Melissa Rickman shows off one of her delicious pizzas.A slice of pizza and a beverage — that’s a classic combination that shows no sign of decreasing in popularity. And when it comes to pizza, the traditional favorites are still what customers want, according to 2023 research from Datassential. The old standby cheese pizza reigns on 49% of menus, followed by veggie (42%), Margherita (41%), BBQ chicken (36%) and meat lovers’ (36%). Tradition holds sway when it comes to what goes on top of the pizza, too. Pepperoni and sausage are the most prevalent proteins; each show up on 73% of pizza menus. Chicken comes in next at 66%. Onions (77%), tomatoes (74%) and mushrooms (72%) are the toppings seen most frequently.
But despite the continuing popularity of the old favorites, there’s still room for innovation in the segment. The same research shows that the items that have made the largest jumps on menus are cauliflower (perhaps due in part to the skyrocketing proliferation of cauliflower crusts), hot honey, plant-based proteins and vegan cheese.
Newer regional varieties are also popping up on menus, notes Datassential. Quad Cities style (malty crust, spicy sauce and fennel sausage); New Haven’s “apizza” (chewy charred crust, tomato sauce, optional cheese); and Chicago tavern-style (crispy crust, herby tomato sauce, cut in squares) are all making inroads with pizza aficionados.
Whether you offer a sip, a slice, or a sip and a slice, the next few pages are loaded with stories that will give you some ideas for running your operation more efficiently.
“Big Bessie” Helps Colorado Restaurant Run More Efficiently
Wholly Stromboli’s Polar King unit, also known as “Big Bessie.”“Fine dining for everyone” is the motto of Wholly Stromboli in Fort Lupton, Colo. Since its opening in 2010, it has become an integral part of the Fort Lupton community. “Our community is very important to us,” says Melissa Rickman, co-Founder and CEO. “Being in a small town has its challenges, but there are things we’ve experienced here that you wouldn’t anywhere else.” For example, when the restaurant was being built, the town’s mayor stopped in and asked if she could help with anything. So “she came and washed my towels because I thought I could get away without having a towel service,” Rickman laughs.
There’s something for everyone at Wholly Stromboli. The menu features a variety of pasta, stromboli and salads, all made fresh onsite. Pizza is a particular specialty at the restaurant; Rickman has been a presenter and teacher at the International Pizza Expo. When it’s time for some libations, there’s a 150-seat, old-fashioned speakeasy downstairs.
More Storage, More Space
Unlike many other restaurants, Wholly Stromboli did not have the luxury of moving into a “restaurant- ready” space. In fact, it was constructed from the ground up in a 111-year-old building. Melissa and her husband Eric, who is co-founder and CFO, did all the construction work themselves. And one thing this “start-up” space lacked was a walk-in cooler. “We went for a good number of years with no walk-in, saved our pennies and got an 8’ x 10’ unit,” says Eric. “We thought: This is huge; we’re never going to fill this up.” But fill it up they did, and they soon found they needed an even bigger unit. So they turned to Polar King and eventually graduated to a 16’ x 38’ Polar King walk-in, which they’ve affectionately termed “Big Bessie.”
They’re having no problem finding uses for their Polar King unit, Melissa says, especially since the unit was designed as a combination cooler/freezer/dry storage unit. “We proof our dough for 48 to 72 hours before we use it, and so we always have four days of dough in production. That requires a lot of storage room.” And Wholly Stromboli makes its signature sauces onsite, so those need refrigeration. The freezer section holds premade meatballs and other frozen items. The nonrefrigerated area is currently used for dry storage, “but we also had outlets installed so we could use it as a workspace if we wanted to,” says Eric. The Polar King unit has “allowed us to add square footage to our building [without] pulling permits for a full-blown building expansion,” he adds.
Polar King’s service has been first-rate, Eric says, with any issues “handled quite well.” Another important benefit with the Polar King unit is the fact that from beginning to end, Polar King takes care of everything. “We could have very well gone with a company that just sends the unit and it’s up to us to handle the installation,” he says. “But it is extra nice to be able to go through the design process, the ordering process, the delivery and the post- install support process with one point of contact.”
