Pizza by the Numbers
Marc Schechter and Danny Stoller streamline production and service with technology at Square Pie Guys in San Francisco.
Photos: raeann Serra
Danny Stoller and Marc Schechter have both been in the restaurant industry for years, but it was pizza that inevitably brought them together.
The duo combined their tech know-how, business acumen, and experience working in kitchens to create a new pizza concept of their own. They wanted to build a solid foundation for their business; one where their restaurant could expand without compromising quality, atmosphere, or efficiency. Stoller and Schechter stress that you need to set your expectations from the get-go. “You have to decide: do you want this to be a passion business where you’re there every day? Or do you want this to be a self-sufficient business? It’s really hard to do both,” Schechter says.
A huge driving force behind Stoller and Schechter’s business is their technology. One of the hallmarks of Square Pie Guys’ program is their employee training app. They worked with the management software company, Trainual, to streamline their app, which provides the staff across all three Square Pie Guys locations with the knowledge they need, right from their phone. The app offers training modules for the restaurant’s standardized recipes and teaches staff how to set up their station, requiring little to no hands-on management. Another big player in the Square Pie Guys’ kitchen is their conveyor belt pizza oven. “We don’t have someone who is trained to check the bottom of the pie. It goes in on one side and comes out and it's very predictable. We don’t have the stress of having to train, or [stress] if someone calls out sick the pizza will suffer,” Stoller says. Square Pie Guys has also been a ticket-free kitchen from day one, with computer monitors tracking the status of each order to avoid any slip ups.
Restaurateurs Danny Stoller and Marc Schechter
Mean Green Machine Pizza: White Sauce, Niman Ranch Sweet Italian Sausage, Charred Broccoli, Hot Honey
Despite being tech-forward, Square Pie Guys hasn’t lost that face-to-face interaction. “We use tech as a tool to facilitate, not to replace management,” says Stoller and Schechter, which has led to not only an efficient and successful business, but a positive and fun work environment too. The duo created a system that sets up their business, and their staff, to succeed. “We do a lot of promoting from within. We teach email etiquette, Google calendar, and additional opportunities for learning,” Stoller says. What started as a hobby, turned passion project, turned thriving business, Square Pie Guys isn’t slowing down any time soon, with Stoller and Schechter looking to grow their innovative, team-focused business model nationally.
