Ok since this is going to be my first reply I mind as well answer all your questions. And I'm kind of bored at 1 am as the life of a pizzeria owner keeps you up late.
1) Dough ball sizes should be weighed out. In a thin style a good rule of thumb is an ounce per inch, I add an ounce more an inch to make sure I don't have thin middles for all my pizza guys who aren't as good. Remember, a too thin middle can ruin the whole pie. If you want a bigger crust then add another inch or even two and leave more dough on the outside for nice thick crust. I dont have crust on mine. I try to keep middle all the way out even.
2) Yes, any landlord will give you at least two months free rent for a store that is already built. If you're gonna build it from nothing then you can ask for 6 months. You are building him a store he can rent forever so it's worth it to him.
3) You're probably not cooking it enough. I'm not sure about this one. I've been using the same pizza cutters for 10 years, never replaced them or sharpened them. Never had an issue on this, that was my best guess
4) No, never! They have their own car and you give them all of the delivery charge or a portion of it. I charge 2.50 and they get 2.00. also $5 an hour. This is a little high but they are happy and I've had the same drivers for a long time. They make money and you don't have to worry about hiring new people every week.
5) No way, see above
6) Yes and no. Zoning-wise, commercial is commercial, but it is ultimately up to the landlord. Again, if you're gonna build it out, he'll be ecstatic.
7) That can go either way, I would look for a place already built that is closed or even already running is better. But if you're hell bent on building from scratch, I would go new on the refrigeration but pretty much anything else can be used. Refrigeration is usually the hardest thing to maintain and what most frequently breaks down.
8) Concentrate on what you do perfectly first, and then everytime you make menus you can add a few things. Remember!!! Great food is what people want. So whatever you do make sure your product is the best thing you ever tasted. So stick what you do best in the beginning and then move on to things you can perfect when you have the time. Start with the best end with the best. You can't lose this way
9) Ok, this is the one everyone gets screwed up on. And not everyone is gonna agree on this, but I've made a lot of money following this philosophy. This is the most vital thing I can say. Don't concentrate all your time on expenses and on how much things cost. Yes, keep an eye on it, but the what you should keep your eye on the most is your profit. And in this business profit comes with the right menu prices. DO NOT undercharge to beat the competition. Don't even look at the competition's menu to compare pricing to set yours. You look at YOUR food cost and your profits. You build your prices from there. Don't buy cheap products like everyone else does. The only way you set yourself apart from everyone is to make some say, damn that was #*%$ awesome. That's how you make money! So don't buy the cheaper fries because they were $5 cheaper or the pizza cheese was cheaper. I promise you, you make great food and you will make money. That is your priority. If you have high margins, you make money and you're happy, you can pay your employees, they stick and you're happy, your customers are happy your pocket is happy. But that only works if you're selling a great product. If you're not willing to put out the best product, at best you make a marginal paycheck and you'll always be at work with no money and since you're not home your wife and kids will hate you, along with your employees and your customers. So save yourself the trouble, be happy and make money. It doesn't matter how much revenue you do it matters how much money you make.
10) a great air conditioning unit, and leaving my wife at home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't proof read it i just typed, I hope that helps.
