Making Dough with Diane: Seven quick and easy ideas to prepare your pizzeria for spring

Ah, finally, springtime! Now that it’s getting a little warmer, it’s time to think about freshening your space and some quick tricks to attract customers. Spring is a time of renewal and the perfect time to clean things up and get your pizzeria back on the map. It is also the ideal time for pizzeria owners to look at their operations from a whole new perspective and think about new ideas for attracting new customers. Here are seven quick and easy ideas to prepare your pizzeria for spring.

1. Cleaning comes first
A clean and sanitized pizzeria is a top priority for diners. Spring is when you should make your pizzeria more inviting, and attention to detail is key. You will improve the customer experience by ensuring your staff members maintain the cleanliness of your pizzeria. Floors, carpets, counters, wall units and restrooms must be scrubbed and sanitized.

2. Freshen up your décor
It’s also important to freshen up your décor. Put some extra work into making your pizzeria more inviting. How about adding some colourful flowers and foliage to your counters and tables and around your entire space? Put up bright and welcoming artwork. Look at your table and seating layout and check your lighting. Remember that your outdoor space and décor should feel like a continuation of your indoor space using the same colour scheme and theme.

3. Update your menu with some spring green offerings
Spring is a time of renewal. Updating your menu is a must for your spring preparation. Your customers will soon be looking for lighter and healthier options. Spring is the season of fresh produce, so it’s time to consider serving less comfort food and adding more fresh salads. Freshen up your menu with unique offerings, including lighter meals like summer salads. Spring is also the perfect time to finish your pizzas with greens like spinach, arugula, radicchio, watercress, sprouts and cilantro. In the spring, you can prepare many colourful creations with leafy greens, asparagus, leeks, walnut pesto and delicious, colourful fruit such as pineapple. How about an upside-down pineapple pizza? 

Spring also brings an excellent opportunity for your pizzeria to partner with local farms and suppliers to incorporate their products into your menu. Whenever possible, try to use farm-to-table ingredients to give your recipes an artisanal, homemade quality. For example, source some crispy lettuce and mix in arugula or cilantro for a bit of kick.

4. Bring on the brunch
Have you tried branching out your spring menu by adding a brunch? Brunch works well as people are more inclined to enjoy lazy mornings in bed, followed by a good brunch at their local restaurant. Brunch is an excellent way to attract new customers who may not have heard of your pizzeria. Since brunch menus are not easily found in most pizza places, you will surely stand apart from the crowd. Finally, adding brunch could make you a bunch of money.

Spring is the season of fresh produce, so take full advantage of the fresh spring veggies to create new pizzas.

Inexpensive breakfast foods such as eggs, potatoes and toast have a lot of potential for a high profit margin. You could make it easier on yourself by pre-making large amounts of easy breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, bacon, and mini pizza pies. 

Then, plan a nice, colourful, healthy brunch or brunch buffet and advertise it through your website and social media platforms. People love going out for brunch on a beautiful spring weekend, and it is easier to do than you may realize.

5. Be ready for holidays
Spring is full of fun and exciting holidays that give you many ways to run promotions to attract customers and increase your revenue. So don’t forget to celebrate spring holidays, including Easter (Good Friday and Easter Monday), April Foods Day (yes, you may use it for restaurant promotions), Mother’s Day and Victoria Day.

Build some egg-citement around Easter, and don’t forget that Mother’s Day is perhaps the most important spring holiday. 

Consider hosting a charity event or a fundraiser. You will definitely attract locals with the promise of supporting a good cause. Think about setting up a private lunch party for your loyal customers. Use your windows and easel signage to help you attract customers to your special spring event. 

6. Spruce up your patio dining and outdoor areas
If you offer patio dining, consider everything you can do to make the outdoor seating as enjoyable as possible. Dust off your outdoor area, including the tables and chairs. Consider replacing these worn-out cushions and putting a new stain on your wooden tables. Time to replace these old umbrellas or torches, fix any unstable tables, and bring anything else back to life! Include not only some great entertainment but also heaters, floral displays, great outdoor lighting using light strings, LED wall washes, and some other cool installations to brighten up your patio and make it more visible to passersby.

By building something inviting and colourful that customers can see from the outside of your pizzeria, you are advertising the spring celebration that can be found within. 

How about always having fresh ingredients on hand by adding a small garden on your patio? It would be visually appealing and allow you to serve food from garden to table.

7. Post on social media
Celebrate springtime on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Aside from sharing high-quality photos of your delicious spring-prepared dishes, it is a great idea to share behind-the-scenes photos and videos of what goes on in the kitchen, inside your pizzeria and on your patio. Make sure your kitchen is spotless and showcase your new preparations. Then, show off your new spring dishes, events, and more through interactive landing pages on your customer’s mobile devices. Finally, use hashtags to promote your new menu items featuring seasonal and locally grown ingredients.

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 35 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, send her an email at chiasson@chiassonconsultlants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com