Customer Reviews

How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great book whether you really want to open a pizzeria or just want to know what goes on behind the counter. I fall into the second category - I'm always interested in how other businesses are run.

The first few chapters will help you understand if owning a pizza restaurant, or indeed any kind of business, makes sense for you. It clearly lays out the skills and talents you need and the first steps to make your business successful.

Read it from cover to cover. Every little detail is in here. What kind of oven should you buy? How should your menu look? Will you offer delivery? How will you evaluate employees? There are even about 70 recipes to get you started.

Most people who go into the pizza business probably won't read this book. Reading it will give you a leg up on the competition. They may have good recipes and a strong work ethic, but they'll struggle with bookkeeping, marketing, and so on. Meanwhile you have the answers from this book, or you know where you get them (from resources listed in the book). It includes a companion CD-ROM that includes all the forms, worksheets, and recipes.

I highly recommend it.

As a business owner who has looked closely at opening a restaurant, I find Henkel and Brown's book to be the best single-volume insight into that process. The authors take the reader from the typical but business-flawed dreams of restaurant ownership through each step of the process. Those painstaking details, which are so accurately and thoroughly presented in the book, are truly invaluable for anyone considering a career as a restaurateur.

Most importantly, the authors have already conducted their readers' market analysis: by limiting their analysis to a specific type of restaurant, they provide readers with information that is specific to their concerns. The book's twenty-three chapters cover every important aspect of the process, from buying a shop, to bookkeeping, to marketing, and to dealing with the local food and health safety officials. The CD-ROM that is included with the book features an editable business plan.

In short, this is a must-have for anyone even remotely considering opening a restaurant. Buy it, learn, and be successful!

There are plenty of books on the market which cover how to open a general restaurant and a few which even address high-class establishments; but pizza and sub venues are different and need the close inspection of a subject-specific treatment. That's why How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant stands out from the crowd: with its companion cd-rom of all forms in the book plus an editable business plan in Word, it offers the specifics neeeded to tailor a plan to such a venue, from incorporating a wood fire stove into a structure to sales analysis and successful employee relations. A 'must' for any would-be pizza or sub shop owner or franchisee.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch

Occasionally there comes a movie, play, poem or book that one considers world-class, memorable, and a must-see or must-read. Well, this book, How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant, is one rare example of a `"how-to" book that is world-class and must be read.

Whether you want to open a pizza restaurant, a gastropub, or just test out the collection of great recipes (pizza dough, pizza sauce, breakfast pan pizza, calzone, ravioli, Greek sandwich heroes, lemon Italian Ice, etc., etc.) this book is definitely a winner. I enjoyed it as much as for the read as for the information and advice that it imparts, and that information and advice is not at all scanty.

Authors Henkel and Brown start at the beginning, with the history of pizza in the United States and the process of decision making, and cover virtually all of the bases. They discuss issues of shop purchase and set up, menu and recipe development, safety and sanitation, kitchen management, pizza delivery, and all other issues germane to establishing and operating (and ultimately selling) a pizza and sub shop.

This is one incredible book!

There was very little new information here. My biggest dissapoitment is that the book seems to focus more on buying an existing pizza franchise as opposed to opening up your own business from scratch. A lot of the information is very vague and general. I mean I guess it couldnt hurt to have many reference books at your disposal, but this one by itself most definitely does not do the trick.

Henkel and Brown seem to understand that Pizza is one of the top comfort foods of America. They tease you with recipes, teach you a history lesson that will allow you to win Final Jeopardy someday, then convince you that yes, you too could open a successful Pizza and Sub Restaurant. And, did I mention that they do it in a way that isn't belabored, or a do-it-yourself for dummies? No, they talk about everything, location, set up, menu selection, unicode and health department issues, and all the other liabilities that owning a pizza/sub shop brings mind. But, while they mention it all, they continue to tell you that you can do it, and you can be successful. The book is written to energize and motivate so that when you take the plunge and start to form your own company, not only will the pizza be great - so will your bottom line.

This guide is packed full of step-by-step instructions for the creation of a pizza business. The authors cite many resources throughout the book, and describe each step effectively, using clear language. The pros and cons of purchasing a franchise versus creating or buying an independent pizza shop are covered. The section on pizza recipes and recipe development is the best part of the book. If you especially enjoy the cooking part of the business, this is an interesting read, as it outlines the science and research that has gone into what makes a good pizza. There are even recipes included for dough, sauce, toppings, and other food offering possibilities for your pizza business.

This well researched guide includes sections on every possible aspect of the pizza business, from financial management, to licensing and permits, and even employee relations and safety concerns. There is also an integrated CD that provides computer ready copies of the forms and checklists covered in the book.

I can't think of any information in this book that was helpful to me. It is so basic and elementary that you thumb through the book thinking your 12 year old daughter could be more insightful.

This was worth the time to read if you are or ever will be interested in how to open a pizzeria. It has every detail on how to run your business to include a checklist on whether you are the right person for the business. The included CD ROM with all the lists and pertinent information in the book was an awesome addition. The business plan was also very helpful.

All in all a good book if you are new to the pizza business and looking for a map to opening your own.

Shri L Henkel and Douglas R. Brown have produced a phenomenal book on how to not only open a Pizza and Sub Restaurant but on how to be successful financially in starting this type of business.

Great details have been provided in every phase of the business process from research gathering to the actual operations of the business including how to budget and control your costs, techniques on marketing the business as well as being aware of governmental requirements whether federal , state or local.

This book of instructions and guidelines will assist anyone in becoming successful in the Pizza & Sub Restaurant business if they are willing to follow the suggestions and advice the authors provide in this book. The CD included with the book is an added plus in that it provides all the necessary forms that are mentioned in the book. What better way to provide Readers with something they can use in the start-up and progress of their business.