Pizza Today - February 2016 - 50

Another top mistake that I see
from operators is not having some kind

of portion control in place when it comes
to our sandwiches and pizza. There are a
variety of downfalls to simply "eyeballing" your portions. Consider the leading
hamburger franchise in America. Do you
think they are successful? Your answer is
yes, of course.
Then I ask if you think the quality of
their food is very high, and the answer
is a resounding "No!" We then come to
understand the reason for their success
boils down to one word -- consistency.
Folks like to know what they are going to
get and they are willing to go back again
and again because it is predictable.
Creativity is an asset; however, the portions, flavors and textures for each of your
menu items MUST be consistent if you
are going to be successful.
Over-portioning, although horrible for
food cost, is fantastic for the customer.
I'd be thinking: "Wow, that hot pastrami
sandwich was enormous, the best I've

ever had!" I'd be pretty excited and I'd be
back for another one probably before the
week is out. What do you think is going
to happen in my mind when I get my next
hot pastrami from you and it is the proper
portion? I promise you one thing -- I'm
not going to think, "Wow, they must
have over-portioned it last time." Instead,
I'll be thinking that this place is starting
to skimp. I'm not going to be nearly as
excited to come back anytime soon.
All of that is what happens when you
are inconsistent with portion size. When
it comes to weighing meat for sandwiches,
a scale will be your restaurant's best friend.
If you are too busy at peak time and
weighing the meat for every sandwich
will hinder your throughput, then create
a system where you pre-portion your
meats in off-peak times so you can serve a
consistent product at all times.
Let's talk pizza. Unless you have a

scale on your make line, it's hard to be
exact. There are still, however, portion

control techniques that I want to teach
you that will give your customers that
perfect consistency that they are looking for while keeping your costs in line.
I use portioning cups for my pizza
cheese. My staff knows that our pizza
cheese goes into the cup and it should
be level and not heaping. They know
that on a 16-inch pizza there should be
exactly 32 slices of pepperoni. You've
got to know your costs for your
toppings and you should have a goal
for what you want your food cost to be.
Ladles, spoodles and portioning
cups are all tools that will help you
train your staff to provide a consistent
product to your customers so they will
always know what they can expect.
At the same time, they will meet your
food cost goals. If food cost continues
to be an issue, then your focus can shift
to eliminating waste and to watching
for any potential theft.
Remember to reward those who
meet and exceed your company goals
and you will continue to reap the benefits of success in many dimensions! n
JEFF FREEHOF owns The Garlic Clove
in Evans, Georgia. He is a frequent
contributor to Pizza Today and a speaker
at International Pizza Expo.

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