Top This! Deep-dish, gourmet, stuffed or extra-thin--no matter how you slice it, pizza delivers profits for entrepreneurs. Here's how to get your piece of the pie.

Recall the anticipation . . . anxiouslyawaiting the delivery of tantalizing tomato sauce and thick, oozingcheese atop a soft, chewy crust of happiness. Whether it serves asfuel for an all-night cram session or an inexpensive attempt tosatisfy a troop of voracious Girl Scouts, the wonderment known aspizza has provided instant happiness to cafeteria-weary collegestudents and cash-strapped slumber-party facilitators foryears.

An inexpensive favorite, usually sufficing for both dinner andthe following day's breakfast, pizza represents all thenecessary food groups and offers extreme edible ease (i.e., no needfor those annoying utensils and plates). According to Doskocil FoodService Co. LLC, a leading U.S. supplier of branded andprivate-label pepperoni and pizza toppings for the food-serviceindustry, pizza has gained title as America's best-loved food,outnumbering the country's ordering of both hamburgers andchicken. And according to the Gallup Organization, pizza ranks asthe preferred food among kids ages 3 to 11. So if you'restarting to get hungry--and simultaneously contemplatingentrepreneurship--one route to consider is to turn this Americanfavorite into a profit center by getting into the pizza business.Starting out 1,000 years ago as herbed foccaccia bread, today'spizza evolved from dough created by a baker in Naples, Italy. Sinceits migration to America after World War II, pizza has grown toaccount for 24 percent of U.S. entree consumption, according toDoskocil--surpassing the growth rate of all other food-serviceitems.

"For a menu item that is popular, profitable andeasy," says Kevin Kreutner, marketing manager for Hutchinson,Kansas-based Doskocil Food Service.

There are three reasons pizza is profitable, says Kreutner:demand, low cost and simplicity. With Americans eating 100 acres ofpizza each day--that's 350 slices per second, or a total of $30billion worth per year, according to Pizza Todaymagazine--the demand is clear. The food costs involved in pizza aregenerally 5 to 10 percent lower than just about any other menuitem, says Kreutner. Finally, since pizza requires very basicassembly, you don't need experienced labor.

Today's pizza isn't limited to the flat, circular typeanymore. With deep-dish, stuffed crust, pizza-on-a-stick, pizzapockets and pizza strudel, the structure, sauces and toppings areendless and only limited by your own inventiveness. With dozens ofniches and endless pizza opportunities nationwide, potentialentrepreneurs have a variety of businesses to choose from. And witha variety of pizza outlets offering franchise programs, it'susually unnecessary to have previous experience in the field,making excellent people skills and love for the product the keyingredients for success.

That's Amore

One growing trend across the country is the take-and-bake pizza,a niche market that's proving profitable for franchises likeFigaro's Italian Pizza Inc. Offering a "We Bake or YouBake" option, Figaro's has been franchising since 1986."We know the [take-and- bake] niche is there, and we areeducating and servicing the public," says Max Bennet,franchise recruitment director for the Salem, Oregon, company,which serves both prepared and take-and-bake pizzas, lasagnas andcalzones, and is the only company catering to both markets.

Ryan McIntire, 26, started working at a Cottage Grove, Oregon,Figaro's franchise at age 16 until he was able to buy his own."Through my old boss' mentorship [franchisee Don Suklis]and through realizing this was the type of service industry Ienjoyed," says McIntire, "I felt that if I ever got theopportunity to do this as a career, I'd really enjoymyself."

After getting his degree in business management, McIntire wentback to the Cottage Grove store to look into partnering with Suklisand other options. After talking with the franchise director, hewas given the opportunity to run his own Figaro's in rural LaPine, Oregon. Using a loan from a family member, McIntire openedhis store in 1995 at the ripe old age of 22.

"My goal from the start has been to enjoy what I do and[become successful enough] to not have to eat Top Ramen forbreakfast, lunch and dinner anymore," says McIntire. Hisdevotion to the business paid off: After renting an apartment fortwo years, McIntire was able to build his own home and buy a Subwayfranchise to be located in the same strip mall. He increased theSubway store's sales by 30 percent while simultaneously runninghis pizza operation. Last year, however, he decided to devote his65-hour work week solely to Figaro's. With 1998 gross sales of$400,000, suffice it to say McIntire hasn't tasted Top Ramen ina while.

Where It's At

Staying on top of trends and reinventing yourself are thingssuccessful pizza franchisors must do on a daily basis. The factthat pizza appeals to almost everyone and offers practicality,variety and a good value isn't all that makes the dish work.Whether you serve pizza-in-a-cup or garnish your gourmetwood-burning-oven crusts with dandelions and herb-encrustedpotatoes, the key is not just ingenuity, but also quality.

That's what entrepreneur John Schnatter knew when he createdPapa John's International Inc.. Straight out of college with adegree in business, Schnatter began delivering pizza at age 23 outof the broom closet of his father's Jeffersonville, Indiana,tavern in 1985. With sledgehammer in hand he tore down a wall,installed a pizza oven and went into business. Just two yearslater, Schnatter started franchising, with a focus on high-qualitytoppings, a basic menu and streamlined restaurant operations.Today, Papa John's has more than 2,000 locations worldwide(1,538 franchises and 519 company-owned locations).

"[My co-owners and I] love and believe in PapaJohn's," says franchisee Alison Patton, 37."We've raised the standard of what is expected by thepizza consumer." In 1991, Patton and then-husband Michael soldtheir home and cashed in her previous job's profit shares,forking over about $46,200 toward a partnership in a territory inSouth Bend, Indiana, near the University of Notre Dame.

"The day we opened, my husband and I had less than $100 inthe bank," recalls Patton. "Everything we had was in PapaJohn's." With little or no restaurant experience, abrand-new baby and the knowledge that they would be working 60-plushours a week, you might wonder why the Pattons took such agamble.

"We knew we would be able to provide great pizza and greatservice at a great price," says Patton with pride. "Wereally jump-started the market." By their tenth week ofoperation, the store was making $15,000 a week, "which backthen was phenomenal," says Patton. Now the two own 55 percentof four Papa John's franchises, with projected 1999 sales of $4million.

Pizza Politics

Wondering if the pizza business is right for you? The mostimportant question to ask yourself is if you enjoy people, saysChicago's Pizza franchisee Becky O'Neal, 33. "I'ma very social person and I enjoy making people happy," saysO'Neal, whose friendly Greenfield, Indiana, pizza restaurantboasts a crowd of regular customers.

With so many pizza establishments to choose from, qualitycustomer service is what distinguishes one restaurant from another."The warmth and sincerity of dedicated employees, a goodproduct and exceptional personal service are what make us standout," says O'Neal. "I love the work, the people andthe fact that I see the same customers over and overagain."

This community focus is also valued by franchises such asFigaro's, which specifically targets development in smallertowns and nonmetropolitan areas. "Our franchisees must beinterwoven into the fabric of the community," says Bennet atFigaro's. To put the focus on attitude, he notes, "Oursystem is so simplified you don't need a food-servicebackground--you just need people skills."

It seems friendliness and pizza go hand in hand, which makessense since pizza has always been associated with good times. (Imean, who goes out for pizza after a funeral?)

With excellent customer service and a popular product, pizzaentrepreneurs may find the world eating out of their hands."The product speaks for itself," says Tim Lucas, vicepresident of sales and marketing for St. Joseph, Missouri-basedfranchisor Breadeaux Pizza. "If you're thinking aboutputting together a restaurant concept, quite naturally you'dchoose the most popular one." And with October being NationalPizza month, what better incentive do you need to get started?

Pizza Picks

The following companies offer pizza opportunities:

Listing compiled by Liza Potter

Ameci Pizza & Pasta, (818) 712-0110, http://www.amecipizza.com

Breadeaux Pisa Inc., (816) 364-1088, http://www.breadeauxpizza.com

Buck's Pizza, (800) 310-8848, http://www.buckspizza.com

Chicago's Pizza Franchises, (317) 462-9878, e-mail:http://www.mrjimspizza.net

Nancy's Pizzeria, (708) 535-2222, http://www.nancyspizza.com

Papa Murphy's, (360) 260-7272, http://www.papamurphys.com

Pizza Factory Inc., (800) 654-4840/(559) 683-3377,http://www.pizzafactoryinc.com

Pizza Man - He Delivers, (818) 766-4395

Pizza Pit, (608) 221-6777, http://www.pizzapit.com

Pizza Pizza Ltd., (800) 263-5556/(416) 967-1010

The Pizza Ranch, (800) 321-3401/(712) 439-1150, http://www.pizza-ranch.com

Pizzas of Eight (add-on to existing location only), (800)422-2901/(314) 432-8290, http://www.pizzasofeight.com

Snappy Tomato Pizza, (606) 525-4680, http://www.snappytomato.com

Straw Hat Pizza, (925) 829-1500, http://www.strawhatpizza.com

Stuft Pizza, (949) 361-2522, e-mail: jbertstuft@aol.com

Contact Sources

Breadeaux Pisa Inc., (816) 364-1088, ext. 232, info@breadeauxpizza.com

Doskocil Food Service Co. LLC, (800) 648-7801

Figaro's Italian Pizza Inc. (headquarters), (503)371-9318, ext. 208, http://www.figaros.com

Papa John's International Inc. (headquarters),http://www.papajohns.com

Papa John's, (219) 271-7272, pzzalvr31@aol.com

Pizza Today,ballar@protechpub.com