Pizza Today - December 2015 - 16

conversation

BRAD ROCCO
BEXLEY PIZZA PLUS / BEXLEY, OHIO

BRAD DISHES ON
PIZZERIA MENUS
What began as a tiny, 900-square-foot pizzeria
in 1980 has evolved into an expanded restaurant
and menu with more than 40 pizza toppings and
20 specialty pizzas. Brad Rocco, a manager
before partnering with owner Don Schmitt, has
taken the Ohio pizzeria onto the international
stage with non-traditional and traditional pizza
category wins at International Pizza Expo.

On 2016 pizza menu trends.
I think the obvious trend
towards gluten-free pizzas
has become more than a fad.
I'm searching for the perfect
gluten-free pizza crust, but
haven't found it yet and I won't
put it on my menu until I do. It
is one thing that I will focus on
at the 2016 Pizza Expo.

On Bexley's pizza chefs. I
give them the opportunity to
create and they do that quite
well. It starts with letting them
make their own personal
pizzas and I also have a
contest that allows them to
be creative. The winning pizza
may make it onto the menu as
a monthly special if it's worthy.

On menu rotation. I have
one house special pizza that I
offer. I promote it and monitor
the sales for at least a month.
If it is popular, it will make its
way on to my regular menu
and, more than likely, will
replace a specialty pizza that
is not performing well. We
monitor the sales percentages
of all of our specialty pizzas
through our POS system.

On menu pricing. Menu
pricing is a very tricky process.
I take into consideration
many things, but the price of
cheese is the primary factor
in the decision to raise prices
on pizzas. We monitor it
constantly, but try to only raise
it once a year, if possible. We
will not raise the prices if it's
not justified by food costs.

1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5

On competing at
the International
Pizza Challenge:

Check out Brad's Bexley
BBQ Chicken recipe
in the 2016 Pizza Today
Menu Guide on page 74.

I only compete in the
Traditional & Non-traditional
categories and both of those
competitions involve very
different preparations. For
the Traditional, there is less
creativity and more of a
concentration on finding the
two perfect ingredients that
work well together. In the
Non-traditional, there are
no limitations and I start the
process months in advance.
I will have my staff taste test
my pizzas and will narrow
it down to a couple before I
make my final decision. I try
to not compete with the same
pizza twice to keep it fresh and
unique for the judges.


http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - December 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - December 2015

Pizza Today - December 2015
Commentary
Contents
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Interact
Conversation
Man on the Street
Respecting the Craft
Trending Recipes
Destinations
Dough Doctor
Server Shadowing
Trending Toppings
Research & Development
Child Labor Laws
2016 Menu Guide
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Snapped
Pizza Today - December 2015 - CT1
Pizza Today - December 2015 - CT2
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Pizza Today - December 2015
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Cover2
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Commentary
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 4
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 5
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Contents
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 7
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 8
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 9
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Contributors
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 11
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 13
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Interact
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 15
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Conversation
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 17
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 19
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Respecting the Craft
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 21
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Trending Recipes
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 23
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Destinations
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 25
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Dough Doctor
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 27
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 28
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 29
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Server Shadowing
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 31
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 32
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 33
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Trending Toppings
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 35
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 36
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 37
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Research & Development
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 39
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 40
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 41
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Child Labor Laws
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 43
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 44
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 45
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 46
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 47
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 2016 Menu Guide
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 49
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 50
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 51
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 52
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 53
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 54
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 55
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Pizza Today - December 2015 - 85
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 86
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 87
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 88
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 90
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 91
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 93
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 94
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 95
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 96
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 97
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 98
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 99
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 100
Pizza Today - December 2015 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 102
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 103
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 104
Pizza Today - December 2015 - 105
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Pizza Today - December 2015 - 112
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Snapped
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Cover3
Pizza Today - December 2015 - Cover4
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