEREA

A wood-fired pizza menu can set your restaurant apart from the same old same old. Katie Collier, owner of Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria in St. Louis, serves artisanal pizzas like the Fig & Squash in a city better known for its Provel-topped pies and cracker-thin crusts.

Wood-fired ovens, like this Forno Bravo model at Sharrott’s Winery in Hammonton, New Jersey, also use gas as a heat source. They can be idled at 300˚ to 350˚ at night, then brought back up to baking temperature the next morning in just three hours.

FORNO BRAVO

Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

60 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

UP FOR

GRABS Grab-and-go options appeal to harried families, rushed lunchers and snack-happy millennials alike. Here’s how to shoot for success in the ready-made market. BY TRACY MORIN

For today’s on-the-go customers, it’s no surprise that grab-and-go options are increasingly in demand. Yet many outlets are still missing out on this growing segment. In 2018, Nestle Professional reported some telling stats by Datassential: “Grab-and-go (prepared foods for takeout that don’t need to be preordered) in restaurants at all price points grew 67.1% between 2013 and 2017. Penetration, however (the number of establishments offering some type of grab-and-go), was only 0.4%, indicating plenty of room for additional growth.”

APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

UNCLE GIUSEPPE'S MARKETPLACE

“We prepare grab-and-go foods daily, as well as throughout the day, based on demand. We also invest in ingredients that…match the level of freshness and quality our guests expect during a dine-in experience.”

Adding a grab-and-go section to your pizzeria is like adding any other new piece to the business puzzle—you’ll need to invest in the right equipment, maintain optimal food quality, and market the option to new and existing customers. Here, several experienced grab-and-go purveyors share their best advice for success.

THINK VARIETY.

Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, with eight locations in New York and New Jersey, offers a wide selection of gourmet meals for customers, made fresh daily by its chefs. “They’re ready to simply slide into an oven, heat and eat,” says Jillian Gundy, marketing manager for Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, based in Farmingdale, New York. “We have chicken marsala, eggplant rollatini, grilled vegetables, as well as packed salads, delectable soups and more. The easiest foods to select on a lunch break are our ready-made sandwiches, wraps and soups, all of which we make each morning and restock through the day.” Four of its locations also serve up pizzas, ready to grab by the slice or the whole pie for a quick lunch or dinner. Joe Fugere, founder and CEO of Seattle-based Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, agrees that the usual suspects— sandwiches, salads and soups—all work well in a grab-and-go format. “But you can also add desserts—we sell cannoli and tiramisu—salad dressings, entrees and frozen products like

— JOE FUGERE, TUTTA BELLA NEAPOLITAN PIZZERIA lasagna, gelato, pastas and sauces,” Fugere says. “Similar to what grocery stores offer, this setup allows us to cater to both the true grab-and-go customer and families looking for a dinner for four that’s fully prepared and ready to be heated or cooked at home.” Newk’s Eatery, based in Jackson, Mississippi, with more than 120 locations in 16 states, also offers a robust grab-and-go section that even features ready-to-serve proteins, such as broiled shrimp and tenderloin steak, that are seasoned and seared in-house. Other items range from salads, soups and sandwiches to slices of Newk’s Dozen-Layer Cake, according to Michelle Spohnholz, VP of marketing. “These items make it easy to make a meal by mixing and matching proteins with soups, salads and dessert,” she says.

62 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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EXPAND YOUR REACH.

Though grab-and-go sections are usually an in-house hit, you can also expand your brand reach to local grocery stores, farmers markets and more. Tutta Bella, for example, was tapped by QFC, a grocery store chain, to offer grab-and-go items in its newest location, and Fugere jumped at the chance. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to get our authentic food in front of discerning customers,” he explains. “Great food appeals to everyone but is not always easy to find in the grab-and-go environment. This arrangement provides us the opportunity to provide scratch-cooking quality to the consumer who’s in a hurry—whether it’s a quick lunch visit from surrounding offices or those doing their normally scheduled grocery run.”

DON’T FORGET DINNER.

You can also expand your grab-and-go business by thinking across dayparts—and serving sizes. “Our Express Market coolers are a way to reach a different type of guest, one who’s looking for convenient meal options for their busy lifestyle,” explains Spohnholz. “Guests who are visiting us for lunch may also want high-quality dinners at home, so Newk’s makes it easy for them to solve dinner while they enjoy

their lunch. Many of our grab-and-go meals can serve multiple people, so they’re perfect to take home to your family after a busy day, or you can just grab an item for lunch on a quick break from work.”

ATTRACT MORE ORDERS.

Grab-and-go customers are usually busy and in a hurry. Hence, Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace ensures that its grab-and-go foods are easily accessible both in-store and online. “Customers can order on [grocery delivery platform] Instacart or apps such as UberEats, Grubhub and DoorDash,” Gundy says. “We offer many possibilities to make our foods available to all!” At Newk’s, every Express Market cooler is located in one of two places in-store—and both are close to a door, allowing for guests to easily access the convenient meal options. Customers can also place online orders for grab-and-go items through the Newk’s website or mobile app. And Tutta Bella works closely with its partner grocery store to market its grab-and-go offerings while spreading the word through direct mail and social media. “We’re also looking into A-frame sandwich boards and other signage strategically placed at the store entrances to increase exposure,” Fugere adds.

64 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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“Guests who are visiting us for lunch may also want high-quality dinners at home, so Newk’s makes it easy for them to solve dinner while they enjoy their lunch.” — MICHELLE SPOHNHOLZ, NEWK’S EATERY

ENSURE OPTIMAL QUALITY.

To serve up grab-and-go foods that maintain the same quality as your regular menu items, examine everything from equipment to ingredient sourcing. For example, each Newk’s location houses an open-air cooler, neatly stocked with freshly prepared take-home items. “These coolers allow for displaying the visual appeal of fresh ingredients prepared in-house each day, along with easy-toread labels made by our label system,” Spohnholz says. Fugere bought equipment from display case manufacturer Structural Concepts, then brought in a local award-winning restaurant design firm to create an irresistible esthetic. The final key ingredient? A willing staff. Fugere says his operations team’s willingness to embrace this extension of its business model was a must, helping the idea come to fruition and attain maximum success.

But there are other considerations, such as ensuring freshness while minimizing waste. “Watch your daily inventory closely and adjust periodic automatic replenishment (PAR) levels in the moment,” Fugere advises. “We prepare graband-go foods daily, as well as throughout the day, based on demand. We also invest in ingredients that we know hold well and match the level of freshness and quality that our guests expect during a dine-in experience.” Finally, don’t let your grab-and-go offerings go stale; introduce new additions or limited-time specials so that even regulars can try something different. “People like convenience, fresh foods and the best ingredients, so we strive to achieve that on a daily basis,” Gundy notes. “But our chefs also work hard to introduce new recipes as often as we can!” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

66 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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FOLLETT

Follett ice machines can be located under a counter or in a back room of your pizza restaurant, and the ice can travel up to 75’ through a tube to your dispense point. Follett has a totally enclosed system, transporting ice while eliminating human contact. You don’t have to carry buckets of ice to separate server stations, saving time and labor and improving safety and sanitation. In other words, Follett gives you less to worry about! FOLLETTICE.COM

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There are many exciting ways to utilize Nutella within the pizza segment. Dessert pizzas, for example, are a perfect fit. Dessert pizzas featuring Nutella have increased 28.6% on restaurant menus in the past two years. You can offer additional fruit toppings for unique dessert pizzas and wow customers with a delicious treat. For a recipe and to learn more about Nutella, visit ferrerofoodservice.com. 800-408-1505

HECKERS & CERESOTA

For more than three generations, the Uhlmann Company has been producing Heckers and Ceresota Unbleached flours for the finest pizza restaurants in Chicago and New York City. Now the company has introduced Ceresota Napoli “00.” Milled in Italy from the finest European and Italian soft wheat, Napoli “00” flour is authentically Italian and designed to meet the needs of the most seasoned pizzaiolos. HECKERSCERESOTA.COM

MARRA FORNI

Marra Forni’s Rotator oven is changing the way restaurants bake pizza. The easy-to-use touchscreen technology offers full control of crucial functions such as temperature, deck rotation speed, direction and automatic on and off. This smart brick oven eliminates the need to hire highly trained chefs, offers energy savings and cooks pizzas evenly in a half rotation in under 90 seconds. 888-239-0575, MARRAFORNI.COM

68 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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70 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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DELICIOUS MADE-TO-ORDER BREAD AND PIZZA DOUGH Old World Tradition with New World Convenience.

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APRIL 2020 | PMQ.COM

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Exceptional pizza starts with exceptional flour. Traditional Pizza Flours, Whole Grain Flours, Pizza Crust Mixes, Private Label Packaging, Proprietary Blending, Custom Development For more information call 1-800-553-5687 or visit www.baystatemilling.com

of below and sign-off on the advertisement as shown or indicate changes in the column. Please return this signed proof to Stacie Dennison at either: Email: sdennison@pizzatoday.com 150 years of premium pizza flour or Fax: 502-736-9518

Heckers & Ceresota

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Traditional Flours, Pizza Mixes & Grain Innovations For more information or samples, contact us at ArdentMills.com or call 888-685-2534.

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pmq.com/Recipe-Bank/ 74 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

INSURANCE

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MIXERS

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76 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

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Manufacturers’ Direct Pricing • Call or order online • We export 78 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Get the latest and greatest in pizza news, recipes, videos, marketing strategies and technologies at pmq.com!

ALWAYS WITH YOU.

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# OF UNITS 7482 5876 4262 3199 1400 1372 907 855 548 548 541 468 452 427 423 397 345 331 227 226 221 218 215 214 212 191 185 171 170 153 135 123 118 109

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The PMQ/CHD Top 400 Pizza Chains

THE AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE TO PIZZA CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS RESEARCH

PMQ and CHD Expert have collaborated to present the Pizza Industry's most authoritative directory of pizza chain management and pizza chain business information. This 2020 Pizza Chain Directly Identifies the top 424 Pizza Chains with headquarters, management contacts and unit locations. • • • • • •

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PIZZA HALL OF FAME

(Clockwise from left) Richard Ejnes stands in front of his own pizzeria, also called Pizza Garden, in 1985; Phil Ejnes poses with a young customer (still a regular today) in the early ’60s; Phil tosses dough in front of the pizzeria window in the early ’70s; two delivery vans at Pizza Garden shuttle pies to the Flushing neighborhood in Queens.

Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 years or longer? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.

PIZZA GARDEN This Queens-based pizzeria, founded by a Polish immigrant, launched in 1960 but still feels fresh to younger generations. By Tracy Morin Phil Ejnes may have come to America with no English or knowledge of Italian food, but he was sharp enough to foresee the benefits of partnering with a big-dreaming pizza man, Tony Scarselli, to open up Pizza Garden in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York, in 1960. Despite realizing success and even opening up additional locations, Phil’s grounded, logical nature clashed with Scarselli’s visions of rapid expansion, and they decided to part ways in 1986. Luckily, Phil’s son, Richard, was already schooled in the pizza business. “I’d had a little pizza place, about 45 minutes away, since 1984, so I sold it and bought Tony’s share of the business,” recalls Richard, the current owner. “I was a partner with my dad from ’86 until the late ’90s, when he retired.” Over the years, Pizza Garden has weathered plenty of challenges: vastly different neighborhood demographics, ever-increasing government regulations, the advent of online food critics. But the most important things have not changed—especially the cheese, sauce, flour and oven that create the foldable New York-style slices at Pizza Garden, nestled in a strip mall setting with seating for about 40. Or the stalwart employees that have logged decades—two brothers who have made deliveries for the past 50-plus years, a waitress with a quarter-century on the books,

and even Richard’s sister and his wife, Carolyn, who’s a regular fixture. “I don’t micromanage, I trust them; if I didn’t, they wouldn’t be there,” Richard says. “They’re good, hardworking people. I’m honest, and I expect the same from them, and they know that.” While Richard ticks off the usual requisites for success—quality food, warm service and unyielding consistency—he says Pizza Garden’s pies were always designed to appeal to the masses. No surprise, then, that he never fails to please younger generations when hosting frequent morning school trips at his pizzeria, before opening hours. Richard has welcomed more than 50 schools, showing students how to make pizza by doling out dough, sauce and cheese to the youngsters, and teaching them tossing skills with Throw Dough. “If they come from local schools, now they’re new customers,” Richard says. “We have Instagram and Facebook, and a cutout on our boxes for customers to collect (you buy 15 pies and get one free). But it’s all word-of-mouth—no advertising. We keep it simple, because this business is tough enough. Sometimes less is more. But we’ve been here for 60 years in the same location, and that’s got to mean something.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

82 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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