Pizza Olympics (or maybe a better name)

I understand that concept to the fullest. I was just asking why pizza places take unfolded boxes, fold them, store them, then unfold them, cut pizza, then fold again. I get that they want to save time, but was wondering why its done in the first place. Instead of just taking the unfolded box, cut pizza, and fold only once.

steveo922
I don’t understand how you equate opening the lid of a pizza box with unfolding it. There are 5 or 6 steps to folding a box and one step to opening it.

Touche. But you do spend the time folding it the first time and again the second time, which both takes extra time when you could eliminate the first folding entirely.

Opening the lid of the box takes a second and folding a box takes about 10 seconds. When you have pizza coming out of the oven every 30 seconds you do not have the time to spend 1/3 of that time folding a box.

Apparently you don’t get my inquiries…

Basically what you’re saying is you fold the boxes first (10 seconds each), store them, then open the box (yes only a second), then fold them again (10 more seconds)?

I put the pizza in the unfolded box, cut, fold ONCE and I’m done. Half the work…

Steveo - yes they do.

From a time and motion perspective you are correct it is more effective (less effort) to make the box only once. Although I haven’t timed it I’m pretty sure its isn’t half the work.

For a store doing 10 pizza’s a day… sure make the boxes on the cut table

For stores doing anything over 20-30 pie hours you haven’t a hope in hell of having a) the time to do this on the cut table b) have the space to store unfolded boxes directly next to the cut table and c) it impacts hugely on the logistics of running even a moderately busy store.

Can you image even a 60 pie hour thats 1 pie per minute coming out of the oven, and you think it might be quicker to get an unfolded box, put the pie on it, cut the pie, fold the bottom, fold the edge, locate the label (as you can’t prelabel an unfolded box) all in less than 60 seconds?

We have 4 sizes of pizza boxes, as well as side order boxes, they are all folded before the rush, when the order goes in the oven our POS prints a label which is attached by a CSR to the correct box and put on the cut table in the correct order. This way the oven guy simply takes the pie from the oven and put in the first box (checking it is correct of course) he only opens the box, slides pie in and cuts, then shuts lid. Saves 10 seconds but as he’s another pie already coming out 30 seconds after the first its a fairly important time saving.

I’m really not trying to be rude but have you actually worked in a busy store?

Moderators, can we start a new thread about this topic and move all these box folding posts within? I feel bad hijacking the thread about this.

Otherwise, right before you post I was editing mine stating that Daddio keeps saying “when you take out a pizza every 10 seconds” and it sounds to me like hes insisting that I never worked at a busy store befre. My 4.5 year experience comes from a 24-30 capacity size rotating oven and during the rush we would do more than 30 an hour. I would be on the ovens myself (or rarely someone just pulling them out for me), and yes it was INSANE. I really wish I could describe or visually show you the amount of tickets we had… We had the unfolded boxes on the wall (very space saving). When I had a pizza coming out literally every couple seconds I would pull out that size box, put it on the table, put the pizza on, cut it, fold it, and staple the ticket. Not that hard, and no need for prefolding the boxes… And yeah we’re not that busy now at my store, but its the same exact setup.

I can’t move the posts so I started a Steveo’s Box Folding thread

I got all excited getting home from work to see this thread blowing up, only to see it jacked about folding boxes. Thanks a lot Steve :o .

We prefold in our down time, BTW, with a shelf above our cut station full of boxes. Grabbing a box and opening the lid before sliding the box in takes just a few seconds.

I don’t care that this thread is 13 years old. This guy not understanding that we don’t unfold the pizza boxes to put the pizza in them and cut it is absolutely insane. He has to be a troll. You fold the boxes ahead of time from a flat piece of perforated cardboard. Then when the pizza comes out of the oven you literally just open the folded boxes lid and put the pizza in it and cut it. Then close the lid. This concept is not that difficult to understand. Nobody is unfolding the box. That would be downright ridiculous. The box is folded one time and only one time. I don’t know how to be much clearer than this. You say you have experience but I’m concerned you might not have ever seen a pizza box. The lid can be opened and closed without unfolding the box. This saves time when you have pizzas and sides coming out of the oven every few seconds for a couple hours straight. Just to clarify one more time nobody is unfolding the boxes. They just open the lid out the pizza in. Cut it and close the lid. It’s as simple as that.