Pizza Today - October 2022 - 28

you can get yourself to the front of the
line ahead of time rather than being one
of those customers scrambling at the last
minute.
Staffing
It should go without saying that your
calendar should have big red X's on these
days showing that nobody can request
those days off. These are the big five in
our business and they are " all hands on
deck " days. Labor cost will never be an
issue on these days as sales should greatly
outweigh any labor benchmark percentages.
Execution is key to our continued
success so make sure there are enough
bodies staffing every department. Do
not be afraid to overstaff more than you
think you could ever need. If it is as busy
as we hope, then you will thank yourself
for having enough bodies to let the
operation flow efficiently. As business
slows down staff can be cut early, but do
not leave yourself shorthanded.
Storage
These are those days when the old
mantra of " time is money " rings true.
The machine that is our kitchen needs to
operate at top speed and not be slowed
up by anything that could have been
anticipated ahead of time. For example,
extra allotments of pizza boxes should be
28 / PIZZATODAY.COM / OCTOBER 2022
folded and ready to go. One cannot
afford to stop during the hit to fold
boxes. Look to other open areas in the
restaurant to store these items. If it
means squeezing a few stacks into a wait
station or a seldom used table, then so be
it. Do not stop during service to grab
another case of to-go containers and
open it up. Have extra stock already
opened up and stored in a spot where it
can be quickly grabbed. It may be
uncomfortable or annoyingly " in my
way " , but this is a small price to temporarily
pay to keep the machine moving at
full speed.
Food Prep
There is no gray area here. You MUST
over prep. There is no excuse for having
to stop during service on our big five
days. Every item on the line should have
at least double the amount of backups
that you would normally prepare. Fresh
prepped perishable items are not going
to spoil overnight. If you have prepped
too much food, then you will simply be
ahead for the next morning. We cannot
afford to stop our whole process during
service because proper precaution was
not taken ahead of time.
It is also important to make sure that
items are prepped into the appropriate
sized containers. If you keep an item in a
1/6 pan on the line then all of your backups
of that item should also be wrapped,
labeled and dated in 1/6 pans. There is no
time to be transferring something from
a 1/3 pan to a 1/6 pan during service. You
need to be able to grab and go.
These are days when sales will be
increased by 20, 30, 40 percent or more.
Proper prior preparation dictates that
we must be proportionately ready. Speed
and efficiency can be attained if we have
taken the necessary precautions ahead
of time. Too often we see restaurants
making excuses and asking for customers'
understanding because they are so
swamped on these nights. It is inevitable
for all of us. This is going to happen, but
how we respond is what will set us apart
from the competition. If the managed
chaos of the kitchen continues to flow
seamlessly on these nights, then we
will have gained that confidence from
the customer when they order from us.
All it takes is a few minutes of careful
consideration beforehand. You will thank
yourself when the hit is over.
Happy " Pizza Holidays " !
MICHAEL ANDROW owns E & D Pizza
Company in Avon, Connecticut.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - October 2022
