Whether you’re planning to open a new pizza restaurant or you’re still evaluating the idea, the first question you should ask yourself is: what’s the equipment needed to make pizza professionally?
Opening a pizza related business can bring you the utmost personal and financial satisfaction, for sure. But it can also be kind of overwhelming at the beginning. You need in fact to develop a complex range of skills, both as a pizza maker and an entrepreneur.
First of all you have to master the art of pizza making. If you want to make your business thrive, you obviously need to make a tasty product to delight your customers. Meeting the demand means also to develop a deep learning of who your ideal customers are and what they would appreciate.
Secondly, you should always keep in mind that a great business needs an outstanding product… But an outstanding product alone isn’t enough to make a great business!
Business is made of numbers. And to make the numbers work, you need to think as an entrepreneur. You should get into real consideration how to cover costs and manage the whole machine in the most efficient way.
Regarding costs needed to open a new pizza business, we covered the topic in detail in this previous blog post.
In this new one, we’ll guide you instead through the understanding and choice of the equipment needed to make your restaurant achieve success.
The most important pieces of equipment and items needed to start your pizza business
A concept that we’ll never cease to stress out, is that any action you take during your business development has to be well mulled-over and with a precise strategy in mind. Before making any costly decision and proceed towards the initial investments, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
Why should I make (or not) this choice? Which are my goals?
As any other kind of food business, you must take into account and focus upon 3 main goals.
1) You’ll need to lure a lot of customers to your place.
2) For you and your business to remain solid, you’ll need to make your customers become loyal and come back often.
3) To flourish, your business will require efficiency and attention to details.
Once these goals are deeply imprinted in your head like religious mantras, you’re ready to focus on the right essential equipment to fulfill any of those.
The king of any pizza restaurant: the commercial pizza oven
The pizza oven is literally the beating heart of any pizza restaurant. You must see it as the third arm of any pizza maker. You can’t probably sleep with your oven. But for sure it’s gonna be your best, most loyal buddy during all your working hours.
Choosing the right one is therefore compulsory: you don’t want your best buddy to become your worst enemy!
All ovens are different to one another. Messing it up can be a single point of failure that will put your whole business at stake. A great one is indeed essential to let you make an excellent, flavorful and delicious pizza. This is a crucial part of your business structure!
The quality of your pizza is the obvious pillar of the whole thing, because it’s what will make your customers come back more than once. Attracting new customers to your shop depends on a variety of important variables such as location, attractiveness, marketing strategy. But once someone comes in, you’ll need to put any effort possible to make them happily eager to come back.
Also, a proper commercial pizza oven helps you control costs and optimizes your overall efficiency, thus boosting your yields.
We’ve already explained in detail what your options are regarding pizza ovens, and which one is in our opinion the single, very best, commercial pizza oven around.
Pizza dough mixer
The second key piece of equipment needed to make pizza for your restaurant is the dough mixer.
Whereas the oven allows you to control and optimize the baking process, to craft a delightful pizza you’ll need to start by obtaining a great dough in the easiest and most labor-efficient way.
The dough mixer is a motorized machine with a large mixing bowl and a spiral-shaped dough hook that rotates and kneads the dough to create a smooth, elastic texture. It also ensures that the dough is evenly mixed and kneaded. This consistency leads to a uniform texture and flavor in the dough, which is crucial for the overall taste and quality of the pizza.
Overall, a good mixer is an essential tool for a pizza restaurant because it helps to save a huge amount of time and ensures consistency in the dough-making process. Mixing dough by hand can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Also, it’s almost impossible to sustain when preparing large quantities of dough for a busy restaurant.
There are two kinds of dough mixers you can choose from: spiral and planetary mixers.
The main difference is that a spiral dough mixer is faster and has more working capacity. Therefore, it allows you to mix more dough in the same amount of time as a planetary.
By the way, a planetary mixer has a different pro: it’s suitable for other preparations. For instance, differently from a spiral one, you can also use it to mix sauce, or grind cheese.
So, always ask yourself: what do I need most for my restaurant? Shall I make production faster to serve more customers? Or should I prefer a slower production but working with an all-in-one machine?
Everyday’s needed equipment to make, serve and store pizza
Once you’ve set your main production line and you’ve picked your commercial pizza oven and your dough mixer, you should pay attention to all the essential everyday items you’ll be using.
First, consider what your production requires during all the processes involved. You’ll surely need a refrigeration system to store your ingredients and dough. Also, you’ll have to provide your kitchen with a proper ventilation system, and you’ll need some dishwashing equipment that fits your space.
Furthermore, all the smaller related items: a mixing bowl, pizza paddles, food preparation surfaces, such as stainless steel work tables.
But most importantly, keeping in mind your three main goals, you’ll need to focus your attention on all the items you’ll be using to interact with your customers.
Kitchenware such as forks, knives and plates, but also furniture and food packaging supplies such as pizza boxes, bags, and containers for takeout orders, are what makes your restaurant distinguishable from any other.
The best advice we can give you here is to foster your restaurant’s identity across every touchpoint with your customers. However, never compromise with efficiency.
Final touches: make your restaurant the must-visit destination in your neighborhood
Any entrepreneur would love to see a crowd of people hanging outside their shop, craving to grab one of its products.
If you’re dreaming about opening your own pizza restaurant, we bet you’re no exception, of course. And you’re absolutely right at aiming for such a positive and successful scenario.
Good news is: that isn’t impossible at all! At least, as long as you put your effort into doing things the way they should be done.
Picking the most fitting, effective and efficient pizza equipment to run your restaurant is the first, essential step to make it happen. Planning your initial investments by keeping an eye on the long run will help you get started on the right track.
Of course, the more expertise you put into your project, the better your outcome will be.
Therefore, if you want to step up and transform your dream into a solid, profitable business, we’re here to help you as we did with dozens of successful businesses in the last 10 years.
Fill the form now to get in touch with us and schedule a call to discover how we can help you thrive!