Owning a pizza business?

[Ogata]

I am a baker and I am considering buying a pizza place that sells pizza by slices.

I am wondering if anyone has experience with running a pizza shop?

 

[My name is]

No experience but there are a ton of pizza places around here and they all seem to do well

 

[Pwent]

When I was in college I became manager of a sports bar that delivered pizzas and sold pizzas to go

I learned the business inside and out

What do you want to know

 

[Ogata]

When I was in college I became manager of a sports bar that delivered pizzas and sold pizzas to go

I learned the business inside and out

What do you want to know

The rent and net profit as well as unforseen challenges.

Myself I am looking in to a pizza by slice shop.

 

[loyalyolayal]

People LOVE pineapples on their pizzas.

 

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

everyone i know that ownsd a mom and pop pizza place basicvly lives there, are you willing to work 100 hour weeks and grow a moustache, have terible BO, a funny accent, and develop a gambling or dreug problem and be greek?

 

[bubbleboyjones]

What do you want to know

Why do most pizza places suck?

 

[Queen B]

People LOVE pineapples on their pizzas.

i always get pineapple or hawaiian everytime i go to a pizzaria

 

[loyalyolayal]

i always get pineapple or hawaiian everytime i go to a pizzaria

Your market has spoken, TS.

 

[mb23100]

Any restaurant is a rough business.

 

[Swiftie]

It's going to be tough for going up against the major franchises. Location would be key. If you're near a college or lots of bars, you might do OK. You should advertise your location on here and give a Sherdog discount.

 

[Pwent]

The rent and net profit as well as unforseen challenges.

Myself I am looking in to a pizza by slice shop.

rent is a case by case, depending on your area and what kind of location you want

selling by the slice is going to be location location location, since you need heavy traffic

ideally i kept my food costs between 27-30% on pizzas, with cheaper items like garlic knots down at 17-20%. i would adjust the price for my fixed costs

a problem with by the slice, is the same problem fast food places have, in that people expect it immediately, much faster than the amount of time to cook it. so you have to forecast how much pizza to make in advance, at what time of the day, so you dont have extra pizzas sitting there all day and you also dont run out.

i dont know about your area, but there was a lot more business in servicing local organizations like youth sports teams or local schools, either delivering to their events or coming to our restaurant afterwards, than there was in random walk ups. its also a lot easier since you know how much food to order and prepare in advance and you have guaranteed repeat business

a piece of advice is that most people order ingredients in quantities that are far too big, in that large inventory hides waste. its harder to notice one pizza worth of cheese missing if you have 500 cases of cheese etc.

 

[Pwent]

Why do most pizza places suck?

because most people, and by extention, most restaurants dont care

 

[Joe Wong]

rent is a case by case, depending on your area and what kind of location you want

selling by the slice is going to be location location location, since you need heavy traffic

ideally i kept my food costs between 27-30% on pizzas, with cheaper items like garlic knots down at 17-20%. i would adjust the price for my fixed costs

a problem with by the slice, is the same problem fast food places have, in that people expect it immediately, much faster than the amount of time to cook it. so you have to forecast how much pizza to make in advance, at what time of the day, so you dont have extra pizzas sitting there all day and you also dont run out.

i dont know about your area, but there was a lot more business in servicing local organizations like youth sports teams or local schools, either delivering to their events or coming to our restaurant afterwards, than there was in random walk ups. its also a lot easier since you know how much food to order and prepare in advance and you have guaranteed repeat business

a piece of advice is that most people order ingredients in quantities that are far too big, in that large inventory hides waste. its harder to notice one pizza worth of cheese missing if you have 500 cases of cheese etc.

I don't think I've ever seen you so knowledgeable. You a pizza boy, bro?

 

[Pwent]

I don't think I've ever seen you so knowledgeable. You a pizza boy, bro?

im knowledgable about businesses ive run, the pizza place, my food truck and now my current business

i avoid talking about my current business because its hard to discuss without giving away what it is

 

[loyalyolayal]

I don't think I've ever seen you so knowledgeable. You a pizza boy, bro?

@Pwent runs the WR, buns.

 

[bubbleboyjones]

because most people, and by extention, most restaurants dont care

 

[Pwent]

@Pwent runs the WR, buns.

 

[CatchOmega]

im knowledgable about businesses ive run, the pizza place, my food truck and now my current business

i avoid talking about my current business because its hard to discuss without giving away what it is

Sounds like you may or may not be a cheese or cheese-related vendor of sorts.

 

[Lifer]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I have some questions related to the TS topic.

I was asked if I wanted to invest in a small pizza shop. It's gonna be designed mostly for "to-go" orders. The location is going to be sandwiched by a bar that doesn't make food and an arcade room. Not in a downtown area and not quite near a suburban neighborhood. It's along the side of a Main Street.

I guess my questions are what is generally the success rate of pizza parlors? I know the failure rate of restaurants is 8 out of 10. Are "to-go" pizza shops part of the statistic? How creative should we get with our ingredients/menu? Obviously, quality of ingredients is paramount but how much is too much where it's not profitable to use high end ingredients and equipment? and same question as the TS, what are some of the unforseen problems we might encounter?

 

[Curmudgeon]

im knowledgable about businesses ive run, the pizza place, my food truck and now my current business

i avoid talking about my current business because its hard to discuss without giving away what it is

Cam whore?