Ten things you need to do when you want to open a pizzeria

First of all, it is essential to get a precise idea of the situation in which you want your business to operate. What do our competitors offer? What are the major trends? What are the critical issues in the sector? What prospects are presented to those who open a pizzeria in this historical moment? Are there subsidies you can draw on? It is important to ask yourself these and many other questions as soon as possible, so that you can clearly define your product idea.

Restaurant or take away? Roman pinsa or traditional Neapolitan? Many types of dough or just one? Wide menu or few and seasonal choices? Imagining your dream pizzeria is definitely one of the most beautiful moments and it is important to have very clear ideas about the type of product you want to offer to differentiate yourself from your competitors, to express your idea of pizza and, above all, to define a business plan as realistic as possible.

A fundamental and not always so obvious aspect is doing the math on what is feasible or not feasible with the available budget. Unforeseen or easily rising expenses are always just around the corner and the right advice can save you money – even if you need to find out about subsidies and funds. Opening a pizzeria can vary greatly in terms of start-up and fixed costs, so don't get discouraged but make a realistic estimate of what you can afford and what you can't, starting with the equipment.

Oven and kneading machine are essential and you should not skimp on them. But where can I buy them? Do I know someone who could provide quality tools at a reasonable price? And what type should I buy? You don't have to be in a hurry when talking about equipment, that's why it is very important to take time to evaluate several alternatives.

A wrong location can mark the failure of a pizzeria, just as the perfect location can do half the work itself. When it comes to choosing where to open your own pizzeria, it is important to make realistic assumptions that take into account your type of pizza and the customer-type you expect. For example, if you want to open a by-the-slice pizzeria, it certainly makes more sense to locate it in a street, perhaps near a public transport stop, rather than in a residential area.

Even before raising the shutters of your pizzeria for the first time, it would be very useful to already have an idea of how to set up your communication, and not only with regard to the opening to the public. The sooner you define clearly what kind of message, feeling and atmosphere you want to communicate, the easier it will be to coordinate furniture, official communications and graphics accordingly. As they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Pizzerias open and close every day and one thing that should be taken for granted – but often it is not – is that to last for years and decades it is essential to make a good pizza. Compared to the past, customers are much more aware and used to judge the quality of what they eat, so it is essential to offer an impeccable product using quality raw materials – perhaps local and 0 km products – and work hard to find dough that fully satisfies. Here too, the watchword is patience: in finding the right suppliers, in choosing the best ingredients and in perfecting your dough. And besides, we are sure that, as regards the flour, you will choose Le 5 Stagioni brand.

Choosing your collaborators carefully, motivating them and creating a relaxed atmosphere of share and mutual trust with them is essential to offer customers an environment in which it is pleasant to spend time. If eating is an experience first and foremost, then it is important to make it positive in all its aspects, not just in the quality of the food served. Therefore, you need qualified staff members who also know how to relate well to the customer.
In staff selection interviews pay attention to aspects such as politeness, humility, attention to detail and empathy.

As we discussed in this article, not all food delivery platforms are the same. There are many alternatives and you have to evaluate them according to your market situation. This should not be underestimated because, according to estimates, it will happen more and more often that customers will not physically come to our pizzeria. You have to consider not only the type of service you want to entrust to, but also what kind of experience you want to offer, even if delivered at home. In fact, attention to detail – such as serving your product in an aesthetically pleasing and maybe compostable packaging – can make the difference.

This is perhaps the most important suggestion, although the least concrete. You can try to organize everything, analyze the market in detail and have first choice ingredients. Yet, there is always something that can go wrong and unforeseen critical issues may emerge. It is important to be aware of this and have the right mental attitude to be flexible and adaptable to situations. With this attitude, every difficulty can turn into an opportunity to improve and reinvent yourself; a chance, after all, to grow with your business activity.