The Pizza Dude: Curiosity will bring ’em in

Spring is in the air and the summer months are soon to
follow. Now when we look around outside we can finally see the flowers
blooming, smell all those barbeques grilling, and inside, our kitchens
getting hotter by the day.

Spring is in the air and the summer months are soon to follow. Now when we look around outside we can finally see the flowers blooming, smell all those barbeques grilling, and inside, our kitchens getting hotter by the day.

It’s the time of year that everyone loves. And while our customers are outside working in their gardens and enjoying this lovely weather, we are in our steamy and humid kitchens trying to stay cool.

This time of year it can be hard to predict whether or not it’s going to be busy on a particular night. Fridays and Saturdays are pretty much a given, but what about the rest of the week?

Last year, to keep people coming in, I came up with some new and innovative menu items that my customers could have with their BBQs. I know they may not always want to order their usual, so I added items like my personal ’Berto Balls, pastas and salads. These side orders went over well, but I still had to ask: are they enough to keep customers coming in throughout the hot summer days that lie ahead?

Pizza will always be the number one favourite food. When you look at overall food sales, it ranks right up there almost every year – with growing numbers. As independents, we need to keep asking ourselves if there’s something else we can combine with our pizzas, besides wings and subs, to keep the customers coming through the door.

Being that my pizzeria is take-out only, there are many pros and cons. On one hand I can offer different types of food without it costing me a lot of money to implement, but on the other hand I cannot offer someone the pleasure of sitting in my establishment with a pizza and a cold beer. So I guess improvising will have to do.

The new thing in Europe is the pizza cone. It looks something like an ice cream, only it’s pizza toppings in a pizza crust cone. An awesome innovation and something that is still new to the industry.

Other possibilities include offering dessert pizzas. I have touched on this before and they are a very good sell. You can come up with a number of different ways to top these pizzas, hot or cold.

In my pizzeria this year, I will be experimenting with an ice cream pizza I know will delight the taste buds and refresh the body.

As pizzaiolos we need to stand out above the rest and show the customers we’re not a fast food chain and we offer a superior product. Experiment with as much as you can, so not only will your customers craving more of your food, but it will also give them a sense of curiosity that will stick in their minds and keep them coming back.

Don’t ever underestimate the natural curiosity of the human being; it’s a great tool that will help your business in many ways.

Good luck, I wish all of my fellow pizzaiolos a prosperous summer. I’m the Pizza Dude. •