Consistency & Company Culture

Like, Bite & Share

A 39-year veteran of the Buddy’s Pizza team, Wesley Pikula is Vice President of operations for the company. He joins the Like, Bite & Share Podcast to share his knowledge and best practices for building a successful restaurant business on the heels of tradition with a focus on consistency, community and flavor.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Like Bite & Share is a podcast about marketing in the food business. Each episode includes an insightful interview with food marketing professionals.

Show Notes:

Mentioned in this episode:

• Thank the Supreme Court For Everything That Makes Buddy’s Pizza So Delicious
• Call Buddy’s at 313-892-9001 if you are interested in having a pizza shipped anywhere in the United States.
• Half Baked Buddy’s Pizza Instructions
• New York Pizza Styles: A Complete Guide

Key takeaways from Wes:

• With any business there have to be non-negotiables. Some things have to evolve but some things have to stay the same. Everything should go through rigorous testing, and if things are working, they shouldn’t change. But especially when you scale, things have to be a little flexible.
• With longevity comes certain expectations. If you don’t create a culture and create value in tradition, then you lose the good will you’ve earned from your customers over the years. It is also useful for marketing.
• If you can find a way to evolve your business that doesn’t damage the culture that you have built, you should be open to it.
• Everything on your menu should stand on its own. If it can’t do that then it shouldn’t be on the menu. Just because you have one great item, if another item is ordered then your brand is still damaged.
• Consistency and quality overrule almost everything else.
• Creating a family environment in the restaurant is important for training staff. If you invite your employees’ families to eat at the restaurant, then they have the experience that they’ll want their customers to have, which creates buy-in for them. It’s important to look at the business from the guests’ point of view first.
• If you truly value customer service, then there can be no ego. Ideas win the day, not individuals. Get feedback from your customers and filter the best parts of it.
• Be passionate about your product and know your product. You also need to know your target. So figure out what makes your product stand out. It has to improve in some way on what is already on the market. And make sure that you can produce it at multiple volumes and at any time of day, with consistent quality.

Learn more about Wes and Buddy’s Pizza

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram