Gluten Free Upcharge

[Crusher]

I just ordered some crust from Still Riding Pizza. It looks like each one will cost me $4.50 each for 12" crusts. I am debating about eating the cost of the crust in hopes that the customers will order none GF pizzas for the rest of the family with their order. What are you guys doing?

 

[Daddio]

I charge the customer exactly what the gluten free crust costs me. I am using a 10" from Rich’s that cost me $2.50 each. The menu price of the pizza they order plus $2.50 is what the customer pays.

 

[wa_dave]

We pay $3.99 each for 12" and charge $4.50 on top of the large size price. The small mark up is to cover for the damaged bases that happen due to them being brittle (no gluten to bind them).
People seeking Gluten Free know that GF food is expensive to buy and they are just glad to have pizza again so the cost to them is not a problem.
The way we look at the pricing is that it is a service line that we don’t make anything on but it brings people in who normally wouldn’t come in. We have had a family who stopped eating pizza because one member couldn’t eat Gluten. Now they place ordes for $50+, a mix of normal and GF.
Dave

 

[Deacon_V]

Even the promotional material from Still Riding suggests that other shops are adding a $5.00 upcharge to their normal pizza price to cover the cost. No way I’d eat the extra cost and hope to make it back. Folks appear to be seeking out decent GF pies…sell them one. And, in an unsolicited plug, we had one of Still Riding’s samples in our freezer Friday night. During the hosting of a wedding rehearsal dinner, the MOTB turns out to be Celiac. I explained what we had, that we had NO 100% safe procedure in place and described what I could do to serve her…and she LOVED the pizza! I’ve got one more sample from another source coming, but think we’ll be calling SR back for our first order too.

 

[Rockstar_pizza]

Luckily for us our over head is around 1.00, I was blown away at still riding’s up-charge. Yes they understand they are going to have a surcharge but there comes a point where it becomes excessive. Besides the great taste of Venice bakery’s crust they dont charge excessive.

 

[Crusher]

I am charging $2.00 each (half of my cost) I started selling them on Friday and had 6 orders over the weekend. All 6 orders were new customers or hadn’t ordered in over a year. I am okay with paying $12.00 to get 6 new customers.

 

[mandyspizza]

We have been serving the only allergen-free pizza in the US for the last 14 months due to our sons severe food allergies. I make my own crust and as of last month sold our 10,000th pie.

First, you MUST upcharge the pies. Second…DO NOT RIP THESE CUSTOMERS OFF BY OVER-CHARGING. I can say without a doubt that I am probably one of the top 5 independents selling GF/AF pizza and my customers know that their pizza costs more, but they will not be ripped off.

A good example is the ONLY Pizza Fusion in my area…that is now out of business…I would convert nearly every one of their customers to our pizzera which is 30 miles away because I serve the product because I will not rip them off. We sell a 12" pie for 12.99 but I am a bit more liberal with my topping portions.

Why do we manufacture our own crust? I tried ALL of the crusts you have mentioned and we procured samples and invited the local Celiac Groups and did a blind taste test and all 30 people chose our pie. So, make sure what you sell would be something that you would eat yourself.

No this is not an advertisement since we do not currently sell to other pizzerias but we were invited to sell in our local Whole Foods and other specialty retailers and this is the most we do. So, I am just shooting you some feedback as an operator that lives and breathes it with a young son who was not able to eat what puts the proverbial food on his plate.

Steve