Does your convenience store offer frozen pizza? If not, you’re missing out on some great profit margins. Frozen pizza can offer profits of up to 57 percent. Since most convenience store food items only offer a profit of about 27 percent, you stand to make significantly more money by establish a program with a pizza distributor.
Here are our best tips for creating or improving your convenience store pizza program.
How to add a pizza program to your store
Before you settle on a pizza program, make sure your store can support it. Here are the top three factors to consider when you’re adding pizza:
- Equipment: You’ll need pizza ovens and adequate refrigeration space when you start a pizza program. They both come with a significant price tag, so you should consider whether your store can afford to take on these up-front equipment costs. How will it affect your bottom line?
- Labor: Next, consider how much additional labor and training you’ll need. Since we’re in the middle of a pandemic, the labor force has been reduced. Health restrictions limit how many people can be working in one place (and how close together) at any given time. Can you afford to add more labor costs, or will that make it financially impossible?
- Space: Finally, make sure your store has enough space. It takes at least 100 square feet to install a pizza station. Measure that out in your store and determine how that will affect your store’s layout and traffic flow. If you have a small store, it may not be worth taking away space from other items.
Improve your existing pizza program
Here are some ways you can revitalize your existing pizza program:
- Grab and go offerings: Convenience is key, so make sure you have plenty of grab and go items. Breakfast pizza, breadsticks, garlic knots and other creative, easy snacks will encourage impulse purchases.
- Discount programs: Make sure you attract customers with a great discount, like buy-one-get-one specials, or a percentage off with a fuel purchase. Once your customers find out just how good your pizza is, they’ll come back for more. Loyalty programs are also great ways to keep them coming back—a free pizza for every 10 fuel refills or pizza purchases ensures they’ll keep patronizing your store.
- Limited time pizzas: Creating a sense of urgency encourages pizza purchases. Have a rotating “limited time only” recipe every few weeks or once per month. For best results, make it a little more creative than your standard selections.
- Artisan toppings: Finally, try adding artisan toppings to your menu. Fancy cheese, bacon, spinach and unique vegetables can set your pizzas apart. You can also offer exotic combinations like fig, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar.
Adding pizza to your store—or revamping the pizza program you already have—is an excellent way to increase your profits. As long as you have the space and labor, it can be a great investment. Call Giovanni’s Frozen Pizza to partner with a frozen pizza distributor today.