Pizza Business Model

In NY and all over the east coast you walk into a pizza parlor and they have maybe 8 or 10 whole pizzas in their display case. the pizzas are already cut into slices and were cooked hours ago. You walk in, and, say you want 2 slices of pizza, you order a slice of pep/sausage and a Hawaiian. they throw the slice of pizza (now cold) into the oven for a minute or so and its hot and delicious. This model has several advantages for both the consumer and the shop owner.

1. the shop owner can prepare most of their food at the start of their day. If they run out of pepperoni they just prepare another one and replace what was eaten
2. This method allows shops to develop much more creative pies. Lets say they want to make a pie using mashed potatoes, spinach and goat cheese for toppings. Obviously that wont be for everyone this allows them to make 1 of those pizzas and you figure before the end of the day it will sell out.
3. Its fast. As a consumer it only takes a few minutes between picking out your preferred slices and eating a delicious hot pizza
4. It can be more cost effective for the owner and the customer. The owner doesn’t need to have 5 guys staffed all day necessarily for doing dishes, folding boxes, cleaning, cooking, delivering… they can bring in some extra people in the morning to help prepare all the pies but run a thinner crew in the afternoon. For the customer instead of having to order an entire pizza themselves at say $12 they can simply order 2 slices for $5. The slices are always massive btw

Why cant we have this type of pizza model here in MN? Its not a weather thing – NY is just as cold as here. Its not a foot traffic or population density thing. Ive seen these shops all over tiny communities in NY. Maybe we do have this type of shop in MN but its definitely not on a wide scale. I always liked walking into a pizza parlor out east and getting 1 slice of something normal that i know what to expect like a pepperoni sausage and then have the opportunity to try something crazy. At the places i normally frequent in MN if i wanna do that i need to order two whole pizzas which is expensive. Now i love me some cold pizza in the morning but sometimes you don’t always need all the leftovers.

Slow day at work…..

Most gas stations do this….on a smaller scale, maybe 3 or 4 diff pizzas… also I have had Slice of NY by the slice

There are a few different places I go in mpls and st paul when working near that do this. It’s always delicious and great getting 2 different kinds of pie for lunch

We do have it here its just not that common. Down in Madison there is this place called Ian’s Pizza and they make all sorts of crazy pizzas. My favorite in college was Steak and Fries.

lots of places in rochester already do this for lunches. walk in order 2 slices and a pop. usually its pretty quick to get and be on your way back to work.

another place is caseys gas stations usually sell pizza by the slice

I agree. We do have it but not as common. It’s in the skyway system which I think is ideal, similar to NY where you have foot traffic and large waves of people.

Personally, I wouldn’t drive somewhere for a slice or two of microwaved pizza…but would walking around during lunch or downtown hanging out before or after shows, sporting events…

Andrea Pizza does this. I work downtown mpls, so it’s nice to have that option. Very convenient

Maybe I just need to get out more….

Cossettea’s on 7th street and Pino’s here in St Paul skyway do this. There were others pre covid.

-J.

You’ll find it in downtowns (or at least, you used to be able to find it) – need high volume sales to make it work, I would guess.

Did anyone else get hungry for Pizza Ranch buffet when reading this, wanting a variety of pizza slices?

KP wrote:

Down in Madison there is this place called Ian’s Pizza and they make all sorts of crazy pizzas.

Oh man does that bring back some memories. I vividly recall strolling into that place after a night out in madtown and asking for a slice of blueberry pizza or something odd like that, which I would never consider consuming sober. That place made a killing after bar closing.

There is a pizza joint in Minneapolis called Andrea Pizza that does that exact business model the OP refers to. I eat there about once a month. It was started by a guy from NY and the slices are huge. But it’s not 2 slices for $5, it’s 2 for $8 I think. I walk to it in the skyway system from my office.

AnotherFisherman wrote:

Andrea Pizza does this. I work downtown mpls, so it’s nice to have that option. Very convenient

I just saw this comment now.

You should try Fat Lorenzos by The airport/lake Nokomis. They have pizza by the slice like this. Kind of a hole in the wall joint but incredible. Order a breadstick and a slice. It will about 8 bucks and you will have a tough time finishing it.

bzzsaw wrote:

You should try Fat Lorenzos by The airport/lake Nokomis. They have pizza by the slice like this. Kind of a hole in the wall joint but incredible. Order a breadstick and a slice. It will about 8 bucks and you will have a tough time finishing it.

Used to frequent when I lived down that way. Loved their hoggies!

Cool to see so many mention Andrea’s, my favorite by the slice shop. Big slices to fold over. They are on the UMN campus as well now.

Other options— Mesa pizza on UMN campus. pizza Luce as well

Wait, what’s left over pizza?

blank wrote:

Did anyone else get hungry for Pizza Ranch buffet when reading this, wanting a variety of pizza slices?

I love their Buffalo chicken pizza!

blank wrote:

Did anyone else get hungry for Pizza Ranch buffet when reading this, wanting a variety of pizza slices?

We were going to stop there yesterday for dinner but ended up not. Soon though.
DT

Crappie go to Gina Maria’s in EP over lunch. They don’t have cold slices that they heat up, they are fully cooked and kept in the warmer. But they are busy so they stay fresh and very good pizza for $7 with a pop.

Around Madison, WI there is a small pizza chain called Rocky Rococo. You can always have about 6 kinds of by the slice you can get. Also bread sticks and salads.They also have drive through order and pick up. It is a thicker style of pizza but very good.

I have always thought of drive through pizza by the slice…

crappie55369 wrote:

2. This method allows shops to develop much more creative pies. Lets say they want to make a pie using mashed potatoes, spinach and goat cheese for toppings. Obviously that wont be for everyone this allows them to make 1 of those pizzas and you figure before the end of the day it will sell out.

I’m out!

Joey novas in Minnetonka has this concept. Half baked sitting off, ready to be thrown in for 5 min. Super cheap slice too that is about the size of your head.

If anyone’s working out in the area well worth the stop for lunch.

blackbay wrote:

Wait, what’s left over pizza?

It’s called “breakfast” – it’s why you order a much larger pizza than you can actually eat.

mxskeeter wrote:

Around Madison, WI there is a small pizza chain called Rocky Rococo. You can always have about 6 kinds of by the slice you can get. Also bread sticks and salads.They also have drive through order and pick up. It is a thicker style of pizza but very good.

There is a Rocky’s in Brooklyn Center. Well worth the stopif you are nearby. Rocky’s in Madison is the best after a football game.

I think the short answer is foot traffic. NYC has a lot of people walking and just grabbing a slice on the go. We would need to get out of our cars!

BigWerm wrote:

Crappie go to Gina Maria’s in EP over lunch. They don’t have cold slices that they heat up, they are fully cooked and kept in the warmer. But they are busy so they stay fresh and very good pizza for $7 with a pop.

You beat me to it BigWerm! I used to work in that area and miss Gina Maria’s GREATLY!

ThunderLund78 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Crappie go to Gina Maria’s in EP over lunch. They don’t have cold slices that they heat up, they are fully cooked and kept in the warmer. But they are busy so they stay fresh and very good pizza for $7 with a pop.

You beat me to it BigWerm! I used to work in that area and miss Gina Maria’s GREATLY!

yup i work just down the street and have been many times. its good pizza just not quite what im describing. they have a pep, saus, cheese, and pizza of the day options. what im thinking of is more the type of pizza parlor that has 12 different pizza slice options all day everyday and probably has about 40 different kinds of pizza options on their menu.

Up by Alexandria, (attn DT and Joe Scegura and others) The Pilot truck stop just NW of town on I94 has giant slices of pizza up front. I gotta hit that place if I’m near by. Spoiled my supper more than once.