The Ultimate 8-Step Guide to Opening a Pizzeria

Have you ever thought of opening a pizza shop? Then you are not alone! And for good reason, this type of business can be very profitable, in addition to being exciting! 

If opening your own pizzeria is something you would like to do, you probably have a lot of questions. Don't worry, Innovorder has thought of everything and has prepared this complete guide for you!

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1. Prepare your business plan

First and foremost, opening your own pizzeria starts with the creation of a well-prepared and comprehensive business plan! A business plan is like the bible of a business creation project. It should include the following elements

• The market and competition study
• Positioning and product offering
• The objectives, the action plan and the necessary means
• Funding, space and facility creation choices
• The financial forecasting study

Quel apport pour ouvrir une pizzeria ?

Pour ouvrir une pizzeria, un apport financier de départ est essentiel. Le montant dépend de plusieurs facteurs :

• Localisation : Une pizzeria située dans une zone très fréquentée ou touristique nécessite un budget plus élevé.
• Type de pizzeria : Ouvrir une pizzeria à emporter demande un investissement initial moindre qu'une pizzeria avec service sur place.
• Capacité de production : Un équipement professionnel (fours, tables de préparation, réfrigérateurs) peut coûter entre 20 000 et 50 000 euros.

En général, un apport personnel de 20 % à 30 % du coût total du projet est attendu par les banques.

Financing your pizzeria: available grants

Like the creation of any business, the opening of a pizzeria has a cost. Rental charges, purchase of equipment, cost of staff training, etc. Anticipate these expenses well.

Here are the different types of financing available as well as the assistance at your disposal:

• Bank loan financing: In general, restaurateurs turn first to banks. You can expect to receive (at most) 80% of your total financing needs. However, banks prefer projects with balanced resources (50% equity and 50% bank loan). Everything will depend on the solidity of your project. 

• Equity: this is the money you already have at your disposal and can bring to the project.

• External aids: the creators or rescuers of a pizzeria can take advantage of many financial aids under conditions: the aid for the creation or the resumption (Acre), the aid to the unemployed, the contract of support to the project of company (Cape) and many others. 

Find the details of these aids here.

Did you know that? Sometimes, taking over a restaurant is better than creating one! 

👉 To find out more: How to take over a restaurant in 7 steps?

The market study

Before starting a business, it is important to conduct market research. This will not only allow you to verify if the demand is high enough to open your pizzeria successfully, but also to develop the best strategy to sell your pizzas.

A market study consists of a detailed analysis of the following elements

• The environment of the establishment: the catchment area, the competitors...
• Customer needs: their preferences, their expectations...
• Product positioning: for which target? Which budget?
• The choice of suppliers and collaborators
• Marketing: how will I promote my pizzas (social networks, website, applications like Uber Eats)

Profitability projection

Est-ce rentable une pizzeria ?

Oui, une pizzeria peut être très rentable si elle est bien gérée. Les coûts des matières premières (pâte, sauce, fromage, garnitures) sont relativement faibles par rapport aux prix de vente.

Combien de pizzas par jour pour être rentable ?

Pour atteindre la rentabilité, vous devez calculer le nombre de pizzas à vendre par jour en fonction de vos charges fixes et variables. Voici un exemple :

• Charges mensuelles : 10 000 euros (loyer, salaires, énergie, etc.).
• Prix moyen d’une pizza : 10 euros.
• Marge bénéficiaire moyenne : 70 %.

Dans cet exemple, vous devez vendre environ 50 pizzas par jour pour couvrir vos coûts et générer un bénéfice. Pousser cette performance à 80-100 pizzas quotidiennes pourrait maximiser vos gains et assurer une croissance durable.

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2. Opening a pizzeria, yes, but which legal structure to adopt? 

To open your pizzeria, you must first choose a status adapted to the number of people owning the establishment.

Open a pizzeria by yourself

If you create a pizzeria alone, the choice of legal status will be the following: the sole proprietorship, the EURL, the EIRL and the SASU.

Create a pizzeria with several people

With one or more partners? Opt for an SAS or a SARL. These are the two most commonly used legal forms of company.

To know the legal status in detail, go here.

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3. Choose the premises and location of your pizzeria

The choice of the type of premises and the location of your pizzeria are essential and will have a real influence on your turnover! 

The commercial premises

First of all, you need to choose a suitable location for your pizzeria. Ask yourself the following questions: do you plan to sell only take-away or also to sell on the spot? If the latter, how many seats do you want to have? These factors will greatly influence the size of the location.

The location

As far as location is concerned, find an area where pizzerias are rare. Nevertheless, it is preferable that the street has other restaurants, it can be positive to attract customers!

Look for a location that is easily visible. If possible, choose a location that faces a busy street and offers parking. If your pizzeria is exposed and welcoming to passers-by, you'll have a better chance of bringing in new customers.

The catchment area and the competition

The purpose of the study of the catchment area is to identify the geographical origin of the guests. The best way to find out is to conduct a quantitative survey of customers. 

However, when the restaurant is not yet open, it is necessary to analyze the clientele of nearby restaurants. Where do their customers come from? Does the area attract only people who work in the area? What about tourists? Students? Also consider the wider catchment area if you are going to do click and collect or home delivery! 

👉 Going further: online ordering, delivery, live or via Uber Eats?

To analyze the competition, focus on similar pizzerias and analyze what they offer. Make sure that there are not too many pizzerias around you and that they do not offer the same pizzas as you do. If this is the case, be original and creative in order to gain market share (on pizzas, promotions, decoration...). If not, reconsider your location. 

4. Assess the resources needed for your project

What financial resources are needed to open a pizzeria?

Create a budget and consider the expenses and revenues of your pizzeria. You need to keep track of all the fixed and variable costs:

• Personnel expenses
• The rent
• Insurance
• Taxes
• The material
• The raw materials
• Electricity costs, etc.

Which equipment should I choose?

Oven, refrigerator, but also cashiering system, raw materials, stock and delivery costs... The list of material resources is long, don't forget anything and write it down! 

👉 To find out more: Restaurant supplies: the complete list

How many staff need to be recruited and trained?

The recruitment phase before opening your pizzeria offers the opportunity to build a strong corporate culture from the beginning. It is therefore important to think about the following: team building, training, compensation, etc. Employee retention will be more successful if you make these factors a priority!

Make a list of all the positions you will need to fill in order to run your establishment on a daily basis. Consider the number of days you will be open during the week and the number of shifts per day for the front desk and kitchen.

Here are some of the most common positions, differing according to the size of the pizzeria and its type:

• Management team: general manager, kitchen manager, dining room manager.

• Kitchen staff: chef, sous-chefs, cooks, dishwashers.

• Reception staff: waiters, hosts, meal preparers.

• Bar staff: bartenders, bar servers, cocktail servers.

👉 Going further: 9 tips for finding restaurant staff

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5. Don't overlook the power of marketing

You can be the best pizza chef in the world, but if you don't promote your products, you'll miss out on a lot of potential customers!  

Concept, atmosphere and commercial offer

First, offer things that are different from your competitors and promote them. Customized pizzas, the ability to do halves (2 different flavors on the same pizza), 50% off a third pizza purchased on a weekday, a student menu, etc.

The same goes for the atmosphere of your pizzeria with the decoration, the music... In fact, everything that can differentiate you and make your identity unique!

👉 Pour aller plus loin : 8 meilleurs exemples de fast-food décorés par des cabinets d’architectes

Be present on social networks

Today, a presence on social networks is essential for any business! Have you thought about advertising on Facebook? Multiply your supports: attractive Instagram page with photos, real and animated stories, polished website, etc. Make yourself known and, above all, interact with your followers!

👉 Pour aller plus loin : Tendance : les influenceurs à la conquête des fast-foods

Create buzz with influencers 

Why not invite an influencer to your pizzeria? In exchange, he will bring you a lot of visibility!

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6. Train your staff

Restaurant employees are the main point of contact with guests. Always make sure that your staff knows the hygiene rules and codes of your restaurant. To do this, provide them with the tools they need to do their jobs properly.

Formation de pizzaiolo

Pour garantir la qualité de vos pizzas et fidéliser votre clientèle, il est essentiel de maîtriser l'art de la pizzaiolo. Plusieurs options de formation sont disponibles :

• Formations spécialisées : Des écoles dédiées à l'art de la pizza, comme l'École française de pizzaiolo, offrent des programmes intensifs.
• Stages auprès de professionnels : Travailler avec un pizzaiolo expérimenté peut vous permettre d'acquérir rapidement les compétences nécessaires.
• Certifications : Obtenir une certification professionnelle peut également renforcer la crédibilité de votre établissement.

Cette étape est cruciale pour assurer la cohérence et la qualité de vos produits, des éléments clés pour attirer et fidéliser vos clients.

Hygiene rule

Hygiene rules are absolutely essential for any establishment. Make sure that your team is up to date, especially with the mandatory hygiene training in France.

Good practices in the kitchen

It is equally essential that every cook or waiter knows the basics of food service. This includes everything from customer friendliness to hand washing to first aid. 

Continuing Education

It is in the best interest of restaurants to continue training their staff for as long as necessary. An ongoing training program increases productivity and keeps employees informed of policy changes. There is always something new to learn!

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7. Learn how to manage your orders

On site

Against all odds, the majority of customers come directly to order their pizzas on site, but enjoy them at home! Investing in a fun kiosk that generates a high flow of orders can be more productive than taking all the orders at the counter.

Online ordering and Click and collect

Click and Collect allows your customers to buy online and pick up their food directly in your pizzeria. The payment is done online, the customer chooses the day and the hour of the withdrawal, thus simplifying your organization. As for the orders, they are received directly on your internal management system.

👉 To go further: Click and Collect, the ultimate guide

Delivery service: Uber eats, Deliveroo, Just eat etc..

Did you know that? More than 30% of French people have their meals delivered to their homes and pizza is still in the lead! In full boom for several years now, online ordering is becoming increasingly popular. Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just eat... The platforms are multiplying!

Offering your pizzas on one of these apps will allow you to reach new customers outside your "physical" catchment area. And more customers means more revenue! These platforms are also a great way to build customer loyalty.

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8. Optimize the management of your pizzeria

Install control terminals

A busy evening? To avoid being overloaded and getting tangled up, smooth out the rush with a restaurant and fast-food ordering station!

You too can do what our customers do:

• Take in more guests,
• Increase your average shopping cart by 25% on average,
• Improve the customer experience,
• Deploy this solution in just a few days.

La borne de commande garantit que nos clients n'attendent pas longtemps et nous permet de servir plus de clients par minute. Elles permettent de gagner du temps et d'en avoir plus pour discuter avec les clients. " Matthieu et Baptiste, fondateurs de Becchi

👉 Pour aller plus loin : découvrez 5 raisons de digitaliser sa pizzeria

Equip your kitchen with a production screen

Say goodbye to mistakes and stressful rushes by equipping your kitchen with production screens right away. Synchronized with your kiosks, your cash register or your online order, your production screen shows all your orders in order of priority and by order channel. It's impossible to place the wrong order and they always arrive on time!

Equip yourself with a reliable and NF525 certified cash register system

What could be worse than waiting in line to pay the bill in the middle of service?

At Innovorder, we offer an ultra-intuitive touchscreen cash register, certified NF 525. It allows your guests to pay whatever the payment method used (credit card, cash, e-wallet, contactless...), and even to use their loyalty balance.

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Vous ouvrez une pizzeria et vous cherchez un partenaire pour vous accompagner sur la digitalisation de votre établissement ? Innovorder est le seul acteur en France à proposer un écosystème complet : prise de commande, encaissement, préparation, livraison et gestion !

👉 Discover our offer for pizzerias