Few items are as universally loved and successful as pizza in a bar atmosphere. A slice at Happy Hour can put a smile on the face of a weary patron, and it goes with a cold brew like Peyton Manning goes with Marvin Harrison on an NFL night.
The problem is, most bars aren’t pizza specialists when it comes to making, baking and selling a high quality pizza or slice. There are two ways you can do it: by the whole pie or by the slice. While selling a whole pie may not pose a problem, production-wise, slices can be a bit trickier. Spoilage, pricing and marketing are the big questions when deciding whether to offer slices. Here’s a look at how some restaurant/bar owners across the country are selling slices and piling on the profits.
Getting the Dough Right
The first thing and probably the most complex part of pizza and slices is the dough. Getting it right can be a bit like rocket science.
Dough is a living breathing entity that can change in flavor, texture and appearance by the minute. Once resource you can access is a fellow by the name of Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann. Tom is a leading authority on dough and a regular contributor to Pizza Marketing Quarterly (PMQ) magazine. If you have questions about frozen dough, slices, New York Style, deep-dish, storage and dough management, he is guaranteed to be the answer — and the best part is that his help is absolutely free. (For more information, visit www.pmq.com.)
Selling the Slice
Not everyone bakes, reheats or displays slices the same way.
Toni DeCarlo, owner of DeCarlo’s in Wheeling, West Va., says that he makes dough fresh every day and rolls it out on trays measuring 17 by 17 inches at DeCarlo’s slower location and 19 by 26 inches at the busiest location. He flash-bakes (or par-bakes) the crust with sauce and a little provolone cheese.
When the customers order it, he puts cheese and pepperoni on cold and doesn’t reheat it. DeCarlo’s is famous for the mixture of warm and cold ingredients, Toni says. They do offer other toppings like black olives, mushrooms, green onions and sausage, if the customers request it. They don’t hold a pizza for more than fifteen minutes because of the baking method.
“We have little cost when making a pizza because we just bake the crust so it’s not a problem to make a fresh one every fifteen minutes,” DeCarlo says. “The expense is when you add the cheese and toppings.”
So You Don’t Want To Bake It
There are other options for selling slices if you don’t want to make pizzas yourself. One way is to work with a local pizzeria to have them supply you with pizzas. Simply purchase a heated display case and have the pizzeria deliver one or two pies each hour, depending on how much traffic and sales you have. The best idea is to survey your customers and see whose pizza they like best.
Have the pizzeria supply you with signage to showcase their brand and start promoting that you now carry (insert pizzeria name)’s hot slices. Be sure to talk with the owner for special pricing and cross-promoting. NCB
Tom Boyles is senior editor of Pizza Marketing Quarterly (PMQ) magazine. Contact him at
dough fresh every day and rolls it out on trays measuring 17 by 17 inches at DeCarlo’s slower location and 19 by 26 inches at the busiest location. He flash-bakes (or par-bakes) the crust with sauce and a little provolone cheese. 
