Why not use bun pans? They are available from loyds pans. And the boxes are only around .80 each. That is what I use.

Statistics: Posted by Pizza of the Month — Fri May 06, 2011 11:07 pm

---

Working for a POS company, I work with a lot of web ordering providers. Most now support mobile ordering on iPhone/iPad, Android, and Blackberry) and integrate direct to the POS. That part is easy.

To use that mobile functionality for self-service, what you would need to work out with your web ordering provider is how to handle payment:

Typically with mobile sites, customers have to enter a credit card number for payment. Depending on the provider and POS integration, the payment may be processed online in real-time, preauthorized at the store in real-time, or processed on pickup at the store. But if your customer is already in the store, they may want/expect more payment options -- and they're probably not going to want to key in their credit card number at the counter. That means that you will want to either equip the iPad with a card swipe, or talk to your web ordering provider about designing an interface that will submit the order without payment so you can handle all the payments at the counter.

Statistics: Posted by Jennifer@SpeedLine — Fri May 06, 2011 6:27 pm

---

From Serious Eats

Well, folks, are you sitting down?* This is it for me. The end of an era. After four and a half years at Serious Eats/SENY, almost eight years of blabbing on Slice, and six years of intermittent burgering on A Hamburger Today, I'm bidding a fond farewell to you all. Today's my last day at Serious Eats, a site (a group of websites, really) that I'm happy and extremely grateful to have had a part in shaping.

When SE overlord Ed Levine asked me to join him in his rag-tag experiment in up-to-the-minute food journalism, restaurant reviews, recipe-sharing, and overall gabbing about grub, I never imagined it would grow into the resource it is today.

Wait, scratch that. I did imagine it becoming a daily read and an invaluable tool to food lovers everywhere, so I am overwhelmed that the vision shared here by all Serious Eaters — the staff, our contributors, and all our community members alike — has materialized. I want to thank Ed for the opportunity. It's been crazy, challenging, maddening at times, but always extremely rewarding and always a load of serious fun (and, yeah, deliciousness).

And, of course, thanks to all my colleagues here in the office and across the country who have bowled me over with their serious knowledge of food, drink, and restaurant intel. I could go on and on with recollections and anecdotes, but this post would get looooong. Suffice it to say that everyone I've worked with closely here at SE HQ brings something unique and irreplaceable to the experience both on the site and in the office. I'll miss you guys!

Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife, Girl Slice, first for encouraging me to make the leap to Serious Eats in the first place and then for her support and advice during my stay here. I'm sure she'll be happy that from now on the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before going to bed won't be checking Talk for spam or to see if you rascals in the boards are behaving yourselves!

I can't imagine a day without Serious Eats as part of it.

And I won't have to. I'll still be around.

• On Slice, I'll continue with my weekly pizza reviews, some Daily Slices here and there, and at least once a month dropping in with some sort of pizza-at-home experiment or how-to.**
• On AHT, I'll be rotating in with a monthly NYC burger review
• On the main Serious Eats site, you'll see me pop up whenever I get a bug to explore things like bagel-making, cookie-stuffed cookies, or 7-layer dips

In addition to that, how could I stay away from Talk? You crazy SE'rs are like family. The biggest, most-extended, rollicking family full of smart, funny, talented — and, yes, cantankerous — sumbitches I've ever known. I want to thank you all for the great commentary, recipes, and insights you've shared over the years. And for more or less keeping the level of discourse higher than that of any community forum on the web I've participated in. I can honestly say that I'm starting to ... no, scratch that ... um ... I think I got something in my eye as I started typing this farewell to you crazy SE'rs ;)

So this is less a last goodbye than a "see ya 'round, SE'rs."

For those of you wondering, I'm moving on to become the Social Media Director at nycgo.com, New York City's official tourism marketing organization.

So, What's Up With Slice?

Apart from SE, the one site I'm probably most associated with these days is Slice, where I've been blabbing atcha for ages. Don't worry, pizza nerds, it's in good hands.

As you know, Maggie Hoffman has been editing Slice since October 2010. I want to thank Maggie for the great job she's done in getting Slice running on a tight schedule so that there's plenty of crusty, saucy, cheesy stuff to read from day to day.

Maggie, though, who is also our Drinks editor, will be handing over those duties to incoming Slice editor Meredith Smith. Meredith will be editing posts and directing Slice editorial coverage on May 16. Expect to get to know her better in an upcoming Pizza Obsessives interview.

Meredith will continue Maggie's push toward a well-(olive)oiled machine, and, like everyone who has been involved with Slice, Meredith really "gets" pizza. Her posts from the Boston area are a testament to that, so I know I leave this place in capable hands. Please give her a warm, cheesy welcome when she comes on board!***

So with all that said, folks, it's been a wild ride.

Hasta la pizza*** and see you next week!

—Adam

* Of course you are! Who reads the internet standing up?

** The powers that be are pushing for a cheeseburger pizza mashup to celebrate National Hamburger Month.

*** Don't get any ideas. That's still MY catchphrase, suckas.

**** And if you don't well, I can't ban you anymore, but I can call you a mean, nasty person in the Comments.

I'm mostly known around here as the LA burger guy on A Hamburger Today. It's true, I am a burger devotee, but if you are asking me what food I cherish the most, the answer is easy: pizza. It is my first and greatest food love, and that's saying something. My favorite things in this life? A girl from Texas, my family, and then pizza.

As you might imagine, my New York City childhood is more than a little bit responsible for my pizza predilection. As a boy, my father and I would travel back and forth across the city in search of a slice. We'd ride the Belt Parkway out to his childhood stomping grounds in Bensonhurst to eat what I will always describe as the perfect Sicilian slice at L&B; Spumoni Gardens. Sometimes it was a ride up to Arthur Avenue in The Bronx to the strange stuck-in-amber stretch of mid-century Italian-Americana. Suffice to say, my earliest and best food memories are pizza-shaped.

So I am duty-bound to alert you, dear Slice'rs, to my impending public embarrassment. I'll be appearing on tonight's episode of Kitchen Nightmares (gulp)! The folks who produce Gordon Ramsey's tough-love, restaurant makeover show asked for a Serious Eater to sample the reworked menu at the LA area restaurant called The Capri and I stepped up (and opened wide).

I'd hoped this post could a treatise explaining how I was misrepresented through the editing process, but the truth is I just don't know. I'll be watching it for the first time tonight with the rest of the audience—it's on Fox at 8 (7 Central).

Maybe I'll get lucky and my screen time will amount to just a split second of me gorging on pizza, but however it goes down I'll write a follow up post reviewing the pizza so you can get a better sense of whether Capri makes a pie worth your time. Until then, please be generous with your judgments of my performance; I've never had to eat on TV before, let alone on TV with Gordon Ramsey yelling at a cuddly pair of twins who own an Italian restaurant!

compelinteraction wrote:
And then the customer can't complain about his order being wrong - after all, he placed it!.

This made me chortle.

Statistics: Posted by brad randall — Fri May 06, 2011 11:40 am

---

Try PA products they make screens 12X24 and many other sizes 7343421-1208

George Mils

Statistics: Posted by George Mills — Fri May 06, 2011 12:04 pm

---

I bought Pizza Director years ago, and it was the best decision i made.

The system paid for itself very quickly.
Support over there is excellent.

Feel free to PM me if i can help.

Rob

Statistics: Posted by RobT — Fri May 06, 2011 12:05 pm

---

the phone NO for Pa Products is 734-421-1208 Not as above

George Mills

Statistics: Posted by George Mills — Fri May 06, 2011 12:06 pm

---

brad randall wrote:

compelinteraction wrote:And then the customer can't complain about his order being wrong - after all, he placed it!.

This made me chortle.

Me too!!

Cust:I've just got my order and the pizza is wrong
Us: Well that's the pizza you ordered, its come stright through from your online system
Cust: Well you're onlione system MUST be wrong


Just like the customer who kept on complain that her pizza had jalapeano's on it. It was a set pizza which didn't so we sent out a replace (I made it) they rang and compalined again that it had jalapeano's on it - you know those green things - og you mean GREEN PEPPERS?

Online is great (we are doing 40-60%+) online orders but it does has it draw backs. Feedback from those using kiosks is similar - If you are delco expect to have a member of staff available to go round to the take out area and sort problems out regularly!

Statistics: Posted by Wizzle Wassell — Fri May 06, 2011 12:51 pm

---

I get frustrated with fundraisers too. We've tried to do several of them and rarely do the groups/organizations try that hard to promote it and seem to expect me to do the work.

As far as tracking sales, I always put a discount on the POS for them that takes .01 off the order, then I can print out a quick report for that discount that gives me my totals and also doesn't allow them to use other discounts with the order.

Statistics: Posted by indie pizza — Fri May 06, 2011 1:02 pm

---

There are several things that play into ticket averages. When we measure ours we use settings in the POS to eliminate orders under $10 (slice orders for the most part since you can not get a pizza from us under $10) and orders over $150 as those tend to be calls that go to the manager for a deal or are for organizations like schools, hospital, clubs etc and tend to throw the averages off.

When you take those out of the mix you get a better comparison as slice orders can not go through the online system and large orders are simply not going to.

Based on a 60 day period I used just now for comparison, online was about 5% below our overall average. (If I throw the little orders from lunch slice business, sodas etc back in the mix it is about 5% above the average)

But.... our top phone person (my daughter) has an average ticket that is 40% above the store average and the next two ordertakers are both about 25% above the average...

Statistics: Posted by bodegahwy — Fri May 06, 2011 1:06 pm

---

We once did a promo we called Two for Two which gave the customer a $2 discount and was matched by a $2 donation to the organization from us.

It worked OK a couple of times and was a dog a couple of times. In the end, if the organization is not going to push the offer to its members, what is the point. It is easier to write a check to an organization you support and not fool around with the offer and potential bad feelings that it did not amount to much.

Statistics: Posted by bodegahwy — Fri May 06, 2011 1:09 pm

---

It's all well and good to know where the best pizza in the city is—if you've got the time to travel there—but what if you need a decent slice right now? Slice'rs know that every street-corner slice in NYC is not created equal, so we decided to explore the possibilities literally block by block.

The Nonna Maria from Bleecker Street Pizza. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

So we're cheating a little bit this week, since the block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues on Bleecker is technically subdivided into four smaller blocks due to the off-grid street intersections. It's still somewhat of a pizza hot spot in the city, though, with three New York joints (Joe's, Bleecker, and ZPizza), a Neapolitan pie joint (Kesté), a Roman pizza spot (Roma), and the New York–Neapolitan coal-oven pizzeria John's. But we're interested in one thing: Who makes the best order-by-the-slice pizza?

The Best Overall: The Sicilian from Bleecker Street Pizza ($2.75)

Bleecker Street's regular slices have an odd cornmeal-coated bottom crust that we consider cheating (it gets crisp, but doesn't get any nice charred flavors), but their cheese, a combination of creamy mozzarella with a hint of a more strongly aged Parm is top notch, as is their great fresh tomato sauce (it's got some sugar added to it, but it works). The Sicilian pie forgoes the cornmeal, instead delivering a crust that's crisp, deeply browned, and plenty tasty. Fresh basil seals the deal.

If you want a thin-crust style slice, you should opt for the Nonna Maria ($2.75) made with fresh mozzarella, marinara sauce, and fresh basil.

Bleecker Street Pizza

69 7th Avenue South, New York, NY 10014 (At Bleecker, map)
212-924-4466; bleeckerstreetpizzeria.com/

The Best Crust: Joe's on Carmine ($2.75)

The archetypical New York-style crust: thin and crisp with nicely charred spots on the bottom and a soft doughy later at the crust/sauce interface. The edges are bubbly and tender with a crisp upper surface and a few bubbles that hit that beautiful spot that just barely touches the edge of being burnt without actually getting there.

The only downside? An overly sweet sauce and creamy, but one-dimensional cheese. If they'd upgrade the toppings, this might be one of our favorite New York-style slices in the city.

Joe's Pizza

7 Carmine Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-366-1182; joespizzanyc.com

Decent Roman Pies: Roma Pizza ($3)

Their buy-by-the-rectangle pizza bianca sure ain't no Sullivan Street, but it's a respectable option, provided you get it fresh. Even 30 minutes later, these pies become stale, stiff, and tough to chew.

The tomato and cheese slices are better, with a very creamy mozzarella, and decent but cooked-tasting tomato sauce.

OK for 99¢: ZPizza

A newcomer to the Bleecker street pizza scene, ZPizza's sign has two words that we rarely like to see on the side of a pizzeria: "organic" and "brick oven." We just find that more often than not, those two words are imply a restaurant that has thought more about concept than execution.

Such is the case here. Not that the pizzas are horrible, and certainly fine for 99 cents, but the floppy whole wheat crust brings the whole thing down.

Zpizza

298 Bleecker Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-206-7433; zpizza.com

Quickly you need to get an emergency fund in place. Minimally, a month's rent. I would do whatever it takes to get it saved even if it requires more time (and trust me I know you don't have a lot of extra but it is TEMPORARY) and or helping get it in place with personal funds. You cannot be late on rent...period. Same with taxes so if that is becoming a problem know it is vital you go ba**s to the wall to get some savings in place for emergencies.

What you will find is there is a bit of peace in having some cash even if it just a little. Issues become an inconvienence rather than a disaster.

Check out www.daveramsey.com if you want some motivation or help getting a plan together.

How nice will it be when the landlord pulls his cr*p and you have some more of your ducks in a row.

Good luck to ya and great job getting an attorney. Either way 2 years comes quick...get ready!

Statistics: Posted by Kris — Fri May 06, 2011 7:57 am

---

I always tell my employees that I would suspect 75% of customers are celebrating something when they are ordering from us. It is there job to find out what.

When I was a server year's ago I found it a great way to connect with my customers. I found they were justifying the purchase by "celebrating" something. It might be as lame as "It's Friday, let the weekend begin" or "Family Night Out", "Got a new job", "Excercised all week (or if ya got a regular who all the sudden orders salads ya pretty much know they are dieting....great time to say "Have you lost weight?"

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Mother's Day, First Day of School, Hard Day at work, oven broke, good grades, new job, reconnect with an ol pal, new house it just goes on and on.

Connecting with customers does build a customer base...but we are going for "feels like family" base.

Loved the article.. thanks!

kris

Statistics: Posted by Kris — Fri May 06, 2011 8:05 am

---

Do any of you know where I can find screens and boxes that are rectangle? I am thinking do a 12x24 "party pizza" or something like that.

Statistics: Posted by Crusher — Fri May 06, 2011 9:39 am

---

Chris, you're on that critcal leading edge. If someone out there isn't a believer, just ask your 20something or 30something relatives or friends. Thanks for the post.

Statistics: Posted by Piedad — Fri May 06, 2011 9:54 am

---

Check with American Metalcraft at <www.amnow.com> or 800-333-9133.
They show a solid pan (12 X 24) as well as a rectangular screen, but they don't give the size of the rectangular screens, only a picture of it.
You can also go to Lloyd Pans at <www.lloydpans.com> to get either a pan or perforated sheet (hex hole pattern), their improved version of a screen.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Statistics: Posted by Tom Lehmann — Fri May 06, 2011 9:59 am

---

Fail

Statistics: Posted by jokergerm — Fri May 06, 2011 10:10 am

---

During Christmas week I picked 4 local non-profits that I support and advertised that we would give 10% of sales to these groups over the four nights. I figured that they would promote it with their supporters and I advertised as well. Winter is slow, so it was a nice way to connect with our community. It worked out well. It would be tough to track each sale that the non-profit brought in. Better to just pick a percentage you are comfortable with off of total sales. (in my opinion, of course)

Statistics: Posted by Paradox_Pizza — Fri May 06, 2011 10:12 am

---

Anyone out there have an iPad or other such tablet in your store for customer use?

I came across an article from Mailchimp about n***d Pizza using the Mailchimp App on iPads in their stores to help farm email addresses from customers. http://www.mailchimp.com/features/chimpadeedoo/

So this got me thinking, since we're about ready to launch online ordering, how can I get our online ordering menu to be locked on an iPad and have customers use it in the shop to order on their own? Yes, it seems like a novelty to have something like this, but I'm certain it would create a buzz in my customer base as well as those coming into the shop for the first time. I know there are a myriad of other issues surrounding this, but I just want to know what some other people think about it.

Statistics: Posted by Bulletpizza — Fri May 06, 2011 10:38 am

---

bodegahwy wrote:
2. I find no evidence to support claims of larger orders online. A good phone person blows away any online system... but at a price. Online orders for us (several thousand $$ per month now) are about on par with phone for average order size... Better than the employees with below average order value but well below our top three employees. There is no substitute for a phone person that is actually fun to talk to and effectively sells combos and sides.

I agree. A personal touch can make quite a difference, but finding people with the right personality for sales, that will work for pizza store wages, isn't terribly easy. Across the board, online ordering produces higher ticket prices - IF the system is fast, intuitive, and the software has been specifically designed toward suggestive selling without seeming forceful.

http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/rese ... 15521.html

Ecommerce software is an interesting world. What seems like minor differences between systems can exponentially impact performance and revenue.

Statistics: Posted by compelinteraction — Fri May 06, 2011 10:45 am

---

That's a really smart move on your part. I see kiosk ordering from something like an ipad or other touch screen as being a big thing in the future. For dine in restaurants, it will really take a load of the servers' responsibilities. And then the customer can't complain about his order being wrong - after all, he placed it!

Having an app on an ipad could be as simple as having the only application on the iPad say "Order Now" and then link to the online ordering website, or if you wanted it locked into an app, you could ask your online ordering company to develop a version of their mobile site, turn it into an iPad app, and you'd be good to go. Some online ordering companies are more willing to do custom development than others, but it's worth asking.

Statistics: Posted by compelinteraction — Fri May 06, 2011 11:18 am

---

[Photograph: Carey Jones]

We've meant to visit Ledo's in College Park, MD, ever since a Slice'r wrote in to tell us that their "thin crust, almost crackerlike" and "party-style cut" might constitute a unique style left out of our regional pizza style guide.

And after trying a pizza, we agree. Ledo's is now a statewide chain, but we stopped by the original location (though that spot itself relocated from Adelphi to College Park in 2010). To our understanding, it's generally served as a rectangular pizza, not a round one, which is what we were handed after we called for pickup; nonetheless, there was plenty that made this an unusual pie.

It's the crust that stands out. Thin, but not crackerlike, it almost resembles a pastry or the edges of a biscuit in its flakiness and total oil saturation. The cheese spills over the edges of the crust, too, giving it a bit of a grilled cheese effect.

The only pizza I've had that remotely resembles Ledo's is what I remember of Domino's Thin Crust, which (at least at one point; I don't think I've tried it in a decade) had the same flaky-thin thing going. But Ledo's is much better. Pretty sauce-laden, and cheese-greasy in a good way, the whole package makes for a satisfying pizza.

The Original Ledo Restaurant

4509 Knox Road, College Park MD 20740 (map)
301-422-8122
ledorestaurant.com

[Photographs: Adam Kuban]

Thank you, Antika Pizzeria. When the "family-style" pizzeria and Italian eatery opened in December 2010, it solved two vexing issues. First (and more important in terms of the greater good of all New Yorkers) it brought some very good pizza to Washington Heights, a neighborhood long underserved in this respect. Second, it finally gave me a place I could wholeheartedly recommend to folks asking for pizza recommendations in the area.

Although the name may evoke visions of Italy, Antika serves decidedly New York–style pizzas — a "Classic New York Round" pie (above) that in truth nods more toward the New York–Neapolitan style of pizza than to the more common New York "street slice" style and an "Old Fashioned Grandma Style Square" pizza (at top).

One thing the name properly conveys, however, is the communal aspect of the food served. All pizzas come whole pie only — no slices. (And the nonpizza dishes are served family-style, on large platters for everyone to dig into.) Yes, it's a sit-down joint, casual in vibe but still neatly dressed — exposed-brick walls, black-and-white tile floors, a floor-to-ceiling window wall that opens completely to the street in nice weather.

But let me cut to the chase: Get the Old Fashioned Grandma here. It's great stuff.

The crust is light, airy enough, and takes a nice burnishing from the oiled pan, becoming crisp-fried-chewy in spots while remaining soft and moist (but not underdone) in others.

It doesn't quite reach the heights of Adrienne's grandma pizza in the Financial District (my benchmark for this style), but it's close.

A generous amount of blended cheese (fresh and regular mozzarellas, grana Padano, pecorino Romano) covers the pizza to the rim, with bits that get trapped between the crust and the pan, adding that frico-like quality to the last few bites of a slice.

In true grandma style, stripes of sauce sit atop the cheese. It's minimally seasoned, so you taste the tomatoes' true flavor rather than the mix of dried spices that dominate New York–style pizza sauces (not that that's necessarily a bad thing).

There's no garlic on this pie, a deviation from most grandma-style pizzas, but this one is good enough that I didn't miss it.

I've only had plain grandma pizzas there so far, but I've got friends in the neighborhood, so I'll be back with updates on topped pies.

A mushroom-and-onion pizza.

The round pies are good, too, but not in the same league as the grandmas. Have you ever been to one of the locations of the Patsy's Pizza mini chain?* It's much like the pizza there. Better than average, good even, but not reaching the heights pizza awesomeness you may have experienced elsewhere.

The hole structure.

The crust is dry, without much lift, but is crisp and chewy — maybe a little too chewy at the rim. I was tempted to leave the "pizza bones" behind.

The undercarriage.

Still, like the chain Patsy's, I'd happily recommend them in a pinch — and that's the deal here. You're not going to find a New York-Neapolitan style pizza like this for blocks and blocks.

But, yeah, the grandma pizza. That's the thing.

* The original Patsy's in East Harlem has different owners than the mini chain, and its pizza is completely different, so don't use it in your mental comparison.

Yep. Raw flour tastes like a*s. Even worse when it is blackened. There is nothing worse than taking a bite of pizza and having your tongue coated.

You will never get that with corn grits. I actually really like the flavor it imparts to the crust. It does build up in decks noticeably faster than flour does though.

Statistics: Posted by Pizzamancer — Fri May 06, 2011 2:17 am

---

They only recently contacted me and now we're heading into Summer Break for the college, so it's really too late. I'm planning giving them a trial in the Fall - maybe like 4 or 8 blasts over the course of 1st semester with trackable deals to see exactly what kind of return we get.

Statistics: Posted by brad randall — Fri May 06, 2011 5:33 am

---

Good morning folks,

I hope everybody is doing well - Friday is here! This is just a quick thought that I thought I'd share... I sent out an email to our subscribers about this yesterday. It has to do with getting your customers to share their experience with friends, not just "buy" from you.

As you probably know, social media is integrating into almost every aspect of life. When something goes wrong - people post about it. When something great happens - people post about it. When people go somewhere to do something - they post about it.

And most importantly, when people want to try (or buy) something, they go online to research it. It is becoming increasingly important that you take social media into consideration and make sure your business is conducive to this strategy.

Here is an example...

Several years ago, when Wal-Mart was dominating Target stores (in almost every retail category), Target realized that instead of competing with the larger company, they should differentiate themselves, improve the experience, and connect with their customers. If not, they would be faced with bankruptcy down the road.

It was an amazing transformation. Now Target has carved it's own niche. It is a trendy, cool, and affordable place to shop.

I'm willing to bet that you've seen Facebook posts such as, "OMG! I just spent another $150 on clothes at Target!" ...I see them almost every week.

On the flip side, Wal-mart receives much less support. By in large, consumers love their low prices, but they feel guilty (or ashamed) by the stigma attached with purchasing from a retailer catering to small budgets.

What does this mean?

It all boils down to sales and reputation.

You've got to "see" your business like a consumer does. You have to understand what drives their purchase decisions.

Every time a customer orders your food and posts to Facebook, your company instantly appears on computers and mobile phones for hundreds of people (determined by their number of friends).

This is huge.

I hope this was worth posting, I think it is something that all business owners should consider moving forward.

Have an excellent weekend, all the best!

-Chris

Statistics: Posted by Chris@Taradel — Fri May 06, 2011 7:11 am

---

I have been using corn flour or corn "masa" for a while now. I like that it has almost the consistency of wheat flour, but it works like corn meal. It will not be as gritty and does not burn, or stay on the pizza like flour. Remember it is much finer than corn meal, but still works like it. It is relatively cheap too and I get it from Sysco. Try it once, and you will never use flour again.

Statistics: Posted by anselmospizza — Fri May 06, 2011 7:20 am

---

If you've never had Anthony Falco's pizza at Roberta's in Brooklyn, or even if you have, and you're in Manhattan anytime between today (May 6, 2011) and June 3rd, you owe it to yourself to check out Anthony's new mobile wood-fired pizza oven and taste what's coming out of it! Anthony will be making pizza seven days a week at Madison Square Park (where 5th Avenue and Broadway meet at 23rd Street) under the Roberta's banner! It's all part of the Madison Square Eats food court. If you'd like to read about the class where Cary first met Anthony Falco, click on the hyperlink below.

After spending four days in Naples, primarily eating pizza, I made my way up to Rome. I only had about 36 hours to spend there before flying out to Barcelona and while I intended to try some pizza, it was not the primary purpose of the trip. In fact, I had a long list of non-pizza restaurants I wanted to try in Rome. Although the best meals I had there did not involve pizza.... like this duck in

When D’Angelo’s Pizza first opened up, my friend Willie suggested we go and try it and see what it was about. We had heard it was the same owner as the renowned Casa D’Angelo which had won plenty of awards and accolades from local reviewers. Guess the owner thought he should jump of the Wood [...]

I have 1 of these lovely landlords myself. Problem is, i signed a lease which stated what my % was for cam, maintenance & other charges.

I have a real problem when the cam, Maintenance, snow plowing is ridiculously inflated to gouge money out of all the tenants........

Statistics: Posted by RobT — Thu May 05, 2011 9:51 pm

---

Going from hand written checks and a basic electronic cash register, it's night and day better. Going from another POS, its probably going to be night and dusk better but I guarantee you'll find ways to improve your daily actions... be it sales, reports, credit card processing, etc. We spent $9700 for a 2 terminal setup (one at a bar and one for the servers to use) including the service printers, kitchen printer and the entire back-of-house system. I get on logmein.com and remotely log into the POS BOH terminal and I can do everything I want in my PJ's from home LOL. I love it. Money VERY WELL spent. We probably saw a 15-20% increase in sales numbers solely from the use of the POS over hand written hell.

Statistics: Posted by RichPugh — Fri May 06, 2011 12:02 am

---

Pizzamancer wrote:
Yep. Heat it up to 500 degrees or so and then just brush off the ashes.

In the future, try corn grits on the peel. Much more forgiving than flour.

Yeah, we bake at just over 600f and when a stickman thinks the pie is mobile on the peel and its not, and it sticks horribly and shits all over the stone, we usually let it bake for a few seconds (so we can get the majority of the pie back out with a metal peel) and then just let the mess burn and char up and then scrape it and brush it out. Sucks but they're just battle wounds on the oven LOL. We only dust and launch with flour also... on a humid day or when the peels arent clean, the flour is unforgiving. It just sucks right up into the dough or turns to glue on the peel LOL. Cornmeal, to me, gives a texture and taste that is just not what I want in my pizza so we've avoided it. We may try to use some fine semolina one day but for now, the flour isnt bad. Problem is, too much dry flour and it burns and gives a bad taste to the crust.

Statistics: Posted by RichPugh — Fri May 06, 2011 12:09 am

---

What is his reasoning for even bringing up an "eviction"??? All because you expect him too pay for the upkeep of the plaza he owns? I would consult an attorney sooner than later. His theats of eviction for unjust cause might hold some ground if you want too persue it. You lease and legal advice will be your best step to take.

Just a thought...has he used the threat of eviction in the past? If so...and I am not a lawyer... but I would see if you could file against him for putting unjust pressure on you as a client and how it has effected your ability to work their and then move and stick him with the relocating expenses. He wants to be an a$$ then stick it too him!

Statistics: Posted by qcfmike — Thu May 05, 2011 5:17 pm

---

Brad: do you do this text messaging? I visited your website, it appears like your location is college campus areas, but is it mostly students or older cliental? Does the texting work good with them?

Statistics: Posted by Iwantpizza — Thu May 05, 2011 8:17 pm

---

If I could afford to do so I would move. He would want way to much money for the building, its a plaza

Statistics: Posted by debbie9025 — Thu May 05, 2011 12:37 pm

---

As anyone would know from my other post i am looking into a new POS. My current system is a DOS based system that i would say has reached its max potential. It keeps mistakes and errors to a minimum and oraganizes my deliveries well.Now i am looking for a POS to help me with full marketing, managerial, and inventory needs. Which brings me to the latest and "per say" best systems available. I am asking you gentlemen and ladies that have Foodtec Solution, Revention or any other fully intergrated systems. Have they REALLY helped you increase sales thru marketing and having a better easier system to use for your employees? Ulitimately does in really justify the big expense to spend considering i have a basic POS.

Statistics: Posted by PizzaGuysNj — Thu May 05, 2011 12:38 pm

---

*Full disclosure - I work for an online ordering company*

What I've found is that difficulties with POS integration are generally due to unwillingness on the part of certain POS companies. Many of the better online ordering companies are completely willing to put in the work to integrate the two softwares but many times get railroaded by an uncooperative POS company. They're not all like that, just some.

Regardless, online ordering is the wave of the future - not just a convenience factor. With the right system, you DO win new customers, they order more frequently, and they order more per order. Obviously, operations are important, but online ordering is for much, much more than just operations, if it's done right. One of our clients is doing Domino's level online ordering performance after just being with us for a month. They had so many different POS's across their brand, POS integration is going to take a long time... but they're happy to get the orders via ticket printer and enter them by hand because they are increasing their sales so heavily.

Statistics: Posted by compelinteraction — Thu May 05, 2011 12:56 pm

---

After 4 years of using Vital Link POS that I had nearly $20K invested in I gave my system for free to another franchisee and switched to Microworks Prism. If I had to throw out my Prism system tomorrow, I would still consider it a great investment. I haven't used my Prism system to it's ultimate potential, but I still feel that it has paid for itself many times over. The mailing and online ordering features have grown my business considerably while many basic features make my life much easier that it was with my old POS.

Statistics: Posted by paul7979 — Thu May 05, 2011 3:11 pm

---

One of the seminars at Pizza Expo presented the Yelp Us Out idea. The basic concept is you give your customers a reason to put a positive review on one of the internet sites. If they bring in a printed copy of their verifiable review they receive some sort of promotional deal.

Statistics: Posted by Daddio — Thu May 05, 2011 3:16 pm

---

Keep good records and invest in an attorney. Your lease should clearly state what is your problem and what is not. An attorney can help you.

Don't wait until your problems get too big....in the meantime save save save so if you need to move you can.

Statistics: Posted by Kris — Thu May 05, 2011 4:11 pm

---

pcuezze wrote:
You can read my previous posts to know how thin my skin is about such issues. I worry about it too much (but at least I have self-insight on the issue :0 ). But to those who say ignore the review sites altogether, I disagree. I think it is as important to manage your online image as it is to manage your real-world image. That means being proactive about complaints, encouraging positive feedback from your guests, and self-reflecting on negative reviews to look for opportunities to improve.

For those with great numbers but terrible reviews, don't you wonder how much bigger your numbers could be if you DIDN'T have terrible reviews??

.
.
In theory, you're entirely right. In practice, there is NOTHING you can do to "control" what people put on the Internet - and if you care enough to try, you will just drive yourself crazy. Listen to complaints from actual customers? Of course. Even look at 'flame jobs' from your competition on-line? Bad idea.

Statistics: Posted by smeagol8 — Thu May 05, 2011 4:16 pm

---

A few observations:

1. I would continue to recommend only considering solutions that work directly with your POS so you do not have to entere the orders. (Pizza source, re-read my post before yours. You missed the point)

2. I find no evidence to support claims of larger orders online. A good phone person blows away any online system... but at a price. Online orders for us (several thousand $$ per month now) are about on par with phone for average order size... Better than the employees with below average order value but well below our top three employees. There is no substitute for a phone person that is actually fun to talk to and effectivly sells combos and sides.

3. There is a customer out there that like tech and online appeals to them. We have now got some very regular online customers and many of them are new customers that found us through facebook and from there our online link.

Statistics: Posted by bodegahwy — Thu May 05, 2011 4:25 pm

---

[Photograph: fukung.net]

Speaking of pizza-delivery special instructions, I pinged Domino's HQ to see what they thought about the sometimes crazy requests customers make. Here's what spokesman Chris Brandon had to say:

To be honest, we find this quite hilarious — and love seeing some of our stores going the extra mile to make their customers smile. With that said, we do have to remember we're Domino's, the delivery experts, and not Pixar ... so our first priority has to be, as soon as they come out of the oven, getting pizzas quickly out of our doors and then safely to yours.

See also: Awesome delivery from Domino's »

I prefer to get my news from Cracked.com... much less spin than the Onion.

Statistics: Posted by brad randall — Thu May 05, 2011 8:35 am

---

See! I told ya that Dominos customers will eat anything. Their expected sheepdip and varsol topping will preserve their market share, and the rest of us will just have to keep on using the best and freshest ingredients to preserve our integrity.

Statistics: Posted by Piedad — Thu May 05, 2011 9:37 am

---

Who wants to guess Kris' hair color?

1) Brown
2) Black
3) Blonde
4) Red

Just messing with you Kris.

Statistics: Posted by td_VP192 — Thu May 05, 2011 10:52 am

---

A lady approached us to do a fundraiser for an Autism research center. We were game and agreed to contribute 15% of sales attributable to people they brought in with the flyer. It was set for Sunday. She came in that day while I was in the kitchen and asked if the customers needed the flyer. I said no, we'd be happy to give them a copy or make a note of their sale. We were extremely busy and I was pleased. I went home prior to the dinner rush and my wife took over. My wife then discovered that this woman was going to every table (many our regulars) and explaining her purpose while distributing a flyer to them. My wife kindly explained that she couldn't interfere with our regular business and she stopped.

We did about double our normal Sunday and the center had a nice chunk of change. Then, today, I received an e-mail from her explaining how disappointed she was that we didn't promote her event more on Facebook.

I'm slackjawed. I guess I have to start writing up rules for these types of fundraisers rather than trusting a gentlemen's agreement. Give an inch, I guess...

Statistics: Posted by pcuezze — Thu May 05, 2011 11:18 am

---