Owning a pizzeria can be a satisfying business for those who love to cook, appreciate a good pizza, and enjoy working with people. Making and selling good pizza is a creative business, as well as profitable. A pizzeria can be a restaurant to eat right there with a full menu or just a place to go. Initial costs may be high, but pizza restaurants are generally successful because there is a large profit margin.
Make a good pizza. Before buying your first oven or looking for a location, learn how to make a good pizza. Practice making pizzas and try them with your friends and family. The success of a pizza place is almost solely in the quality of your pizza. If you don’t plan on being the cook, then hire a good pizza chef. Use top-quality ingredients and make sure you want to eat every pizza that comes out of your restaurant.
Write your business plan. This plan will help you focus your ideas and give you a guide for marketing, profit and loss, as well as expansion ideas.
Calculate the initial costs. This includes the lease of the place, the inventory of ingredients and the rent or purchase of the equipment. Make arrangements for financing if necessary.
Enter your menu Look at the menus of the other restaurants, check with your chef and decide what types of food you will offer besides pizza. You will offer at least a few foods other than pizza, especially if you plan to open a restaurant to eat right there. Pasta dishes are easy to make and a natural combination with pizza.
Find a location. Depending on your city, you will want to find a place with a lot of traffic or a lot of car traffic. Buy or lease your location.
Get in touch with your local health department. If your location was previously a restaurant (or even better, a pizzeria), ask the health department for a pre-inspection so you can clean and place your equipment properly. If you are starting from scratch, study the health department manual so you can create a plan and system for optimal cleaning. Once you’re ready, you can request permissions.
Buy or rent your equipment. A pizzeria requires heavy-duty ovens to create a large amount of good pizza at once. Electric ovens are generally ineffective in making a good and traditional pizza. Gas with large flat stones are mandatory for pizzerias and more and more people are investing in wood ovens to give the pizza an authentic Italian flavour. You will also need a large mixer for the refrigerated pizza preparation tables and the dough, a large refrigerator and refrigerator to store the ingredients and a dough preparation table (usually a large butcher block or counter). You need three sinks to clean and a professional dishwasher is recommended, especially if you are going to serve customers.
Market your new pizzeria by offering tests at local events and by sending press releases to local media. Create a website to order online. Advertise in local newspapers and websites. Use social media to let people in your city know your new pizzeria.