Pizza Today - April 2020 - 41

G

amification seems like one
of those fancy obscure
terms that doesn't relate to
the average pizzeria operator. Many
owners and managers have already
gamified their businesses and do
not realize that what they are doing
falls into the term. Do you hold sales
competitions for your servers? Does
your loyalty program have a points
system and offer levels and rewards?
How about box folding speed drills
with incentives? These are all forms
of gamification.
gam·i·fi·ca·tion: the process of
adding games or game-like elements
to something (such as a task) so as
to encourage participation.
We even gamify Pizza Expo, yes,
the show. Ever play the MEGA
BUCKS Giveaway or New
Exhibitor Treasure Hunt? You, as
an attendee get excited to seek out
game piece participating booths for
a chance to win big. It's a fun way to
encourage engagement, reward our
attendees and showcase our exhibitors.
So, why should you consider
using gamification in your pizzeria? Here are some quick stats
that may blow your mind. By 2021,
the estimated global market value
of gamification will be $11.94 billion, according to Digital Talk. The
eLearning platform also reports that
the number of active video gamers
worldwide in 2019 was 2.47 billion.
According to the Pew Research
Center, six-in-10 Americans ages 18
to 29 and 53 percent of those ages
30 to 49 say they play games often
or sometimes. That's a whole lot
of Americans who understand and
enjoy the elements of games.
Before we explore some game
applications in restaurants, let's look
at key elements that gamification
should have:

* The Challenge. What is the
mission? This is where you really
narrow in on the overall purpose of
the game.
* Objectives. These are the steps
that participants must take to earn
rewards.
* A Reward Structure. Forms
of rewards can be points, badges,
stamps, stars, pizza slices or whatever
will allow players and/or your business to keep track of each player's
progress and distribute rewards.
* Rules. You need to be very
specific in how the game works and
what is permitted and prohibited.
Gamify four areas of your
business
Running a business is difficult
enough without having to worry
about keeping employees and customers engaged in the restaurant.
That's where gamification comes in.
Here are four areas to gamify that
can win big for your business:
Employee Training
Many operators use learning management systems (LMS) to train
staff on areas such as food safety and
alcohol service. An LMS will use
game theory to help employees learn
specific key principles. When gami-

fied elements are added to training, motivation goes up 83 percent,
according the 2019 TalentLMS
Gamification Survey.
It doesn't have to only exist in a
virtual environment. You can adopt
real-world game elements in on-site
training, through quizzes and learning task achievements.
The widely popular ServSafe uses
a match game to engage the class
and get them energized to learn
food safety concepts. The certification program also incorporates a
game show-style team battle, Food
Safety Showdown!, to reinforce key
concepts the employees have learned.
Loyalty Program
A loyalty program is one area
of your business that already has
gamification built in, whether it's
an in-house or third-party system.
It can be as old school as frequency
punch cards.
Today, area businesses are uniting
in their efforts, by creating passports.
Scottie's Pizza Parlor in Portland,
Oregon, rolled out a passport that
showcased the city's thriving pizza
community. "We just launched
a 'Portland Pizza Passport' for
customers where they can collect
stamps at six of our favorite pizzerias
A P R I L 2 0 2 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 4 1
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Pizza Today - April 2020

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