?_Lehmann:

[angel40204]

i am still in europe . debating to whether or not to come back and open up in the us a small pizza artisan location. specifically az or nevada because of the climate and lung condition. my partner needs dry and sunny.
anyway. i realize what is happening in the us with economy. and the spending cutting back.
being so far at the present time , and wanting to have some feedback from the pizza business.
would you be kind enough to tell me what you know in details .
i talked to you in the past. and i did appreciate greatly your help. thanks

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

If you are debt free, and have liquid assets, that is spelled “CASH” this might be a great time to build your pizzeria, It won’t get very much cheaper. OK, lets assume you now have it built, will they come? If you are looking to have an artisan pizza at a gourmet pizza price, this may not be the best time. It is well recognized that people right now are looking for value, and restaurants are no exception. Don’t confuse cheat with value, they just want to feel that they are getting real value when they eat out today. I helped open an artisan pizzeria in Arizona a few years ago, dine in, carry out, do delivery. They used a wood burning oven and made some great artisan pizzas. Since the cost to make an artisan pizza can actually be less than that of a typical pizza, they sold their pizzas for only slightly more than their competition, and still made a better profit (food cost in the 28 to 30% range). Yes, I do think it is a good idea, but make sure you understand the market, it is different today than it was 5-years ago. Also, take a look at some of the postings in the THINK TANK to get a feel for some of the challanges faced by our industry today.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

 

[angel40204]

thanks for your reply. i know i was a little vague in my question. by gourmet , i meant made like most of us here in france for example, small artisan , but delicious topping either cooked before mixed with great sauces and cheeses , etc…
for prices, what do you call gourmet prices. i know there is an exageration of french restaurants charging expensive prices in the us.saw that in las vegas , california and arizona, does not work well in france for example as people have little or less money available than here in the usa. so we have to be more resourceful and creative. small is our logo.
for the baking . no wood fire oven ever. we have excellent top of the line electric deck ovens like oem zenith or even top of the line pizza group. they both use pizza stones and have a 800 f with control of lower and top temperature. wood ovens are dying out due to the cost of wood, the lack of reliability and difficulty for baking evenly. actually not used for the world championship here in italy as much.
i can’t seem to find anything like that in this site . do you know what i am talking about , and if yes, point me in the right direction.

thanks again . you are always very helpful.