Articles
Building Blocks: Strategies to Incentivize Your Staff and Promote Retention Pizza Today
Among the most significant business consequences of the pandemic is an epidemic — a hiring epidemic. While we haven’t been immune to this nationwide problem, we’re weathering it better than other restaurants, so I am frequently asked how we have a relatively full staff. It’s because we not only focus on hiring, but on staff retention. You cannot merely pay lip service to these items. If you’ve been keeping track of Building Blocks, you’ll recall we discussed the process of providing your staff with regular pay raises, which remains important even in lean times. However, just as essential is making your employees feel valued and appreciated by listening and acting on their needs and concerns. Many times, in fact, we have shifted our pay scale, hours of operation, items on the menu and the way we do business just from listening to our staff.
But another strategy that benefits both employees and your business is developing incentive programs. Here are three easy ones you can get cracking on ASAP:
Building Blocks: Creating Accountability with Tools and Teachable Moments For Employees Pizza Today
You have a defined management structure, and your leaders have clear job descriptions. Now, you might be asking yourself, “How do I get the most from them?” This is where accountability comes into play. There are some clever sayings on this topic — “You get what you inspect,” and “What you tolerate is what you procreate,” but communication is the most important characteristic for holding your team of managers accountable. Indeed, before you inspect their work (and decide what you’ll tolerate), your managers must understand your expectations and their personal accountabilities.
Building Blocks: Drafting Your First Job Description? Pizza Today
In the previous installment of Building Blocks, we explained which management positions are required to run a successful pizzeria — now we need to define them. Before you identify the potential managers within your organization or make the proper hires — or at least before they begin serving in their new roles — ensure you have complete job descriptions. Each manager will have different duties, so take them one by one. Begin by summarizing the duties and characteristics of the position, then address daily activities in detail.
The Secret Sauce to Building a Successful Business
Nick Bogacz is the President and Founder of Caliente Pizza & Draft House, a bar-restaurant located in the Pittsburgh region. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, he opened his first location in 2012 and has grown quickly to the 5+ locations today. Bringing in a gourmet chef as his top pizzaiolo, Caliente’s pies have received national and worldwide acclaim, including the World Championships at the Pizza Expo for three years in a row and The Best American Pizza at the World Pizza Championships in Italy. Nick is also the author of the book The Pizza Equation: Slicing Up How to Run a Successful Pizza Enterprise and podcast host of the Business Equation Podcast. Link
Boozy book nights, vegan cheese, and more Pittsburgh food news By Dani Janae Pittsburgh City Paper
New menus, Betty White pizza, and more Pittsburgh food news By Dani Janae Pittsburgh City Paper
Pittsburgh’s 21 best new restaurants of 2021
by Michael Machosky
I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter of Pittsburgh dining for well over a decade — before it had any momentum or national accolades — first as a restaurant critic for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, then with contributions to NEXT. And I’ve never seen a year like 2021. Except for 2020, which was way worse, of course.The pandemic pushed the very concept of dining at a restaurant to its breaking point. It was a very hard year — which, ironically, will probably make it better remembered than the easy years (like 2016 and 2017), when Pittsburgh dining started hitting its creative peak.
Gift cards are a trusty go-to if you need to finish your Christmas shopping list. Who doesn’t enjoy being handed a free card good for purchases at a nearby restaurant or retailer?While the national chains and big box stores offer gift cards as close as your supermarket checkout line, maybe this is the year to emphasize truly local gift cards. Rooted Locally, for instance, a new initiative from the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, provides a gift card that can be used at any of 30 local businesses.
Caliente Pizza & Draft House opens in Sewickley TRIBLIVE
Caliente’s Pizza set for Sewickley opening Nov. 12 Scott Tady- Beaver County Times
SEWICKLEY — Caliente’s Pizza & Drafthouse opens its newest pizzeria Nov. 12, in the borough.The three-time World Pizza Champions, named Best Pizza in America 2019, takes over the Sharp Edge Bistro at 510 Beaver St., between Broad and Division streets, in the heart of Sewickley’s business district. “We’re going to bring craft beer and our award-winning pizza; we can’t wait to be part of the community” Caliente founding owner Nick Bogacz said.
Caliente Pizza & Draft House Now Brewing Its Own Craft Beer- The Pittsburgh-based chain is about to debut the Hazy Dough Dazy IPA.
Italy just named this local pizza the best in the country by wpxi news
PITTSBURGH — Forget New York or Chicago — a local pizza was just named the best in the country by the country where pizza is from. Calienta Pizza and Drafthouse recently participated in 2019 World Pizza Championships In Parma, Italy, according to a Facebook post. Read More
Pittsburgh pizza-makers competing in Pizza World Championship
by Maggie Weaver pghcitypaper
World Champion Pizza Team Pittsburgh’s pizza pros are headed to the big dance. Nick Bogacz, owner of Caliente Pizza & Draft House, and the local chain’s regional chef Eric Von Hansen are joining a team of pizza all-stars and taking their talent to Parma, Italy. Read More
This Pittsburgh pizzeria was just named America’s Best Pizza in world championship
by Megan Lavey-Heaton Pennlive
Once again, a pizzeria in Pennsylvania is considered among the best in the world. Pittsburgh’s Caliente Pizza House was named America’s Best Pizza at the Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy. The honor was given to a pie inspired by Chef Eric Von Hansen’s Italian grandmother, as well as his mother..Read More
Caliente Pizza & Draft House has America’s best pie … and you can try it starting today
by Kristy Locklin NEXT Pittsburgh
UPDATE: Starting May 1, you can get the nation’s No. 1 pizza at Caliente Pizza & Draft House. It will be available at all five locations.The company’s Regional Chef Eric Von Hansen recently won Best Pizza in America at the 2019 World Pizza Championship’s Pizza Taglio Division in Parma, Italy. Named after his mom and grandmother, the Mee-Maw pie is made with five-day fermented dough topped by olive oil, five-year aged Parmesan and rapini. It’s cooked with peppered bacon, shallots, garlic, onion, crushed plum tomato, porchetta, shaved black truffle pecorino Romano, salt, paper and, yes, more Parmesan. Read More
Local chef makes best American pizza at global event
by Mike Larson Pittsburgh Business Times
Local pizza chef Eric von Hansen can add another award to his shelf. Von Hansen — the chef at Caliente Pizza & Draft House, which has five locations in the region — won the best pizza in America title at the 28th edition of the Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza, according to a report from the Post-Gazette.The event, held in Parma, Italy, is considered the World Pizza Championship. Read More
Story behind Caliente’s award-winning Mee-Maw pizza
by Paul Guggenheimer TRIBLIVE
When Eric Von Hansen, the regional chef of Caliente Pizza and Draft House, flew to Parma, Italy, to compete in the World Pizza Championship, he took a radically different approach than his competitors. While his American opponents brought their ingredients with them, Von Hansen decided to forage for his all over Italy. The strategy paid off, and he ended up winning the Best Pizza in America title for his pan pizza made with locally sourced porchetta, rapini and cheese. Read More
Pie in the sky, Caliente Pizza & Draft House again top among pizzamakers
by Mary Pickels TRIBLIVE
Nine Caliente employees, including five store managers and regional chef Eric Von Hansen, recently traveled to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. In the Challenge competition, Nick Fink, Bloomfield location general manager, competed with the “Nicky Had a Little Lamb” pizza topped with herbs, arugula and lamb in the “non-traditional” division, while Aspinwall general manager Jay Falk opted for the literal “quail four ways” in the “pan” division. Each placed in the top 10 pizza makers in their divisions. Read More
Matriarch pizza wins Caliente ‘best’ honors
by Mary Pickels TRIBLIVE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House chef Eric Von Hansen’s tribute to his mother and grandmother, “Mee-Maw” pizza, will soon be available to local mee-maws and their families. Hansen and business owner Nick Bogacz traveled to Italy recently to compete in the Pizza World Championships, where Von Hansen won “Best Pizza in America 2019,” the restaurant’s Facebook page states. Read More
Caliente’s Pizza House Named America’s Best Pizza In Pizza World Championship
by Jon Delano KDKA2CBS Pittsburg
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A local family-owned pizza house has won a competition in Italy for making America’s best pizza in 2019. The pizza was the creation of a local chef who says Pittsburgh is finally getting recognition for its pizza. Read More
Pittsburgh Pizza Place To Compete At Italy’s ‘World Pizza Championship’
by KDKA2CBS Pittsburg
PITTSBURGH (Patch.com) — Caliente Pizza & Draft House owner Nick Bogacz and regional chef Eric Von Hansen are pursuing a dream and it’s no pie-in-the-sky one. The pair will represent Pittsburgh in the 28th Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy in April. After being named world pizza champions three years in a row at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Bogacz and Von Hansen were invited by 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani to join his World Pizza Champions team. Read More
Pittsburgh To Be Represented In Italy’s Pizza World Championship
by Eric Heyl, Patch Staff
PITTSBURGH PA – Caliente Pizza & Draft House owner Nick Bogacz and regional chef Eric Von Hansen are pursuing a dream and it’s no pie-in-the-sky one. The pair will represent Pittsburgh in the 28th Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy in April. Read More
Best Pizza Across the U.S. ( You’re Welcome)
by Kim Kornfeld/ MEDIUM
National Pizza Day is upon us this weekend (Feb. 9th), which means you have an excuse to head to that dollar pizza spot and not feel bad about it. Heck, you can even grab a different slice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Read More
Is this Pittsburgh pizza actually the best in America? We tried a slice
by ROSSILYNNE CULGAN / THE INCLINE
Matriarch pizza wins Caliente ‘best’ honors
Caliente’s Pizza House Named America’s Best Pizza In Pizza World Championship
By Jon Delano KDKA
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A local family-owned pizza house has won a competition in Italy for making America’s best pizza in 2019.The pizza was the creation of a local chef who says Pittsburgh is finally getting recognition for its pizza It’s as American as apple pie — pizza — and now judges at the Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy, have declared this pizza at Pittsburgh’s Caliente Pizza as America’s best. It’s a pizza pie designed by Chef Eric Von Hansen and called the “Mee-maw” after his Italian mother. Read More
Pittsburgh Pizza Place To Compete At Italy’s ‘World Pizza Championship’
PITTSBURGH (Patch.com) — Caliente Pizza & Draft House owner Nick Bogacz and regional chef Eric Von Hansen are pursuing a dream and it’s no pie-in-the-sky one. The pair will represent Pittsburgh in the 28th Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy in April. After being named world pizza champions three years in a row at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Bogacz and Von Hansen were invited by 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani to join his World Pizza Champions team. Read More
Pittsburgh To Be Represented In Italy’s Pizza World Championship. Two members of a well-known Pittsburgh pizza place will compete as part of the World Pizza Champions Team
By Eric Heyl, Patch Staff
PITTSBURGH PA – Caliente Pizza & Draft House owner Nick Bogacz and regional chef Eric Von Hansen are pursuing a dream and it’s no pie-in-the-sky one. The pair will represent Pittsburgh in the 28th Pizza World Championship in Parma, Italy in April. After being named world pizza champions three years in a row at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Bogacz and Von Hansen were invited by 13-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani to join his World Pizza Champions team. Read More
Best Pizza Across the U.S. (You’re Welcome) The best day of the year any way you slice it…
National Pizza Day is upon us this weekend (Feb. 9th), which means you have an excuse to head to that dollar pizza spot and not feel bad about it. Heck, you can even grab a different slice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It can be tough to find the best slice, especially when you live in the New York area and travel to a different state. With that in mind, I rounded up some of the best spots you can visit to get a taste of the local pizza. Read More
Is this Pittsburgh pizza actually the best in America? We tried a slice …
by ROSSILYNNE CULGAN / THE INCLINE
Growing up in an Italian-German family in Shaler, Eric Von Hansen got to know the culinary specialities from his Mom and Grandma, especially their pizza.“We ate a lot of Grandma-style pizza,” he said — dough left over from baking, left to rise on a pan, topped with “whatever you had in the refrigerator. ”Now the chef at Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Von Hansen tried his hand at the creation, and it turned out well — so well that his Mee-Maw pie was named Read More
Nick Bogacz, from delivery driver to World Pizza Champion
by Jennifer Baron NEXT Pittsburgh
World Pizza Champion Nick Bogacz started in the pizza industry as a delivery driver more than 20 years ago. In 2012, he founded Caliente Pizza & Draft House and has since expanded to five locations throughout the region. Along the way, he’s become a member of the World Pizza Team and a successful author and podcast creator. Get to know the pizza guru and Hampton resident. Read More
Pittsburgh’s Caliente Pizza & Draft House donates pies to Light of Life
by JoAnne Klimovich Harrop Tribune-Review
Hope starts with a meal. Those were the words of Doug Smith, director of development for Light of Life Rescue Mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Friday as he watched residents enjoy slices of pizza from Pittsburgh-based Caliente Pizza & Draft House as 40 extra-large pizzas (approximately 480 slices) were delivered to the mission on Friday. Read More
Hampton couple turned passion for pizza into Caliente empire
by Kristy Locklin TRIB LIVE
Nick Bogacz is happiest when he’s wearing his official work uniform: a black T-shirt covered in flour. “This is my passion,” says the Hampton resident, who runs Caliente Pizza & Draft House with his wife, Angie. Since 2012, the couple has turned one, small shop into a Pittsburgh pizza empire. Read More
Peter Reinhart and Nick Bogacz to headline Pizza & Pasta Northeast!
by Bill Oakley PIZZA TODAY
This year’s opening keynote speaker will be Peter Reinhart, instructor at Johnson & Wales University, founder of the Pizza Quest video and blog site, American baker, educator and author. Peter is the author of numerous books, including “Bread Upon the Waters: A Pilgrimage Toward Self Discovery and Spiritual Truth”; “Crust and Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers” and “American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza” Read More
Conversation with Nick Bogacz, Caliente Pizza & Draft House Pittsburgh, PA
by PIZZA TODAY
Nick dishes on Caliente’s growth and expansion plans. Our concept is a full-service restaurant and bar with a full delivery area. Our pizza philosophy is that we just really love pizza — and it shows in every facet of our business. When you truly love what you do it all comes natural. We have great pizza, but everyone always says that. The real truth is the thing that we do have that not everyone has is great people. Read More
Pizza Today on the Road: Caliente Pizza & Draft House, Pittsburgh, PA
by PIZZA TODAY
So Hot Caliente Pizza & Draft House lights up Pittsburgh Nick Bogacz is the type of pizzeria owner who’d drive across town to pick up a couple of writers who’d gone astray. In the process between the wrong location and right, we learned much about this four-unit store that’s making strides in Pittsburgh’s neighborhood-centric locations. Read More
Personalities of Pittsburgh: Nick Bogacz’s love of pizza kept bringing him back
by Mike Larson Pittsburgh Business Times
The Secret Ingredient in Your Marketing: Direct Mail with Mail Shark
by PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE
Just ask Nick Bogacz, the president/founder of award-winning Caliente Pizza & Draft House, a three-time World Pizza Champion in Pittsburgh, and author of The Pizza Equation. “One of the relationships that has helped me explode my business is with the great folks at Mail Shark,” he says. Read More
Employee turnover can be costly and bad for morale. Reduce turnover by using these methods to hire and keep your employees.
by Nick Bogacz
The ongoing crisis over the COVID-19 outbreak is vastly changing the nation’s employment rate. Mere weeks ago, we at lows not seen for decades. Now, we’re setting new records for the wrong reasons. The length and severity of this pandemic are uncertain, although we can say with certainty, it’s already been too long and too devastating. But all crises end. Read More
They found love in a pizza place: Angie and Nick Bogacz
by Morgan McCoy, WordWrite Communications
Nick Bogacz befriended his future wife at 18 through delivering pizzas. When Nick lost everything to a house fire, Angie came right to his side and the pair hasn’t separated since. Read More
Pittsburgh-based pizza restaurant travels the globe to win industry accolades
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Caliente Pizza & Draft House, a Pittsburgh-based restaurant known for its internationally acclaimed pies and extensive craft beer list, is rapidly growing in global recognition after collecting numerous accolades in 2019. Locally owned and operated by founders Nick and Angie Bogacz, Caliente sent its team across the United States and Europe this year to participate in the industry’s biggest competitions. Read More
Commentary: Teary Eyed
by Jeremy White PIZZA TODAY
If you were at Pizza & Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City last month, then hopefully you attended the Day Two Keynote Address by Nick Bogacz. Nick owns Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh, and boy did he have a story to tell! Nick has been through it all since he first entered the pizza industry as a delivery driver at age 16. Read More
Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse Owner’s Book No Half-Baked Idea
By Eric Heyl, Patch Staff
PITTSBURGH, PA – Caliente Pizza and Drafthouse owner Nick Bogacz doesn’t just own and operate an award-winning pizza chain. He’s also an author. Bogacz’s first book “The Pizza Equation,” will be out March 1. It details what he considers to be the most important aspects of operating a pizza business and serves them up in a handy guide. Read More
What to Know Before Expanding Your Operations
by Jason Cercone BREAKINGBREWS
As success comes, the notion of expanding becomes more and more prominent. If you are in the process of growing your bar, restaurant, or brewery beyond the original four walls that put your brand on the map, it’s important to make sure the timing is right and it makes sense to move forward. To provide insight on this topic, we will tap Nick Bogacz, owner of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh, PA, a brand on the verge of opening their 5th location in just over six years. Read More
Do we release the new menu?’ Despite COVID-19, restaurant owner says ‘yes’
by Harry Funk The Almanac
The regular routine was in place for the folks at Caliente Pizza and Draft House. “Once a year, we do a new menu. We usually start it in December and then roll it out in late February or early March,” owner Nick Bogacz said. He founded the business in 2012, and it has grown into a five-restaurant chain, including one in Mt. Lebanon. Read More