Pizza Today - July 2017 - 33

exit the kitchen heading into the
dining room.
"Always look ahead before rounding a corner," he adds. "Create these
standing operating procedures and
enforce them."
Guests entering a pizzeria
don't like to be surprised by unexpected steps.

"Older buildings converted into
pizzerias in urban areas sometimes
contain several unexpected steps
(into a recessed dining area) -
which can lead to a guest falling
down," says Dean Small, founder
and chief executive officer of
Synergy Restaurant Consultants in
Newport Beach, California.
Any time a pizzeria contains
multiple levels, steps or any kind
of an uneven surface, the chances
for someone injuring themselves
increases.
"If possible, keep it flat, simple
and non-slip," Shepherd says.

"Safety always trumps aesthetics in
today's (litigious) society."
If a pizzeria contains a self-serve
soft-drink station, ice spills onto the
floor making puddles, thus creating a
perfect environment for someone to
slip and fall.
"Place rubber mats under all drink
dispensers and constantly maintain
floors to keep them dry," Small
reminds. "It's critical to strictly manage that area, because all it takes is
one ice cube to create a problem."
Dulono's Pizza, which operates
four pizzerias in Minnesota -- offers maximum seating of 277, 136,
44 and 20, respectfully, and its owner
has already addressed several prementioned safety challenges.
"The biggest potential customersafety threats in the front of the
house are steps and wet floors from
tracked-in snow and water," says
owner Jared Gruett.
To thwart these threats, his pizzerias visually marked its steps, constantly clears snow, salts its parking

lots and around doors, and placed
entry rugs at the doors.
Electrical outlets located near
dining room tables or in waiting

areas at Shepherd's former pizzerias
were protected by plastic electrical
outlet caps to ensure kids couldn't
stick objects into them. All jagged
or sharp corners on display cases, tile
edges and counter tops in or near
the dining room were also smoothed
out by his staff.
"If a guest slips and falls on a
rounded corner, they'll get a bruise.
If they hit a sharp corner, they'll
need stitches," Shepherd reasons.
Anchor all wall hangings at their
bottoms to the wall to ensure they
can't fall onto a guest, Shepherd
suggests.
Pizzeria owners must resist temptation to shoehorn too many tables
into a dining area, otherwise servers
and diners will bump into each other
and guests could be injured.
If dim lighting is chosen to
enhance the ambiance of your pizzeria, consider installing overhead
halogen spotlights to pinpoint a narrow diameter of brighter light only
onto the table, plus directional or
lower-aisle lighting to allow guests
to see their feet when exiting the
dining room.
Routinely maintain your parking
lots and side walks.
"A parking lot that's in horrible
condition with pot holes makes a
business look like it's failing and
guests won't dine there," Shepherd
warns. "It's the kiss of death."
If a pizzeria's landlord won't fix
parking lot pot holes, buy a bag of
cold mix asphalt patch at the hardware store and fill in the pot holes
yourself, he urges.
"It's a cost of doing business and
part of being a business owner,"
Shepherd warns. "It will be more
costly in the long run if you don't." n
is a freelance writer
based in Elburn, Illinois.
BRYAN SALVAGE



Pizza Today - July 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - July 2017

Pizza Today - July 2017
Commentary
Contents
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Interact
Conversation
Man on the Street
Respecting the Craft
On Tap
Destinations
Knead to Know
Guest Safety
Summer Veggies
Picking the Right Oven
DIY Video
Road to Pizza & Pasta Northeast
Pizza Today on the Road: Paulie Gee’s, Brooklyn, NY
Product Showcase
Pizza Today on the Road: Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, NY
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - July 2017 - CT1
Pizza Today - July 2017 - CT2
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Pizza Today - July 2017
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Cover2
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Commentary
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 4
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 5
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Contents
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 7
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 8
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 9
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Contributors
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 11
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 13
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Interact
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 15
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Conversation
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 17
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 19
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Respecting the Craft
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 21
Pizza Today - July 2017 - On Tap
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 23
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Destinations
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 25
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 27
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 28
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 29
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Guest Safety
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 31
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 32
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 33
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Summer Veggies
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 35
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 36
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 37
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Picking the Right Oven
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 39
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 40
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 41
Pizza Today - July 2017 - DIY Video
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 43
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 44
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 45
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Road to Pizza & Pasta Northeast
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 47
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 48
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 49
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Pizza Today on the Road: Paulie Gee’s, Brooklyn, NY
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 51
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 52
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 53
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 54
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 55
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 56
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 57
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 58
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Pizza Today on the Road: Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, NY
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 61
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 63
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 64
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 65
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 66
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 67
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 68
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 69
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 70
Pizza Today - July 2017 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 72
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 73
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 74
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 75
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 76
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 77
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 78
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 79
Pizza Today - July 2017 - 80
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Cover3
Pizza Today - July 2017 - Cover4
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