cost effective pizza

[jordang]

Has anyone in the business of selling pizza at festivals and fairs and such done the figuring of how much $$$ you have per pizza and how much it sold for? Gross vs net.

[GianaJay's]

Re: cost effective pizza

Great question, i also would like to know an answer to this!

[Paul_H]

Re: cost effective pizza

I'd suggest creating a simple spread sheet to figure out the costs. You can put in a table of the unit costs for the ingredients, then use the data in those cells to divide by the qty of each ingredient you use for your pizza and total up the unit prices per pizza. Anyone who wants to start and keep running a successful business has to be able to run their numbers to figure out if they are making a profit. By putting some effort into creating the spreadsheet, you can easily compare the affect of changing ingredient costs on your profitability.

Everyone uses slightly different recipes and has different costs for ingredients, so you really need to run the numbers for the price of your ingredients and your recipes.

Don't forget to account for costs of the occasional pizza that gets burnt or is unsold.

[GianaJay's]

Re: cost effective pizza

I personally have already made a spreadsheet and I do know my cost per pizza. I guess I was wanting to hear someone else's information. like how many pizzas do they sell, and how many people worked for the event. I am trying to figure out how many pies I shou be prepared to make, so I don't have a lot of waste, or worse run way short and not be able to meet demand. With only fresh ingredients this makes planning very important. Thanks

[JAG]

Re: cost effective pizza

Finding the cost of you pizza should be the first thing you do, before anything, then you need to figure your cost of operation, i.e. food costs, payroll, entrance fees, licenses and so on. This will tell you what you price your pies at to make x amount of dollars assuming x amount of sales. This is the quick and dirty, it is usually more detailed.

At our market we consistanly do 140-150 8"-9" pies in 3 hrs. We also do a few local wineries every week, which do anywhere from 50 to 120 pies in 3hrs. After a few runs at the same events you get a feel for what you will sell. If you are doing a market that has been operating for a few years ask what their attendance is. This will give you a rough guestimate as to what you will be up against, but at our market we have people who will leave with mulitple pies to take home for their family, we even have one lady who comes weekly and will take orders for her neighbors, she typically leaves with 8-10 pies, so, attendance to pies ratio can become skewed.

At our market we do 5 people, wineries 4 (combining front and cut)
1 front
2 makers
1 oven
1 cut, finish toppings, plate

[david s]

Re: cost effective pizza

My oven is small (21") and works best one pizza at a time. Using my little fire holder enables me to maximise floor area and prevent burnt edges on the pizza base close to the fire. it also enable me to cook larger pizzas.
I did a party last night of around 60 people and cooked 35 9" pizzas. When they emerge from the oven every two minutes the guests share whatever comes out and therefore eat way less. I worked the oven, dressed, cut and plated them and had an assistant doing prep.
It was a pretty cruisey night.

[kkgator]

Re: cost effective pizza

Managing a restaurant by Day & running my own catering business on week-ends, I can tell you that you should be marking up for final cost 100%. You food cost should run 30% or less, & your labor should run 20% or less & those are pretty much industry standards.

Some festivals charge a flat entry fee & as well as farmer's market. You should factor in your wood cost & event cost as well.

I pay $15 every Saturday or $40/month at my local farmer's market. You should also not try to "price" yourself out of the market either.

Keep mind you are receiving advertising $$$ as well when at an event.

I usually sell a 10"-12" cheese for $7, a veggie (2 choices) for $8, & a meat & 2 veggie for $9. Additional toppings or special splits $1 additional.

[kkgator]

Re: cost effective pizza

I usually run the Farmer's Market or private catering events with (3) ppl. Larger events or events where speed is crucial I will run 4-5ppl.

[GianaJay's]

Re: cost effective pizza

Thanks everyone! This information really is very helpful, in my planning. My next challenge is getting a meeting with our local Health Dept. and getting everything approved before we buy items that we may not be able to use.

[woodoveneats]

Re: cost effective pizza

We have sold foods at festivals for several years, but are new to using our WFO at festivals. Best we can determine, our cost for a 10" pie is about $0.85, basic 1-2 topping pie. Typical price point at a festival for "a meal" is $8-10. We have about 6 festivals already scheduled starting 3/15. I will try to remember to update you on our success