8/28/2007 | Ringing school bells, ringing cash registers

Pizza operators prepare for the return of the school year and the inevitable business boom.

Few restaurant segments suffer a summertime sales stall like pizza, but few enjoy a comparable boom when the school bells ring anew in August.

Summer’s not all bad at Capers Pizza Bar in Toledo , a 250-seat spot which attracts a lot of ball teams when the heat is on. But when school’s in session, the pizzeria enjoys a unique split rush every Friday and Saturday night before and after local high school games.

“We get the students before the games and the parents after the games,” said Sue Meadows, who co-owns Capers with her husband, Jim. “We’re located in the middle of five different neighborhoods that have schools in them. We love it when school’s back in.”

During the summer, Athens , Ohio , is a sleepy little town, according to John Gutekanst, owner of Avalanche Pizza. But when Ohio University ’s 28,000 students return, local restaurants face a nearly four-day crunch until campus dining halls reopen.

“We’re out in the middle of nowhere, and they all come in at once,” said Gutekanst, who staffs a tent near campus and gives away hundreds of extra-large slices loaded with cheese. “When you’re coming into town from far away, you’re starving, and we nail you with a big slice of free pizza. That’s the best marketing tool because they remember it because they’re so hungry.”

Why such a rush for pizza now when it was there all along in the summer?

The food’s congregational nature, some operators said, makes a savory and simple liaison between friends who want to catch up. But others, like Gutekanst, say it’s all about pizza’s affordable price and quick availability when time’s short.

“With college students, it’s all about money, plain and simple,” he said. “They know where every Taco Tuesday is held, what places sell 25-cent drafts and when, and they know where the cheap pizza is.”

But with a plethora of bargain offers available, making yours stand out can be challenging. Aaron Bailey, owner of Bailey’s Pizza in Toledo , said the food has to be good if customers are going to ignore price-centered offers.

“One of our competitors sells a large, five-topping for $4—and it’s actually pretty good,” Bailey said. “But in a town like this, people will remember you mostly if your food is good. That’s not to say low-prices don’t hurt us, but it’s got to be more than that.”

Such as a broader menu, he added. A significant portion of Bailey’s menu comes from fried chicken and fish. Meadows said Capers has done the same in order to draw more families, many of whom eat out together in order to reconnect during the hustle and bustle following the return to school.

“Specialty pizzas are our main thing, but we increased our burger menu this year,” Meadows said. “We also have a pasta menu and sandwiches. We want to appeal to a larger crowd.”

Massive marketing

Avalanche and other independent operations also have to shout above the well-marketed corporate crowd to gain some public mindshare. Gutekanst does all the usual door-hanging, cheap wings and free breadsticks offers to get students salivating, but he also likes to take on his competitors head to head.

“We use a lot of anti-corporate marketing,” he said. “We say things like, ‘We don’t use lard in our pizza,’ or ‘Life’s too short to eat crappy cardboard.’ We’ve also said in our ads, ‘Are you buying your pizza from a cartoon character?’”

Gutekanst isn’t above taking a shot at his own place.

“I love the self-disparaging thing,” he said. “We say our pizza is made by redneck idiots. It’s just fun and it gets attention.”

Bill McDonald, owner of Garzelli’s Grinder & Pizza Company in Cincinnati , takes a more traditional tack with his school marketing plan. This year Garzelli’s is sending out a newsletter to schools and inviting the student body to participate in a loyalty program.

“Rather than just giving out $2-off coupons, we’re saying, come on in, tell us the school you’re from and we’ll donate X percent of that sale to your school,” said McDonald, adding that the program will run Monday through Thursday. “Then it’s not just a discount, it’s a donation to their school.”

Garzelli’s also is running ads inviting churchgoers to bring in church bulletins for discounts on their meals. While he might not know who is turning in each bulletin, he can learn what neighborhood is responding to the ads by tallying up the response from each congregation.

Bailey said he used to participate in a lot of school lunch programs until the margins became too thin, and this year’s soaring cheese prices make him glad he’s out of that game for 2007.

So what does he believe is the best way to market to schools? By giving his food away.

“When you start selling pizzas for that low a cost, you’ve got to do double the work for the same low profit,” he said. “We’re still doing concessions and stuff like that, but I think it’s best to donate the product as free samples. I look at it more as advertising, and it’s effective.”

Knowing the seasonal rush is just days away, every operator is engaged in a hiring binge to meet demand. Given that Athens is a college town, Gutekanst has to start nearly from scratch every year, while Meadows has staffed up gradually in order to have a well-trained crew for football season.

“We want to be ready by the end of August, so we’re increasing staff right now,” she said. “Friday nights are coming, and we’re really glad.”