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Help with oven selection please

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BayView_Lodge

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Hi, I own and operate a restarant up in the north woods and have alot of demand for pizzas so I’m going for it. I’m kind of brand new to the pizza biz and am looking to purchase a used fairly inexpensive oven. We have a bakers pride 602 in one of our other resturants but I havent really played with it. I am looking to make a thin crust that is very crispy all the way through and would be cooking pizzas from 12- 24". I would need a pretty large deck to keep up with the volume I anticipate. In your opinion what would be a good choice for a novice to operate/expirament with out alot of tinkering? Thanks in advance! - Erik
 
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I think the majority on this forum will recommend a conveyor in almost every circumstance and particularly when you anticipate volume.

That said, if you are looking for a deck oven, it’s hard to go wrong with the Bakers Pride. The Y-600 is the workhorse of the industry and I’ve not heard anyone speak ill of them. They certainly command a premium over other deck ovens.

Also, FWIW, we make a cracker thin crust using a low-hydration technique. PM me if you want the dough recipe to play around with.

pC
 
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Hi Bayview:

In order to determine an oven for you it would be necessary that you better define your production requirements. If your shop is like most others, the majority of your orders will occur from 6 to 9 PM. A also there will be one or two evenings where orders vastly exceed those of other evenings.

We equip most shops to produce 200 pizzas in an hour and many to produce 300 or more.

The question is how many pizzas do you hope to sell during your busiest hour of your busiest evening?

George Mills
 
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BayView Lodge:
Hi, I own and operate a restarant up in the north woods and have alot of demand for pizzas so I’m going for it. I’m kind of brand new to the pizza biz and am looking to purchase a used fairly inexpensive oven. We have a bakers pride 602 in one of our other resturants but I havent really played with it. I am looking to make a thin crust that is very crispy all the way through and would be cooking pizzas from 12- 24". I would need a pretty large deck to keep up with the volume I anticipate. In your opinion what would be a good choice for a novice to operate/expirament with out alot of tinkering? Thanks in advance! - Erik
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Bayview-
Without sounding like a sales pitch, I would recommend a deck oven over a conveyor. I have operated with both, and the deck required less “tinkering” in my opinion. Yes, you need to pay more attention when there is pizza(s) in the oven, but you’ll be happier with the product in the end; again, my opinion.
The reason I don’t want to sound like a sales pitch is because I have a double stack of Blodgett 1000’s that I will soon be selling. If I’m thinking of the correct Bayview, you’re in Northern MN. I’m near the Twin Cities, so not “terribly” far.
 
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When we were decided on which oven to purchase, I made sure I tried out all-comers. I’ve used deck in the past, I’ve used conveyor in the past. With the advancement especially in the Lloyd’s “cloud-disc” it was MY decision there was very little difference in the end product. We went with a used XLT3255 and I never doubted our choice.

With a deck you have to pay attention all the time…the tender has to be alert, be able to keep track of 6-12 pies in his head. There’s a recent post on the TT about the trouble one operator has in getting his staff to pay attention simply b/c they talk…with the talent pool seemingly shrinking on employees that can master a deck, it just makes sense to me to “set it and forget it” to borrow a phrase.

In our kitchen, (we’re full menu) we’ll have at least one dedicated pizza guy on a shift, however in the heat of the crush I can pull my fryer guy, or even my dish guy over to assist and every pizza comes out perfect.

We do a rolled ultra thin and crispy dough, a hand-tossed, and even a deep dish…all at the same belt speed, all at the same temp. For US it is the perfect choice.
 
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I just do not get the idea a deck oven turns out a better pizza than a conveyor…I have eaten lots of pizza over the year and a properly set-up conveyor does the job…I think that is almost the same mind set as operating without a POS or not portioning cheese…

And even if a deck can make a better pizza, there will be problems with consistency of product, keeping up during a rush and cost of operation that may make a conveyor a better choice…
 
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Final solution…lol…

A wood burning rotating deck brick oven…cooks a pie in 3 min or less…great for exhibition cooking and a volume operation…

There’s a YouTube video an the guy’s name is Scott…

Plan on spending $22K
 
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Royster-
That is EXACTLY why I stated “in my opinion”, because that’s what it is. I have owned shops with both, and if there were to be a third shop as a tie breaker, it would be outfitted with decks; simply my preference.
And…I even had a POS and we religiously weighed cheese. 😃
 
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More important than our own opinions, are those of our clients…All one has to do is watch a few episodes of “Kitchen Nightmares” to remind us sometimes we have to be careful not to disregard the opinions of our clients who give us all our money…

PS…Sorry if I am starting to sound “argumentative”…
 
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Hi TePizza:

I think most customers are not interested in the type of oven the pizza is baked in as long as they like the end result.

George Mills
 
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royster13:
I just do not get the idea a deck oven turns out a better pizza than a conveyor…I have eaten lots of pizza over the year and a properly set-up conveyor does the job…I think that is almost the same mind set as operating without a POS or not portioning cheese…

And even if a deck can make a better pizza, there will be problems with consistency of product, keeping up during a rush and cost of operation that may make a conveyor a better choice…
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I’ve work in multiple store locations with conveyor ovens and if I had to pick if I would like my pizza cooked in a conveyor or a deck oven? I would pick deck ovens hands down

If it’s strictly in terms of production, I would pick the conveyor. I do schools orders anywhere from 50-200 pies and I can’t imagine using a deck oven. :shock:
 
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Mr Bayview has never posted the details of the pizza he intends to produce nor how many he hopes to bake during his busiest hour of his busiest evening.

Without that critical information it is not possible to assess his needs and recommend an oven.

George Mills
 
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