When I first started delivery – our delivery times averaged about 45 minutes. And, I thought nothing of it. Heck, a fabulous gourmet pizza like we make – is gonna take a little longer – right? What a dope I was. Because one day while I was standing around watching the action – I had a weird thought… “could we deliver faster? I mean – really fast?” ”What would it take to do that?”

Well, surprisingly it didn’t take much. It simply started by deciding that “if Domino’s could do it – so could we.”

Floor plan. Go ahead and look this over. Then look at the photos of the actual store.

A customer’s eye view. Front counter with decorated pass-through window. And handicap counter (lower on right). Drivers station just past the door on the left (delivery map on the wall). By the way – I like having drivers come and go through the front door – it makes the place look busier than if they’re slipping out the back (and you want to appear busy).

POS. 3-station POS at counter (driver dispatch station in back makes 4). This is the old RapidFire NT system. For a new POS or to upgrade – I strongly suggest you take a look at Revention. It’s a killer system with strong marketing credentials.

Prep Area. Pretty simple… Robo Coupe2, can opener, Kitchenaide mixer, digital scale, seasonings, and canned goods. Makes for easy prep and easy clean up.

Walk-in. Prepped items in 6-pans on the left, dough in the back (where it’s the coldest) and don’t forget to put any raw meats (and even eggs) on the very bottom shelf. We always prepped some salads, and garlic breads so we could handle a good rush without having to assemble side items on the fly.

3 compartment sink. Great idea to put a metro shelf above the sink for either storage, or for letting dishes dry.

Dough room. If you’re starting from scratch – I highly recommend that you build in a special dough room (you’d be amazed at how far flour will travel). It’ll be in your POS, your walk-in condenser unit, your office. Putting your dough prep in its own little room will save you lots of aggravation later. Also, if you’re in a small town away from parts, you may want to consider a back-up mixer.

Dough station. Sheeter on the right (makes heavy volume a breeze). And notice the screen racks hanging on the wall. For dinner rush – prep a bunch of skins and cover them with plastic bags to keep them from drying out. Keep a water spray bottle handy too in case they get a little dry.

Makeline. Very important: Some places have all their meats grouped together, cheeses, etc. Here’s what you want to do… put your toppings on the line in the “order” in which they go on the pizzas. This will prevent cooks from having to backtrack on the line to grab toppings. This really speeds things up for you. Notice the “cheat sheets” above the makeline. Every pizza – with the toppings listed in the order they go on the pizza. This keeps all cooks – on the same page.

Cut & box table. Boxes below – ready to go. Heat rack to the right by the driver station makes it easy for drivers to “grab & go.” Upper left corner – notice “cheat sheet?” If some pizzas get things added after they come out of the oven – this will help make sure they’re not forgotten. Keep a couple of cutters handy.

Long shot… looking from the back towards the front.

Norman Rockwell’s “Rosie” Sells For a Record — $4.9 Million a good sign for pizza sales?

It was a smallish place. A picture of Elvis. An American flag. And a soda fountain that dated back to the ‘40s. Fans whirred over a mustard yellow counter. And, the wooden back-bar had seen better days.

A friendly face offered me a newspaper. The lady next to me said “Hi.” And, the coffee was goooood.

I pondered this “throwback” as I sat there (at that mustard-yellow counter). Employees were buzzing about like bees. The persistent crackling of eggs and bacon echoed from the grill.

I found myself feeling at home here. Very comfortable. Almost like family.

Why? I asked myself …

What was so special about this place? No uniforms. No corporate logo. No “slick” McFranchise look. Nope. Just “mom and pop”. And, it emanated from every corner. Floor to ceiling. Front to back.

The place had been here since dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then it hit me. Its wonderful story was oozing from this old place. The owners hadn’t tried to “keep up” with the times (except maybe for the mustard-yellow counter top dating back to the ‘60s).

Nah – this place was just being itself. The neighborhood place — where everyone knows your name. Yep, it even had Polaroids of customers tacked to a wall. This place was as comfortable as a pair of old sneakers.
Come to find out — the Blue Plate Diner has been around since the turn of the century. And, I’m not talking about the last one.

So, have I taken leave of my sanity? Is there a funny farm in my future? How does the Blue Plate Diner relate to pizza marketing?

Here’s the connection.
If you have one store, maybe two. If you’re running a mom-and-pop shop. If you have mustard-yellow counter tops. Then step outside, look up at the sky and smile. You have something no corporation will ever have.

You have the essential ingredients to become an integral part of your neighborhood. That favorite place down the street. That familiar old friend. A link to humanity. Embrace it. Be proud of it…

Run with it.

So, instead of sending “ads” to your customers telling them of the latest “special,” mail your “neighbors” a letter and “tell” them about it. Send them a “Thank You” card every now and then. Ask them about their kids, their dog, their vacation.

Shake their hands. Often.

Don’t hide your “mom and popness”. Flaunt it.

Well, I’ve got to go now. I’m finishing my fourth cup of coffee here at the Blue Plate (I usually have three). And, I’m reluctantly getting up to leave this “Norman Rockwell” slice of Americana behind. It’s time to step back into the hustle and bustle. But, I’ll be back. And… You can take that to the bank!

So, what can you do to be that favorite little place down the street?

1. Hang pictures of your customers in the lobby.
2. Meet and greet as many neighbors as you can.
3. Call people and do nothing, but tell them you appreciate their business. Don’t ask how the last order was. And don’t tell them about a special you have. Just say, “Thank you.”
4. Mail letters and “tell” them about a particular special. Sign your name to it and put your name in the return address field — not the name of the store.
5. Have drivers hand out “Thank You” cards with deliveries. Use these in lieu of box-toppers. Put the customer’s name on the envelope — and the card. Offer free cheese bread or something on the next delivery (I’ve seen 82 percent returns on these).
6. Have elementary school tours where the kids can make their own pizza (one pizza shop owner told me about a wildly successful “mommy & me” day where moms and kids come to the store in the morning and the kids get to make their own little pizza).
7. Don’t try to look too “slick”.

Norman Rockwell’s paintings graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post 318 times, starting in 1916. They captured the innocence of a long lost time. A time many people long for. I always say, “Sell people what they want to buy.”

More than ever, people want a connection to humanity. To share a meal with their kids. A friend to talk to. Something “familiar” and unchanging.

A weathered back-bar. A mustard yellow counter. A picture of Elvis …

I remember the rush of $1,800 lunches. The crew started shuffling in around 9:00 am. 2-foot long tickets hung on the walk-in door. Of course, everyone wants delivery at noon… so there’s quite a lot of choreography.

The most effective method to explode lunch sales is to actually go out  yourself, shake hands and give out free pizzas.

Want to attract a lot of applicants? Then talk to them in “their language. You see, they really don’t care that YOU need a driver. They only care about what THEY get.

Hot buttons…

$10/Hour Guaranteed!

The guaranteed hourly pay is an eye catcher (explain that this includes “per run fees” (if any), tips, and their hourly pay. Also explain that ALL of your drivers are making at least $10 (or whatever) per hour. And that if they are not making at least that much… you’ll want to know why… are they too slow? Can’t find their way around? Rude at the door? I only reached into my pocket twice to hand a driver a couple of bucks – and each time it was a legitimate payout.

Cash In Your Pocket Daily!

What kid doesn’t need cash everyday? Point this out to them in the ad. They’ll actually have a little picture in their mind of holding a wad of cash in their hand.

Easy hours…

Again, paint a picture for them.

Now here’s the funny thing about this ad… it pulled so many applications that some of the kids will ask if you have any other openings – if you’ve already hired all the drivers you need. Plus, they always seem to have a friend or two looking for a job at the same time. In fact, I never again ran an ad looking for cooks or counter help. This ad – kept me staffed up. Try this ad. It’s worked like magic for years.