Dough presses

[daisy1]

Tom Lehmann: I read your article on “ProDoughUSA.com”

I was seriously considering picking up a press, due to fact my hands have about had it with my carpal tunnel, & now dealing with my tendon in my left hand in the base of my thumb. I do have a sheeter that I use at the start to just get the dough ball somewhat flattened, then finish stretching by hand, with a few slaps back & forth to relax the dough

After reading your article on all 4 methods, I’m thinking of sticking with hand stretching & tossing, for how long, time will tell with the condition of my hands. I have been hand stretching pies for 30+ yrs and its getting the best of me UGH… …

Any suggestions on dealing with bad hands besides making your employees do all the work LOL

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Daisy;
For more information on press forming of pizza skins stat tuned as I’ve just written an article dedicated to that very topic and it should be published right here in PMQ in the near future. To answer your question though, why not hand off the dough slapping/forming to someone else? As the owner you should not have to work at the prep station every day, to help out during busy periods, or if someone calls in sick at the last moment, ok, but not on a regular basis. You have better things to spend your time on, financials, inventory control, ingredient purchasing, the list goes on and on. I think one of the greatest pitfalls in owning your own business is that of becoming an owner operator (exclusively). By this I mean that we tend to try to do everything ourselves. I like to equate a business to a child, during the early years of development we put all of our love and training into the child/business, but as the child/business grows, we have to learn how to loosen up on the reins allowing the child/business to learn how to function on their own, and then one day you have to drop the reins entirely and step back to admire your accomplishment, allowing the child/business to flourish on their own. I have a very good friend here in Manhattan, Kansas who has followed this philosophy nearly to the letter from day one, and in only 7 short years he has grown from a single store to three stores, while still taking time off every week and allowing himself a vacation every year. He has trained his people well, he trusts his managers, he doesn’t micro-manage, and he allows his people to make mistakes as long as they learn from them. I think I heard him correctly one time when he said as long as they don’t burn the store down when he’s gone he can live with it or fix it when he returns. Those are some of the key elements to success in this business.
Tom Lehmann/TheDough Doctor

 

[daisy1]

I totally agree Tom. Over the past few yrs I have learned to break away and allow to loosen the reins. yes as a owner operator I found it very tough to let go, but as time has gone by & I have learned to put the trust in my employees. Especially since my hands are getting worse.

My new assistant cook is “AWESOME” she is constantly telling to sit down, put my feet up & CHILL as she says LOL, in the past this would never have been spoken by my previous GM who just quit a few weeks ago. So I feel very blessed to have my new assistant, that I just happened to stumble on she came to me with 15 yrs experience

Looking forward to reading your article

 

[Tom_Lehmann]

Daisy;
Your assistant cook is giving you what sounds like some good advice. Remember to always surround yourself with good and positive people, make sure they know what you expect of them, then retreat to your office, making sure to leave the door open and allow the magic to happen. If something bad or out of the ordinary happens, be understanding and make sure it is understood how this thing has come to pass and let them have another go at it. Over time your people will grow with their responsibilities making you look like the great manager that you really are. You can demand just about anything (if you get it or not, that’s another story), but respect must still be earned the good old fashion way.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor