Pizza Today - July 2021 - 3

COMMENTARY
JEREMY WHITE
Contributors
It's Time to Raise Prices
U
nless you're living under a rock,
you already know that the cost
of nearly every good has risen
dramatically recently. Case in point, as but
one example: lumber.
I called a handyman recently who has
previously installed fl ooring in my basement.
He's a good guy, effi cient and fairly
priced. I told him I want to replace my
wood deck with a new one. He came and
took a look, then said: " I wouldn't do it
right now if I were you. A year ago this
would have been a $3,000 job. Today, with
the cost of lumber and my labor, you're
looking at about $7,000. "
Ouch. Looks like the deck will stay in
its less-than-ideal state a bit longer.
Now let's switch gears and take a look
at the labor market. It's beyond tight,
right? And as a result, what are you doing
with employee wages? Like everything
else, they're going up. Drive around any
town and the signs are on nearly every
restaurant - " Now hiring. $500 sign-on
bonus. $18-20 per hour. "
With the labor pool nearly nonexistent,
increasing pay is a crucial component
when it comes to hiring and retention.
But when you increase wages, what happens
to your prime cost? You got it - it
goes up.
In his monthly column on page 16, pizzeria
owner and Pizza Expo speaker Nick
Bogacz talks about this very situation. As
a business owner, you want your prime
JEREMY WHITE
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com
Layout: Josh Keown
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JULY 2021 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 3
cost (food cost plus labor cost) to be at or
under a specifi c threshold in order to
ensure profi tability. When either your
food or labor costs rise, you're faced with
some decisions: bite the bullet and accept
lower profi ts, make cuts in other areas
that could impact product or service quality,
or raise your prices.
Often the cheese price rollercoaster
hits and operators take the " bite the
bullet " method. Th at's because the end
user - your customers - don't understand
cheese costs (and don't care) and
you aren't going to adjust your prices that
often. But this is diff erent. Everyone sees
the " $20 per hour " signs. Everyone is
aware of how understaff ed restaurants and
other small businesses are right now.
Everyone is aware the prices of other
items are going up. A modest increase in
pizza prices won't shock the world.
On page 16, Bogacz says the time to
raise prices is now. I fully agree. Next
month, Nick will get into that in his
" Building Blocks " column. But why wait?
Start doing your research and developing
your game plan today.
Best,
NICK BOGACZ
Owner, Caliente Pizza
(Hiring/Training Managers, pp. 30)
You're only as good as the team
around you, and that why it's
important to properly hire and
train your managers. It has never
been more important than right
now in this economy and current
employee cycle that you properly
train your managers. Don't just
train them to do the job, train
them to retain the staff that
follows them.
JOHN GUTEKANST
Owner, Avalanche Pizza
(Sandwich-inspired Pizzas, pp. 40)
We all have memories of that
perfect sandwich combination. It's
a good bet that you can replicate
these great sandwich combinations
in your pizza menu to turn on your
customers even more.
VOLUME 39 * NUMBER 7
JULY 2021
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - July 2021

Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mikes Monthly Tip
Man on the Street
Building Blocks
Tony's Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinatitons
3rd Party Delivery or DIY
Hiring, Training Managers
A Food Cost Perspective
Sandwich-Inspired Pizzas
Fine Dining Pastas
Preferred Supplier
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - July 2021 - CT1
Pizza Today - July 2021 - CT2
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Cover1
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Cover2
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Commentary
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 4
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 5
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 6
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 7
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Digital
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 9
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Conversation
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 11
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Mikes Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 13
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 15
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 17
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Tony's Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 19
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 21
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 22
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 23
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Destinatitons
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 25
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 3rd Party Delivery or DIY
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 27
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 28
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 29
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Hiring, Training Managers
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 31
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 32
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 33
Pizza Today - July 2021 - A Food Cost Perspective
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34A
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34B
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34C
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34D
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34E
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34F
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34G
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 34H
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 35
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 36
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 37
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 38
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 39
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Sandwich-Inspired Pizzas
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 41
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 42
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 43
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Fine Dining Pastas
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 45
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 46
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 47
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 49
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 50
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 51
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 52
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 53
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 54
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 55
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 57
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 59
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 60
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 61
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 62
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 63
Pizza Today - July 2021 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 65
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 66
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 67
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 68
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 69
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 70
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 71
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 72
Pizza Today - July 2021 - 73
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Cover3
Pizza Today - July 2021 - Cover4
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