California-based Willow Road Pizza has two areas. The model thrives on recent elements, and it has a number of long-term staff who convey ardour to the trade.
There are a whole lot of pizzerias in California, the place competitors is fierce. However one pizzeria has made a reputation for itself by specializing in ardour and recent elements made in-house.
Willow Road Pizza was based by Ed Rathmann, whose Italian heritage led him to create an American-Italian idea. Rathmann, who comes from a tremendous eating background, wished to determine a restaurant the place he may provide recent product at a lower cost in a household pleasant ambiance.
“He wished to search out that center floor and have one thing for everybody,” Government Chef and Accomplice Hisham Abdelfattah advised Pizza Market in a telephone interview. “He focused closely recent pizzas. Wooden-fired pizza in 1993 was type of remarkable except you went to Italy.”
Immediately, the model has two areas — one in Los Gatos, California, and one in downtown Willow Glen inside San Jose. Abdelfattah calls the model “American-Italian with an Italian aptitude.”
The model celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in November. At its Los Gatos, California location, it took 30% off the whole menu, together with alcohol.
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Photograph: Willow Road Pizza |
On the Menu
The menu is an eclectic vary of American and Italian delicacies and the model makes use of almond wooden in its wood-burning oven.
On the 12-inch pizza menu, The Italian is the highest vendor with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fontina cheese, native Italian sausage, pepperoni, garlic, combined mushrooms, spicy Calabrian peppers and basil. There’s additionally a Combined Mushrooms & Pistachio pizza with mozzarella, smoked gouda, purple onions, combined mushrooms and toasted pistachios and a mix with a tomato sauce, mozzarella, native Italian sausage, soppressata salami, pepperoni, combined mushrooms and herbs.
“All of our pizzas promote very well as a result of we put a lot emphasis on our dough, and we put it in a wood-fired oven,” Abdelfattah stated. The elements are natural, a transfer Rathmann and Abdelfattah made after touring to Italy and seeing all of the recent merchandise used.
“It tastes so good as a result of it is so recent,” Abdelfattah added, “and that is precisely what we attempt to do at Willow Road. We attempt to give our prospects the freshest merchandise anybody can discover round right here, and we put it at a price. With us, you get a price at these nice costs.”
Abdelfattah crafts the dough between a skinny and thick crust, leaning extra towards skinny like these made in Italy. Dough is made in-house utilizing a high-quality flour and it rests for 2 days. Burrata is minimize within the eating places, the garlic cream sauce and bacon are made recent for the Garlic Rooster pizza, and different sauces, together with the marinara and a recent Thai peanut sauce for the Thai Rooster pizza, are comprised of scratch.
Gluten-free crust is on the market, as is vegan mozzarella, interesting to these rising area of interest markets.
“We don’t restrict ourselves to our friends,” Abdelfattah stated. “We attempt to do one thing for everybody, however we additionally need it to style good.”
Why accomplish that a lot in home?
“You are going to get the freshest product, and other people can inform the distinction,” Abdelfattah stated. “Once you get one thing that has been mass produced, you are not going to get that intense taste that you’d and other people can inform, particularly on this communities.”
There is a farmers market proper exterior the restaurant on Sundays, and Abdelfattah pulls from it as wanted.
Abdelfattah stated they do not put a excessive emphasis on revenue margins, as an alternative creating a price proposition to assist retain enterprise and get folks to dine on the restaurant repeatedly.
“We’re probably not within the enterprise of attempting to steal cash from folks,” he stated. “What we wish is to be a house away from house. Once you come and eat with us, you are getting some actual house cooking.”
He added that the model isn’t going to chop corners because the eating places have been profitable for 30 years and have weathered a minimum of 4 recessions. The important thing has been sticking to the standard and the worth for the client.
Other than pizza, which accounts for 30% of gross sales, Willow Road Pizza additionally serves recent pastas and entrees like fiery prawns and recent corn salsa and wood-fired artichoke dip. The menu additionally presents braised boneless quick ribs, a burger, a pesto hen sandwich and extra. Abdelfattah stated he’s stunned the scratch-made bread pudding is not world-renowned, because it sells out each night time at each areas. He is providing lasagna on Sundays solely at each areas.
Abdelfattah does not fear about having too massive a menu, as lots of the elements are cross utilized so Willow Road is not losing meals. Meals prices are stored low regardless of a lot being made in-house.
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Photograph: Willow Road Pizza |
Operations
The model opened its second location in Los Gatos two years after the primary, which merely could not deal with the amount of shoppers coming into the restaurant. Abdelfattah stated there have been folks curious about investing, and a giant house in Los Gatos got here out there. At one time, the model was as much as 5 areas however downsized to its two highest-grossing models.
Abdelfattah additionally owns a well-liked Mexican restaurant in Willow Glen, giving him ample restaurant alternative as he takes on his new position as government chef and companion on the restaurant. Abdelfattah stated he’d prefer to open a 3rd restaurant. He stated he brings a recent look to the model and is moving into advertising and marketing.
“My aim for Willow Road, with out breaking the wheel as a result of the wheel was not damaged, is to basically put rims on it,” Abdelfattah stated, “and ensure it goes one other 30 years with out dropping its worth.”
The restaurant competes with others within the space by being inclusive.
“We’re a spot the place you may come and eat in a tuxedo or in your pajamas,” Abdelfattah added. “Both manner, it is a spot for you.”
That distinctive eating expertise comes from inside, Abdelfattah stated. A number of staff have been with the corporate since day one, together with two kitchen managers and a basic supervisor. Each areas even have tenured workers with 10, 15, even 20 years beneath their belts.
“When you have got folks like that in your organization, they work with their hearts,” Abdelfattah stated. “What we attempt to do is create an setting for our workers. Once you’re right here, you are probably not working. You are with household. And persons are going to really feel that synergy and that power. We put our consideration proper on our workers as a result of we all know it is a ripple impact.”
Abdelfattah stated Willow Road Pizza’s largest problem has been placing programs in place to make sure the model runs for one more 30 years. Abdelfattah needs to maintain the restaurant’s legacy whereas bringing it into the long run. It is a huge accountability, however one he is keen to tackle.
“The toughest problem is that type of accountability,” he stated. “What course does this firm must go in? … Proper now, the consuming thoughts is de facto totally different from the place it was 30 years in the past.”
The model has begun using tech, together with Toast for its POS system and launching supply on third-party firms. The model has a profitable catering program as properly.
“We’re throughout social media,” Abdelfattah stated. “We’ve an ideal advertising and marketing director that I work with intently and we make some actually nice social media that is entertaining to the younger thoughts.”
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the location editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has greater than 20 years’ expertise masking meals, folks and locations.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings greater than 20 years’ expertise to Networld Media Group. She has spent practically 20 years masking the pizza trade, from unbiased pizzerias to multi-unit chains and each measurement enterprise in between. Mandy has been featured on the Meals Community and has received quite a few awards for her protection of the restaurant trade. She has an insatiable urge for food for studying, and might inform you the place to search out the very best slices within the nation after spending 15 years touring and consuming pizza for a residing.
