Pizza Today - December 2016 - 32

ordering 10,000 units. It would have
been impossible to store this many
boxes in her small Brooklyn restaurant
space, so Hyland's distributor agreed
to warehouse the boxes until needed.
This solution works perfectly for
Hyland because her restaurant offers
only one size of pizza.
High print minimums can keep
box customization out of reach for
many single-location operators,

but recent technological advances have
made small-scale printing affordable.
Large industrial machines print and
cut multiple boxes at a time on a single
corrugated sheet, but smaller one-out
machines can print single boxes on
precut blanks. Luca Arrigoni, of Sottocasa in Brooklyn and Harlem, is able
to purchase a minimum of 250 custom
boxes thanks to this technology (with
a plate fee of just a couple hundred
dollars).
Printing such low quantities inflates
his cost to the high end of the 15 to
25 percent spectrum, but Arrigoni
sees this as an affordable and effective
marketing opportunity that cannot be
ignored. He worries that a generic box
would reflect poorly on the perception
of his product. "An upscale pizza
requires upscale packaging," says
Arrigoni.
When Emily started using custom
pizza boxes nearly two years after they
opened, they did so because it could
have damaged their image if they
continued to use a generic container.
Co-owner Matt Hyland says, "The
brand got to a point where we couldn't
not have them. We were the only ones
that didn't have a custom box." Derek
Sanchez of Mia Marco's in Schertz,
Texas, also sees an unbranded pizza
box top as a missed opportunity. "I
want my customers to associate the
great experience they have when they
eat my food with the logo on the box,"
says Sanchez. If the box top is generic,
that association falls flat.
An average of 2.5 people see every

3 2 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6

pizza box, which includes both the
customers who purchase the pizza
as well as anyone who walks past the
recycling pile on garbage day.
The art itself is crucial to both
the cost and effectiveness of a
custom box. Intricate designs take

longer to print, which means you'll pay
a few extra cents if you want a detailed
photo of your great-grandmother on
your box. According to Mike Hoskins
of box producer WestRock, the vast
majority of box designs in the United
States are one- and two-color prints.
Compare that with Italian pizza boxes,
which are printed in full color, and
Japanese boxes, which are printed with
an entirely different method that allows detailed designs to be preprinted
on paper liner before the corrugated
box is even assembled. The American custom box industry has these
capabilities, but very few pizzerias are
utilizing them.
Although improving printing technology is making custom boxes more
affordable, many pizzerias are finding
alternative methods of personalizing
their boxes. Lots of new pizzerias are
purchasing blank boxes and adding
their logo with a custom ink stamp.
Some find it impossible to track down
reasonably priced blank boxes, so they
buy generic blanks and fold them
inside out before stamping. This
method is less than ideal because
pizza boxes are scored to be folded in
a specific manner and reversing that
direction results in a warped shape,
potentially negating the upgraded look
of personalization.
Regardless of your choice between
generic and custom, the image on your
pizza box clearly has a perceived link
with the food it contains. Being aware
of this relationship is an important
part of your pizzeria's identity and
your business' marketing mix. Q
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's
Pizza Tours in New York City and
SliceOutHunger.org.

Bonus Design Features
for Your Custom Box
1. Add reheating instructions to control your
guests' home experience.
2. Personalize the box's sidewall topping list to
reflect your most popular pizzas.
3. Print a message inside the box to remind
your customers to share pictures of their
pizza on Instagram and Facebook. (This will
add cost and you'll need food-safe ink.)
4. Incorporate a coupon into your design so
customers can earn free pizza by collecting
10 - you'll increase customer retention!
5. Give customers a reason to keep the box
around - and increase its visibility - by adding a game board on the bottom. (Just don't
violate any trademarks!)
And Don't Forget These Basics!
1. Your logo or name - make it big and prominent!
2. Your location - list multiple locations on the
same box to save $$ on printing.
3. Contact information - phone and Web site
are absolutely crucial.
4. Social media handles - your customers
need to know they can connect with you!
5. Advertise your App - Push customers to
your app or third party ordering system if
you use one.

Smart Ways to Save
Dough on Your Custom
Pizza Box
1. Use a single, small, design so you don't
have to buy a new plate for each size.
2. List all or no specific location on your box if
you have multiple stores so you can order a
higher quantity and score a better price.
3. Use box toppers in lieu of custom pizza
boxes.
4. Ask your distributor to warehouse your
boxes so you can order large quantities
without having to store them yourself.
5. Stamp or stencil your pizzeria's name on
blank boxes for a DIY custom box solution.
http://www.SliceOutHunger.org http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - December 2016

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