Pizza Today - July 2018 - 42

ANTHONY RUSSO, CEO AND FOUNDER
OF RUSSO'S NEW YORK PIZZERIA, recom-

mends owners take advantage of the
situation by sourcing the best, cleanest
ingredients and instead of doing the bare
minimum of listing the whole pie, go the
extra mile and feature by-the-slice calories
for more realistic numbers.
Going forward, small business like
pizzerias need to be as clear and correct as
possible with calorie information, as failure to comply with the new law has financial and penal punishments. That means
pizza precision is critical; right amounts
of toppings on every pizza, staying on top
of alterations in pizza types or ingredients
and if changes occur, recalculating nutritional data with a registered dietitian.
Pizzeria staff must also be trained
on the preferred method for handling
questions from today's nutrition-focused
customer. Grimaldi's told staff not to
answer additional questions because it
leads to speculation and the last thing
Lattuca wants is to get the information
wrong. Instead, they advise employees to

4 2 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / J U LY 2 0 1 8

refer consumers to the already written and
posted collateral.
WITH CALORIES PLAINLY POSTED, WILL
CUSTOMERS' ORDERS CHANGE AT ALL?
"Many customers are more concerned

about diet and becoming more socially
conscious. They'll ask about our vendors
and where our produce comes from, but
they're not ordering differently, just asking
more questions," says Joey Bramwell, chief
operating officer at DoubleDave's Pizzaworks. "It's no secret pizza isn't diet food,
but customers will ensure they're eating
clean ingredients, not filler."
Michelle Dudash, a registered dietitian,
Le Cordon Bleu certified chef and author
of Clean Eating for Busy Families, agrees
- saying she'd be surprised if consumers
ate less pizza.
ADDITIONALLY, SAYS CICELY SIMPSON,
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF AFFAIRS FOR
THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION:

"Based on what we've seen, ordering and
guest counts at restaurants in general

haven't changed," she says, "Studies
stated customers choose one item over
another, but there was no negative
impact on sales or discounts on prices."
To increase accuracy for customers and fill in the gaps some pizzerias
see in the menu labeling law, owners
are getting creative. DoubleDave's
Pizzaworks is crafting a nutritional
calculator and Russo's has calculated
the per slice calories over whole pie.
"We're releasing a nutritional
calculator because it gives customers
better information versus a massive
menu board number, and we've got
four different pizza sizes, four different
crusts and a myriad of toppings," says
Bramwell. "We want consumers to be
educated on what they're eating, but
we think they're coming in because
they love and enjoy pizza, and it's
comfort food."
Working with nutritionists and a
technology company helped DoubleDave's create the calculator, which
customers can use to get per-slice
calories for any customized pizza. It'll
be available on their Web site as well
as at the restaurant counter through
the use of tablets.
Russo's, who had calories posted
before the law, also hired a nutritionist
and sorted through all ingredients over
six months to calculate by-the-slice
numbers. Since they weigh all ingredients, every pizza is more consistent
in calories and allows for breaking it
down to slices.
"I sourced the cleanest, best ingredients, and that way disclosed calories
are clean, low sodium and more towards healthy eating," says Russo. "My
angle is promoting healthy eating, so I
was excited to list my calories because
I'm proud of my ingredients and how
everything is made fresh in house.
Plus, doing it by the slice brings down
the calories substantially."
Even if you're following the law
by posting whole pizza calories,
Russo and Bramwell say there's a plus
when it comes to diners with dietary
requirements. Now with calories
displayed, this customer base, who may
have thought pizza was a no-go, real-

http://www.ammfg.com http://www.ammfg.com http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - July 2018