Pizza Today - September 2023 - 27

they should still have the training and
be able to answer any questions the
customer may have on a certain item.
Th e same holds true when it
comes to ordering delivery through
an online platform. Th ere may not
be that live person on the other end
of the line to answer questions, but
proper menu setup is key. Take the
time and go through every item on the
online platform yourself. Play devil's
advocate with your online menu. Try to
anticipate the most common questions
and modifi cations that may arise with
an item and have options available for
your customer to make choices.
Effi ciency and accuracy are key here
if you are going to try and best replicate
that physical server experience in the
restaurant.
Packaging Quality
We know that food coming right out
of the kitchen from the chef's hand to
the table is perfect and exactly how you
want it presented. Th e onus is now on
you, the operator, to try and bring that
same food quality to someone's home
when they open up the packaging.
You put a piping hot pizza in a box
and close the lid. Th at steam can do
quite a number on your crust and make
it much soggier than when it's ordered
in the restaurant. Are you taking the
necessary steps to provide the proper
packaging to prevent that?
You put a pasta dish in a foil
container with a clear plastic lid. When
the order is put into a bag are these
being stacked on top of one another
and getting crushed after a few minutes
when the steam makes that lid hot, soft,
and pliable?
Remember, you are trying to
recreate that restaurant quality dining
experience in the home to the best of
your ability. Th is means using the right
containers that will travel well and not
have your food end up being a mess in
the bag.
Carryout
Like anything else in your restaurant,
communication is key to success here.
We want the holding time on that food
to be minimal and this requires great
communication from the back of the
house to the front. Th e kitchen needs
to relay accurate preparation times to
the front of house staff so that they
may let the customer know when to
expect their order to be ready. Th e less
time it is sitting then the better chance
you have of getting it to the customer's
dining room table hot.
Delivery
If you are doing your own delivery,
then you undoubtedly have a handle on
communicating times to the customer.
But what about third parties? Nearly
everyone utilizes one app or another
nowadays for ordering food via third
party. It is paramount that a line of
communication be established with the
service/services you use so the customer
can have a realistic indication of when
the food will arrive. Th is can be a tricky
predicament when you are handing off
part of your business to another party
and expecting them to have the same
commitment to delivering your food
promptly as you do. Most customers
realize that there can be small lapses
created by these services. But it
behooves you, the owner, to do
everything in your power to control
every part of that process that you can
because at the end of the day it is still
your food being purchased and represented
at the end of the line.
Accountability
Once that food leaves the hands of
the person preparing it in the restaurant
the task is not complete. Th ough you
may not be personally responsible for
the handling of the order in transit, you
should still hold yourself accountable to
make sure it arrives as you'd expect it to.
Th is means making sure you've sent
it properly and have the right bags that
can handle the size and weight of your
containers. Maybe it means purchasing
some takeout tray style boxes for larger
orders.
Th e same holds true for delivery
orders. Whether or not you are delivering
it yourself or its being done by a
third party, is the food being handled
properly? Are insulated bags being
used for pizzas and other items? It is
important for you to make that investment
to help ensure that level of quality
hitting someone's table at home. And if
you are handing it off to a third-party
driver, make sure they have the proper
heat retaining bags too and are not just
chucking your pizza in the back of their
pickup truck while delivering it.
When done properly, carryout and
delivery can be a wildly successful
revenue center of your restaurant. By
giving your dishes the same consistent
respect that you do in house, you will be
creating a large base of customers that
are more than happy to bring your food
to their home.
MICHAEL ANDROW owns E & D Pizza
Company in Avon, Connecticut.
PPNE EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT:
Catch Michael Androw talk DELCO
Sunday, October 1 | 8:30 am to 9:30 am
Room No: 306
Before COVID-19 hit, Michael
Androw had a thriving dinein
pizzeria. The pandemic
forced him to make a hard
pivot. Since pulling out
the tables and chairs and
dedicating the space to
maximizing carryout and
delivery potential, business
has never been better. So
good, in fact, he says there's
no reason to think he'll ever
offer dine-in again. Learn
from a true success story
as he guides you through
the steps to do carryout and
delivery correctly.
Pizza Today - September 2023

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