Think all restaurants are screwed this year? Pizza chains are actually thriving right now.
You don’t have to be a big chain like Domino’s with access to investor money to make this work for you.
Here’s what donut shops can learn from pizzerias:
1. Own your delivery model
Take notes from Domino’s:
“When you consider the three big players in pizza, they are already an expert in delivery because the pizza industry has been using this model for decades,” says Shan Li, a professor at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.
“But Domino’s is the only one to rely on their own capabilities to deliver food to customers instead of working with a third party [such as Seamless or Uber Eats].”
Per Fortune.com: Today, Domino’s tecnology leads the pack. Customers don’t have to be at aspecific address t get their favorite pie — Domino’s rolled out hotspot locations in 2018, which allows people to get their pizza anywhere, from the beach to a stadium parking lot. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company also introduced the dinner bell function in 2018. Using the mobile app, customers can create groups of their friends and family and the app will automatically “ring the bell” when their order is out for delivery.
In 2019, Papa John’s partnered with DoorDash, while Pizza Hut has a similar arrangement with Grubhub. Local pizza chains are especially reliant on third-party operators. By contrast, Domino’s relies solely on its own delivery infrastructure.
For help on switching from third-party to first-party delivery, listen to hospitality expert Rev Ciancio’s presentation on how to own your delivery customers. When you’re ready to up-level, check out his 4-week bootcamps on third to first-party conversion.
2. Perfect pre-orders + curbside
Technology is a must-have for seamless online ordering (don’t make customers call you and give a credit card over the phone). Check out East Village Pizza’s simple, yet effective, in-house system.
After the order is placed, provide instructions on how to pickup the order. Common practices include designated parking spaces with a phone number to call, or even an app to notify employees of the customer’s arrival.
Not sure where to start with all the tech and tools? Watch the webinar replay for restaurant technology and the modern customer journey, featuring Rev as my guest speaker.
3. Package your menu items into family meals/kits
This Dallas-Fort Worth pizza joint does it well:
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4. Consider a weekly or monthly subscription service
Lou Malnati’s from Chicago has a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription service: 
General Assembly Pizza from Toronto created what they call the world’s first pizza subscription service, born out of the pandemic:
Goldbelly, the national e-commerce platform, offers a 3 or 6-month pizza subscription from pizzerias across the country:
Pizza joints can learn from you too! Donut shops tend to be great at:
1. Limited-Time Offers (LTOs)/seasonal
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WEEKLY DOUGHNUT! FAIRY FLOSS ✨A marbled yeast doughnut with rock candy, gold sprinkles, and mini marshmallows topped with cotton candy! (Colors will change depending on what cotton candy I have on hand that day!) ALSO MAJOR DISCLAIMER!!! If it continues to be humid, I cannot promise the cotton candy will not melt. It has a short lifespan for sure. A post shared by Detour Doughnuts and Coffee (@detourdoughnuts) on
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🏳️🌈🏳️🌈Pride donuts have arrived 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 We’re ready to celebrate the best way we know how…by making donuts! Available for preorder on our website under custom donuts. Northeast ordering goes live tomorrow for our Monday reopening! Both shops will now be open for pickup Mon-Fri 7am-3pm and Sat-Sun 8am-4pm 💋🏳️🌈🍩 #glamdolldonuts #pride A post shared by Glam Doll Donuts (@glamdolldonuts) on
2. Local collaborations
Like donut and beer tastings. Or even sourcing ingredients from other local restaurants:
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SOMI’S 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY🎉 Wow! Can you believe a year has already flown by since our SoMi grand opening?! (Before y’all Dallas folks get in here – WE’VE GOT NEWS & YOU’RE NEXT SOON!🤠) It’s incredible to think about all the fun times we’ve already had with our South Miami community and want to make this celebration extra meaningful by bringing back our grand opening special with @therealhavanaclub: RUM CAKE CROUGHNUT 🤯🤯🤯 Available this Friday-Sunday (5/22-5/24) for preorder pickup on our website at BOTH SHOPS!✨ *Our pickup website will be updated & begin accepting orders at 8pm Thursday evening. ・ **Unfortunately, given the issues that we’ve had with our delivery tablets crashing and auto-canceling countless orders the past few holidays, the Rum Cake Croughnut will not be available on Uber Eats this weekend and only on our website for pickup orders. With that said, the rest of our menu will be available on Uber Eats this weekend as usual! We are working towards a solution with Uber Eats to better serve a larger number of customers on big holidays and will update everyone as soon as possible. A post shared by The Salty Donut (@thesaltydonut) on
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In honor of National Key Lime Pie Day on Saturday, we are collaborating with the BEST in the Biz! Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie Doughnut is available 9/25 – 9/27 for PRE-ORDER, walk-in takeout & delivery via @postmates Key Lime glazed doughnut (made with @stevesauthentic REAL Key Lime juice), Graham Cracker crumble, Steve’s Key Lime Pie Topper, whipped cream & Lime zest! Special thank you to @bedfordcheeseshop for introducing us to Steve’s amazing brand that is 25 years strong! #thedoughnutproject #steveskeylimepie #keylimepie #keylime #instadonut #doughnutsofinstagram #supportsmallbusiness #saverestaurants #westvillage #westvillagelife #westvillagenyc #donuts #doughnuts #pie #eeeeeats #eeeeats A post shared by The Doughnut Project (@thedoughnutproject) on
3. Day to night transition
Donuts can be marketed as a breakfast pastry or a late-night treat— take it from late-night food truck Little Lucy’s in Austin.
Or The Salty Donut (Miami/Dallas/Orlando) with hours past dinnertime.
Can pizza be reimagined as breakfast or a snack? Can you use pizza dough to create a more traditional breakfast food? Even Kraft is marketing their mac-and-cheese as a breakfast meal right now.
DIY Kits
The pandemic launched the popularity of DIY kits across many industries, and it plays well for both pizza and donuts. Consider an upsell to include an online decorating or cooking class led by the head chef/baker.
