New to biz - Questions / Ideas

[PizzaGuy37]

Hey guys, this is my very first post!

I am opening an “upscale” (hate that word) coffee house and café.  I have been in the restaurant business since I was 21 (15 years).  I want to offer “upscale” (again, that word) type pizza only after 5:00 until close to drive the dinner hours (as pizza is more a dinner food than sandwiches, soups and salads), but don’t have much experience with pizza.  (I manage-trained at a Pizzeria Uno for a very short time).

From reading a lot on the net I have come to some of the following conclusions:

I am looking at making a thinner type crust pizza, not real thin, but not thick, more like a had tossed I guess – is this a good fit for the “gourmet” market?

I want to use par-baked crusts from a very good company, as I want to keep this very labor low.

I have heard that Old World Sausage is the best, is this an Italian sausage?

I have heard that Grande cheese is the best, can I mix a smoked cheese with it to give it a great taste?

I have heard that Stanislaus makes the best pizza sauce, I would like one that is ready to use, which one in the Stanislaus line would that be?

NOW, as far as an oven, wow, what a choice.  I like the idea of the conveyor oven and have looked at the Q-matic, it is a GREAT oven, but a little pricey:(  Any others that are just as good but not so pricey?

I know a lot of you who have spent years perfecting your dough, sauce and recipes are going to just cringe when you hear that I want to use par-bakes and ready to use sauce, but don’t take it personally.  If I was going to open up a strictly pizza shop, then I would do it the way you do, the “right way”:)

Any help or advice that you guys can give me is VERY helpful!

Thanks as always!

[DKM]

Best advise I can give you is anybody looking to sell you a product (cheese, sausage, pre-baked crust) will normally give you a few samples to try out.  So I try to get some samples of different products and run some tests.  Maybe offer some regulars a free meal to give their opinions.

As for the oven, check out the used market.  Pizza places close all the time.

DKM

[Lydia]

Having a subscirption to Pizza Today and/ or PMQ will provide contact information to distributors. Maybe even one in your area.

I know of a few in California, but have never tried them and doubt I ever will. I like having control over my dough.

Maybe a search on PMQ and Pizza Today will turn up some distributors. (They are listed both on the links page.)