Pizza Today - September 2024 - 29
the theme of a kid's party.
" We've had lots of customer testimonials
saying how wonderful it is
when the team sees an opportunity
and really makes something of it, "
Ambrose says. " They have fun with
it too. "
Observe everything
Woodstock's Pizza, which has
eight locations, is counter service,
but has adapted as customer needs
have evolved. " We've morphed away
from 'You order at the counter and
we yell your name out so you can
come get your food', " Ambrose says.
" Now we bring it to you. We have
servers, runners, and we have our
manager on duty, or MOD. "
The MOD monitors everything
from the front of the house. If they
see a large group of people approach
the counter, the MOD might get
them to sit at a table, then come
back and take their order. That way,
there is not a crowd at the counter
bringing the entire ordering process
to a halt as everyone decides what
they want.
Employees are trained to
engage with customers, and not
with insincere " how-is-everything? "
table touches. If someone looks
unhappy and they haven't touched
their pizza, it is likely that the order
was wrong or something else
happened, and the worker needs
to figure out how to make it right.
" We want people to be happy, and
when people leave, they tell other
people, " Ambrose says. " Word of
mouth is more important than
reviews. "
Make every touchpoint special
Whether the customer dines in
for a nice meal or orders pizza for a
quick pickup, the crew should make
the experience a good one. " We
want to make sure the customer is
glad they are here, " says Shane
Abbott, owner of the full-service
Lupo and counter service Stevie's
Famous, both in the Seattle area.
Abbot describes Lupo as a date
night restaurant, with a cocktail
and wine list, a menu that features
seasonal organic vegetables, and
candles on the tables. The restaurant
specializes in wood-fired sourdough
pizza, and the wood fire oven, large
dough mixer and pantry ingredients
are visible from the dining room.
The two-location Stevie's Famous
offers slices and pies for takeout
and delivery, with streamlined, easy
online ordering.
At both establishments, small
actions enhance the customer
experience. For dine-in, the server
describes the dish when they bring
it to the table. For pick-up, the crew
member opens the box to let the
customer see the pie. Both actions
are meant to confirm that the
pizzeria got the order right. " The
real focus is that the customer experience
is really consistent, " Abbott
says.
Pizza is the perfect solution for
a special night out and for a simple
desire to avoid cooking and doing
dishes. It's important to enhance
the customer experience in both
scenarios, Abbott says, because
Lupo and Stevie's cannot win on
price but on building relationships.
" We're trying to do something
special on the food and delivering
a little more food quality, a little
more story, a little more character, "
he says.
Streamline the online
Even online ordering contributes
to the customer experience. For
many consumers, a few minutes on
the pizzeria's website might be the
only interaction with the brand, so
that experience needs to be a pleasant
one. While technology is often
considered the opposite of engaging
with customers, it can help pizzerias
position themselves as a place to get
a tasty pizza and be treated well.
When Mellow Mushroom did a
system-wide rebrand in November
2023, the chain rolled out a new
online ordering experience. " Guests
have the opportunity to create
accounts where they can save payments
and favorite items to expedite
the process of satisfied cravings, "
says Anne Mejia, senior vice
president of brand development.
Also, Mejia says, team members
are trained on menu items and
general standards. The company
uses online training and changed
the material by moving from long
videos to short videos, and added
Spanish language content.
Technology can also help
pizzerias communicate with
customers to find out what can
be done to improve the customer
experience. Mellow Mushroom
uses a guest feedback platform for
customers to comment on topics
such as a recent dine-in experience,
online ordering, gift cards and more.
" We value positive feedback to
solidify what we're doing right, and
we consider negative or constructive
feedback to drill down on areas of
improvement and continue to find
ways to enhance experiences, " Mejia
says. " Through listening, we are able
to reinforce what's resonating with
our guest and staff, but if something
isn't, we're able to look into it on the
local or system level to promptly
respond/solve/adapt. "
NORA CALEY is a freelance
writer who covers small business,
finance and lifestyle topics.
SEPTEMBER 2024 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 29
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - September 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2024
Pizza Today - September 2024 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2024 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2024 - Cover1
Pizza Today - September 2024 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2024 - 3
Pizza Today - September 2024 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2024 - 5
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Pizza Today - September 2024 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2024 - Cover4
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