8 Common Mistakes Pizzeria Owners Make (And How to Fix Them)
Running a successful pizza business comes with its fair share of challenges, and even seasoned owners can fall victim to common pizzeria business mistakes. From mismanaging the customer experience to falling behind on the latest technology, these errors can add up quickly. To help you stay on track, we've identified eight critical mistakes pizzeria owners make and provided solutions to turn things around for long-term success.
1. Not Prioritizing the Customer Experience
The Mistake
Many pizzeria owners are laser-focused on food quality but forget that customer experience extends beyond the pizza. If your customers are met with long wait times, poor service, or uncomfortable dining spaces, they might not return—no matter how great your pizza is. Customer expectations today include smooth and seamless service from the moment they enter your restaurant (or place an order) until they leave or receive their delivery.
The Fix
To fix this problem and improve the customer experience, evaluate every touchpoint in your customer journey. Customer experience mapping can help you document every aspect of the customer's experience from their point of view. By reviewing each stage and interaction with your pizzeria, you can improve the experience and raise customer satisfaction. Check out our article Using Customer Experience Mapping in Your Pizza Business for more advice on mapping the customer journey to improve the customer experience.
2. Inconsistent Branding and Messaging
The Mistake
Pizzeria owners often overlook the importance of consistent branding and messaging across all platforms. Inconsistent colors, logos, messaging, or tone between your website, social media, and in-store marketing can confuse customers and weaken your brand. A strong, recognizable brand is essential for customer loyalty and attracting new diners.
The Fix
Start by defining your brand's story, voice, and visual identity. Ensure these elements are reflected consistently across all your marketing channels—from your website and social media pages to in-store signage and packaging. Invest in professional branding materials to maintain consistency in your logo, color scheme, and font choices. Regularly audit your messaging to align with your pizzeria's values and mission. We recently concluded a 6-article series on pizzeria branding, so check out the last article with tips to improve brand experience for links to all the rest.
3. Falling Behind on the Latest Tech
The Mistake
Technology in the pizza industry is rapidly changing, from online ordering platforms to advanced kitchen equipment. Falling behind on the latest tech can hinder operational efficiency, impact customer satisfaction, and make it harder to stay competitive. Many pizza businesses stick with outdated systems that can't keep up with the demands of modern customers—whether that's slow internet speeds, limited phone systems, or unoptimized online ordering platforms.
The Fix
Staying ahead means regularly assessing your tech stack and upgrading when necessary. Tools that improve speed, reliability, and customer satisfaction should be at the top of your list.
One way to future-proof your operations is by integrating Watchdog Pizza Pro, a device that merges caller ID, multi-carrier LTE failover, SD-WAN, firewall protection, and Quality of Service (QoS) into one seamless system. Here's how Watchdog Pizza Pro can help:
By embracing technology like Watchdog Pizza Pro, you'll enhance your operations and improve customer satisfaction. If you'd like to learn more, contact the Clarity Voice team.
4. Not Tracking Menu Preferences
The Mistake
Failing to keep up with menu trends and customer preferences is a big mistake for pizzeria owners. Did you know that New York-style pizza is America's #1 pizza style? Or that another top trend is blending cheeses to create a unique taste and stand out from the competition? These national trends, highlighted by Pizza Today, are shaping the industry.
However, many pizzerias don't track national trends or even their own customers' preferences via sales data. Missing out on these insights means you're not catering to your customers or keeping up with industry shifts, which can hurt sales and customer loyalty.
The Fix
To stay competitive, try to balance popular national trends while focusing on what your customers love most. Keep an eye on industry publications to learn about trends and consider experimenting with something new. Meanwhile, track your own sales data to understand what's popular locally. Regularly reviewing your menu based on national trends and customer data will keep your offerings fresh while ensuring you're delivering what your customers want.
5. Inadequate Management of Food and Labor Costs
The Mistake
One of the most common reasons pizzerias struggle financially is a failure to manage food and labor costs. Without closely monitoring inventory, food waste, or staff scheduling, costs can quickly spiral out of control. Many pizzeria owners don't regularly review these metrics, which can lead to shrinking margins and cash flow problems.
The Fix
Implement a system to track food costs and reduce waste. Use inventory management software to ensure you're ordering the right amount of ingredients and minimizing spoilage. Regularly audit your menu to ensure you're pricing items appropriately based on ingredient costs.
On the labor side, optimize staff scheduling to avoid overstaffing during slow hours and understaffing during peak times. We previously wrote an article on optimizing employee scheduling at a pizzeria, which you can read here.
6. Poor Phone Training
The Mistake
While online ordering is on the rise, phone orders remain the most popular way customers place orders, with 39% of orders coming in by phone, compared to 34% through online systems. Yet, many pizzerias neglect proper phone training. This results in poor customer interactions, wrong orders, and missed opportunities. If your staff doesn't know how to handle phone orders efficiently, you risk negative customer experiences and lost revenue.
The Fix
Investing in phone training ensures that every call is handled professionally and accurately. Start by training your staff on the basics of phone etiquette, including greeting customers warmly, taking orders correctly, and confirming details before ending the call.
Additionally, technology like PizzaPhones® can help improve training. For example, call recording allows you to check how calls are handled and use the best examples in customer training. Meanwhile, call coaching tools enable you to monitor in real-time and even whisper to the employee or join the call. Proper training combined with the right tools can elevate your phone interactions and keep customers happy.
7. Not Using or Optimizing Online Ordering
The Mistake
Despite the increase of digital solutions in the pizza industry, 23.4% of pizzerias still do not offer online ordering. This is a huge missed opportunity because online ordering increases customer spending by 18% on average.
However, even pizzeria owners who offer online ordering often fail to optimize it fully. A clunky interface, lack of payment options, or failure to link with loyalty programs can lead to missed revenue and frustrated customers.
The Fix
If you don't already have online ordering, it's time to invest in it. But simply having a system isn't enough—it must be optimized for a seamless customer experience. Ensure the platform is user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and offers multiple payment options. Incorporate deals and coupons and link the online ordering system with your loyalty program to encourage repeat business. A fast, easy-to-navigate system will boost both sales and customer satisfaction.
8. Missed Orders
The Mistake
Missed orders can happen for various reasons—busy signals, long hold times, understaffed phone lines, or even technical glitches. Every missed order is a missed opportunity regarding revenue and customer satisfaction. Regularly missing orders can lead to frustrated customers who may not return and could even damage your pizzeria's reputation.
The Fix
The first step is to ensure you have enough staff to handle peak order times, but you also need the right technology to prevent missed calls and streamline your ordering process.
A cloud phone system like PizzaPhones® gives you unlimited lines so customers never hear a busy signal. You also get features like call queues (to manage high call volumes) and on-hold messaging (to keep customers engaged while they wait and promote deals and upsells). Additionally, integrating your cloud phone system with your POS allows for smoother, faster order processing, ensuring no details are missed. By combining adequate staffing with the right technology (like PizzaPhones®!), you can ensure that every call is answered, every order is captured, and every customer leaves satisfied.
Avoiding These Pizzeria Business Mistakes
Avoiding these common pizzeria business mistakes can make all the difference in sales and customer satisfaction. Whether it's improving the customer experience, leveraging the latest technology, or optimizing operations, addressing these issues can help you run a more efficient and profitable business.
Choose one area from this list that you think could be improved in your pizzeria and start making changes today. We wish you success as you strengthen your pizza business and grow your customer base!