Is this a realistic business idea?

[Dave1]

I'm fed up with the pizza round here, that's why I make my own but my oven is crap so I want to buy a deck oven and cook some proper pizzas!  

I need to able to justify the purchase though and I have always wanted to sell pizza so that's where my idea comes in. I have been thinking about ways to sell pizza whether it be by the slice or whole pizzas, only problem is I have very little capital to work with. So for me mobile catering is even a no go at this point due to funds.

My idea is to run a business from home, straight away eliminating the need for an expensive business premises. I figure I would need to get the place kitted out on a budget and get it all inspected for a health and hygiene certificate, but this should be pretty straight forward and cheap to do.

My niche would be to offer NY pies made with quality ingredients, collection only, and then mass leaflet drop my local area and advertise online. This would simplify the logistics of having to employ and rely on delivery guys. I live in an urbanized area with quite a high population density.

It would be a one man job so overheads would be virtually nothing and profit margins would be high. My salary expectations are also low, I figure I could make £5/pizza and would only need to sell 10 a night to make it work.

Does this sound reasonable, do you think I would get enough business?

[tombiasi]

Am I being realistic or am I dreaming?

I think you are dreaming. But that's OK. Check your local health requirements and get back.

Tom

[Chicago Bob]

Dave,

I don't know where you are located but if you can get this accomplished......"get the place kitted out on a budget and get it all inspected for a health and hygiene certificate, but this should be pretty straight forward and cheap to do. "

Then I would say you are Golden my friend and it's time to bring it on!  

Bob

[Dave1]

Dave,

I don't know where you are located but if you can get this accomplished......"get the place kitted out on a budget and get it all inspected for a health and hygiene certificate, but this should be pretty straight forward and cheap to do. "

Then I would say you are Golden my friend and it's time to bring it on!  

Bob

Cool, cheers Bob. It is just a dream right now, the only idea I could come up with to justify the purchase lol. I may well get tempted and buy the deck oven and then once I have mastered my pizzas I could get myself set up. I live in the Bournemouth, UK and I have not done any research at all yet, i'm just basing my ideas on my basic understanding of what would be needed. I may look into this one, i'm in no rush...

[tombiasi]

Cool, cheers Bob. It is just a dream right now, the only idea I could come up with to justify the purchase lol. I may well get tempted and buy the deck oven and then once I have mastered my pizzas I could get myself set up. I live in the Bournemouth, UK and I have not done any research at all yet, i'm just basing my ideas on my basic understanding of what would be needed. I may look into this one, i'm in no rush...

When you give up dreaming it's time to lay in the pine box.

Tom

[Fire-n-smoke]

When you give up dreaming it's time to lay in the pine box.

Tom

BINGO!!!!!

[waltertore]

Putting a deck oven in a home is a no go unless the home is up to commercial code.  It is a big hassle because I have tried this route.   you can convert an oven to propane and put it outside but still you will have to meet board of health and building codes if you want to sell to the public.    I know opening a shop is a fairly expensive venture and one needs enough $ to lose $ for a year until the idea catches on hopefully.  I say keep your dream alive and let it unfold and it will unfold in ways you never dreamed of!  I am a special education teacher who runs a commercial bakery/pizzeria.  I have no personal risk in the success or failure of it, get to train great kids for entry level jobs, and cook on super sweet vintage blodgett 1000's (2 stacked).   I always wanted to run a business like this and work with special needs kids.  After 20 years of being a sped ed teacher and running an unoffical small scale model of this in my classrooms in TX, CA, and now OH, it has come to reality.   I get regular teacher pay, benefits, retirement, and can't believe I get to do such a cool thing.  When I do retire from teaching I am taking the ovens with me to California and opening a 500sq ft simple old school NJ/NY stlye pizzeria/bakery businesses that I grew up in and also run here in my commercial kitchen classroom.  I will be a 1 man operation as well and will bring my ovens, hobart food processor for grating cheese, meat slicer, and a hobart 20 qt mixer( I have paid for these items with this retirement dream in mind).  I figure to make 20-30 pies a day-16" cheese, peperoni, toppings only, make some real boiled/bagel board/baked on the deck bagels, and some real italian semolina and baguette breads.  4 hours a day of work, 4-5 days a week.  That is my next dream upon retirement.  Look for a small space that is all plumbed and vented to code , get a good oven, 20qt mixer, cooler, prep table, sink, and you are in business.   Keep dreaming!!  Walter

PS:  Sorry, I just saw you are in the U.K.  I was citing USA laws.

here is a photo link to our program in action.  I will always be a dreamer!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.311840582260675.66069.260278377416896&type=3

[Dave1]

That sounds like a good idea Walter, so just 20-30 pizzas a day? that sounds ideal for a 1 man operation. Have you worked out what you expect your profit margins would be? Why only pepperoni and cheese? is this to cut down on wastage?

Yeh I live in the UK so it looks like the laws are more lax here. Your bakery and deck ovens look awesome, I think if I bought an oven I would go for a simple and small electric deck oven.

[Fire-n-smoke]

That type of home business would work if you had a dedicated space for your cooking.  When I was a P/O in philly there was a woman who closed off the back shed of her home, installed 4 deep fryers, and sold chicken wings and fries from a small window she had installed. Th space was about the size of a pantry and it worked for her and the city. 
As for me, I started selling smoked meats in a similar way.  I sectioned off my garage and installed water and drainage.  Then i took my smoker to some local farmers markets, fired her up, and let people taste some of my product.  Had product to sell but was more interested in getting people to know about me.  Within my first month I had calls for orders that people would come and pick up....sort of like a take-out catering.  I limit the amount of product I sell since I believe in quality over quantity and have been doing quite well.
So maybe all you need to do is have a dedicated room that the health people can check which is attached to your home but considered a seperate business (if your zoning permits it) and work from there.  Set up some doors between that and your home and when it comes to party time your in like flint.
How ever it works for you I wish you the best of luck!
tom

[waltertore]

That sounds like a good idea Walter, so just 20-30 pizzas a day? that sounds ideal for a 1 man operation. Have you worked out what you expect your profit margins would be? Why only pepperoni and cheese? is this to cut down on wastage?

Yeh I live in the UK so it looks like the laws are more lax here. Your bakery and deck ovens look awesome, I think if I bought an oven I would go for a simple and small electric deck oven.

Hi Dave: I am going to stick to 1 size pie and only those 2 toppings for ease.  Being a 1 man operation is not at all fun once you start making too many products/variations.  IMO if one makes a solidly great tasting product people will come and for me adding a bunch of toppings takes away from the real taste of the pie.  Today people are going for more and more way out.  I am old school simple.  I grew up watching old men hand stretch pies in no big hurry.  People waited for the pie because it was so good.  I am still 10 years out on this dream and I am not a big numbers guy.  I mix by eye, and charge what feels right. So far I have made over 1/2 century doing this and things keep getting better.   Use the best ingredients and ovens.  A lot of the countertop electric ovens are no good IMO compared to good the gas deck ovens. I never worked on an electric deck oven .   Imentored under Stubbs in Austin for BBQ and collaborated with famous french chef Laurent on a bistro in Sonoma california smoking duck breasts for him.  They were the byproduct of the fo gra(sp?) they made.  He sold the breasts, ground up as duck burgers to high end places around the country.  Unfortunately the animal rights group destroyed the place.  Here are links to it all. I have been blessed to have learned so much from my mother and her family (from Italy) and the lots of great chefs, bakers, pizza makers in the NJ/NYC area.  Good luck and let me know if I can be of any help.  Walter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent_Manrique
http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Animal-rights-vandals-hit-chef-s-home-shop-2560809.php

[Dave1]

That makes sense, it would be a lot more convenient with 1 pie size and it is sacrilege to load up a NY style pie with a dozen toppings. You put all that work into creating a great tasting product with the best dough and a great tomato sauce, you want people to be able to taste that.

I didn't realize there would be such a difference between deck ovens, I just assumed if it's a deck oven that one would be fairly similar to the next. It's bound to be a whole lot better than a conveyor oven though right? or not?

Sounds like you've had some great opportunities, and worked with some great chefs. I think sometimes you have to just follow your passion and things usually work out for the best. I'll let you know if I buy my oven. 

[Chicago Bob]

Dave,
I guess Tom Lehman, and others, have found some conveyor ovens to be able to be very good at cooking NY style pizza.
But to me there's just something about cooking on a good old gas, deck oven that "feels" right. Now I know that "feel" or charm don't sell pizza's but I think that placing my pizza on a conveyor to cook would absolutely take all the joy out of selling pizza. But that's just me.
It would be wise to somehow experience the 2 different types of cooking in a real life environment. Maybe you could find a couple shop owners who would let you pay them for an hour or 2 of time to just "hang out" in their kitchen? Tell them you're writing a book or something. 
Bob

[Pete-zza]

I guess Tom Lehmann, and others, have found some conveyor ovens to be able to be very good at cooking NY style pizza.

Bob,

You are correct about needing a certain type of conveyor oven. When Tom Lehmann has discussed the idea of making NY style pizzas in a conveyor oven, it has usually been in relation to using both hearth style disks from a company like Pizzatools.com/Lloyd Pans and certain types and brands of conveyor ovens. I mention this so people don't think that he believes that you can make a NY style pizza in any conveyor oven or without using the hearth style disks. Examples of his posts on this subject can be seen at http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8754&hilit=#p59288, http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3450&hilit=#p18165, and http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6125&p=38235&hilit=#p38235.

Peter

[waltertore]

Bob had a good idea Dave.  Check out some varieties and go from there.  Like him, I need to cook on a gas deck oven.  From where I am from it is was the only way but that is slowly changing to wood firedgas simulated wood ovens, more and more.  It also has to be in full view of the customers and the cultural norm is to chat about pizza, the world, or most anything, between the customer and the pizza makers.  I could never do a conveyor oven or be in a back room spitting out 1000 pies a minute.  You got it right-follow your heart!  Walter  

[aerotech]

Dave,

Your idea can be done with a little research and time. We started our first pizza place from the back of our home in a rural Kansas town with a population of 1200. We had to remodel our back porch/utility room with its own sinks, refrigeration, oven and smallware. No equipment could be shared between the home and the shop. We purchased an old Blodgett double stack stone deck oven for $800 and started selling pizza. We were open 4 days a week, 5-9 Thursday-Sunday. We sold between 10-20 pizzas a night on average, with Friday and Saturday the busiest.

Start with some research into the requirements in your area. Don't let others tell you it can't be done. It takes time and lots of effort to get started.

Best of luck

Ralph