Standing out

Pride of Ownership

It is a small gesture, but restaurateur Vinny Migliore starts each day by personally sweeping the sidewalk in front of his restaurant. Of all the things he does to emphasize excellence with his team, this is perhaps the most powerful. That is because it clearly communicates without words the tremendous pride he has in his place and that, in his eyes, no detail is too small when it comes to positively impressing guests, even before they arrive at the door!

Vincent Migliore, Owner Vinny’s Ristorante Somerville, MA

Birthday Generosity

At The Happy Italian, Chef Lenny Minutillo sometimes surprises loyal regulars on their birthday with a gift booklet of twelve $10 certificates, each good in a coming month. Lenny does not otherwise discount because that suggests that a restaurant’s food must be normally overpriced if it can be profitably sold for less. However, because the birthday certificates are both a surprise and high in value, recipients are moved by Lenny’s generosity and spread plenty of positive word of mouth as a result!

Lenny Minutillo, Jr., Chef/Owner The Happy Italian Harahan, LA

“Our Story” Videos

Sharing your personal story with customers can make them feel closer to your restaurant while reinforcing your passion for making superior food! Writing it in your menu can ensure that existing visitors get the message. But James and Amy Ross wanted to reach potential customers who scout new restaurants on the Internet. So they added a short video to their website of James personally explaining their passion for “East Coast” pizza and the lengths they went to develop their own version. Capturing James’ endearing enthusiasm helps make their website (and restaurant) stand out from the competition!

James and Amy Ross, Owners Rosalee’s Pizzeria Longmont, CO

Frozen Bar Pies

Despite being located in a small town, pizzeria owner Jane Schradle has found a way to profitably expand her business without negatively impacting her core customer base or adding costly overhead!

Over the past few years, Jane has built a healthy side business making and selling frozen pizzas to area taverns. The taverns then heat and sell the 12” pies to bar patrons.

The arrangement is a win/win for everyone involved. For bar owners, selling Jane’s pizza allows them to profitably boost “add on” sales without needing a formal kitchen. Because Jane insists on using only top quality ingredients, once patrons taste them, Jane’s bar pies practically sell themselves. Offering hot, flavorful food on the premises also helps the bars boost beverage sales by keeping hungry patrons on the premises longer.

To keep things simple, Jane provides bars with a turnkey system including a small pizza oven to heat the pies and attractive bar top signs announcing “Lake Country Pizza Sold Here.”

To prepare the pies, Jane’s team par bakes 12” crusts for three minutes. Then the crusts are sauced, topped, double shrink wrapped, labeled, and placed in the deep freezer. In the winter, she sells at least 200 frozen pies per week. Weekly summer sales are even higher.

Pursuing this side business has allowed Jane to expand sales beyond her home town without interfering with her core customers. Second, she has attracted several new dine in customers from surrounding towns as a result of their having first tasted her pies in their local tavern. Third, the business allows her to get more mileage out of her existing kitchen when it would otherwise stand idle. Bravo!

Jane Schradle, Owner Lake Country Pizza Turtle Lake, WI