Low-Cost Pizza Brings in High Dollars in Little Time

By Kate Massey

One of the easiest and least costly ways to have instant revenue in your club or bar is the implementation of an American food favorite for the hungry partygoers that fill up your location. Here's a clue — it's typically round, cheesy and as hot out of the oven as sales can be from its menu presence.

Selling pizza to customers is incredibly cheap to produce and the markup is unreal. Soon you can be tasting the high profits that pizza will bring with each order. But be sure to know that in order to have a successful side business, you need to keep a few things in mind before venturing into the pizza market.  

Doubling the Benefits

Feeding the needs of drinking patrons is a nice way to show your care for your customers. Pizza is a time-tested, drinking-friendly food and a great recovery substance for imbibers. Selling pizza is a great time to take advantage of other profit-building opportunities that can arise through the sale of this delicious treat.

"Once someone orders food, they order a drink," says Wes Lambert, general manager of Jack Rabbit Lounge in Atlanta. "This is the perfect combination for slices of pizza and personal pizzas. The more they order, the more they will drink. Alcohol is where you will make your most profit."

This handy combination is ideal to any bar owners late-night revenue.

Tasty Perfections

Being choosy when it comes to your venue is something that customers will soon appreciate. At Club 218 in Philadelphia, Owner Dan Lahr says the pizza shop goes through 350-400 slices on a typical Friday night. This kind of madness is generated from only the finest ingredients, he says.

"Always use quality ingredients and be consistent in your taste and be sure to measure out the ingredients every time," Lahr says. "You don't want your pizza full of oil one night and the next have barely any cheese. The quality of taste is something people become accustomed to, and keeps them coming back."

Lahr serves his pizza for just $2 per slice. But this small dollar figure adds up to big-time profits at the end of his week. On a Friday night alone, he is easily tacking on $750 to his daily business. But Lahr says that the additional money made from add-ons is another great form of adding even more revenue.

"Having toppings available like pepperoni, mushrooms and peppers is the largest markup there is for pizza," Lahr says. "For each additional topping, you can charge 50 cents, but it costs nearly nothing to put it on a slice."

Offering specials with your pizza can be a great driving force for its success. Pairing an alcoholic beverage with a few slices of pizza is a great way to get customers in your door early in the evening and have them stay all night. Lahr offers $1 slices with $1 10-ounce mugs of domestic beer during his Happy Hour, and he says the results would encourage any owner to consider the success of the special.  

Find a Niche

At Everybody's Pizza in Atlanta, Ga., staff has been serving pizzas for 32 years at the bar and have found its niche in the pizza market. Selling by the slice, or by the pie, gourmet or New York City-style. Whichever is ordered, the pizza produces profits, bottom line.

"We serve gourmet personal pizza pies made with no preservatives or artificial flavorings," says Brian Thomas, kitchen manager at Everybody's pizza. "We don't offer slices, but our personal pie is only $4.50 and it has four slices."

Other key considerations to be sure to know before testing the pizza market are the many types of ovens to choose from, places to save money in kitchen design and the knowledge of areas where corners cannot be cut — customers will appreciate them with each bite, garnering repeat business.

At the Acme Bar and Pizza in Rochester, N.Y., General Manager Charles Edwards says there are easy ways to cut down on your costs including: grinding your own cheese, making your own sauce and pizza dough. Lahr suggests using a gas oven for cooking instead of an electric oven. He says that it's a much better quality oven and cooks the pizza faster and more evenly.  

Another thought to keep in mind would be to simplify your menu. Thomas and Lambert both agree that keeping your menu simple makes it easier for customers to choose as well as you, the operator, with the lower food stock you'll need to keep up on. Soon you'll be tasting the profitable portions added to your daily business with the sale of fresh pizza.