Need advice on a possible name change and new style of pizza

[jokergerm]

Ok so its been about a year and my 1st pizza place has been really slow to take off we are doing about 400 a day

We started out doing about 700 a day and its been just getting worse. I have been living on my savings for the last year, We went out on a Limb and opened a second store in hopes that it would carry our 1st store, and thank god it did, we are doing really well at the 2nd store. doing about 1k a day already, and people are loving it.

anyways i want to shut down my first pizza place and do a menu change and name change and take it a different direction, i know that in the town of 20k people and only 2 other pizza places we can make it, but for some reason, people just dont like out pan style pizzas that we offer, the other 2 guys offer a screen style sourdough type and one is a mom and pop place and one is a pizza factory. People seem to love the screen style pizza in this town.

I dont think we could really do any worse than we are now if we shut it down and remodel it a little change the name and phone number, but keep the old number as a second line so we still get those calls.

Im not sure why its not working in the town i have done all the marketing i can think off, ( Door hangers, mailers, going to every busniess in town and talking to them and meeting them, newspaper articels, valpak, highschool etc.)

I just think we need anew start with a new name and different style pizza and a facelift, I really dont think we would do anyworse than we are now, its just not possible, ok wellpossible not probable.

Thanks for the help

 

[CaptSammy]

Re: Need advice on a possible name change and new style of p

jokergerm:

Ok so its been about a year and my 1st pizza place has been really slow to take off we are doing about 400 a day

We started out doing about 700 a day and its been just getting worse. I have been living on my savings for the last year, We went out on a Limb and opened a second store in hopes that it would carry our 1st store, and thank god it did, we are doing really well at the 2nd store. doing about 1k a day already, and people are loving it.

anyways i want to shut down my first pizza place and do a menu change and name change and take it a different direction, i know that in the town of 20k people and only 2 other pizza places we can make it, but for some reason, people just dont like out pan style pizzas that we offer, the other 2 guys offer a screen style sourdough type and one is a mom and pop place and one is a pizza factory. People seem to love the screen style pizza in this town.

I dont think we could really do any worse than we are now if we shut it down and remodel it a little change the name and phone number, but keep the old number as a second line so we still get those calls.

Im not sure why its not working in the town i have done all the marketing i can think off, ( Door hangers, mailers, going to every busniess in town and talking to them and meeting them, newspaper articels, valpak, highschool etc.)

I just think we need anew start with a new name and different style pizza and a facelift, I really dont think we would do anyworse than we are now, its just not possible, ok wellpossible not probable.

Thanks for the help

You answered your own post. In my place we used to offer chili fries. I thought they were absolutely the best, but none of our customers were buying them In Buffalo I was raised on Chili dogs and fries, so I couldn’t understand it. Some of our out of town sustomers said we would retire if we were in their town. Customers in my town suggested fries with mozz and brown gravy and plain hot dogs with sides of ketchup mustard and relish. I tried the fries and thought they were terrible. But when we put them on the menu they took off and we go through about 300lbs aday in our busy season. Point is it doesn’t really matter what we think the customer is the one who buys our products. In your case if they like pizza on a screen then that’s probably what you should do.

Good luck

 

[jokergerm]

Re: Need advice on a possible name change and new style of p

I see your point and thats what i was thinking, however my 2 store are a small chain place of 20 stores in this state, my freind started the chain, my slow store is the worst one out of 20, the average store in the chain is about 1100 a day or so.

I just find it hard to believe that the whole town does not like our pan style pizza but i guess my sales are telling me otherwise.

We are going to do some R and D over the summer and shut it down in the end of august and hit the ball rolling with a new style pizza and a new name and number and start over, i really have nothing to loose, it cant do worse than it does now.

3 years ago i opened up a pizza place in a town of 2000 old people and i did 1k a day there with the average age of 65+

that was on my screen pizza sourdough crust.

I really think if i change it up i will do much better

 

[CaptSammy]

Re: Need advice on a possible name change and new style of p

jokergerm:

I see your point and thats what i was thinking, however my 2 store are a small chain place of 20 stores in this state, my freind started the chain, my slow store is the worst one out of 20, the average store in the chain is about 1100 a day or so.

I just find it hard to believe that the whole town does not like our pan style pizza but i guess my sales are telling me otherwise.

We are going to do some R and D over the summer and shut it down in the end of august and hit the ball rolling with a new style pizza and a new name and number and start over, i really have nothing to loose, it cant do worse than it does now.

3 years ago i opened up a pizza place in a town of 2000 old people and i did 1k a day there with the average age of 65+

that was on my screen pizza sourdough crust.

I really think if i change it up i will do much better

When you 1st started you were doing about 700 a day and now you are at 400 after a year, even though that’s a pretty big drop. How much is repeat customers. If for every two people who buy your pie 1 is still buying then for the size of your town that’s not bad. You could try another style pizza, but my guess is that it’s just a slow location. You could also think about a 3rd and as soon as it’s up and running and it is working like your second, close up the 1st (if that makes any sense). It’s all about value on your investment somtimes even though it cost more in the beginning to open up another spot, it might be better in the long run than beating a dead horse.

 

[NicksPizza]

Re: Need advice on a possible name change and new style of p

CaptSammy:

When you 1st started you were doing about 700 a day and now you are at 400 after a year, even though that’s a pretty big drop. How much is repeat customers. If for every two people who buy your pie 1 is still buying then for the size of your town that’s not bad. You could try another style pizza, but my guess is that it’s just a slow location

With a product customers will get behind, I predict that $1000 daily average is achievable. Really. 3 places fighting over 20K people (I figure about 8600 +/- households). It will take some strong marketing and expanding the circle of influence to draw from outside the “traditional” service area . . . and a good product. I am doing WAY OVER $400 a day in an immediate area (5 mile radius) of like 1200 households, but pulling from up to 25 miles away. We were approaching the $1000 until the “economic slowdown”.

It will take a little more work in the current marketplace, but those who maintain or build sustainable growth right now will be poised for good success when the confidence returns to the marketplace. Big, bold and expensive maneuvers right now could be overly risky. Then, big risk has potential for big payoff.