Outdoor Ovens Indoors in a Commercial Setting?

Started by Buckeyes and Birds, January 23, 2025, 11:00:33 AM

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Buckeyes and Birds

Hey friends, new to the forum.  I've been dreaming of opening up my own pizza place for years and I'm close to having the funding to pull the trigger.  As I'm fine tuning the budget, I'd like to find out if I can use an outdoor oven as my main cooking source in my restaurant.  To clarify, when I say outdoor oven, I'm referring to a gas oven such as Ooni Koda, Blackstone Leggero, or the Gozney Roccbox.  The idea is to have 4 or 5 of them in house, where I would rotate to avoid the heat transfer issue that occurs when multiple pies are done one after another.  The attraction here is that I can get a similar, final product that is seen in the wood fired oven (not the same, I know) at a fraction of the price of other ovens (brick and/or wood).  So here is my question, can these outdoor ovens be used in a commercial setting?  I've seen restaurants do this before, so I'm guessing the answer might be yes if the appropriate ventilation/hoods are set up.  Any feedback is much appreciated.  Thank you. 

TXCraig1

I don't know your local codes, but I'd be surprised if the fire marshal would allow it, and probably not the health department either.

I'd ask them rather than the people here.
"We make great pizza, with sourdough when we can, baker's yeast when we must, but always great pizza."  
Craig's Neapolitan Garage

Bill/CDMX

I can't address your commercial concerns,  but you should check that whatever oven you select does not contain restrictions like "for residential use only; not for commercial use".  Perhaps more important than voiding the warranty, your insurance carrier could deny claims for damage caused by the oven. So check with them. OTOH, there are folks, including some on this forum, who use these ovens in commercial settings. Hope some will chime in about permits, health codes, venting, etc.  

TXCraig1

When you call your local authorities to ask about using the ovens indoors, they will likely ask if the ovens are UL and NSF certified. I'd be sure to know the answer. 
"We make great pizza, with sourdough when we can, baker's yeast when we must, but always great pizza."  
Craig's Neapolitan Garage

mosabrina

The question is why would you? Ooni koda 16 for 5 of them is not much cheaper than something like a zio ciro?

And I can tell you that the ooni stones will overheat if you are not careful. They work perfectly great for backyard use but that's about it

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TXCraig1

Quote from: mosabrina on January 23, 2025, 08:23:16 PMThe question is why would you? Ooni koda 16 for 5 of them is not much cheaper than something like a zio ciro?

I think he's trying to maximize the volume/cost ratio. 5 Kodas and 1 Zio Ciro may have a similar cost, but a single ZC isn't going to do commercial volume. 
"We make great pizza, with sourdough when we can, baker's yeast when we must, but always great pizza."  
Craig's Neapolitan Garage

prohunt3

I wouldn't go this route. Oonis are great for a couple of pizzas at home, but in a commercial setting you'll want fewer or even just 1 larger oven(s) that maintain heat and have easier temperature controls. 1 Ooni is hard enough to manage temperatures when making multiple pizzas quickly, now you have to manage the temp of each Ooni individually. A single deck oven or brick oven has essentially 1 or two forms of temperature controls and that can produce as many pizzas as you could do with 5 Oonis. Not only that, but they will also come with more thermal mass and better insulation allowing a lot more forgiveness when it comes to maintaining the proper temperature. It's going to be more expensive, but if I was going to open a shop the oven is one area that I would not cheap out on. 

Howitzer21

Peddling Pizza (Adam Atkins) who's based out of the UK uses (2) Gozney Domes in his commercial food truck, and is also a Gozney Brand Ambassador. Gozney also has warranties that allow for commercial use, and seem to be UL rated, but as far as I can tell are not NSF rated. Point being, you wouldn't be the first to use a Gozney oven in a commercial application, and Gozney even 'sponsors' someone who does just that.

Your local authorities may be able to approve the use of a non-commercial oven for commercial use. As Craig suggested, talking to your local AHJ or fire marshal's office will provide you more answers than this forum likely can. 


-Zack

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