Pizza Today - July 2016 - 47

From day one, Kilpatrick marveled at
pace of the fast-casual
pizzeria, up to 300 to 400

covers during lunch. "It's
very difficult to keep the
pace up," he says. "The way
to keep it quick is obviously
to be prepared. Our kitchen
staffs get in here at 7:30 in
the morning to make sure
we are prepped and ready to
go. It's really just execution
from the team, having the
right people in the right
places and the right number
of bodies and just crushing the food."
An energized staff is key to the busy
Sauce restaurants.
"What was a bit surprising for me was
the challenges in running a fast-casual
brand," he says. "You have to do a lot
of covers. You have to generate a lot of
guests because the check average is fairly
low. That's surprised me from a restaurateur perspective. Coming in as a guest it
looks like no big deal. But there are a lot
of moving parts and pieces. What was
really eye-opening for me was 'wow
there's a lot happening here.'
"We wanted to come in and learn the
brand and not come in and make any
knee-jerk reactions. We wanted to come
in and set a six-month tone before we
really did anything. We wanted to make
sure that we understood the brand as
much as we could.
"We added an Italian Chop Salad,
changed the wine list a little bit - really
nothing major," he continues. "The concept's really, really good. We didn't come
in and say we had to blow this thing up
and start over."
Dough, sauces, dressings, cookies and
much of Sauce's menu is made in house
at each location. It's an area that Kilpatrick would like to showcase in the brand
even more moving forward. He has been
working with architects and designers to
see how Sauce can incorporate its fromscratch, quality products into the design
of new locations. "We'll continue to try
to tweak it," he says, "just to kind of get

that message more out in front without
writing all over the walls. So we are trying to figure out a unique way to do that."
Sauce's menu boasts a dozen
salads, which Kilpatrick says are a great

point of separation from other fast-casual
pizzerias. In fact, Sauce sells more salads
than pizzas. The Watermelon & Arugula
salad features roasted pumpkin seeds,
jicama batons, red onions, feta and a
white balsamic vinaigrette ($8). The
Chicken, Spinach & Apple salad is finished with gorgonzola, candied walnuts
and a red wine vinaigrette ($8).
When it comes to the pizza menu,
Kilpatrick says Sauce doesn't get carried
away with its toppings. "You have to stick
with what is tried and true," he adds. The
20-plus toppings offered are chef-driven
with cooking techniques like caramelized
onions, sautéed spinach and roasted red
peppers. The signature pizzas tout unique
pies like the Rosemary Potato with spinach, feta and olive tapenade ($9.75). The
Spicy Chicken Sausage is topped with
poblano peppers and smoked mozzarella
($10.25).
Sauce offers online ordering, delivery
and large-party to go. The services are
beneficial for its Millennial and business
customers.
With a check average of $10.50,
Kilpatrick says, every little bit you can do
to boost it helps. He is also expanding
Sauce's beverage program. While all locations offer beer and wine by the bottle
and glass, two new Arizona locations in

development will feature
two wines and two local
craft beers, both on tap.
Sauce is also working with
a vendor to add a cocktail
program that will not
require a bartending staff.
"We don't ever expect
Sauce to be a big bar
hangout by any means,"
Kilpatrick says. "But at the
same time we think offering some things that are a
little bit distinctive to the
brand could certainly help
with the guest experience.
At the end of the day, it's
all about the guests."
Though Sauce does some traditional advertising like billboards,

its marketing concentration is more
socially driven. Sauce encourages its
fan base to engage with social channels
through promotions and contests like the
#awesomesauce Instagram contest, where
guests post their #awesomesauce
moments for a chance to win a year of
Sauce gift certificates.
"I still think the best marketing is
word of mouth and taking care of every
guest that walks through the door,"
Kilpatrick says.
As the new Sauce leadership focuses
on its guest experience, they keep a
keen eye on the brand's growth, with a
planned opening in Tucson and one in
the Gilbert area of Phoenix this summer. "We like to say that it's responsible
growth," Kilpratrick says. "We're not in a
race. We don't have any pressure to get to
a certain number in a certain timeframe.
We want to find great locations that we
can afford and not go out and sign some
crazy leases that aren't sustainable long
term. The initial thought process was to
back fill our existing markets. It's easier
to open in your home market. But we
would really like to test the waters outside of the state." n
DENISE GREER

Today.

is associate editor at Pizza

J U LY 2 0 1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 4 7
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - July 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - July 2016
