Pizza Today _ January 23 - 31

calls for fewer tables. The two Old
Scratch Pizza locations in Dayton
and Centerville, Ohio, measure
8,500 feet and seated about
200 people pre-pandemic. The
restaurants reduced their capacity to
follow mandates, and today the available
seating is still only 80 percent
of the pre-pandemic numbers. " We
realized we didn't need as many seats
to get that volume, " says owner and
founder Eric Soller. " Once we made
more space for customers, it all of
a sudden felt uncomfortable to put
people so close together. "
Takeout was also a factor, and
Old Scratch Pizza implemented
a curbside pickup system during
the pandemic. Today, customers
still have the option to pick up their
pies without leaving their vehicles.
The pizzeria uses texting, signage,
video monitoring and technology
that alerts the crew when the customer
arrives. " We try to make the
curbside experience so exceptional
that it reduces the need to come in, "
Soller says.
Staff members use a separate exit
T
he pandemic changed the
way people order food, and
pizzeria owners adapted
by rethinking their spaces. Carryout
became crucial, so operators removed
tables and focused on to-go orders.
Now, as consumers return to dining-in
but still appreciate a delicious pizza
to-go, restaurant owners and designers
are reconsidering their floor plans.
They are rearranging the furniture,
rethinking the host stand, and streamlining
the kitchen.
When Byram Pizza Company
opened in Greenwich, Connecticut in
September 2020, it took over an existing
pizzeria that had bulky booths,
stand-up counters, and old Formica
tables. " I ripped the whole place
apart, " says co-owner Denis Kraljevic.
" Everything needed to be updated. "
Among the updates was to
emphasize delivery and takeout, and
Kraljevic installed a lighted, angled
pizza display case in the front of
the eatery. People enter, order and
step aside, or they order online and
pick up. The restaurant measures
800 square feet and has three tables,
considerably fewer than the previous
owner's floor plan. " You're not going
to fill all those tables, " he says. " You
can have a smaller place and still put
out the same amount of food. "
The kitchen also became more
compact, to increase efficiency. The
prep table and oven are close together,
and the POS system at the front
counter is close to the pizza display.
Others agree that today's floor plan
to bring orders to cars. There is also
signage directing third-party delivery
drivers to that entrance, so they do
not crowd the front of the restaurant
where people enter and exit for dining
in. People still want to come in
and enjoy a restaurant meal or sit at
the bar, Soller says, so it's important
to make that experience enjoyable
too.
" People want more space, and
we're giving it to them, " Soller says.
" We're making money in other ways,
with curbside and with merchandise.
We dedicated more space to merchandise. "
There is a display case with
t-shirts, pint glasses, hats and other
items at the front of the restaurant,
so people can shop while they wait
for their table. Old Scratch Pizza has
two locations, with plans to open two
more in 2023.
JANUARY 2023 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 31
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today _ January 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today _ January 23
