Q: Banks aren’t lending. Where do I go for growth money? Louis Phelps Kansas City, Missouri A: In the current economic freefall we’ve been destined to play out due to very bad decisions made by ‘too big to fail institutions,’ you are sufferin...

Though banks continue guarding their money, accessing capital remains a challenge — though viable — endeavor for prepared operators   Anytime Joe Fugere needed a business loan, he simply went to the local branch of his major bank. Now the ow...

Pick-up windows add appeal for on-the-go customers   What’s better on a cold night than a hot pizza that you didn’t have to leave the warmth of your car to pick up? Even on a summer day when it’s sizzling outside, not having to leave the c...

Why it’s important to understand your EBITDA   When you run a restaurant, it’s easy to concentrate on the urgent. The bathrooms need cleaning, you’re almost out of mozzarella, you’ve got a full dining room, and your prep cook didn’...

Q: Our mixer finally crashed and we got a 40-quart vertical cutter mixer (VCM) to replace it. How does this mixer compare against our old 80-quart mixer? A: The first thing to know about the VCM is that it has a much higher mixing speed. The two-spe...

Dallas-based Cane Rosso on track for serious success We first met Jay Jerrier in 2008 at Campania Pizza, where he served as an investing partner in our 2008 Independent Pizzeria of the Year. Fast-forward four years and it’s not Campania Pizza where...

There’s no such thing as Italian pizza. Allow me to clarify: there is no single Italian style of pizza. That would be like saying there’s only one style in the United States. Instead, there’s a patchwork of variations based on different regiona...

Employees, like all humans, thrive on commendation and compensation for all that they do. What if our staff deserves a little more monetary recognition than we can dish out? Consider this thought from American Industrialist, Owen D. Young: “The wor...

P&L Report gives insight into health of business   At Proto’s Pizzeria Napoletana, the Profit and Loss report is more than a lengthy chart with boring numbers. The P&L is an important topic in quarterly meetings with general managers. ...

Investing in updated look can breathe new life into restaurant At a time when budgets are tight, investing in a remodel or upgrade may seem like a risky plan. Operators have to wonder if updating the look or equipment in their restaurant will bring i...

Menu Trends for 2012   This year will be all about healthy eating, so be prepared to think about how you can tweak your menu and your existing pizza, pasta and salad offerings to reflect forward thinking as it relates to “tastes better, better...

When it comes to scheduling, it must seem as if the skills of a magician are called for, especially when it comes to waitstaff. In this case, there are numerous things to consider: how many tables to assign to servers; the number of people needed on ...