To start your pizza place, first, set up your kitchen and dining area. Get good gear that lasts and serves customers well every day. From the kitchen to the customer area, your gear needs to match your menu and how you work. We made a checklist to guide your shopping for these crucial items.
Pizza Mixers
Spiral Mixer
Spiral mixers are great for making dough, especially for pizza crusts. They spin slowly, which is just what you need for your crusts. Imagine a bowl going around a spiral dough hook, kneading parts of the dough for a while. This makes less heat and friction, so your dough gets mixed up well.
This mixer is just for dough—no switching attachments. It's good with all kinds of dough, focusing only on making dough. It can handle big batches, up to 600 lbs, perfect for a busy pizza place that needs lots of great dough.
Planetary Mixer
Big or small, pizzerias can benefit from having a planetary mixer. This mixer is like a kitchen superhero—it can do lots of things in one. Imagine planets going around the sun—that's how it moves, so they call it a "planetary mixer."
You can take off the main part and switch it with different tools like a whip, paddle, slicer, grinder, or shredder. It's like having a bunch of helpers in one! Grating cheese, slicing veggies, mixing sauces, grinding meat—it can do all that. It's a powerhouse in the kitchen! You can use it for making toppings, salad dressings, icing, and even cookie dough batter.
Now, it might not make as much dough as a spiral mixer, but for smaller pizzerias, it could be just what they need. These places might like the planetary mixer because it can do so many things all in one machine.
The Proper Oven To Bake The Ideal Pizza
A pizzeria needs commercial pizza ovens—it's a must. The right oven makes your pizza not just food but an experience for customers. Plus, it affects how fast you can make pizzas. The common ones are deck ovens, conveyor ovens, and brick ovens. Your choice depends on how much pizza you want to make and how fast.
Conveyor ovens are the speedy ones. Brick and deck ovens need skill and know-how to make the perfect pizza every time. The cool thing is, these ovens aren't just for pizza. You can use them for cooking other stuff like proteins, pastries, bread, and veggies. They bring a lot of flexibility to the kitchen!
Conveyor Oven
Conveyor ovens are like the superheroes of pizza places—they save on work and cook fast. Perfect for places where you need to serve food in a hurry, like quick-service spots. You can set the speed and temperature, so it cooks things quickly without needing a lot of attention.
Here's how they work: Pizzas go in on one side of a moving belt and zip through the oven. In just 4-5 minutes, a hot and ready pizza pops out on the other side. These ovens can get super hot, from 400 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, making lots of pizzas every hour. Some conveyor ovens use air jets to cook even faster, shooting hot air around the pizza.
You can stack these ovens to make more pizzas in the same space. Some have split belts, so you can cook different things at different speeds. But, be aware, these ovens can make the kitchen pretty warm. There are ventless models for places with limited space, but you need to follow the rules to use them. Right now, smaller electric ones are the only ones with this design. But, they could be a great choice for small pizza spots that need to serve food fast.
Pizza Deck Oven
Deck ovens are like the artists of pizza-making—they create the perfect gourmet pizza. This is your oven if you want that classic thin crust and an authentic experience.
Here's how it works: You put uncooked pizzas on a hot deck inside, and the heat cooks the crust and toppings just right in about 6-8 minutes. These ovens can handle at least three pizzas at once and need an hour to warm up, reaching temperatures from 400 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
But, here's the thing: deck ovens take more time, so they're not great for super busy times. They also need more attention from your staff—they have to keep an eye on and turn the pizzas. Some brands fix this by adding a spinning deck.
But even with that, using these ovens can be tricky. Your staff needs to know the cooking times and temperatures for each item. Deck ovens can run on gas or electricity depending on what you have. Gas ones are good for an even cooking, while electric ones are great for broiling.
Some decks even have a window so chefs can check on the pizzas easily. You can also get fancy with the exterior for a stylish look, almost like a wood-fired brick oven.
Dough Trays
After making the dough, it needs a cool place to rest before baking. Pizza dough trays are perfect for this—they stack up, saving space. If your place is small or you're on the go with a pizza van, space is key.
Pizza Boxes
If you're doing takeout pizzas, you gotta have pizza boxes. And here's a tip: go for boxes that are recyclable or biodegradable. More customers care about reducing waste, so if your pizza boxes are eco-friendly, you'll stay ahead of the competition. Further, you can use Customized pizza boxes wholesale to differentiate your business.
Pizza Screen
In a pizza place, don't skip the pizza screen—it's a must. It might not seem big, but it's super important. The screen makes sure your pizza cooks just right, so no burnt crusts to ruin the party for your competition.
Pizza Racks
After prepping your pizzas, they need a place to wait before baking. Even if your ovens are great, not every pizza can go in at once. That's where pizza racks come in—they're important for a pizza spot. As things get busier, these racks give your pizzas a place to chill.
Pizza Peel
If you don't want to touch a super hot oven (and you really shouldn't), get pizza peels to grab your pizzas. It's important—don't try to save money here. No one likes a pizza with squished toppings from a cracked base during the grab.
Pizza Serving Boards
After the pizza's out, what's next? If you're listing pizza gear, you need something to serve it on. Plates work, but for a stylish touch, use pizza boards to show off your awesome food.
Pizza Plates
If you use plates, choose pizza plates that make it easy to grab a slice. No one likes struggling with a knife and fork. Another tip: Keep it simple with white plates—they show off the food's goodness, and that's what you want your customers to notice.
Pizza Wheel Cutters
Pizzas on the table—job done, right? Not quite. Using a regular knife to cut pizzas? We've all been there, losing toppings or making it look like a disaster. Pizza wheel cutters are the finishing touch for a great pizza experience, so make sure they're on your pizza restaurant gear list.
