How to Open a Pizzeria — Ultimate guide
How to Start Pizzeria
We are used to the fact that cafes and restaurants that sell pizza are always crowded. This is not surprising! After all, almost everyone loves pizza. Long lines and impatient customers’ eyes — that’s what distinguishes a pizzeria from other catering establishments.
The wide popularity of this dish is due to its bright taste and ability to quickly satisfy hunger. The name of this delicacy comes from the Italian word “pizzicare”. The history of pizza begins in ancient times.
Winning the love of customers is not that easy. To do so, you have to genuinely want to give each of them attention and care. The service should be professional, the staff should be polite and tactful. Remember an important rule:
The longer a customer waits for his order, the lower the rating of your pizzeria. Fast and high-quality service alone can bring your brand to the forefront.
Be sure to encourage visitors. Have discount days or weeks. It’s a very good idea to do a high percentage discount for a large amount of people that orders a lot of food. Love your business and each of your customers. Believe me, they will return the favor.
Strategy and planning
No business is without planning and calculation. You, as an entrepreneur, must soberly assess your chances of success.
Taking into account every detail and thinking ahead can be very difficult on your own.
Developing a business plan can help you in this difficult task. It is a great opportunity to weigh everything and take the most profitable position.
A financial model can be your saver. It gives you practically accurate information about the state of your affairs, the profitability of your investments, the amount and timing of your profits. It is as if you are looking into the future and counting your money before you get it. It will really help you build a strong business.
Choose a lucky “home” for your Pizzeria
If you want to have a large flow of customers, you’d better locate your pizzeria in a busy place. It is best to choose the center of the city. This guarantees you good attendance and a lot of profit.
The selection of premises is a very important and responsible moment. Half the success of your business will depend on it. People will not come to a bad place.
Landlords offer a wide variety of spaces, but you have to choose the best one! It has to look stylish from the street to attract the eyes of passersby. Finding a decent place in the city center is extremely difficult, but you need to try hard. It is better that it is a modern building.
Observe sanitary and epidemiological norms
Since your business is public catering, you must be careful to make sure all the prerequisites are met. The room and kitchen must be clean. The products must always be fresh.
Do not spare money on the hygiene of the room and the quality of products, because the lives and health of your customers depend on it. No one wants to get poisoned in a pizzeria.
Regularly exterminate the cockroaches. It is unacceptable to have them in your place. Keep toilets and service areas perfectly clean. Treat rooms against mold and mildew.There should be no dust or cobwebs in the corners.
No insects of any kind are allowed. Cooks must work in special uniforms and ensure the cleanliness of work surfaces and hands. The hair must be gathered. It is advisable to buy food that has a certificate of quality and expiration date.
Do thermal treatment of meat, sea foods, vegetables and fruit. If your country is quarantined, follow all quarantine regulations. Staff and visitors must wear protective masks and maintain a distance of at least two meters.Regularly pass an inspection by the sanitary and epidemiological services to confirm your honest name and show everyone that you care about the health and well-being of your customers.
Create a cozy atmosphere inside
The interior design of your room is your calling card. Think about how you want it to be. Buy furniture, soft and comfortable sofas or armchairs, hang minimalist paintings on the walls, put some ornamental plants. A nice bonus for your customers will be the availability of warm plaids in the cold season.
This will make them feel at home. Don’t be afraid to experiment, you have to stand out and create something new or even extravagant. For example, you can set up an unusual photo area inside.
Create some kind of exhibit that everyone will want to be photographed with. You can arrange the interior in the Hawaiian style, for this you will need a lot of bright flowers and decorative plants. You can put floor lamps or hanging chandeliers to create dim lighting. You can use statuettes or three-dimensional figures as a decorative element. Give preference to materials such as wood, marble and stone. They look very stylish in combination or separately. Buy beautiful tableware, buy several sets of dinner sets. Plain ceramic cups and saucers are ideal. Place soft sofa cushions for comfort and decor. Make them colorful or decorate them with embroidery. You can put a coffee table with magazines, so visitors can read something interesting while waiting for their order.
Develop a creative menu
There are a huge number of recipes and ways to make pizza. You can go with the classics, or you can modify them in your own way. Add new ingredients, make unusual product mixes.
Reinvent the classic “Margarita” in your own way. Add oregano or rosemary instead of basil. Your menu should be awesome! People should adore your pizza, and you should know exactly what makes it a majority`s favorite.
If you have trouble with imagination, you can include in your menu seafood pizza, Hawaiian, Calzone, Hunter’s, Four Cheese Pizza, tuna pizza, vegetarian, etc. With such a popular menu, you have to make sure your pizza is cooked to perfection.
Don’t make a single mistake. Bet on the presentation. Think about how you can serve the dish in a way that is original and memorable.
Create a menu of drinks. These can be freeshes, morsels or freshly squeezed juices. Milkshakes and other cocktails are great for that! Do not forget about coffee and tea. Coke, Sprite and Fanta are also very popular among young people. You can offer visitors a variety of snacks and desserts. Pastries are very much in demand, so they will make you a profit. Delicious and sweet cakes, cupcakes or creamy ice cream that melts in your mouth. Fruit jellies or panna cotta are a favorite of many children and teens.
Hire an energetic team of professionals
What could be better than active and positive guys who literally fly around the kitchen? Find young enthusiasts who love to cook and take responsibility for their work.
If they have experience in this field, that’s a big benefit. Pay attention to those who have a culinary education or have taken courses. The reputation of your establishment depends on the cooks and waiters.
Service should be polite, quick and unobtrusive. Hire people with positive energy and well-developed communication skills. Speed and efficiency are welcome.
Creating your brand
To assert your position without an original name will not be easy.
To come up with a bright name for a pizzeria you need to think carefully. Take a phrase or word from the Italian language, because Italy is the birthplace of pizza.
You can create an amazing pun from phrases in different languages, combine what does not fit together. Avoid using trivial and simple names.
You will also need a logo. Don’t skimp on imagination and fantasy. It should be something authentic, bright and attractive. Of course, the logo and the name of your brand should let the client know that your establishment is prestigious and decent.
Pizzerias are very popular among young people. Teenagers and middle-aged people often use social networks. You need to post information about your establishment on Internet websites
Find people to run your pizzeria’s online pages, contact a marketing and promotion specialist.
Promoting your brand online will increase the number of customers and help you build a brilliant reputation. You’ll be able to present new products and news to your customers from the comfort of your own home.