Pizza. It seems like a no-brainer for a business. 93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month and the industry is valued at $45 billion. There are more than 75,000 pizzerias in the U.S. and almost one-third are chains, like Antioch Pizza Shop. However, loving pizza and knowing how to start a pizza business are two different things, so we’re providing you with a guide on what you need to know for opening a pizza shop.
What Style of Pizza Shop Will You Open?
The type of pizzeria you want to open determines every other factor in your business plan and accounts for every expense in your business. With some exceptions, there are three main choices for how to start a pizza shop:
- Traditional dine-in restaurants, likely with takeout and delivery services
- Takeout and delivery service only with limited or no inside dining
- Mobile restaurant or food truck
Antioch Pizza Shop also offers an express restaurant which we detail later.
Key Ingredients in Opening a Pizza Shop
As you go through this information, get a quote on the cost of these items as you will need to include with your business plan.
Equipment Needs
Some equipment options for a pizza shop include:
- Refrigeration equipment
- Dough preparation equipment: dough sheeters, presses, proofing cabinets, and mixers
- Set-up equipment: dishwasher, counter and sink, storage cabinets, and cupboards
- Pizza ovens, pans, trays, meat cutters and slicers, graters, and shredders
- Restaurant chairs, tables, counter, and tablecloths, display cabinetry, and garbage cans
- Basic supplies: pizza cutters, cutting boards, serving utensils, napkins, disposable cutlery, and plates
- Serving supplies: pizza stands, pizza boxes, and pizza delivery bags
Find 2-3 suppliers for your regularly sourced items. When you have a backup supplier, it will be easier to get the items you need in case something happens with your primary supplier.
Food Suppliers
Create a list of food suppliers that service your area and see what they offer. Ask about ordering minimums, delivery days, and payment terms.
Finding out what food you can easily and regularly obtain, and the cost of that food will help you plan a menu. Food costs are important because food is perishable. Take a look at our menu to see how we have incorporated a large selection of options while maintaining smart food costing.
Choosing a Location
One of the challenges with determining the average cost to open a pizza shop is the location. Renovations will likely be required whether you buy a building or lease a space, so factor that into your expenses.
To give you an idea of the space you need, the Antioch Pizza Shop franchise recommendations are:
- 2,000-3,000 square feet for a dine-in restaurant
- 1,000-2,000 square feet for a take-out and delivery-only pizza shop
For a dine-in restaurant, your location should be in a high-traffic with regular drive-by or walking traffic. Be sure to consider parking allotment in your potential location. We advise franchisees in this process because location truly does impact the success of your business.
You will need to rent your space for some time before you open, and you will likely need to make a deposit, so be sure to calculate multiple months of rent expenses as a startup cost.
Technology
The technology your business must have includes a point-of-sale system, alarm system, video surveillance, and accounting software. The technology you should consider includes online ordering and automatic order ticket printing.
Telling People You’re Opening a Pizza Shop
Marketing is one of the most important factors to consider when starting a pizza business. It is what tells people you have opened, and it is what encourages them to try your pizza shop. Some of the expenses with marketing include:
- Signage, notice boards, posters, menus, flyers, and business cards
- A website and social media
- Gift cards, coupons for specials, and business and industry memberships
- Advertising with online and offline media, especially to announce your grand opening
- Uniforms for the staff plus extra items you may wish to provide as giveaways or donations
Staffing
When making note of your costs to open a pizza shop, staffing will be a regular expense. You can save a little on staffing by working the business yourself, but you will still need kitchen and front-of-house staff (servers and counter people).
Options to Finance Your Pizza Business
Unless you are self-financing, a business plan is required to obtain outside financing for your business. The lender will want to be sure you know how to start a pizza business and how to maintain a positive revenue situation.
The U.S. Small Business Administration provides a business plan template you can reference, and they also provide loans for small businesses which might be an option for you in financing your pizza shop. Financing is critical for any business, so here are two tips to keep in mind:
- In your expenses, have a contingency line of 10% of your total expenses
- Allow for 3 months of funds to be available to you while you are getting the business ready to open
Plan Your Business with Antioch Pizza Shop: A Franchise
Antioch supplies franchisees with manuals and procedures to assist with setting up your pizza shop. We also provide pre-opening support, ongoing support, and assistance to franchisees throughout their franchise ownership tenure. In our initial investment fee, we include an estimate that covers the cost of furniture, fixtures, and equipment necessary for the operation of a franchise.
Our four pizza shop options with their total initial investments are:
- The traditional restaurant offering dine-in, take-out, and delivery ($218,000 to $696,500)
- The take-out and delivery-only restaurant with limited seating ($218,000 to $696,500)
- An express restaurant: a smaller version of the take-out and delivery restaurant with a limited menu ($101,500-$324,000)
- A mobile food truck ($103,500-$189,500)
Full details on these investments are available in our franchise disclosure document.
What’s Included in Your Antioch Pizza Shop Investment
We anticipate franchisees will open their Antioch Pizza Shop within 3-12 months of signing the franchise agreement. The training program includes product knowledge, store operations, marketing, equipment knowledge, management, financials, POS system, food prep, our culture, community outreach, and some additional training areas.
A franchise representative will spend up to 3 weeks assisting with on-site training for the first two concepts, 2 weeks with the Express concept and 1 week with the food truck. You will also have a confidential manual of operations.
When your goal is running a successful pizza shop, your pizza franchise costs include a proven business model that provides a solid foundation to start and grow your business.
Contact Antioch Today About a Franchise Opportunity
Opening a pizza shop is not only a financial commitment, but also a commitment of your time and a plan for your future. You want to be confident in making the right decision. As a company built from the dough up, Antioch Pizza Shop is proud to offer an enticing franchise model to aspiring pizzapreneurs.
Submit a franchise form to start the conversation and see how we might be exactly what you’re looking for.
We’re excited to hear from you!
To start a conversation, fill out our simple online application. A member of our franchising team will be in touch shortly with more information about your opportunity as an Antioch Pizza franchise owner.