WHITEWATER, Wis. (Aug. 27, 2025) – Toppers Pizza is debuting its catering menu nationwide, making it easier for fans to enjoy their favorite fresh, customizable pizzas, famous Topperstix and crave-worthy sides at gatherings of any size. 

Whether it’s a business meeting, a family reunion or a late-night birthday bash, Toppers Catering delivers bold flavor and variety to any event, and is available with just 90 minutes’ notice.

The catering lineup was developed by Chef Brian Brindza, Director of Culinary and Menu Innovation, who continues to evolve Toppers beyond the standard slice, including expanding the brand’s vegetarian and vegan offerings. From large bundle packages to shareable platters of cheesy Topperstix and crispy wings, Toppers’ new catering service delivers big flavor with speed and reliability. 

What’s on the catering menu:

• Bundles — The easiest way to feed a group with a balanced mix of pizzas and sides, customizable to fit your flavor needs
  • Small Party Bundle: Feeds 10 to 12 adults with 4 large pizzas, Triple ’Stix, a large salad and a large side
  • Medium Party Bundle: Feeds 16 to 18 adults with 4 large pizzas, 2 Triple ’Stix, 2 large sides and a large salad
  • Large Party Bundle: Feeds 22 to 24 adults with 5 large pizzas, 2 Triple ’Stix, 3 large sides and 2 large salads
• Pizza Party Bundle — Perfect for groups that just want the good stuff.
  • Little Party: Feeds 14–16 adults. Perfect for the pizza purist who wants a solid base to build on. Includes 5 large pizzas.
  • Big Party: Your go-to move for bigger events. Comes with 10 large pizzas, providing the essentials to satisfy a large crowd.
  • Mega Party: Same as a Big Party, but made for the boldest hosts. 15 large pizzas – just add sides, ‘Stix or salads to level it up.
• Lunch — Individual meals made easy for offices and other self-service events
  • Pick 2 & Beverage: A small pizza, your choice of a side or salad, and a drink
  • Lil’ Lunch: A small pizza and a drink
• A La Carte — Build your own spread with pizzas, wings, Topperstix, salads, desserts and more
  • Sides: Add Salad, Topperstix, wings or mac
  • Beverages: Individual bottles or bundles
  • Desserts: Cinnamonstix, Killer Brownies or frozen custard
  • Dippin Sauce: Bold dips to go with every bite

Chef Brindza, a passionate product innovator, has spent his career focusing on culinary product development, creative food innovation and food marketing across the hospitality and consumer packaged goods industries. With his experience in culinary creativity, he has long recognized the value of introducing catering as an extension of  Toppers’ dining experience. 

“We’re always looking for ways to bring our bold flavors to more people, and catering opens the door for us to be part of even more celebrations and gatherings,” said Chef Brindza “We’ve made the menu simple to order, easy to customize and perfect for sharing—whether you’re feeding a small team or a large crowd.”

Headquartered in Wisconsin, Toppers Pizza offers more than a million combinations of high-quality toppings. Guests can order through toppers.com, the Toppers Pizza app or by calling a participating location. The brand’s commitment to fresh, handmade products means catering guests can expect the same quality and variety they’ve come to love in-store or via delivery. Fans also flock to the brand’s signature Topperstix, zesty wing flavors and indulgent desserts.

For more information on Toppers catering or to place an order, visit toppers.com/catering.

ABOUT TOPPERS PIZZA

Founded in 1991 as an alternative to big-box pizza, Toppers is built on a bold attitude with the product to back it up. Headquartered in Whitewater, Wisconsin, 70+ Toppers locations are on a mission to redefine what customers should expect from QSR pizza. The menu features unique flavors, bold recipes, crave-worthy Topperstix, signature wings, specialty desserts and a growing selection of offerings for a diverse lifestyle. By consistently giving customers what they want, Toppers has forged an untapped space in the pizza industry and is thriving in a digital-first, post-pandemic world. World-class technology ranking among the top QSR pizza concepts, consistent menu innovation, a powerfully focused digital media strategy and Gen Z-centric social media channels drive 75%+ of sales online for the brand. With franchisees achieving a $1,000,000+ average unit volume across the entire system, Toppers Pizza is primed for major growth and is looking for like-minded franchisees to join its system. For more inform

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After years of difficulty retaining employees, U.S. restaurants are starting to see positive changes, according to a study released Tuesday by restaurant software firm Restaurant365. The California-based company gathered input from 5,000 U.S. restaurants to learn how they are coping with competing goals of growth and navigating inflation.

Since the start of the year, 9 percent more restaurants are reporting staff turnover of 10 percent or lower, according to the R365 survey, and nearly 79 percent of restaurants cite turnover rates below 25 percent. Joe Hannon, general manager of inventory and sales at R365, credits increased use of performance-based incentives and training programs as part of that positive change. “Building more clear career paths” encourages top employees to stick around, he tells Pizza Today. Meanwhile, more companies are offering customizable courses that permit staff members to build the skills they find most interesting.

Hannon reports many restaurant operators are re-evaluating their management structures this year while adding lower-paid positions such as tablet runners to offset labor expenses. To further target labor costs, operators increasingly are using scheduling tools that align with sales data to improve efficiency while ensuring coverage during peak times.

Food and Labor Costs

Not surprisingly, food and labor costs are the top concerns for restaurant operators in mid-2025.

Increased Labor Costs: According to R365’s midyear report, 89 percent of survey respondents are experiencing increased labor costs in 2025 – an 11 percent increase from earlier in the year – with the greatest share (61.72 percent) reporting increases of 1-5 percent.

Increased Food Costs: Meanwhile, 91 percent of those surveyed report increased food costs, with 50.47 percent citing increases of 1-5 percent.

“Throughout the years, food costs and staff retention have continued to be among the largest challenges facing restaurants – with retention oftentimes taking the top slot,” Hannon says. “Sales volume has been a recurring concern as well.”

While the challenges facing restaurants are relatively consistent, operators are embracing a variety of tactics to help deal with ongoing inflation and associated challenges. For example, R365 reports restaurants are taking the following actions to get a handle of budgets:

55.75%: Menu price increases

19.82%: Supplier and vendor changes

19.97%: More frequent inventory and waste tracking

6.45%: Smaller/limited menu

While increasing the price of menu items is the most-cited way restaurateurs are dealing with inflation, Hannon says the number of operators looking to make up budget shortfalls through price increases is down significantly from just a few years ago. “This number has been consistently decreasing from previous years. … In 2022, 93 percent of respondents raised prices,” he tells Pizza Today.

Restaurant Expansion Slows

As restaurant operators implement solutions to bring their sales and expenses into better alignment, Hannon says R365 has seen a shift in expansion plans. For example, 46 percent of those surveyed report they are delaying new locations – a 12 percent increase from earlier this year. Those groups that do plan to expand are doing so in more measured ways, with 19 percent looking to open a single location, 20 percent planning to open two to five sites and just 3 percent eyeing six or more additional restaurants.

“Rising food and labor cost, inflation and tariffs are making operators more cautious about expansion,” Hannon says.

Indeed, 64 percent of operators expect tariffs will cause food costs to rise, and even more (78 percent) expect tariffs to impact their business in some way in 2025, according to the R365 survey. Earlier this year, the National Restaurant Association projected tariffs could cost the average operator 30 percent in profits.

While some operators are hitting pause on expansion efforts, “others are seizing the moment to grow strategically,” Hannon says. “Operators are being more selective, focusing on markets and models that align with long-term success.”

New Profit Centers

With expansion plans on hold – and to cope with increased costs – many operators are looking to new opportunities to generate revenue. Nearly one-third of those surveyed by R365 (31.14 percent) are concentrating on catering, and 22.37 percent are looking to grow profits through special events and promotions.

To keep the balance sheet moving in a positive direction, restaurant operators say they are investing in the following priorities:

40.00%: Marketing tech, promotions and loyalty programs

21.30%: Tech spend (POS, BoH, analytics)

16.96%: Salary increases and recruitment

6.69%: Automation (kiosks and robotics)

Despite ongoing challenges, restaurant sales are expected to surpass $1.5 trillion in 2025, with total industry workforce growing to 15.9 million employees, according to statistics from the National Restaurant Association. The full

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If your pizza business exclusively offers in-house dining or deliveries, you could be missing out on a golden opportunity to grow your business. Catering not only diversifies revenue but also amplifies your company’s reputation by serving pizzas in settings beyond your restaurant walls.

Catering has several business advantages over in-person dining. For example, catering brings in income with clear budgets. You know exactly how many customers you are feeding and can set prices accordingly. Consequently, catering often comes with higher profits compared to regular orders. Plus, pre-planned portions mean less food waste.

Steps to Build Your Catering Business

Assess Your Infrastructure

Before jumping into catering, take a good look at your current setup. Do you have what it takes to handle events? Here’s a checklist to get you started:

• Staffing: Train a team that can manage offsite events with the same level of quality you offer in-house.

• Equipment: You don’t need a full fleet of food trucks to start. Portable pizza ovens are perfect for events with smaller setups.

• Logistics: Plan for transportation, setup and teardown. Create standard operating procedures (SOP) for seamless execution.

If you’re just starting out, don’t fret! You can always scale gradually. Take a portion of catering earnings and invest in better equipment over time.

Pro Tip: Test the waters with smaller events first, such as school pizzas or office lunches. Relatively “low-pressure” gigs allow you to refine your systems without the stress of a high-stakes event like a wedding.

Define Your Offerings

Catering doesn’t have to mean just delivering pizzas in boxes. Think outside the (pizza) box! Here are some catering styles you can offer:

1. Drop-Off Service: Deliver pizzas, sides and beverages. Simple and easy.
2. Full-Service Events: Set up pizza stations with live cooking for a “wow factor.”
3. Specialized Catering (e.g., craft services): Provide custom food and snacks for corporate or movie shoots.
4. Action Stations: Set up live stations with chefs tossing dough or assembling pizzas on-site to engage guests.

Fun Fact: Grazing tables laden with pizzas and sides are a hit at social events. They scream “abundance” and are super Instagram-worthy.

Know Your Audience

Not all events are created equal, so tailor your approach based on the type of client. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Weddings: High pressure but high reward. Offer packages that include appetizers, pizzas and dessert options to maximize revenue. Be impeccable with presentation and professionalism.

• Corporate Events: These often are repeat clients (hello, recurring revenue!) and usually low maintenance. Plan for lunch events, promotions or holiday parties.

• Social Celebrations (e.g., birthdays, bar mitzvahs): Creativity wins here! Offer customizable pizza toppings and themes to make the party unique.

• Concessions (yes, catering for schools and sports events): These gigs can be lucrative if there’s guaranteed funding. Offer simple menus with per-head pricing.

Pro Tip: Ask yourself who the “decision maker” is for the event. Understanding if you’re working with a carefree host, a controlling event coordinator or a clueless first-timer will help you effectively manage expectations.

Set Minimums and Pricing

You’re not just selling pizzas; you’re selling an experience. Be upfront about your pricing structure to filter serious clients:

• Charge a booking fee to secure the date.

• Set a minimum spend based on location and type of event (e.g., “Our minimum for local weddings is $5,000”).

• Be clear about travel fees for events outside your immediate area.

• Always factor gratuity into your quotes to keep things transparent and ensure your staff is rewarded fairly.

Pro Tip: Offer upsells like salads, side dishes or drinks to meet higher budgets without overloading on pizzas.

Market Like a Pro

Catering offers huge potential for cross-promotion, so make sure people know you’re in the game. Here are some low-cost ways to market:

• Food Packaging: Add cards or stickers promoting your catering services to delivery boxes.

• Events: Offer free pizza samples at local festivals or car dealerships to create brand awareness.

• Client Loyalty: Stay in touch with past customers via email or text. For example, “Hi [Name], hope you enjoyed your event last month! We’d love to cater your next celebration.”

• Social Media: Post pictures from events, tagging attendees and hosts to grow visibility.

Pro Tip: Use your food truck (if you have one) as a moving billboard. Park it at strategic, high-traffic locations.

Deliver an Unforgettable Experience

The catering business is about more than just good food; it’s about outstanding service and seamless operations. Set timers, ensure your team is dressed professionally and triple-check logistics.

If you’re catering for a high-stakes event, it’s worth having the owner or a senior team member on-site to handle operations. Your client’s big day (especially for weddings) reflects directly on your brand.

At Simply Pizza, we (the owners) attend every single wedding we cater. This personal touch not only has helped us maintain a stellar reputation but also allows us to command premium pricing.

Keep Experimenting and Expanding

Don’t box yourself in (unless it’s a pizza box). Experiment with innovative ideas, such as:

• Setting up action stations at food festivals.

• Catering corporate promotions (imagine serving mini pizzas at a whiskey launch).

• Creating themed menus for seasonal celebrations such as Oktoberfest or Christmas markets.

The more creative you get, the more opportunities you’ll uncover.

Start Rolling Out the Dough

Catering is more than an add-on, it’s a strategy that can transform your pizzeria into a powerhouse. By expanding into catering, you’re not just increasing your revenue but also embedding your brand further into your community.

Are you ready to take the next step? Start small, think big, and cater like a pro. Who knows? You might just serve the best pizza someone’s had on the biggest day of their life.

MELINDA CARBAJAL is the CEO and managing member of Simply Pizza in Colorado.

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Pizzerias must be competitive, and one way to differentiate your business is by being sustainable. You’ll attract individual and business clients who want to emphasize their commitment to environmental values when they host an event.

However, eco-conscious catering has its challenges. For example, “you’re more dependent upon the venue,” says Michael Oshman, founder and CEO of the Green Restaurant Association. “Maybe their recycling isn’t great, or their composting isn’t great, so it takes a little more effort. In a restaurant, you think about it once and create a nice solution, whereas with catering it might be a bit different each time.”

Why Cater Sustainably?

Some operators choose to cater sustainably for the marketing advantage it confers by attracting eco-conscious customers. Being green can drive positive publicity and brand recognition while earning customer loyalty. Some pizza caterers benefit from lower operating costs when they embrace measures to save energy and reduce food waste. And many operators do it because they consider it the right way to do business, like Julia Sweet, owner of Gilded Tomato Company, a farm-to-table (from their own farm) wood-fired pizza catering operation in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. “We have an obligation,” says Sweet. “We only have so much in this world, and you want to think about the generations to come. I’m a grandmother now, and it’s just a pleasure to feel like I’m taking care of the Earth.”

Here are ways you can improve your green factor when catering.

Dinnerware, Serviceware and Packaging

First, think critically about what you truly need for the job. Sweet advises you to ask yourself “what items are handheld and what needs a little separate plate?” When the facilities and budget allow, use reusable, washable dinnerware and serving ware. If you can’t bring them from your restaurant, investigate renting. Options are broadening.

For example, Oshman recalls a large event at which they hired a service that delivered reusable plastic cups and large marked boxes to collect them. The company picked up the cups to be cleaned, sanitized, and re-used. Search online for “reusable plastic cup service.”

If you must substitute disposables for some or all these categories, choose them carefully. Avoiding single-use plastic is a top priority. Choose paper or compostable over plastic for cups and plates and choose bamboo or compostable flatware over plastic.

Think about your serving ware as well. It’s better to buy low-end metal platters that you can reuse and easily recycle than to buy plastic platters with a short life span and poor recycling options. Sweet buys second-hand trays at vintage stores to use for service and relies on cloth tablecloths instead of paper or plastic.

Evaluate the packaging you use to transport perishables and equipment to the job site. When can you rely on reusable plastic bags instead of single-use plastic film? Sweet uses plastic food covers “that look like shower caps and can be re-used.” Always choose biodegradable and compostable packaging over plastic.

Beverages

Gilded Tomato Company serves bulk beverages in dispensers rather than single-serving bottles and cans. If you must serve single-serving drinks, choose glass bottles, aluminum cans and paper cartons instead of plastic. Tell customers about recycling options when you serve them these containers.

Reducing Food Waste

Make a long-term, big-picture effort to reduce food waste. Communicate well with clients to better estimate quantities. Knowing the age and lifestyle of diners, along with other food options supplied by other entities, will help you trim your margins on quantities. File away notes from each job to help you hone your skills at estimating food quantity.

Speak with your client in advance about how they’d like to address leftovers. They may wish to send excess consumables to a food bank or other non-profit, or home with guests. If you brought pizza in boxes, save them to package leftovers. Bring biodegradable takeout containers for sending food home with guests or clients, and food storage containers for perishables you’ll be bringing back to your commissary.

Waste Management

At events, Sweet always sets up an area for trash, recycling and compost. These receptacles must be well labeled, especially if they are guest-facing. She advises considering “what is filling your dumpster?” and letting the answer inform your sustainability steps, both at the catering site and in your kitchen.

Transportation

Using eco-friendly transportation is a critical way to reflect your sustainable brand. In some areas, you can rely on bicycle delivery for certain jobs, such as B-Line Urban Delivery in Portland, Oregon. At Gilded Tomato Company, “we have an EV (electric vehicle), and we have an EV charger,” says Sweet. Minimizing use of fossil fuels will help build your credibility as a green brand while also saving money and reducing your carbon footprint.

Menu and Offerings

You should further establish your green credentials with “a really strong menu of sustainable options,” advises Oshman. “Don’t have it be an afterthought where the vegan bride has to ask you 500 questions to make sure that she can go with you. Because by that time, there’s some competitor out there that’s making it much easier for her than you are. As the caterer you want to lead with your green options when you’re selling. Be ready to say ‘we have a very strong set of transparent verifiable eco-conscious steps that we can do for you. And if that’s of interest to you, we’ll show you that section of our menu.’”

Costs

No doubt you are wondering about the costs associated with going green. Our sources have diverging opinions. Sweet says “we would make more money if we weren’t sustainable. I do use all the eco-friendly stuff that I can purchase, but that’s where the expense comes in.” She’s in favor of tax credits to support green businesses.

In Oshman’s opinion, “the operator can’t afford not to be sustainable.” He asserts that your sustainable competitor has figured out how to save money and energy and resources in every possible way and they are “tightening their belt with the expertise of the Green Restaurant Association.” He also asserts that green restaurants attract more passionate and committed employees and experience less turnover.

Progress Not Perfection

“Don’t worry about being perfect, it matters that you just do what you can,” urges Sweet. “Do a 10-percent, then a 20-percent, then a 30-percent improvement. Here’s my advice: think through every aspect of what you do each day. Break it down in terms of purchases. Do I really need to buy this? Do I really need to buy so much of this? Am I really going to use it? What would be an alternative? What can I buy locally?”

Annelise Kelly is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer.

The post Add Sustainability to Your Catering Operation appeared first on Pizza Today.

When I began my journey in the pizza business, the phrase “revenue stream” was not in my vocabulary. If asked, I imagine I would have described it as follows: “I make the pizza, you buy the pizza, and that’s my revenue stream.”

Yes, it used to be that simple. Not today.

Here’s a list of the revenue streams we will explore:

• Dine-in
• Drive-thru
• Arcade
• Self-delivery
• Take-out
• Loyalty programs
• Apps
• Online ordering
• Party rooms
• Gift cards
• Third party
• Catering

These revenue streams can be placed in three categories: facility, customer-centric and delivery. Let’s apply some FUN MATH to each revenue stream.

Facility Revenue Streams

Take-out: Take-out is the bread-and-butter of your pizzeria, but in many areas, the facility must have enough parking to accommodate the take-out customer. If the facility has no parking, is the foot traffic sufficient to sustain this revenue stream? Take-out pizza sales represent $20 billion per year in the U.S. alone, compared to total pizza sales of $47 billion. The average take-out annual sales of a pizzeria are $275,000.

Sales Goal: Take-Out Sales of $5,000 per week.

Dine-in & Party Rooms: Offering tables to customers has costs associated with it. These costs include the cost per square foot for rent of the seating and restroom area (which is applied even if you own the property) along with maintenance and heating/cooling costs of that space. A target number is $200 in annual sales per square foot of this space. In other words, if the dining and restroom area comprise 1,000 square feet, you would need $200,000 in annual dine-in sales, or a weekly average of roughly $3,846. Party rooms are part of this consideration. Taking on an additional 1,000 square feet of space (or more) that will only be used heavily on weekends – and may stand empty during the week – is a tough call to make. Apply the formula to the added space to see if the sales numbers are achievable.

Sales Goal: (Square Feet x 200)/52 = Weekly Sales expected.

Drive-thru: Pizzerias are the last segment of the fast-casual business to incorporate drive-thrus as a revenue stream. Consider this: 70 percent of all fast-food sales come through the drive-through. Drive-thru sales are rising at the astounding rate of 10 percent per year. It is time for pizzerias to turn on this revenue stream. Some studies have take-out sales increasing by 20 percent almost immediately after adding a drive-through to an existing restaurant.

Sales Goal: Increase in Take-out sales of $1,000 per week.

Arcade: Often, pizzerias miss out on much of this revenue stream because they allow an outside amusement company to provide and service the equipment. Capsule dispensers, crane & self-redemption machines, video games, virtual-reality games and pub games all provide an additional revenue stream – especially when self-managed and not sharing the income with an amusement company. Investment in this area can easily go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but starting small is a great way to add revenue without major expense. The expected ROI (return on investment) can be as little as one year. A capsule dispenser, three self-redemption games and two video games can be purchased for less than $25K.

Sales Goal: Revenue of $500 per week.

Customer-Centric Revenue Streams

Tapping into your existing customers to create additional revenue streams often is the most cost-effective strategy. To take advantage of these revenue streams, you must have a POS system (Point-of-Sale) that accommodates each strategy.

Gift Cards: Gift cards may be physical (like a credit card) or digital (using a code or tied to a customer account). Gift cards provide your customer with the opportunity to spend more money buying gift cards which they then use to convince other people in their lives to order pizza from you. What better way to obtain new customers! An estimated 70 percent of restaurant customers surveyed say they would purchase a gift card. A pizzeria doing $500,000, applying standard average ticket and number of regular customers, gives us some inspiring results.

Sales Goal: 70 percent of customers buy 1 gift card = sales increase of $400 per week.

Loyalty Programs: A high-frequency customer orders once per week. On the other end of the spectrum, a low-frequency customer orders once every two months. What is the expected result of the implementation of a Loyalty Program? A minimum of one extra order per month, with a 50 percent participation rate. If that is true (and countless statistics indicate it is) this is some crazy math. Using the same base of a pizzeria with $500,000 in annual sales, here are the expected results.

Sales Goal: 500 customers ordering an extra $30 per month = sales increase of $3,750/week.

Delivery & Catering Revenue Streams

Online Ordering and Apps: Your POS company will help you set up a website with online ordering and an app that your customers may load on their cell phone from either Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Even if you do not deliver, adding this service for your customers to place pick-up orders will give you instant sales results.

Sales Goal: 10 percent increase of to-go sales $500 per week.

Self-Delivery & Third-Party Delivery: Whether you hire your own drivers, sign up for third-party delivery or do a combination of both, sales increases due to adding delivery are proven out at 25 percent or more time and again.

Sales Goal: Increased sales of $2,500 per week.

Catering: Catering may be dropped off or may be done as full-service. Adding a catering menu adds an additional revenue stream, even if you don’t expect to go the route of full catering. A drop-off catering menu is a simple way to add catering as a revenue stream.

Sales Goal: Increased sales of $500 per week.

I promised FUN MATH. Your weekly sales with these added Revenue Streams:

$5,000 take-out sales

$3,850 dine-in sales @ 1,000 sq ft

$1,000 drive-thru sales

$500 arcade sales

$400 gift card sales

$3,750 loyalty sales

$500 online and app sales

$2,500 delivery sales

$500 catering sales

Total Weekly Sales = $18,000

That’s some FUN MATH!

The post Revenue Streams for Your Pizzeria appeared first on Pizza Today.

When Dan Stewart opened Isabella’s Brick Oven in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood in March 2006, he was admittedly oblivious to catering. As employees from nearby Constellation Energy regularly asked about catering, however, Stewart knew he had to get catering operations up and running.

Twenty years later, it’s a good thing for him and Isabella’s he did.

Catering now represents about one-third of Isabella’s revenue, as orders pour in from schools, corporate clients and celebrating families. On one Wednesday in March, Stewart and his crew had prepped nine catering orders by lunchtime.

“Sometimes, we’re feeding 300 people out of here by 11:00 a.m.,” Stewart says. “Catering is frenetic, but it’s the easiest way to make money.”

For pizzerias across the U.S., catering is an important revenue lever and marketing tool. It brings in high-volume, high-value orders with inherent labor efficiencies. It also drives brand exposure, sparking trials and notoriety that propel additional business.

But success in the catering category is earned, especially as few get a second chance if food quality, selection or service falls flat. Pizzerias looking to grow their catering book of business need to be on point and consistently hit three key markers.

First, make it simple.

Just in time for the 2023 holidays, Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen debuted a new catering website for its 56-unit enterprise. Complete with photos, the online menu features 28-inch party pizzas serving 10-15 people and neatly arranged party packages for parties of 10 or 20 as well as kids’ parties.

Anthony Russo says his Houston-based chain’s online menu makes it easy for catering customers to peruse their options and seamlessly place an order. He calls that convenience and accessibility “critical.”

Giliah Librach, director of merchandising operations at ezCater, a popular corporate catering matchmaker, says catering customers “adore bundles because they make it much easier to order for large groups.” 

Stewart has discovered as much as Isabella’s, where standardized catering packages provide clarity and streamline ordering. In addition, Isabella’s delivers and sets up every catering order, which further simplifies the process.

“Catering customers love easy,” Stewart says.

Second, think beyond pizza.

As Stewart built Isabella’s catering program, he surveyed the market, reviewed competitors and considered the capabilities of his own operation, from manpower to sourcing ingredients to the limits of his wood-fired oven. If he wanted to thrive with catering, Stewart determined he had to diversify his offerings beyond pizza to attract business. Today, Isabella’s catering menu includes sandwiches, salads, pastas and desserts.

“With pizzas alone, you’re really limiting yourself,” Stewart says.

For as much as pizza remains a beloved staple of the American diet, many successful pizzeria-based catering operations tout varied menus as essential to overcoming veto votes and ensuring satisfaction. This includes offering vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options given the dietary restrictions (or preferences) often found in large groups.

According to ezCater’s Librach, providing a wide range of options helps customers build complete meals for their groups. It also helps pizzerias increase their check sizes and profitability.

To wit, Mellow Mushroom’s catering menu pairs traditional, gluten-free and vegan pizzas with various salads, sandwich trays and munchies like pretzel bites and wings. Russo’s, meanwhile, presents a compelling menu mix including sandwiches, salads and classic Italian dishes like lasagna and chicken Parmesan.

“We wanted to evolve and build sales with catering and revamping our menu was one path to this,” Russo says.

Finally, deliver on promises.

As Mellow Mushroom, a 50-year-old brand with more than 160 stores across 18 states, looks to build its catering business in 2024, senior vice president of brand development Anne Mejia knows hitting customer expectations is vital to driving that book of business.

“All people love good food, but catering orders love good food on time,” Mejia says. “Orderers will go to the same place time and again if that trust is there.”

To Mejia’s point, the on-time delivery of a business catering order was the single highest customer priority according to ezCater’s 2023 Feeding the Workplace report.

“It’s annoying if your pizza is late on a Friday night, but if lunch is late for 400 employees or for an important sales meeting, it can be catastrophic,” Librach says.

To avoid mistakes, Stewart prioritizes communication at Isabella’s, especially with new customers and larger, complicated orders. He will text the day of to confirm details and troubleshoot any potential issues. Later, he follows up to ensure guest satisfaction and invite a future order.

Russo’s, meanwhile, employs its own drivers who are trained to handle food and execute brand standards for timing and set up, which he considers crucial to hitting customer expectations, cultivating trust and earning repeat business.

“Service is how you build your business in catering,” Russo says. “There’s no way around that.”

How to promote your catering business

• Use packaging as a promotional tool. Branded boxes generate awareness, but restaurants can do even more with packaging. A stamp on Isabella’s catering boxes, for instance, features a QR code leading to the restaurant’s catering menu. Each week, Isabella’s owner Dan Stewart says “5-6 orders catering orders come directly from that code.”
• Hit the pavement. In addition to leveraging digital marketing tools like Google Ads, Russo’s team members also visit office administrators located within 3-5 miles of their stores to cultivate personal relationships. “It helps when they have a face and a name and know who you are,” Russo’s CEO Anthony Russo says of corporate customers.
• Team up with high-impact partners. Corporate food catering platforms like ezCater, Feedr and Fooda connect restaurants with catering clients. In March, Isabella’s catering revenue was up 6 percent year over year, a jump fueled by a nearly 20 percent jump in ezCater orders.
• Discover opportunities in the data. While Mellow Mushroom promotes catering offerings during obvious times, such as the holiday season and spring’s moms, dads and grads crowd, internal data showed a surprising uptick in catering orders during October. Leadership responded by devoting marketing dollars to fall catering promotions to better seize that unexpected opportunity.

DANIEL P. SMITH  Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post Three key ingredients to boost your catering business appeared first on Pizza Today.

On its way to surpassing 400 U.S. restaurants, Jet’s Pizza placed a more intense focus on one underdeveloped area of its surging pizzeria empire: catering.

The Michigan-based company trumpeted the value of catering to its swelling franchisee community to generate buy in and momentum. It pushed for higher catering sales through partnerships with the likes of ezCater and launched large group ordering through its own in-house text ordering program. And most recently, Jet’s added a designated catering section to its online ordering platforms, which even suggests various ordering combinations.

In addition to driving increased revenue and spurring customer trials of its Detroit-style pies, Jet’s strategic investments in catering continue propelling its growth, a particularly important reality as Jet’s approaches restaurants in 20 states.

“Catering offers the opportunity to impress potential customers who have never tried Jet’s before,” Jet’s IT manager Jessica Vicari says. “As we expand into new markets, catering is a great way to introduce ourselves.”

The beauty of catering

Make no mistake, savvy, profit-minded pizzerias embrace catering for its ability to drive performance and build brand equity.

“When done well, catering is only of benefit to your restaurant,” touts Joseph Lema, professor and chair of the Food & Beverage and Event Management Department at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Mike O’Hanlon, chief customer care and operations officer at ezCater, an online marketplace connecting businesses and catering operations, pegs the average catering order on its platform at $350. That alone is a hefty sum, but the true value transcends the revenue.

First, fulfilling that single $350 order requires far less work than preparing 35 individual $10 orders. This improves labor optimization and enables operators to better utilize staff during off-peaks hours as well.

Yet more, catering serves as a powerful marketing tool for pizzerias. While one person orders, dozens and sometimes hundreds, enjoy the food. The incremental brand exposure opens the door for additional orders.

“Great service, delicious food and your logo front and center will leave a lasting memory for all guests,” O’Hanlon says.

Diving into digital

As the top additional revenue stream for pizzerias, catering warrants earnest attention and thoughtful investment to capture its performance-driving promises.

A lively digital presence sits atop the list of catering’s necessary investments. While O’Hanlon urges pizzerias to “be everywhere online,” including social media and third-party marketplaces, he also recommends restaurants confirm hours of operation are current and consistent across all platforms and that online ordering displays prominently on the restaurant’s homepage.

“People can’t order from you if they can’t find you,” O’Hanlon reminds.

Lema calls ease of ordering equally critical to availability. He encourages investments in software that make it simple and seamless for catering customers to order. (Furthermore, Lema adds, it’s helpful when software links catering orders to the restaurant’s point-of-sale system and generates reports. Such functionality propels in-store efficiencies and provides valuable data restaurant leadership can use to inform decision making.)

Jet’s, for instance, invested in a text-to-order service. Customers can text their local Jet’s phone number and write in something like “Party of 20.” The Jet’s text service will reply with a suggested order to cater the party’s needs. Such ease and simplicity continue appealing to Jet’s patrons, Vicari says.

Catering’s next critical investments

Beyond technology, industry insiders identify three other critical investment areas to fuel catering success: delivery, packaging and marketing.

In today’s catering game, delivery is a must. Those placing catering orders often seek a full-service option, not a partial solution. If the restaurant does not offer in-house delivery powered by a catering vehicle, then O’Hanlon suggests ownership invest in reliable delivery partners they can trust to handle the last mile.

“Catering orders, specifically, are often high stakes and require orders arrive on time and as ordered,” O’Hanlon says.

Alongside delivery, packaging plays a significant role. Though a potentially expensive investment, quality packaging helps maintain food integrity over time and distance. Even more, packaging featuring the pizzeria’s name and logo advances brand awareness.

“It’s one thing to make the product, but quite another to have it sit for a while,” Lema says. “If you can’t get product to hold and travel well, then it’s a problem – and one you need to solve.”

On the sales and marketing front, pizzerias can work with marketplaces like ezCater to complement an internal sales and marketing team or enhance promotion of their catering offerings. Vicari says partnering with services such as ezCater has fueled Jet’s catering success. In addition, Jet’s has increased its digital presence to promote placing catering orders on Jetspizza.com and also offers a 10 percent discount on online orders over $100.

Finally, O’Hanlon suggests restaurants lean into social media to champion catering. It’s free and effective.

“Share specials and promotions or simply images of your product to get customer’s mouths watering,” he says.

Two catering dos and one don’t

DO inject your brand into every catering order. Catering customers have fewer touchpoints with a restaurant’s brand, all the more reason pizzerias should explore extending their guest experience beyond the restaurant’s four walls, ezCater’s Mike O’Hanlon says. For instance, one pizzeria known for its live music shared a curated playlist customers could pipe in during an event.

“True hospitality and creativity will set you apart from other restaurants,” O’Hanlon says.

DO create packages. By developing catering packages, restaurants can better calculate their costs to ensure profitability and weave the upsell into packages by including beverages, appetizers or desserts. This often increases the value proposition as well.

“Put it all together for customers so they don’t have to search around for anything,” UNLV professor Joseph Lema says.

DON’T overlook operational execution. As important as catering orders are to Jet’s Pizza, the chain has worked to develop systems ensuring a successful experience for every customer. Catering should be a complement to a pizzeria’s core business, not a revenue stream that marginalizes or complicates the eatery’s everyday business.

“Don’t expect catering orders without a heads up,” Jet’s IT manager Jessica Vicari says. “Staff isn’t always ready to take a large order and still be able to maintain regular orders.”

Daniel P. Smith    Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post The Beauty of Catering appeared first on Pizza Today.

That means that every month, within your takeout or delivery area (if you’re within three to fi ve miles of a hospital or medical center), pharmaceutical reps are spending more money and ordering more food than you could even handle and make. How much of this are you getting?

I got plenty at my pizza shop, but it didn’t fall in my lap. We went to hospitals and doctors’ offi ces, taking in nice coffee mugs piled high with Hershey’s Kisses. Oh yeah, while nurses were grabbing at the candy, we were passing out stacks of menus (they frown on that if you’re not handing out candy). Once they started ordering from us, the pharmaceutical reps followed.

We also paid visits to pharmacists and traded pizza in exchange for having them copy the business cards of all their pharmaceutical reps. We contacted the reps and fl at-out offered to provide a free meal up to 12 people as a way for them to try us out.

It didn’t take long before we had a pretty solid lock on this lucrative niche. One of our pharmaceutical reps even gave us a credit card –– on fi le –– so his doctors could call any time and order lunch from us. All they had to do was say “It’s on the Prozac account.” That rep and several others also got gift baskets delivered to their home during the holiday season (along with our other high-spending customers).

Having a well-planned marketing strategy to target pharmaceutical reps can bring big sales during lunch and dinner. That money has to be spent somewhere. It might as well be your restaurant.

To help you get your piece of the pie, here are some things to consider when catering to pharmaceutical reps. I’ve categorized these considerations between lunch and dinner. What you’re about to read is feedback received from actual pharmaceutical reps. This is what they look for in a restaurant and what drives their buying decisions.

LUNCH — Offer all major credit cards, including American Express. Different pharmaceutical companies provide their reps with different credit card brands. The most common is Visa, but some do use American Express.

Offer delivery and set up. The key to marketing to pharmaceutical reps is to make their lives easier.
Provide quality packaging to offer great presentation. When a rep provides a lunch, it is a refl ection of them and their company. Presentation appeals to both the offi ce staff and physician.
Offer drinks and dessert for off-site catering.
Be on time! Blow this even once, and they’ll never call you again.
Always provide an itemized receipt or invoice of what was ordered. Pharmaceutical reps use this for their expense reports, and having this available with every order will make their life easier and motivate them to use your restaurant more frequently.
Provide flatware, plates and serving utensils free of charge. It is a major irritant when restaurants choose to charge for this service.
Have one person in your restaurant dedicated to handling pharmaceutical rep lunches. They prefer one point of contact and the ability to establish a relationship.
Offer them a Rewards Program. Pharmaceutical reps are spending their company’s money, and a rewards program provides them a way to personally benefi t from the money they spend on lunches and dinners.

DINNER — Provide a private room. Dinners usually involve a speaker who requires the proper environment.

Have a screen and projection equipment.
If you are going to require a minimum, make it a reasonable, acceptable amount.
A pre-set menu is acceptable as long as you offer two to three choices for the main entreé.
Again, it’s best to have one person in your restaurant dedicated to handling pharmaceutical rep dinners to establish a good working relationship.

So how do you get started? After you have considered the above needs, you will need to start targeting reps (harder to do) and the doctor’s offi ces they visit (very easy to do). The rep will order from the restaurants their doctors’ offi ces request. So the fastest way to get into this market is to target the doctors’ offi ces. You can purchase a mailing list for all the doctors’ offi ces in your area. This will get the word out.

You should also follow up the mailings with a personal visit to the offi ces. Once you receive an order from a pharmaceutical rep, pull out all the stops and overservice them. Again, it is all about making their life easy and giving them a personal reason to come back and tell their offi ces about your restaurant.

Once they come in, don’t let them leave without capturing their contact information. Ideally, you will get them enrolled in your customer rewards program right away and give them an incentive to spread the word among their associates. At the very least, get their business card. Marketing to pharmaceutical reps is a grassroots effort and grows through positive word-of-mouth and attention to detail. Listen to them, reward them and don’t let a bad experience go un-repaired. The reputation of your restaurant among the pharmaceutical rep community can spread awfully fast, both positively and negatively. And one of the additional benefi ts of tapping into this hard-to-crack market is that the reps are still spending lots of money –– even now. It might as well be going into your pocket. 09.09.09

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