Pizza Today - March 2022 - 54

Mastro was responsible for pioneering
pizza all over the country as we know
it today.
Frank believed pizza could be as
popular as the hot dog in America.
He believed it could take America by
storm and create endless opportunities
for his fellow working-class Italian
neighbors, if only he could figure out a
different method other than the bulky,
costly, messy and high maintenance
coal oven.
Thus, in the 30s, amidst the Great
Depression, Frank created the first
version on the gas-fired pizza oven that
we see all over the country now, and he
convinced Blodgett to manufacture it
for him.
Being the visionary he was, he set
up an operating pizza shop in the
Bowery to model what he believed a
modern American pizzeria should be,
and to showcase and sell his ovens. He
would finance his buyers, some with
no money down, and share recipes and
concepts with them and also help them
set up their shops.
This was not only the ushering of
mainstream pizza in America. This was
also the advent of pizza by the slice by
" The Pizza King " , as news publications
later dubbed him. At half the temperature
of coal, the pizzas take longer to
cook and bake up drier. But they also
have a longer shelf life because water is
cooked out, making them reheat-able.
Pizza by the slice, most of the time
needs to be reheated. So, his ovens
changed the game, and it's easy to see
why in a hustling bustling city like
New York, in time, there would be a
pizza by the slice shop on almost every
corner.
My journey in the pizza industry
began when I was only 13,
working with my father in his
first pizza shop. The mid-90s was
a special time for my family, as many
of them got their start in the business.
Currently my family owns and operates
over 20 pizza restaurants in the
Chicagoland area and that primarily
sell pizza by the slice.
54 / PIZZATODAY.COM / MARCH 2022
We are pizza by the slice " royalty " in
these parts...
Many factors come into play when
setting up pizza by the slice, from correct
product and ingredient selection
to proper placement and marketing.
Here are a few things that you must do
in order to maximize your chances of
success.
1.) Quality. Use the best ingredients
possible, from flour to tomato sauce
to cheese. A high-quality, high-gluten
flour and low moisture whole milk
mozzarella work best for this type of
operation. Cheaper mozzarellas do not
hold or reheat well.
2.) Know your numbers. Yes, we always
hear that pizza by the slice is very
profitable, especially because you get
more money per pie (ex. $20 for whole
pie, but $3.5 per slice, 8 slices per pie
$28) but if you are only selling two
to three slice of the pie, you might be
losing money. Know what every pizza
costs you, know what every slice costs
you. Also know how many pizzas you
are selling, so you're not over making
them and left with a lot of waste.
3.) Have a killer display. People
eat with their eyes, so make sure your
pizzas look fantastic and are always on
display. There is something to be said
about slices. People want to see them,
and they love to pick out their slice.
Having signage or photos won't be as
effective as having them on display for
your guests. You also want to make
sure displays are always clean and well
lit, so that your customers can get a
good look at the slices. And have a nice
selection. People don't want to see only
the usual boring cheese, sausage and
pepperoni.
4.) Know your clientele. Like I
mentioned before, when dealing with
slices you have to be careful with waste.
It can kill your margins and make you
lose money. So don't waste your time
and money displaying an ecclectic pie
if there are no people that visit your
store who would order it. You will be
throwing away money. Everything in
that display case you need to look at
as money. Talk to your customers, ask
them what they would like to see you
offer.
5.) Keep it fresh. Really try to time
the hours of your influx of customers
to keep the slices as fresh as possible.
We all know that a pizza straight out
of the oven is always the best, but when
operating a slice business this is simply
impossible. Also keep it fresh in terms
of your variety. Have a slice of the day;
showcase some of your specialty pies;
and be creative!
At my seminar at Pizza Expo on
Tuesday, March 22, I will tell my
personal story of how I went from peddling
pizza slices outside night clubs
in downtown Chicago and at summer
outdoor festivals when I was only 16, to
owning multiple locations and currently
catering slices to some of Chicago's
biggest and prestigious companies
including United Airlines, Goldman
Sachs, Marriott Hotels, The Chicago
Board of Trade, Lagunitas Brewing,
Rush Hospital and many movie and
popular TV shows sets in town.
We'll discuss how my family built a
little pizza empire in Chicago and how
those lessons could help you whether
you are thinking about starting your
own business, have an existing store or
looking to expand to multiple locations.
I'll also go over the ins and outs of a
pizza by the slice operation, how to add
pizza by the slice to your current pizzeria
if you are not offering it, different
styles that work, pizza slice trends,
how to maximize profits and build a
cult like following. And of course, like
any of you that have attended previous
seminars of mine at the expo, I
will open up to a lengthy Q and A and
answer any questions you might have.
If you see me anywhere at the expo, feel
free to reach out.
We are all one big community in this
industry, and if there's anything I could
do to help you I sincerely will. n
PASQUALE DI DIANA is the owner of
Bacci in Chicago, IL
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - March 2022
