Anyone here ever own,run or work in a pizza joint?Good risk to get into?

[BrentCrude]

Sure,pizza ingredients have probably gone up a little but your average large pickup with no real extra-extra toppings is about $15 now at Domino's.It's east to find 2-1 coupons on the back of supermarket receipts though.A good substitute is making your own pizza with 44 cent pizza crust mix,industrial strength size Raggu pizza sauce from Sam's club with misscut pepperoni slices at $5.59 for 2 pounds and Mozzarella I just saw at $2.79 a pound yet.It's not parlor quality but at about $2 a pizza it's pretty good these days.

Regulations and ordinances where you have to jump through hoops to get a pizza joint up and running must be difficult these days?Someone here had a post the other day asking what business opportunity is the best to get into these days.Maybe just have a hole in the wall pizza delivery and pickup right off a college campus might be lucrative?A guy I know that dabbles in used equipment told me that the mixers and crust makers are really expensive even compared to the ovens.

So,is there any pizza expert that either owned,ran or worked in a parlor think that setting up just a pickup and delivery near a college would go over well?Or maybe right next to a large Indian casino-hotel complex?Ya right,as if the Indians would want a gringo running in and out of the place making wampum off their customers.

In good times people eat pizza like hogs and in bad time they do the same.It seems like a recession-depression proof business.

[maniac0201]

I never have, but college kids like pizza.

[etothep]

managed a CiCi's Pizza when I took a year off from school & there is definitely money there (especially one that delivers near a college campus). You can get cheap help (youngsters who would get a decent amount of their pay via tips) & the ingredients are cheap since ordered in bulk. Keep it greasy & market to the collegiate crowd (keeping open past 2 for the bar crowd & stoners). Money to be had there if you can afford to get it started up.

[onthewhat]

i deliver in a college town and make 20 buck an hour

[jjgold]

Depends where you are, populated areas with Spanish and Italians you have a shot and NEED parking, might be better to buy one already established. Food business mainly fail though

[gm2022]

Depends where you are, populated areas with Spanish and Italians you have a shot and NEED parking, might be better to buy one already established. Food business mainly fail though

You need money to be able to run one of these, In San Fran theres one on every corner and at 2am it was the best, grad a slice a drink for 2-3 bucks. Like JJ said its all about location!

[Willie Bee]

I worked in one at night one summer between college terms, Brent. Mainly took the job so that I wouldn't be able to go out at night and spend the money I'd earned during my day job. One thing about any food business like that is it's a ton of hours. If you don't mind that, then it's probably a fairly lucrative deal.

[pico]

they take bets and sell drugs. no way to make money cooking pies.

[pico]

no way to make descent money

[Sforz]

I own and operate pizza joints...

margins are a lot smaller than they were.
You'd be surprised how many people pay for checks smaller than $20 with a debit or credit card... it used to be a lot of green, now it's all plastic. If you plan on being a family man, it's no life to live. From my experience, to have a solid operation, you need to open and close the place everyday that it's open. Managers are the biggest thieves.
If you do open the place, be sure to put in cameras. Well worth the investment, trust me.

[bmw530i]

My friend Rosario his father has owned a pizzeria in The Caldwells for like 20 years, it's packed anytime I drive by. Again what JJ said is very true location means so much. Also Jersey....is the pizza sauce stained wife beater capital of the world...fu gedda boud it..

[Kingctb27]

F'n A I am in college and Pizza is by far the best food. There are about 10 mom and pop stores here besides the pizzahut/paja johns chains. They all seem to be doing fine.

Hell, we got 8 pizza boxes stacked up in our living room right now. Need to take that trash out.

[louisvillekid]

John Schnatter who started Papa John's, he bought an old oven and converted a broom closet in his fathers bar in S. Indiana to make room for the oven and started by selling pizzas out of his dads bar.

[bleuze]

Good buisness when I owned one in the 1980s. However, down you should consider the following:
1. location
2. time it takes to cook compared to fast food
3. health kick at the moment
4. in addition to the above

[fiveteamer]

The cost of cheese will kill your business.

Also, you can buy excellent frozen pizza's for under $5.

[jtuck]

they take bets and sell drugs. no way to make money cooking pies.

Great description of the Little Ceasars we have. Unfortunately they got busted.