How to Start a Pizzeria Business
Owning a pizzeria can be a satisfying business for those who love to cook, appreciate good pizza and enjoy working with people. Making and selling good pizza is a creative business as well as a profitable one. A pizzeria can be a an eat-in restaurant that offers a full menu, or a simple take-out place. Start up costs can be high, but pizza restaurants are generally successful because there is a high profit margin on pizza.
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Things You'll Need
- Pizza ovens
- Large mixer
- Refrigerated pizza preparation tables
- Large refrigerator
- Freezer
- Dough prep table
- Three basin sink
- Commercial dishwasher
- Cooking tools
Instructions
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Make good pizza. Before you buy your first oven or look for a location, learn how to make good pizza. Practice making pizzas and try them out on your friends and family. The success of a pizza place rests almost solely on the quality of your pizza. If you don't intend to be the cook, then hire a good pizza chef. Use top of the line ingredients and make sure you would want to eat every pizza that comes out of your pizzeria.
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Write your business plan. Your business plan will help you focus your ideas and give you a guideline for marketing, profit and loss as well as expansion ideas.
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Calculate your start-up costs. This will include your location lease, ingredient inventory and the lease or purchase of equipment. Arrange for financing if necessary.
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Write up your menu. Look at the menus of other restaurants, consult with your chef and decide what type of foods you will offer in addition to pizza. You offer at least a few items that are not pizza, especially if you plan to open a sit-down restaurant. Pasta dishes are simple to make and a natural match with pizza.
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Find a location. Depending on your town, you will want to find a place with either a lot of foot traffic or with a lot of drive-by traffic. Purchase or rent your location.
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Contact your local health department. If your location was previously a restaurant (or better still, a pizzeria), ask the health department for a pre-inspection so that you can clean and place your equipment appropriately. If you are starting from scratch, study the health department's handbook so you can create a layout and system for optimum cleanliness. Once you are set up, you can apply for your permits.
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Purchase or lease your equipment. A pizzeria requires heavy duty ovens to create a lot of good pizza at one time. Electric ovens are generally ineffective for making a good, traditional pizza. Gas ovens with large flat stones are the norm for pizzerias and more and more are investing in wood-fired ovens to give their pizza authentic Italian taste. You will also need a large mixer for dough, refrigerated pizza preparation tables, a large refrigerator and freezer for ingredient storage and a dough prep table (usually a large butcher block or counter top). A three basin sink is needed for clean up and a commercial dishwasher is recommended, especially if you'll be serving customers in a restaurant setting. Various cooking tools such as ladles, bowls, knives and pizza paddles will also be needed.
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Build buzz for your new pizzeria by offering tastings at local events and sending press releases to local media. Create a website and offer online ordering. Advertise in local newspapers and websites. Use social media to let people in your town know about your new pizzeria.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Pizza image by internettm from Fotolia.com
