Garlic Breath Pizza

After years of owning a successful coffee shop, Justin Pronovost ditched his daily long-distance commute to open an artisan pizzeria in his hometown. To stand out from other local Independents, Justin studied dough science, devoured dough-making tutorials, consulted online experts, and tested hundreds of batches in perfecting his own style of thin, uniquely flavorful crust. Justin’s signature pies earned lots of positive word of mouth. But as demand steadily grew, Justin began maxing-out dough production on his busiest nights. To keep growing his business, Justin knew that eventually he would have to solve how to expand his dough capacity. Just not today.

When Opportunity Knocks

Then out of the blue, a popular online pizza reviewer showed up to rate Justin’s pies. The film crew warned that the review would air in three weeks. Because his pies scored so well, his sales might even double overnight. Justin was already maxing out on weekends. So either he could figure out how to multiply his dough capacity ASAP or risk missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leapfrog his success.

Investments and Growth

Embracing a “growth mindset,” Justin immediately contacted a pizzeria consultant he had met online. Because Justin wouldn’t have time (or available workspace) to hire/ train more skilled dough makers, the consultant recommended he invest in a dependable dough divider and dough rounder. Together, these machines would greatly accelerate time-consuming benchwork (hand-cutting/weighing raw dough pieces and hand-rolling doughballs) without skilled help. Over time, they would also help boost pie-to-pie consistency by identically portioning and rolling each doughball. This would also free Justin’s time by delegating the task to others.

With the consultant’s help, the equipment maker expedited delivery to Justin’s shop. This gave Justin and his team two weeks to double their dough production and get used to working with the new equipment. When the positive review finally broadcast, demand did double. But by embracing an innovative new solution, Justin’s team was able to prevail.

Six Months Later…

Justin’s sales remain nearly double pre-review levels. Meanwhile, Justin remains pleased with the increased consistency (and fewer aches and pains) from automating his benchwork! Bravo!

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