Pizza Today - April 2019 - 14

Conversation

BRIANNA COWAN
W O O D E N PA D D L E
LEMONT, ILLINOIS

Brianna and Jonathan Cowan, owners

WE'RE A COMMUNAL, WOOD-FIRED
PIZZERIA, where plates are passed,

shared among friends, and create
discussion. Pizza is an inherently
shareable food, and we wanted to create
a shareable dining experience. In the
dining room, we're always surprised to
see just how few of our guests are on
their phones. They're delving into the
food, and they're engaged in discussion
with each other. It's exactly the vibe we
wanted to create, so it's pretty incredible
to see it brought to life!
WE ALSO DO ON-SITE, WOOD-FIRED
PIZZA CATERING. While we do many other

types of events, we've found our niche
in the wedding industry, so we primarily
market ourselves as wedding caterers. As
of last year, we have three mobile ovens
on the road. While we were "closed" this
past year (to renovate Wooden Paddle's
new building), we were still able to pull in
over $500,000 with catering alone.
TO COMPETE FOR WEDDING BUSINESS

- A lot of trial and error behind you! I
would never suggest that you just sashay
into weddings. First, try your hand at
1 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / A P R I L 2 0 1 9

birthday parties, bridal showers, baby
showers, etc. Those are generally smaller
events, with less pressure, and they give
you the opportunity to work out the kinks.
See what works, what doesn't, and build
your system. Then, try a small wedding.
You'll quickly learn the nuances - the
pace you need to keep, the amount of
ravenous guests, the pressure on you to
perform - and you'll start building from
there. It's a drawn out process, but it's
worth doing right.
ADVICE ON BREAKING INTO THE
WEDDING MARKETING:

1. Don't give up! Getting into the
wedding industry is tough, and slowgoing. Until you've established yourself,
be prepared to field a lot of wary looks
and hesitation from potential couples.
Understandably, this is their big day, and
they just want to ensure you won't screw
it up. Answer patiently, professionally,
and serve them well day of. Eventually,
you'll become an authority and you won't
get that sort of interrogation.
2. Have integrity, and do the right
thing, always. We've heard horror stories

about caterers canceling on brides and
grooms just weeks prior to their big day
because the caterer was able to book
a bigger, better event. In this business,
your reputation is everything. Don't do
anything to taint yours. Doing the right
thing is always the right thing.
3. Make yourself worth paying a
premium for. Mobile catering is extremely
hard work. You may have to "pay your
dues" to get up and running, but always
be working to make yourself better, your
service better, your food better, your
decor better - the whole experience,
better. We have weddings booked for
close to $15,000. You can't charge that
by believing what you offer is "just pizza"
and therefore, not worth much. Instead,
offer an absolutely insane experience
from beginning to end, and charge
accordingly. Brides and grooms don't mind
paying a premium for that.
GO TO PIZZATODAY.COM/NEWS TO
READ AN ONLINE CONVERSATION
WITH BRIANNA ON THE INS AND OUTS
OF TRANSITIONING FROM A LEASED
SPACE TO BUYING AND RENOVATING A
BUILDING.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM/news http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - April 2019

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