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Selling Pizza Dough

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norma427

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I was wondering if anyone sells their pizza dough. Since I am at a farmer’s market and have some of my dough in my deli case, customers are asking me if I just sell dough. I could make the extra dough the day before, but wonder if it would be profitable enough? Since I sell mostly by the slice, right now I only make dough for 16" pizza. If anyone sells their dough, what is the price they charge? I was also wondering if anyone makes a pre made pizza for someone to take home and bake. I know the crust won’t get the same in a home oven, but was just wondering.
Thank you,
Norma
 
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yes, I sell a 14oz doughball for $1, my cost is $.25. Sell only maybe 5-10 per day. Many shows on the Food Network suggest to viewers to buy a doughball from the local pizzeria instead of making your own. I just started doing it because I was asked so many times.
 
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we make a really unique dough that our customers used to love to buy a large size dough ball for $2…I started noticing I was losing that sale of a pizza for that customer by selling just the dough…since then we do NOT sell dough…of course a few of our regulars are exceptions
 
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We do it on request but it does not happen much. Maybe once a month. We charge $2.

By the way, when you calculate the cost of something you produce as an element of the eventual finished product, you need to include labor. The food cost in our dough (25 oz 16") is 30-35 cents, but the actual cost is more like 55 cents counting labor.
 
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Napoli Pizza, Famous Pizza and bodegahmy,
Thank you for your advise and also what you would charge. I will be thinking about if I want to try this or not. Since I am only at market one day a week, it is hard to decide how much dough I need to make the day before market day. I have usually been able to make the right amount of dough, but last week was unusally hot and I had many dough balls left over. I know that it isn’t that expensive to make the dough, but don’t know if I am willing to sell dough and then I might now have enough left until the end of the day. I have been using Tom Lehmann’s NY Style dough recipe, without the sugar. Since the weather is getting hotter here, I decrease the yeast amount a little so my dough won’t over ferment. I have had good results in using Tom Lehmann’s advise to use plastic bags to store the individual dough balls. My market stand isn’t air conditioned.
Thank you for all your help! 🙂
Norma
 
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Yes, we sell our dough. We charge the same price as a deluxe or gourmet topping for the size of the dough ball requested

12" $1.60
14" $2.20
16" $2.80
18" $3.40
 
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robozig,
Thank you for giving me the prices you sell you dough for. It is something I am still thinking about.
Norma
 
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Norma, buy a freezer and freeze your dough balls. You can always carry a few extra to the market in an ice box.
 
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I personally do not like the idea of selling dough to customers at a pizzeria (different feeling for a farmers market). At prices of $1 to $3 dollars, I do not think it is worth it. It takes away from the potential to use that dough and make an actual pizza which you could sell at $15-$20 for a medium or large cheese pizza for example.

Plus the demand for dough by itself would be too unpredictable

Cheers Pizza Al
 
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I wonder what Mc’d response would be if I went in there and asked to buy a core uncooked ingredient?

‘Can I have a few uncooked burger patties please?’
 
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Wizzle Wassell:
I wonder what Mc’d response would be if I went in there and asked to buy a core uncooked ingredient?

‘Can I have a few uncooked burger patties please?’
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I’m not trying to emulate McD’s. I have a few people who come in regularly and get dough. I don’t charge for it and never felt that anyone took advantage of it. One person who would come in monthly and pick up two jumbo dough balls turned out to be the foodservice director of a retirement community nearby. In the last three weeks he has twice ordered $200+ orders. I don’t know if he ordered from me because over the years I’ve given him five or ten dollars worth of dough, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
 
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I have never sold pizza dough, though a few people have asked. I explain to them that we make our dough fresh everyday and that because business can sometimes be unpredictable it is hard to know if I may get close to running out. I tell them if they come near closing time I would be happy to sell them some dough then because I would know if I have enough, none have come back to get some at end of night. Remembering that I close at 9 so it isnt to late. On the other hand quiet a few people have purchased a plain cheese pizza so they can top themselves at home. That is fine with me. This works for me because I offer take-n-bake pizza’s. If people are wanting to make their own pizza’s how about selling them a raw cheese pizza? flatten the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, put on sauce, then cheese. Place in pizza box and sell a cheese pizza to them. Then you are making your profits at least on a cheese pizza. All they have to do is put on their toppings, lower the front fold of the box and slip pizza into a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, they get to “make” their own pizza, and you get to keep running business…

Just a thought 🙂
 
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paul7979:
I’m not trying to emulate McD’s. I have a few people who come in regularly and get dough. I don’t charge for it and never felt that anyone took advantage of it. One person who would come in monthly and pick up two jumbo dough balls turned out to be the foodservice director of a retirement community nearby. In the last three weeks he has twice ordered $200+ orders. I don’t know if he ordered from me because over the years I’ve given him five or ten dollars worth of dough, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
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Now now, I didn’t say that anyone was trying to emulate McD’s now did I? In simple terms you can’t as they simply wouldn’t sell it to you in any case would they?

The original post was about selling pizza dough i.e. a core ingredient.

I’ve given loads of dough balls away over the years. Normally to the parents of kids who come in and watch us slap. Give them a bag with a little corn flour and a dough ball and they love it. Same way I give away boxes when I get asked (for numerous reasons).

Do I sell any of my core uncooked product though in answer to the original question? Nope! Would I attempt to sell my uncooked dough to people as commercial activity, nope. Would I sell a piece of dough to someone who I thought was just buying it to make their own pizza rather than buying one of mine… that would depend on the mood I was in but to be honest I’d probably have given them a piece rather than have the hassle of working out how to put it through the POS!
 
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Thank all of you for your advise. Since I am at a farmer’s market, I just thought about selling dough since people were asking me. It is hard for me to predict how much dough to make for one day a week. I haven’t ever ran out of pizza dough, but had some left over. I did freeze some dough last week and did use it today. I was surprised that the dough tasted and acted the same. I have a freezer that isn’t frost free. Does anyone think that made a difference in freezing my dough?
I did give two dough balls to a lady that has been asking me to buy dough last week. She came back today and bought 4 dough balls.
I know most of you on this forum are pizza operators that make pizza everyday.
I might get into making take home pizzas for people to make. Thanks for the suggestion.
Norma
 
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Hey there everyone. I’m looking to sell some organic sourdough pizza dough at my local farmer’s market and potentially elsewhere. This post was from several years ago so I’m guessing pricing has changed. I’m curious then what the price difference would be to sell them for now? Does anyone have a good formula for costing something? I would appreciate any help you all can give. Thanks!
 
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I use a spreadsheet to figure out cost of menu items including dough. There are some you can get for free online. My current cost for a 9.5oz dough ball is 21 cents.
 
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