I have read many post and have also experienced how the pizza goes down hill and begins to get a soft/soggy bottom once it hits the box due to steam. :roll:
I do a NY style and was thinking of trying the Crust Savers, do they, or any other options work? I am really trying to get into the delivery game against the big 3 and would like to provide the best pie I possibly can.
Also, do warming bags help or hurt the situation.
thanks for feedback…
pizzahead
I have tried the crust savers I got as samples in my opinion they work marginally better than fluted liners and are far more costly. As far as delivery bag go you need to get the type that allow the steam to vent. I use the ones from www.deliverybags.com they work well.
We use the Crust savers, and the same bags that Daddio suggested. Though they are expensive, the crust savers really make a difference with our pies. I havent tried the cardboard things, but maybe they would work, and cost less. If you call the folks at Crust Saver, they’ll send you some samples.
Tom R
We use the regular fluted style liner. Went with the heated bag system from http://www.hotbag.com and could not be happier. We hold the pickup orders in them as well. We tested the bags out when we got them and found that the pies stayed hot and dry retaining the ability to “pick it up” without the deadly crust droop!! Best upgrade we made.
I use the crust savers for all pies that have 3 or more toppings, and all dine in pies … I’ve found that’s where they make the biggest difference. Leave plenty of lead time for re ordering, though - it takes up to a week - also, if you leave an order on the company’s machine, keep calling back until you get a confirmation.
I’ve looked at Hotbags, but can’t use them because their largest size bag is for an 18" pizza - at least half of my deliveries are a 20" pizza … can anybody point me to a place that can accommodate these?
deliverybags.com has bags up to 24, 28 and 32 inches. did you have a noticible difference with the crustsavers…also what are fluted liners?
pizzahead
Fluted liners are like the first example here http://www.bagnboxman.co.uk/allaboutcorrugated.php and are made to allow the steam to escape from under the pizza. My cost is around 10 cents per pizza which is 1/3 of what the crust savers would have cost me.
We’re going to get a few boxes of Crust Savers (ordering them tomorrow). The final straw was pulling a pizza box off of the top of the oven today and seeing a wet spot on the bottom of the box.
No bueno, amigo.
The testimonials on their site are pretty compelling.
You’ll actually get more of that with the crustsaver … reason being that the moisture from (especially) veggie pizzas will soak the box rather than the crust. Thanks for the info on deliverybags.com, I already get my bags from them … should have been more specific & enquired about heated delivery bags. Sorry
If you are going to use them, make sure you look at your food costs. They are EXTREMELY expensive. We have about $500,000 in sales last year with only about 30% delivery/take out and our invoices for these were running $500 a month!
Could someone clarify how much these things cost? Just guessing by hints, 30 cents per pizza. But I imagine they vary by size, and also by the volume you purchase.
30 cents a pop for 12"? 14"? 16"?
Do they slow down the box folding process?
12"x12" Box of 200 $32
9"x9" Box of 200 $27
those are the only sizes we use. you need to call to find out the shipping charges to your area. I don’t know if they still do this, but they covered the shipping charges on our 1st order, so I oredered all I could afford, and then some. And that post about checking up on the order was right, a couple of times our order didn’t get filled when we left messages.
Tom R
Our regional chain uses krispits (see ad in pmq mag) and it really helps soak up extra moisture from the ingredients. Does wonders for a pepperoni pizza or a vegetarian.
Also, when I take a pizza home for myself, I don’t use a hotbag because the product is better and our pizza’s stay “very warm” in a box for 20 minutes or so. The humidity inside even the vented bags is just insane. Especially when you have more the one pizza stacked in there.
yes they work…only got one complaint from a “green” person but I explained they are recycable
luckily we are closeby and pick them up so shipping is not an issue
The ones that I’m familiar with are the Dri-Pie and Ripple Boards. While they are effective at allowing steam to escape from the bottom of the pizza, thus reducing the soggy crust, they still do not provide for a crispy delivered pizza if the delivery destination is any further away than just across the street. In my book though, a soft, warm crust is better than a wet, soggy one, so my personal vote go for the use of some device to allow steam to escape from the bottom of the pizza. While I’m on the topic, an idea that I’ve had for a number of years now is to have a delivery bag made with a large Gore-Tex panel incorporated into the top of the bag. This would provide a way for the steam to escape from the inside of the bag (to reduce steaming of the pizza) while the silver colored, reflective side of the Gore-Tex panel would reflect the heat back into the bag, thus helping to keep the pizza hot. Take the idea and run with it, maybe it will work, but remember, you can’t patent it.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor