[caladanbrood]

If you have drunk students neardy, then you're on for a winner, even if all you sell is human excrement and cauliflower. Not sure how likely that is in Bedford, however...

[alt146]

If you're still thinking aboout the pizzas of the world thing then I would suggest biltong and feta (or possibly avo) for a South African pizza, since that's always a favourite down here. I dunno how popular/available biltong is where you are, but I had a biltong pizza tonight and it was gooooood. Even more so if you've been drinking. Just make sure the biltong is in smallish pieces, as it also tends to pull all the chesse off if it's too big, same as bacon.

I also agree that the seemingly giant (but still small enough to eat most of it) idea is good, as is a system where the more you buy the cheaper it gets - a lot of people will order more if it means they get a better deal, especially on stuff like pizza which works well for leftovers.

The garlic finger things sound good (nothing like that over here) and I agree that a good garlic bread or foccacia (sp?) is a must since they're normally cheap but tasty.

Onlne ordering and a good delivery service will also make a big difference. A reasonably good computer science student could probably build your whole online ordering system (and would accept payment in pizza ) so I would not hesitate in getting a system like that.

Edit - and I agree, good on you for starting your own business.

This post has been edited by alt146: 22 June 2009 - 07:52 PM

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Mezla PigDog, on Jun 22 2009, 04:37 AM, said:

What about a decent and uncomplicated 'select your own topping' strategy? There is always something that I don't want on a pizza and always something I love that is missing. And I never order from those places with huge menus (like pizza, burger, kebabs and curry) because it just smacks of being a jack of all pizza's, master of none. Keep it simple - margerita, Hawaiian, something fishy, pepperoni, chicken something, meat feast, vegi and select-your-own.

Can you get Buffalo Wings outside of America? All of the sickly cheesy dressings you get in the US are not sold over here either. Those guys sure know how to pile the fat on a salad. Didn't Blue Cheese Dressing go out of fashion in the 80s over here? And I never saw a Ranch Dressing outside of the US.

I think most pizza places allow you to select your own toppings, at least over here. There are typically a bunch of options for specialty pizza, but you can alway just order specifically what you want. Blue Cheese is gross. No one eats ranch outside of the US? I did not know that. You guys are missing out. It's not the best used as an actual salad dressing, but dipping things in it is great.

And if buffalo wings are not served outside of the US, then this needs to change. So good. So, so good.

[Slum]

@RLY - I hear they prefer to dip their food in Marmite...


Ranch rules, and so does Blue Cheese!

[caladanbrood]

Slumgullion Spitteler, on Jun 22 2009, 09:58 PM, said:

Marmite...

Mmmmmmmm *drools*

[stone monkey]

Freak...

[Slow Ben]

alt146, on Jun 22 2009, 02:52 PM, said:

If you're still thinking aboout the pizzas of the world thing then I would suggest biltong and feta (or possibly avo) for a South African pizza, since that's always a favourite down here. I dunno how popular/available biltong is where you are, but I had a biltong pizza tonight and it was gooooood. Even more so if you've been drinking. Just make sure the biltong is in smallish pieces, as it also tends to pull all the chesse off if it's too big, same as bacon.

Sorry, off topic.

This must be an African thing. My gf's family loves this stuff and they think i'm weird cause i'm not crazy about it. Tastes like messed up beef jerky.



I had chicken wings when i was in Dublin, so they got'em there. and they were friggin amazing.

[masan's saddle]

You can get Buffalo wings in this country, usually served with celery and Blue cheese dip.They are lush. I eat them whenever I can and sometimes I become sick.

Oh and congrats on going out on your own Frook, good luck to you sir !

[alt146]

Raymond Luxury Yacht, on Jun 22 2009, 10:48 PM, said:

Mezla PigDog, on Jun 22 2009, 04:37 AM, said:

What about a decent and uncomplicated 'select your own topping' strategy? There is always something that I don't want on a pizza and always something I love that is missing. And I never order from those places with huge menus (like pizza, burger, kebabs and curry) because it just smacks of being a jack of all pizza's, master of none. Keep it simple - margerita, Hawaiian, something fishy, pepperoni, chicken something, meat feast, vegi and select-your-own.

Can you get Buffalo Wings outside of America? All of the sickly cheesy dressings you get in the US are not sold over here either. Those guys sure know how to pile the fat on a salad. Didn't Blue Cheese Dressing go out of fashion in the 80s over here? And I never saw a Ranch Dressing outside of the US.

I think most pizza places allow you to select your own toppings, at least over here. There are typically a bunch of options for specialty pizza, but you can alway just order specifically what you want. Blue Cheese is gross. No one eats ranch outside of the US? I did not know that. You guys are missing out. It's not the best used as an actual salad dressing, but dipping things in it is great.

And if buffalo wings are not served outside of the US, then this needs to change. So good. So, so good.

Buffalo wings are awesome -  they gotta be really spicy.  Yes we got them here too

Slow Ben, on Jun 22 2009, 11:37 PM, said:

alt146, on Jun 22 2009, 02:52 PM, said:

If you're still thinking aboout the pizzas of the world thing then I would suggest biltong and feta (or possibly avo) for a South African pizza, since that's always a favourite down here. I dunno how popular/available biltong is where you are, but I had a biltong pizza tonight and it was gooooood. Even more so if you've been drinking. Just make sure the biltong is in smallish pieces, as it also tends to pull all the chesse off if it's too big, same as bacon.

Sorry, off topic.

This must be an African thing. My gf's family loves this stuff and they think i'm weird cause i'm not crazy about it. Tastes like messed up beef jerky.

I had chicken wings when i was in Dublin, so they got'em there. and they were friggin amazing.

It must be a South African thing.  Everyone I know who's had jerky says it tastes like messed up biltong  And the chances of getting good biltong in the states is probably pretty low unless you actually know a bunch of Saffers.  Even then...

[frookenhauer]

Gosh! Even more responses than the last time, I knew I'd come to the right place! Okay from the top...

Stalker, cant wait to hear those pizza recipes, but that cold cheese pizza, i am a little worried cos mozzarella is very bland, but this could be remedied by having a blend of different cheeses to add more flavour.

Drek, you've touched upon one of my all time big gripes regarding pizzas, I have never come across a great seafood pizza, I would happily save two slots for a couple of seafood pizzas if some great ideas come up. Your point regarding carry out trade is something I agree with completely and while I would love to do it, I dont have the budget to open up a decent shop front place and ive got some excellent ideas, but nah, its going to be an industrial unit, white walls and tiles and all expenses spared. All the effort will go on product and service. and as soon as we are established then moving into a decent shop front will happen.

Mappo, that pizza...er it looks like a fried egg placed upon a layer of worms, and put through the oven. I am not overly keen on it, but thanks for the input. The whole egg thing is not...well, its just not what I would define as pizza, but as a favour to egg lovers I will keep some eggs as a reserve topping.

AIJs potato pizza, well if you could possibly give me more info I might be interested.

Way to go RLY, you have some great ideas. A lot of it is par for the course, but I'd forgotten to add red onions to the ingredients list. Buffalo wings will most definitely be a part of my enterprise. As for crust dunkin dips, yup they will be there as will ranch dressing I have it on all my subway subs, yummers. Your alfredo sauce is genius mate, thanks. The dominos franchise I work in has hardly any crust these days, which is a shame cos the crust tastes good. Thanks for the salads heads up. I will have standard garden salad, caesar and greek to begin with and see if they are sellers, but I have a feeling that I might end up throwing out...or having my family eat salads a lot. Giant pizzas...hell yeah! No one does a decent 18 inch pizza, so i could really have this as my niche, possibly.

Mez, create your owns are very common unless you are in a restaurant, where they get all snooty about changing the toppings on something they've taken ages to balance correctly...whatever. And buffalo wings and ranch sauce have made i safely across the pond.

Thelomen, the garlic and herb dip is awesome, it's by far the best dip ever and i plan to have a very close copy of this in my arsenal...hopefully. I'll call it something original like the garlic and herb dip. The cheese problem, cheese is really, really expensive and the balance has got to be right cos you can actually have too much cheese, it tends to get very stringy and tough. i have over the years, past history mostly, become quite adept at putting on the right amount of cheese and only die hard cheese fans will take umbrage at my cheese coverage...hopefully.

Cerveza, yup, the crust is something I'm actually quite worried about and will spend a lot of time on. What I want is a low fat and sodium base for health reasons an refuse to go down Pizza Huts route of high salt pizzas, they have twice the daily recommended salt in each serving, how scary is that? we are making the dough ourselves and Ive seen a few recipes that i'm willing to try, but I need to create a proofing method that will work, cos unproofed dough is garbage. I am closely looking at how dominos does it, but I have a feeling their salt content is too high, but it tastes excellent. The garlic fingers are good stuff, I've had them a couple of times and will be able to shift a few of them I'm sure. Garlic bacon fingers? who'da thunk? but the free garlic fingers idea is great....with dips.

Abyss, i will have all the different types of crust as much as possible, but wholegrain? Maybe I'll set up a weight watchers pizza with ultra low fat mozzy on wholegrain witha choice of toppings...Good call. With regards to a hot sauce, i was planning on normal, sun dried tomato and garlic, Hot piri piri, BBQ to begin with. Again a good call with the southern fried chicken, but i'll have to play with this cos we've tried it before and the chicken pieces with no crumb coating can be bland, so might pressure fry thin strips of chicken and slice them up, should work this time around. The names are excellent, but no one outside of this community will get it and unfortunately I want those buggers' cash money.

At last a Chicagonite, hey Veng. So that's what a Chicago style pizza is. I'd assumed they were like the Chicago town pizzas we buy frozen over here. I am guessing that the sauce is thinner than the norm and literally poured over and 'jiggled' to even it out. With regards to having decent pizzas, well, as long as the crust is great, the toppings are fresh and good quality and the sauce is just right...Then having quality across the range is going to be possible, but too many ideas can spoil things, I agree. I'm thinking a dozen main pizzas and a couple of guests and a create your own. Cheers mate.

Hey stormy, an upside down pizza will, if it ever reaches the shores of my shop will have to be a guest pizza. The Pizza unit is something we are looking at this week, hopefully Thursday. i'm wasting tomorrow evening on taking my erstwhile partner to a place called Wing, population...roughly 200. Some idiots been filling my partnrs head with ideas to open up a place there. So i'm going to show him the place and make him change his dumbass mind. He says that the place is crying out for a takeaway...Just like every hamlet in England that is filled with lazy yokels. if not I'll just deck him and tell him I am the leader. I am looking for a small place with low rent and white tiles everywhere...the words low cost are very important as our budget and a shoe and a string are words that go together.

I will take biltong under advisement, I doubt I'll be able to get any of any decency in England, Feta though, will definitely, be a part of the menu Alt.

Flipping 'eck, I'm bushed and I haven't even started the business yet. I must say working at Dominos has wiped away all the sparkly images of opening up a pizza place. It is tough work cos you have the oven and the warming rack and the phones ringing constantly, but I am actually very happy. Being a Financial Adviser was all good and that, but I reckon I'm going to have a real good crack having a go at a pizza place of mine own. You guys are being brilliant and the ideas are fantastic. Its really good to see what the world is doing and I reckon by the end of this there will be some Pizzas that us Brits will not have seen and this will be what makes the business.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I would go 20 inch instead of 18. Come up with a fun name for it, other than extra large. The town I went to college in had a pizza place called wiseguy's, they sold a 20 inch pizza called the untouchable. Pure win.

Regarding crust, offer different thicknesses - thin, handtossed, pan, etc.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Frookenhauer, on Jun 23 2009, 10:25 AM, said:

AIJs potato pizza, well if you could possibly give me more info I might be interested.

Here's a recipe:

You need:
1 pizza base
Tomato paste
Several cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
Fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
Sea salt
Olive oil
1 Desiree potato (cut into paper thin slices)
Mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (grated)

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Combine garlic, rosemary, sea salt and olive oil in a small bowl, set aside.

Smear pizza base with a very thin layer of tomato paste.

Drizzle some of the garlic mixture over base.

Scatter a light layer of cheese on top.

Arrange potato slices over cheese so that maximum surface area is covered but no potato overlaps.

Drizzle remaining garlic mixture over potatoes, also paying attention to the edges of the pizza.

Scatter a final thin layer of cheese.

Place in oven - on a pre-heated pizza stone if possible - for approximately ten minutes, or until potato is golden brown.

(For a tasty variation try scattering a few anchovies or pieces of pepperoni on the top.)

If you need any other information, don't hesitate to ask.

[Abyss]

Frookenhauer, on Jun 22 2009, 08:25 PM, said:

...
Drek, you've touched upon one of my all time big gripes regarding pizzas, I have never come across a great seafood pizza, I would happily save two slots for a couple of seafood pizzas if some great ideas come up. ...

I had an awersome one in Montreal - it was baby shrimp, chunks of lobster, red pepper, alfredo sauce and a scattering of parmesan and romano cheese.

Quote

Mappo, that pizza...er it looks like a fried egg placed upon a layer of worms, and put through the oven. I am not overly keen on it, but thanks for the input. The whole egg thing is not...well, its just not what I would define as pizza, but as a favour to egg lovers I will keep some eggs as a reserve topping.

I was always sceptical about the egg on pizza thing but a year in Australia converted me.

Quote

AIJs potato pizza, well if you could possibly give me more info I might be interested.

I've had this. It can be quite good provided the potatoes are not too big (thin slices of small chunks) and well seasoned.

Quote

Way to go RLY, ...Buffalo wings will most definitely be a part of my enterprise. ...

what sort of sick genetically engineered buffalos are you working with??!?!?!
just kidding.

Quote

...Cerveza, ...Garlic bacon fingers? who'da thunk? but the free garlic fingers idea is great....with dips.

SOLD!

Quote

Abyss, i will have all the different types of crust as much as possible, but wholegrain? Maybe I'll set up a weight watchers pizza with ultra low fat mozzy on wholegrain witha choice of toppings...Good call.

I'm loath to admit this but tasty yet healthy pizza is, probably, a product with a demand.

Quote

With regards to a hot sauce, i was planning on normal, sun dried tomato and garlic, Hot piri piri, BBQ to begin with. Again a good call with the southern fried chicken, but i'll have to play with this cos we've tried it before and the chicken pieces with no crumb coating can be bland, so might pressure fry thin strips of chicken and slice them up, should work this time around.

yeah, i agree you need the coating for it to work. i've had something similar, basically breaded chicken breasts sliced and the whole thing slathered in buffalo sauce instead of tomato sauce and it was good - too greasy but then, it was bad crust, bad sauce and if i had been sober i may have been more critical.

Quote

The names are excellent, but no one outside of this community will get it and unfortunately I want those buggers' cash money.

- Abyss, still says 'Pizzahunters' has potential...

[Zanth13]

name it "that pizza place"

[cerveza_fiesta]

Quote

Cerveza, yup, the crust is something I'm actually quite worried about and will spend a lot of time on. What I want is a low fat and sodium base for health reasons an refuse to go down Pizza Huts route of high salt pizzas, they have twice the daily recommended salt in each serving, how scary is that? we are making the dough ourselves and Ive seen a few recipes that i'm willing to try, but I need to create a proofing method that will work, cos unproofed dough is garbage. I am closely looking at how dominos does it, but I have a feeling their salt content is too high, but it tastes excellent. The garlic fingers are good stuff, I've had them a couple of times and will be able to shift a few of them I'm sure. Garlic bacon fingers? who'da thunk? but the free garlic fingers idea is great....with dips.

That's good. I know what you mean about pizza hut crust. Can't fucking stand when my pizza tastes like some idiot spilled the salt shaker onto it before giving it to me. I'm very selective about pizza and am down to really only about 1 or 2 in my city that I can stand anymore. Mainly because of dough. I guess most people aren't as picky as me but still, if you have good dough it gives you a solid reputation in the pizza biz.

I really think with the increased consciousness and general movement toward healthy eating lately you could make a very good business case on "healthy dough" or somesuch. I mean, it really doesn't have to be all that special, but if you can include ground flaxseed or extra fibre or something you'd have something to set you apart from the regular pizza joints. Plus, if you "fortified" your dough you could label it as such and have it on your advertising like "home of the low-carb dough" or "heart-healthy pizza". As long as it tastes as good or better than regular dough it would take off like crazy.

RE Garlic fingers + bacon, it truly, truly is divine. Plus if your area doesn't have them yet, it could be a specialty that sets you apart right from the get-go. Just give them away free for a bit to get people hooked and then start charging later.

RE other pizzas: One of my vegetarian friends' biggest gripes is the lack of a veg pizza that doesn't taste like complete ass. A good vegy pizza would tie in nicely with the healthy dough (above) and net you a niche market.

[Vengeance]

Frookenhauer, on Jun 22 2009, 07:25 PM, said:

At last a Chicagonite, hey Veng. So that's what a Chicago style pizza is. I'd assumed they were like the Chicago town pizzas we buy frozen over here. I am guessing that the sauce is thinner than the norm and literally poured over and 'jiggled' to even it out. With regards to having decent pizzas, well, as long as the crust is great, the toppings are fresh and good quality and the sauce is just right...Then having quality across the range is going to be possible, but too many ideas can spoil things, I agree. I'm thinking a dozen main pizzas and a couple of guests and a create your own. Cheers mate.

Frook this is what a the Art of Pizza's pizza looks like. As you can tell it is a pile of deliciousness.

Please for the love of god (who is a pizza lover) DON"T MAKE A CRUST ANYTHING LIKE PIZZA HUTS or DOMINO"S. You don't want your pizza to be anything like the major chains. It has to be different and more tasty. Being a pizza snob means I never eat at chain restaurants. Living in the greatest pizza city in the world helps too...

[Vengeance]

If you want to make a vegan pizza then from what I hear this is one of the top spots...


Tomatoe joes in Cali


At the very least they have a microbrew beer crust...

[Vengeance]

Frook I would suggest making a lot of different crusts and making sure to write down what you are using for each one. Find the ones that work for the type of pizza that you are going to make then go with it. It will probably take a lot of trial and error but it will be well worth it. You should also do the same thing with the sauce.

[Thelomen Toblerone]

I dont know what they do to Pizza Hut bases to make the dough so greasy, but DON'T DO THAT. I hate getting pizza hut for that reason, a mate told me they fry them in oil and I could believe it, it's just not tasty.

Domino's is ok but by no means a world-beater, I always get it though cos the gf loves it. The best is a little place near me that does the greatest pizza deals ever, their toppings arent great but they do the best value deals and their dough is just amazing.

[Abyss]

Vengeance, on Jun 23 2009, 10:46 AM, said:

...

Frook this is what a the Art of Pizza's pizza looks like. As you can tell it is a pile of deliciousness.

Please for the love of god (who is a pizza lover) DON"T MAKE A CRUST ANYTHING LIKE PIZZA HUTS or DOMINO"S. You don't want your pizza to be anything like the major chains. It has to be different and more tasty. Being a pizza snob means I never eat at chain restaurants. Living in the greatest pizza city in the world helps too...

Am i the only one who thinks this looks like Venge vomitted on a za crust?

But yeah, crust is critical (there's your name, Frook', 'CRUST IS CRITICAL'!).

And weird, because so many places have different ideas of what za crust should be, from the overly thickza to the wafer thinza to everything in betweenza. I give the ZaHut mild credit because they do deep dish, regular and thin, so at least you get a choice in your saltbread.

I i have to admit that when inebriated, the Hut's stuffed crust is just awesome. Gross when sober, but damn, that cheesey filling is like finding a seventh beer in your six-pack when under the influence.


Speaking of za crust (yes T3, i am doing that on purpose), for what it's worth, some places around here have been doing this thing where they press out the crust, half-bake it, and when an order comes in they load it up and bake the za the rest of the way. I, personally, find this heretical and less tasty, altho others with less refined palates insist it makes no difference to the ultimate za (there's another one Frook: 'ULTIMATE PIZZA'!!!!) (it demands extra !!!s).

- Abyss, prefers when the za crust has been thrown in the air repeatedly.