A Practical Business Guide on How to Open and Run a Successful Pizzeria

Pizza is a food that never fails to excite consumers. It is one of the most popular choices that consumers make throughout the globe. But, one cannot start making sales and generating profits just by starting a pizza business. Pizza alone cannot determine success. There are several other key success factors that must work in unison to make the business successful. Creating your own restaurant website, exclusively for pizza, is highly essential to garnering the support of the digital customer base.

It is a combination of the following factors that can enable a pizzeria to prosper. Anyone wondering about how to run a profitable pizza business must focus on these factors and witness the bottom line rise within a short span of time.

The taste that the pizza offers should naturally be the first crowd puller. If you wish to make a mark, you must offer pizzas the way customers like to have it – some like a thick crust while others want it thin; while some prefer a spicy sauce, others like it mild. Choices of pizza toppings also vary to a large extent from one customer to another. A pizzeria owner must always pay attention to the specific needs of the market in the outlet’s location. Offering side dishes like salads, chicken wings, beverages, or breadsticks. Paying attention to the special preferences of the local market will also benefit in capturing it effortlessly.

With every pizza sold, the business must also rigorously sell the brand. The brand name must be the first thing that a customer recalls every time he yearns to have a pizza. Digital and offline promotions (sending fliers, newspaper inserts & advertising on Yellow Pages) must be designed in unison to promote the brand in a wholesome manner.

Since pizza is seen as a pocket-friendly meal, the pizzeria must offer coupons and special deals for their signature dishes. This makes the dish ‘The Talk of the Town’ and increases profits manifold. Buy-one-get-one deals can be reserved for days of dull business.

The intensity of competition that a pizzeria faces in its locality is an important determinant factor. If there are several players in the same neighborhood, it is essential to highlight your unique features by offering lower prices, greater quantities with better quality, good service, and speedy delivery. If possible, the pizzeria can be established in a place that lacks a pizza service outlet.

Getting the right kind of employees to work for a pizzeria is important to set the right work culture and also steer the business towards a profitable path. Customers have their first contact with the business through the employees. It is imperative that this first impression is good. People running pizzerias must make their employees feel like part of their family and the pillars most responsible for the successful running of the business. Owners can give free or discounted food to the employees. Their travel and medical allowances can be reimbursed too. This will improve employee involvement, increase job satisfaction and also encourage them to actively get involved in crucial policy-making processes.

The rule of calculating the profit of a pizzeria is to divide the system sales by the store count (number of pizza outlets). This will help get the average. One factor that might affect this average is the number of new outlets that have been opened as a new location always takes time to attain its full potential.

In the year 2019 alone, pizza chain Domino’s reported annual US system sales of $7,0444 million with the number of units at 6,126 (inclusive of 250 newly opened franchises). So, the weekly sales are roughly $22,000.

Pizza Hut is another popular global pizza brand that adopts a different business model. It lays emphasis on dine-in instead of door-delivering piping hot, cheesy pizza. A reputed magazine report states that Pizza Hut averaged $ 878,000 of annual sales in the US alone. This means that the weekly sales were around $16,800.

The average weekly sale of Dodo pizza in the year 2019 was $ 6,430 with just two pizzerias (stores) in the US. Dodo pizza conducted research about pizza business sales and profit margins. This was based on data collected from 754 pizza stores located in 14 countries and its own analysis of data available publicly. It states that very successful pizza brands that offer dine-in service in the US hit $2 million annually while franchised pizza deliveries in the country can even reach an annual sales of $3 million.

While the profit margin for a pizza business depends on various factors like food and labor cost, rent and utilities, marketing, and royalties, even a moderately successful pizza store can achieve a 15% store-level EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization). This level of profits is also considered an industry standard.

An online pizza ordering system is vital to keep up with the competition. If a pizzeria owner keeps the subject of an online pizza ordering system only under consideration wondering if it will pay off, he is really missing out on some big money.

Out of the $3,433 billion earned by Domino’s Pizza in 2018, revenue through online orders alone was $2.06 billion.

69% of internet users use digital platforms to order door delivery of food online.

A pizza online ordering system is not merely an online store. It has special functions that support sales for pizzerias. With pizza being a food governed by personal choices of toppings and add-ons, online ordering makes it easy for customers to personalize their orders with a few simple clicks. 

The online order is received and accepted on a tablet or smartphone by the restaurant. The customer is also immediately notified of this acknowledgment by the pizzeria along with information about the delivery time.

1. Increase in Sales – An online order system definitely boosts the number of orders. But, this is not just about quantity. With every order being processed, you also attain more value (through customer satisfaction and brand loyalty). Statistics state that the value of online orders is 18% higher than those placed through phone calls.

2. Increase in Loyalty – If an online ordering system is user-friendly and works efficiently, customers order more often. On the other hand, if the system is slow or causes problems, 28% of customers decide to drop the online order. Pizzerias must create an ordering system that is intuitive, easy to use, and laden with customization features.

3. Better Management – Work inside the pizzeria can be organized efficiently leading to greater employee productivity. Orders received through phone calls are prone to miscommunications and human errors. These unpleasant situations can be avoided by offering online ordering of pizzas. 

Receiving an online order literally takes just 3 seconds.

4. Mobile Ordering – Apart from enabling online ordering on a pizzeria’s website, mobile ordering (through delivery apps) must also be provided. This will open opportunities from other sales channels and allow customers to order their favorite pizzas using mobile devices. Pizza delivery apps, when designed to be compatible with iOS and Android, give customers a platform to place online orders, but also give access to loyalty programs and (re)marketing communication. This further enhances the mobile ordering experience for customers. 

Restaurant website building must always be entrusted with professionals. Website builders like Restaurantify are meant exclusively for creating food websites. They provide aesthetic templates that are completely customizable. Their websites are SEO friendly and gadget compatible. With Covid-19 special monetary packages, website creation and maintenance can be done for as low as $45 per annum.

Creating a WordPress website is powerful, flexible, and secure. Setting up a pizza order form is also extremely easy while using WordPress. A restaurateur must choose and purchase a domain name for the pizza delivery site, sign up for the hosting plan, and install WordPress. Installing WordPress takes only about 5 minutes after which one can move on to Step 2.

WordPress does not come with e-commerce features by default. The website will require a WordPress e-commerce plugin if the website must be used for selling things online. WooCommerce is the best plugin to turn a normal WordPress website into an e-commerce platform almost within seconds.

Although the store set up is ready, it still needs to be shaped into a delivery site. For this, the menu items – pizzas and other foods offered by the pizzeria must be added. Individual menu items must be added to the Products section of the dashboard. By choosing Add New, one can enter the name of the menu and the description. The sidebar on the right can be used to set the category and tags related to the item. Images can be uploaded if needed. It is advisable to create a separate category for every individual section of the pizza restaurant menu. The pizza order form can then be divided into sections, with each section displaying foods from a different menu category. For example, pizzas, beverages, sides, etc.) Upon completion of this procedure, one can scroll down to the Product data section and add more details like the item’s price. The ‘Publish’ button must be clicked to finalize the item on the menu. This process must be repeated with all the items that will be available for delivery like pizzas, sides, drinks, desserts, etc.

A pizzeria cannot stop creating a basic online store. Online visitors will want to order everything they wish to form a single page. With a WooCommerce Product Table plugin, this is made simple. With this plugin, an organized, customizable table can be created displaying some or all of the WooCommerce site’s products, in this case, the WordPress pizza order form.

The decision of what information will exactly appear on the pizza order form must be made at this step. Columns like product image, name, description, price, and an add-to-cart button can be added at this stage.

Once the pizza order form has been customized, the changes can be saved. Next, a new page must be opened on the dashboard. The Toggle Toolbar icon at the top of the editor must be clicked. Choose the Insert Product Table icon on the second row. One can still go back to the Product Tables settings to make the required changes. That will automatically get included here. Once satisfied with the output, one can publish the page to make the pizza order form go live. Customers can almost instantly start using it to place orders.

Here we present to you a handpicked collection of pizza website designs that will arouse your interest in building a strong web presence. 

This brand offers premium pizzas with creative toppings. Its website is a pure reflection of its culinary offerings that will marvel customers. It uses sticky side navigation to provide quick and easy access to other web pages. This website has been completely empowered to carry the brand to the next level.

Just like the brand, the website promises fast delivery of hot and fresh pizza. The homepage bears a simple look but is filled with all useful web elements and compelling content. The simple menu gains an enchanted look due to the white typography over a black background. The gray-scaled images also add to the visual impact.

Websites are important not just to provide convenience but also to beat the competition. The website of Dadim pizza is elegant. A dark-tone background, parallax effect, header with sliders, and an exceptional menu design, this website looks attractive and offers every detail that an online visitor will look for. 

This outlet has been offering pizzas for more than 8 years. Their website possesses all the qualities required to boost a business's sales. The homepage design is simple with several high-quality images of the delicious pizzas. The sticky header and footer along with the slider in the hero header for social media icons and brand logos fill this website with utility. 

One must get inspired by the website of Pinza if they are looking to boost their online pizza sales. This website design is clean, modern, minimalist. Smooth sliders highlight the hero scene images. The attractive headlines and a bang-on CTA make the brand more powerful by engaging the audience instantaneously. Upon hover, animations come to life making the design interactive. The design is inclusive of social media links, a sticky header, and a cool parallax effect.

To be noticed and to stand out from the crowd, a pizzeria must offer something that others do not. If the neighborhood has Italian restaurants, the pizzeria must serve American pizzas. Also, employ an exceptional chef to get the pizza done perfectly. Implementing the feedback and suggestion of guests will also enhance bonding with them. A pizza business can always explore, experiment with, and introduce new toppings that make heads turn and increase footfall to the pizzeria or result in a greater volume of online sales. Adding alternatives for customers with vegan choices or people with dietary restrictions and allergies can be a great asset. Gluten-free pies will also make people choose you over your competitors.

Since more than 80% of users prefer to check a restaurant menu online before making an online order or visiting the outlet, a pizzeria must have a professional website in place. A website is a pizzeria’s online business card. This is the first thing that any potential customer will likely access. So, it must be designed keeping the visitor in mind. Launching an online ordering service will increase the sales volume and also open avenues for newer marketing features. A strong social media presence of the pizzeria on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Yelp, etc. will build an online community that will also work as your comrade and word of mouth advocates.

A business that offers a consistent image through its promotional elements earns the unswerving trust of customers. From the pizza served to customers to the flyers used as advertising tools, every communication must uphold brand consistency and match the theme of the restaurant’s image. When decisions about photos, graphics, and the style to be used for advertising are made after detailed planning, maintaining pizza brand consistency becomes easy.

Creating promotions for prospective customers and designing loyalty programs for the patrons is mandatory for pizza restaurants. Offering bulk sales and making them available in the store and online increases the quantity and value of orders and hence the profit too. Pizzerias can reap benefits by offering attractive discounts. This will help to stay ahead of the competition and also attract new customers.

Every owner of a pizzeria must keep several important things in mind while developing marketing strategies. Ensuring brand consistency and being unique is the first and foremost thing for a pizzeria. Since the market is filled with fierce competition, creating a professional restaurant website, launching an online ordering system, and adopting good promotions in the digital space can help create the most wanted difference.