PIAZZA'S FINE FOODS EASES CRUNCH FOR LUNCH BUNCH

MINA WILLIAMS

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Piazza's Fine Foods here is fighting deli counter gridlock by reconfiguring department staffing to better reflect traffic flow.

The focus for the staffing initiative is the operator's fresh, made-to-order sandwich program, a successful element within Piazza's in-store food-service operation.

The problem is that the element is too successful, and thus has been overwhelmed during peaks in store traffic, said Gary Piazza, the store's owner. "Fresh deli sandwiches, made to order, on bread that is just minutes out of the oven -- this type of quality commands high traffic and turns that can result in long lines of impatient customers.

"While the attention to quality can be addressed by a savvy deli purchaser, it is the attention to service that challenges operators who want their customers happy and coming back."

Gary Piazza met the customer service challenge head on by staffing the deli service counter based on his unit's traffic flow, rather than establishing rigid hourly time and job sheets.

"We do have a large lunch business," said Piazza. "There are major technology companies within a few minutes of our store. These employ thousands of people who all have to eat. It is not uncommon to have 10 to 30 people waiting for their sandwich order."

Piazza estimates that on a weekday his service deli will make over 300 sandwiches on average. Each sandwich is made fresh to order. The staff also premakes 20 to 30 grab-and-go poor boys just for the convenience of a few customers. This supply is usually gone by 11:30 a.m., according to Piazza.

The unit is located in a small strip center, giving nine-to-fivers the opportunity to also run daily errands. Piazza's offers only a few tables with outdoor seating for customers. Most orders are consumed off-premises.

Staffing the deli department, as well as assuring product quality, command most of Piazza's attention.

To move the volume Piazza's commands, the service counter is staffed with extra lunch relief. Between five and eight people are behind the deli counter at a time, stacking sandwiches fresh to order.

"We staff our deli 24 hours a day, with up to three people around the clock," Piazza said.

While the store is closed to the public, the deli's night crew produces most of the salads, side dishes and entrees that are on the deli case's menu. Cole slaw, shrimp and pasta salad, fresh fruit salad, macaroni salad, carrot and raisin salad and three bean salad, in addition to soups, are just a few of the offerings made in-store every day.

Additionally, to further help customers move out of the store once their selections have been made, there are "deli only" cash registers at the front end. These help move customers quickly and conveniently through the traditional market-sized store.

One of the signature items that keeps Piazza's lunch trade coming back is the in-store baked crusty sourdough bread. This bread is used on all sandwich roll orders. It is the only bread baked on premises.

"Sometimes customers get a hot bread sandwich," said Piazza.

The retailer has placed an emphasis on high-quality, fresh food that transcends the sandwich program.

Piazza produces in-store the deli fresh rotisserie chicken that is offered hot and fresh. Whole birds are available in a variety of flavors including lemon, honey rosemary and barbecue. Piazza's also includes Buffalo chicken wings and whole breasts in its hot deli menu to give lunch grazers more deli options.

Also to appeal to the working lunch crowd, a 16-foot refrigerated salad bar with a shelf for soup crocks sits center department. At a time when most operators are removing these fixtures, Piazza's is using its salad bar as an entree into the business lunch crowd.