Pizza Today - December 2021 - 28

Myth #1: Food Distributors Are
the Reason Your Food Cost Is So
High
Yes, the cost of the food you must
buy to run your pizzeria has been
rising. For every delivery that shows
up at your door, it seems like the price
keeps getting higher. When I look
back at the industry and what we've
dealt with as an industry, the sharpest
increase in food cost came after the
worst day in modern American history,
9/11. The next day prices went
through the roof. And remember the
fuel surcharges? None of that ever
really went away. Plus, there are all
the commodities you rely on, such
as cheese for a pizzeria. It's been just
about two decades with prices consistently
climbing. There certainly hasn't
been a decrease, right?
Why is it a myth to blame your
high food cost percentage on the food
distributors? It's not your distributor
that's crushing you. Yes, their prices
are going to have some effect, but it's
what you're doing with your product
that is the problem. It's you, your
management team and your cooks.
You see, a typical pizzeria runs
seven to nine points above ideal food
cost. That's not your distributor. You
must put systems in place to control
your portions, reduce theft and control
waste to ensure the guest gets the
same product every single time.
Do not get me wrong. Twenty
years ago, I would have backed you
up because some of the big guys
were screwing independent pizzerias.
Chain restaurants changed the world
and brought margins way down. You
can't blame the distributors anymore.
Myth #2: The Food Cost for
Your Pizzeria Should Be 34 Percent
Where
do any of us go for information?
The Internet! When you're
trying to work out how to calculate
your pricing and your costs, you're
28 / PIZZATODAY.COM / DECEMBER 2021
searching the Internet. The National
Restaurant Association - and other
experts quoting the National Restaurant
Association - says the average
food cost for a full-service restaurant
is 34 percent. (Or my other favorite,
an across-the-board three-times
markup.) The echo chamber of the
Internet is feeding you bad information.
Here's
the deal: in the case of a
34 percent national average, are
you average? Do you have the same
similarities as every other pizzeria out
there? Do you share the same street
corner? Same price point? Same city?
All the same menu items? What
about your products? Do you use the
same quality of products as every
other pizzeria (hello fast-deliverychain-pizzerias)?
No! Tell me what
an average is good for when it comes
to your business. You're not average.
Your food cost is based on what your
customers order.

http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - December 2021

Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mike's Monthly Tip
Man on the Street
Building Blocks
Tony's Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Food Cost Myths
Year-End Appreciation
Ttrends From International Pizza Challenge 2021
Grated Cheese
Pizzeria of the Year: Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, NJ
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - December 2021 - CT1
Pizza Today - December 2021 - CT2
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover1
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover2
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Commentary
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 4
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 5
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 6
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 7
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Digital
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 9
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Conversation
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 11
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Mike's Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 13
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 15
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 17
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Tony's Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 19
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 21
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 22
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 23
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Destinations
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 25
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Food Cost Myths
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 27
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 28
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 29
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Year-End Appreciation
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 31
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 32
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 33
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Ttrends From International Pizza Challenge 2021
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 35
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 36
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 37
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 38
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 39
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Grated Cheese
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 41
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 42
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 43
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Pizzeria of the Year: Razza Pizza Artigianale, Jersey City, NJ
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 45
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 46
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 47
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 48
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 49
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 50
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 51
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 53
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 55
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 56
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 57
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 58
Pizza Today - December 2021 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 60
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 61
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 62
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 63
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 64
Pizza Today - December 2021 - 65
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover3
Pizza Today - December 2021 - Cover4
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