Speed and efficiency are the design goals in pizza operations.

Whether a pizza operation offers on-site dining or is solely for carryout and delivery, the design should ensure consistent quality without sacrificing speed of service. “Pizza is like breakfast in foodservice,” says Laura Lentz, design principal at Culinary Advisors, Elliott City, Md. “It seems simple but can be challenging to get exactly right.”

Pizza operations are often all about volume, and design elements need to support that goal.Especially when a restaurant is solely carryout and/or delivery, the pressure is on due to the lack of immediate feedback. “Operations that don’t have a captive audience still have to be concerned about quality,” says David Hammersley, principal at TBCI Design, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Although production may be simple, and some may consider pizza pedestrian fare, this doesn’t minimize the importance of a successful design. “Pizza is thought of as a convenience food, but it can still have an artistic expression,” says Robert J. Doland, principal at Jacobs Doland Beer, New York City. “Because it is so portable and convenient, speed and efficiency are important. It’s all about volume for most pizza operations.”

The First Steps

Prior to design, Gregory Golem, founder emeritus at Interactive Restaurant Consulting Inc., Tustin, Calif., conducts a 25-page interview with the operator to see what they want to accomplish. With pizza concepts, one of the first questions he asks is what type of operation is needed, as this provides necessary insight into sizing. “Is it takeout and delivery, in-house dining or a combination?” Golem asks. “We’ve designed food court pizzerias in 700 square feet, delivery-only concepts in 1,200 to 1,400 square feet and will allocate at least 2,000 square feet for sit-down operations that also offer takeout and delivery.”

In addition, the type of pizza being offered impacts the back-of-the-house layout and equipment required. “Will flatbread, Neapolitan, deep dish, pan, thin or a combination be on the menu?” Golem continues. “Pizza operations have many similarities but also differences in terms of the equipment needed and layout.”

Pizza format is another consideration, since operations may offer whole pies, personal pan pizza and/or pizza by the slice. The dough type and ingredients help determine what is needed for production. For example, dough may be made from scratch on-site or delivered frozen, par baked or refrigerated. Those making dough from scratch must contend with flour, which is another key consideration in the design process. Special care must be taken, as it can become airborne and be a source of cross contamination. “In a high-volume operation, you’re talking about big bags of flour that need to be kept dry and segregated from the prep area,” Doland says. “Opening these bags of flour creates a mess.”

The back-of-the-house temperature and humidity are also important when creating and working with fresh dough. This can impact texture, flavor and quality. “Separating dough storage and preparation, which needs to be in a controlled environment, should be factored into the layout,” Doland says. “There can be days between mixing the dough and using it, and how dough is worked after it’s made may differ from place to place.”

The pizza production process is typically accomplished in a linear layout, although spacing needs differ depending on the cooking method. “With deck or hearth ovens where a pizza peel is used, more distance is needed in front to maneuver this long tool,” Doland says. “With a conveyor oven, pizza comes out by a cutting station, where pies are cut, boxed and/or served. In this case, a small aisle in front of the oven is sufficient.”

Lentz typically designates 5 feet in front of domed hearth ovens, depending on their size. “Oven manufacturers provide details on how much space is needed to work in front of the oven, and we need to design to that,” she says. “With rotator ovens, a shorter peel is used, more like a handheld paddle, so space isn’t as much of an issue.”

Prior to deciding on a pizza oven, its temperature and speed should be factored in. This confirms the equipment can accommodate the necessary menu items and operation’s volume needs. “The oven selection is important and dependent on the pizza style,” Doland says. “Also, the material of the deck that the pizza is cooked on matters, whether it’s stone, metal or a mesh belt, as this impacts the product and cooking speed.”

After deciding on the oven, Lentz looks at the type of prep table that is best suited for the topping station. “Smaller personal pan pizzas require only an 8- to 10-inch cutting board, but whole pizzas need an entire table with a 16-inch cutting board,” she notes. “The combination of the prep combo of this refrigerated table and pizza oven dictates a lot about the space and its design.”

The amount of labor needed to work each back-of-the-house area should be factored into the design. “Typically, two people can work a pizza station — one person with the dough and the other with the topping, cooking and cutting,” Golem says. “People can be added as volume increases.”

The amount of labor needed in the area is something factored into the design.

Critical Components

In most pizza operation designs, the back of house typically incorporates four separate areas. This includes space for dough prep, a refrigerated prep table for topping pies, the cooking station with a pizza oven and a cut-and-serve area with a table and storage. In most designs, these areas are situated in a linear format.

Dough may be prepped or stretched in station one, with the goal to create a base that accepts sauce and toppings. “If dough is frozen, additional space is needed for thawing,” Lentz notes. “Other considerations for this station are whether a specific mixer is needed, if dough will be proofed and how it’s being stretched.”

Along with dough storage, proper refrigeration is essential to keep pizza toppings at proper temperatures. “A pizza program may include 25 to 50 topping components, which all require refrigeration,” Lentz notes. “Reach-ins are not big enough, so we will utilize roll-in refrigeration.” Walk-ins are another option.

Operations can use a standard refrigerated prep table where ingredient bins are flush with the surface or a format where pans are elevated. The latter provides more space to better accommodate larger pies.

It’s key that the cooking station is efficient to prevent bottlenecks. While deck and conveyor ovens are the most popular cooking equipment for pizza, some operations employ speed ovens with pizza bricks as a deck. “There are hundreds of decisions to make in regard to pizza ovens, including speed, type of pizza and also labor,” Golem notes. “For example, deck ovens require more skill than other oven types, as staff is monitoring pizza and rotating it during the cooking process.”

Front-of-the-house deck ovens can also be complicated, as these require working with architects on the detailing, such as tile, built-in installation or exterior finishing. “If visible to the front of house, these ovens need to coordinate with the interior design of the space,” Lentz says.

While dome-shaped deck ovens are popular additions for ambience in the front of house, it’s important to note that this format produces the same volume as traditional deck-style ovens, Hammersley says. “Conveyor ovens offer higher-volume production but have a bigger footprint than deck ovens so will require a longer ventilation hood,” he says.

For pizza stations in noncommercial spaces or restaurants where pies aren’t the primary offering, the oven still should be one of the first design considerations. “I need to make sure enough space is allocated for the oven,” Lentz says. “Whether it’s tucked into a corner or a wall is created for a built-in oven, it’s this equipment that will drive the design.”

Another consideration is dealing with the exhaust from an oven needing venting. “Direct flues don’t need a hood since these vent directly out of the building,” Lentz says. “The issue with this is there is no exhaust over the oven’s mouth or opening, and fire suppression is an issue.”

For this reason, Lentz always specifies ventilation hoods with fire-suppression systems over pizza ovens. “I’m cautious about what type of exhaust solution is appropriate and confirm how to get exhaust out of the building, whether it’s tied into other exhaust hoods or vented out directly via a flue,” Lentz says.

Next to the oven is the cut station, which includes a worktable that’s typically wood. Overshelves in this area store boxes, pans and cutting utensils. Lentz typically includes three dedicated shelves in the cut station for storing pizza boxes during rush periods.

Golem adds that, if there is hot holding, a warming cabinet may be either in the serving area past the cut station or in a separate staging area.

“There are holding cabinets designed for pizza that do a great job keeping the cheese gooey and not allowing crust to harden,” Lentz says. “As an alternative, some designs warrant heated shelves, which are a great way to display pizza, but these must heat from above and below.” 

For pizza stations in noncommercial spaces or restaurants where pies aren’t the primary offering, the oven still should be one of the first design considerations.

Equipment Efficiencies

Because pizza can be labor intensive, it pays to look at what equipment can be incorporated in the design to enhance efficiency. “It typically comes back to the dough,” Golem says. “The pizza press has been a big improvement, and small rollers speed up thin-crust pizza production.” 

For dough prep, Hammersley recommends using a heavy-duty standard or spiral dough mixer that has at least a 60-quart capacity and is able to handle tough tasks. “There’s nothing tougher on a mixer than gluten,” he notes.

Although some operations incorporate a dough proofer, Hammersley says the heat in the back of house may be sufficient for proofing pizza crust. “Once a dough ball is formed, operators can use a dough baller to separate it into batches, but this is often done by hand,” Hammersley says. “Dough then is refrigerated, which keeps the yeast from activating, and pulled out the day of use before being brought to room temperature.”

Before topping, it is stretched or formed by hand or with a dough roller at the refrigerated prep table. “There are newer devices that press dough and par cook it simultaneously,” Doland says. “This is a great option for mass production but not as ideal for artisanal pies.”

For the topping area, Hammersley prefers tables with larger cutting board surfaces and raised rails that hold pans at an angle.

Moving into cooking, speed ovens, when stacked, can replace standard ovens in some operations. This is a good option for pizza operations needing speed of service without the ambience of a wood-fired oven. In addition, multi-deck and conveyor-style ovens are other alternatives for high-volume cooking. 

“The conveyor-style ovens use impingement heat that runs pies through set speeds,” Lentz says. “This drives heat into the product using forced convection. The result is a rapidly cooked product, but the texture and flavor profile is different than with a stone-deck oven.” If hood space or ventilation is an issue, ventless impinger ovens are available. “Also, electric rotator ovens are fantastic,” Lentz says. 

Despite the simplicity of pizza production, there are many variables to consider when it comes to the design. This can be the difference between station bottlenecks and a fast, efficient operation that produces consistent, quality pies.