Joe Fugere effortlessly strides by means of the open kitchen on the Westlake location of his four-store unbiased operation, Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria. We’ve been with him for a complete day in Seattle, driving across the metropolis and visiting every of Fugere’s shops, which can collectively high $10 million in gross sales this 12 months. The spotlight reel has been seemingly countless: Tutta Bella’s workers have impressed us with their information and fervour; the lengths Fugere goes to in an effort to make sure authenticity and high quality dazzles us; the sweetness and effectivity of the shops are indeniable. No marvel we named Tutta Bella the 2010 Impartial of the 12 months!
Fugere watches as Government Chef Brian Gojdics plates a Margherita pie for our cameras. It seems excellent, and Fugere proudly factors out the crust’s defi ning traits: flame-blackened blisters on the cornicione, a credit score card-thin heart, a patina of crunch if you chew into it, which yields to a lightweight, fluffy inside. All of it begins with the pillowy crust — the cornicione — explains Fugere. That’s the place most imposters go mistaken.
“We’re storytellers right here at Tutta Bella,” asserts Fugere. “Pizza is about sharing, about coming collectively over one thing easy, but fantastic. There are such a lot of tales to inform our prospects: in regards to the crust, in regards to the traditions of Naples or Italian tradition generally, in regards to the components that go into our pizzas.
“We wish and encourage our individuals — our servers, our baristas, our bartenders — to grasp and share with prospects these nice tales. They supply context and enrich the expertise. They provide our prospects a greater understanding of what they’re consuming and what it’s that’s so nice about it.”
Gojdics is fast to chime in with a narrative in regards to the important components of Tutta Bella’s Regina Margherita: “It’s a traditional,” he says. “The components are contemporary, sincere, easy. We’re utilizing contemporary mozzarella, contemporary basil, tomatoes which are grown within the richest soils on the earth.” A really genuine Neapolitan pizza is a factor of unmistakable magnificence, and Fugere immediately acknowledged that the primary time he had one. It was a defining second within the affable entrepreneur’s life — on the time he was an government at Seattle-based Starbucks, a high-profile and rewarding job from which one doesn’t simply stroll away.
Whereas the extreme flavors of Neapolitan pizza made Fugere’s style buds giddy, there was extra to it than that. Above all, he was impressed by the eagerness and historic significance of the pizza scene in Naples, Italy. Touched by that keenness, Fugere got down to totally replicate it, in earnest, along with his personal pizza idea within the Jet Metropolis.
For assist alongside the best way, the Tutta Bella founder turned to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), a gaggle that certifies Neapolitan pizzerias all through the world and verifies the authenticity of their merchandise. In 2004, Tutta Bella opened its first location and have become the primary VPN-certified pizzeria within the Pacific Northwest. “It’s an artwork and a science on the similar time,” Gojdics says of cooking Neapolitan pizza. At Tutta Bella, the pies are baked in a wood-burning oven at 800 F for roughly 90 seconds. “You don’t have a lot of a margin of error. You possibly can flip your head, then flip again and see that you’ve got burned three pizzas.”
Gojdics says one in every of his most essential features is “to remain centered on genuine Neapolitan pizza.” At Tutta Bella, “authenticity” isn’t a buzzword — it’s a mandate.
“However there’s extra to Brian and his place than that,” says Fugere. “He additionally has the accountability to develop individuals. He’s a pacesetter, and it exhibits. He’s liable for cultivating individuals and instilling in them our tradition.”
Therein lies the mastery that epitomizes Fugere. An efficient chief and deft at delegation, he’s an unmatched expertise developer. He units lofty targets for his workers, however then helps them by arming them with the instruments they should succeed. Working example are the coveted Italian excursions he sends workers members on yearly. Positive, Fugere expects his baristas to be authorities on the artwork of the Italian espresso … so he sends them to Italy to tour espresso crops and meet with the producer of the espresso machine used at Tutta Bella. He sends Gojdics and different members of the kitchen workers to see the fl our mill and the tomato harvest and style pizza in Naples; he sends his wine program supervisor to the Italian vineyards the place the grapes that may find yourself within the wines served at Tutta Bella are cultivated. These excursions are immersive and academic — they usually create loads of worker loyalty.
Talking of workers, Coaching Program Supervisor Kelli Phelan has been with Tutta Bella for almost fi ve years. She just lately led a “server summit” with the intent of “bringing all our servers collectively to get on the identical web page and ensure we’ve constant service throughout all ranges. We talked about what our expectations are and what we would like every of our company to get out of their expertise right here. We centered on instructing them how their service multiplies out and the way they affect the enterprise with their service in both a great or dangerous approach. We talked about what it takes to be an incredible server at Tutta Bella.”
Phelan says Tutta Bella has roughly 70 servers. These people are the entrance line ambassadors for the model, and their accessibility makes them the corporate’s major storytellers. They’re the individuals most probably to work together at size with prospects, the staff finest suited to take a minute to inform the story in regards to the fi or di latte Tutta Bella makes use of, or the Grana Padano, or the rationale all workers put on a San Marzano tomato pin on the lapels of their uniform.
Cultivating profitable servers begins through the interview course of, says Phelan.
“The screening is essential,” she says. “That’s the place we attempt to discover out if they’re genuinely good individuals. One of many questions I prefer to ask them is who they give the impression of being as much as, who they wish to emulate.” Says Fugere: “We use the interview as a chance to teach. We give all our candidates a free pizza card once they go away the shop in order that they will are available and see what the pizza is like and get slightly little bit of a really feel for what we’re about by means of the product.”
Phelan says the aim is to have longevity with new hires, “so it’s extra about their persona than their expertise. We wish it to be a great fi t, as a result of we’ll prepare them to satisfy our requirements.”
New hires undergo an orientation through which they shadow varied positions, beginning with the host or a bus station. Then they placed on a chef’s coat and stand alongside the pizza cutter earlier than speaking with the chef to be taught extra in regards to the merchandise used to make Tutta Bella’s menu gadgets.
“They style a uncooked tomato, style the contemporary mozzarella,” says Phelan. “Then, the following day is once they begin their service coaching by shadowing a server. They’ll begin taking tables with assistance on the second day, then they’ll be on their very own and get 4 tables on the third day.”
In all, the whole orientation course of lasts fi ve days. On the finish of every day, the brand new rent sits down with a supervisor or coach for a meal.
Director of Operations Joyce Morinaka is a first-rate instance of Tutta Bella’s dedication to offering workers with development alternatives. After residing in Italy briefly, Morinaka began as a server at Tutta Bella. Rather less than a 12 months into the place, Morinaka was moved into administration. Now, she oversees operations in any respect 4 Tutta Bella shops.
“I’m an instance of our guiding ideas,” she states. “It’s thrilling that we are able to present individuals with a majority of these alternatives. We’re creating one thing actually nice right here, and that’s thrilling.”
Fugere, actually, has taken lots of the enterprise ideas he realized at Starbucks and modified them to assist mould the tradition at Tutta Bella. “What we’re making an attempt to do right here,” he says, “is construct a world-class firm on an area degree. We all know we’ve an incredible product — we’ve Naples to thank for that. However above and past that, we’ve the chance to construct an incredible firm.
“We’ve adopted an enduring mentality,” Fugere continues. “Now we have a 100-year mentality. We haven’t constructed this firm to promote in 10 years. We’re constructing an enduring enterprise.”
These aren’t hole phrases, both, says Morinaka. Fugere is devoted to the long-term success of his enterprise by means of investing within the long-term success of his workers — and prospects in the neighborhood. Since Morinaka shares Fugere’s ardour for group involvement and charitable occasions, it has fallen on her plate to assist oversee the corporate’s donations.
“One of many distinctive issues about this firm is that we are sometimes given extra roles that match our pursuits,” Morinaka says. “So regardless that I’m the director of operations, I’m additionally this system supervisor for donations.”
Fugere says Tutta Bella by no means says no to a request from the Seattle group. It’s all a part of the aforementioned 100-year mentality. And that, says Morinaka, is a part of what makes the corporate outstanding.
“Joe’s feeling of generosity is absolutely touching,” she says. “We don’t have an promoting funds. We become involved in the neighborhood as an alternative. Our Columbia Metropolis retailer is in a real inner-city neighborhood. You don’t see lots of these any extra. It’s enjoyable to become involved with the neighbors, to convey the children in and do excursions with them or to donate pizzas or $40 present playing cards to colleges. Each time we construct a Tutta Bella, the donation program is a giant a part of it from the very starting.”
As you will have observed, the phrase “program supervisor” is used loads at Tutta Bella. It goes again to Fugere’s worker growth and delegation prowess. Although arms on, Fugere totally capitalizes on the energy of his key individuals by rewarding them with an opportunity to showcase their very own entrepreneurial abilities. Tutta Bella doesn’t merely serve espresso, for instance — it has a devoted “espresso program” with its personal supervisor. Ditto for different areas of the operation.
Meet Jeff Perini. He’s liable for the espresso program, which accounts for a surprisingly vital share of Tutta Bella’s gross sales. Since every Tutta Bella already has a espresso bar the place skilled baristas hand-pull contemporary espressos, it is sensible that this portion of the enterprise might be used to draw income throughout a day half that doesn’t historically discover a pizzeria’s doorways open to the general public.
“We’ve bought workers right here within the morning anyway, and we’ve this nice espresso bar, and we’re positioned proper in the course of neighborhoods and commuter zones, so it actually appeared like a great match to open within the morning through the breakfast shift,” says Perini. “It has labored out very well. Now we have fairly a couple of individuals cease in for his or her morning espresso and possibly a biscotti earlier than work. We’ve managed to rework what can be a lifeless interval into one other income.”
Because the espresso bar on the Columbia Metropolis retailer is housed in a separate room adjoining to the principle eating space and has its personal exterior entrance, Fugere hung an Attibassi espresso signal to offer the looks {that a} standalone espresso store exists subsequent to Tutta Bella.
“I feel it offers it a pleasant really feel, nearly like a separate enterprise,” he explains. “Having its personal door actually helps, as a result of we are able to hold individuals from strolling by means of a darkish eating room on their approach in to get an espresso within the morning.”
On the morning we visited, barista Giovanni Rogano was manning the espresso counter. Our cameras caught him pulling espresso after espresso adroitly. He defined to us that Tutta Bella takes nice pains to be genuine to the expertise one would discover in Naples.
“In Italy, the drink matches the mug. So we put our espressos in a 3 ounce mug, our cappuccinos in a six-ounce mug and our lattes in a 9 ounce mug,” he says.
Later that evening, we’d discover ourselves at a distinct Tutta Bella bar. There, we sipped refreshing and creative libations and talked about their origins with Beer, Wine and Spirits Program Supervisor R.C. Jennings.
Jennings has been with Tutta Bella since almost the start. He entered the equation as a retailer normal supervisor and wrote the corporate’s coaching handbook. Amongst different issues, Jennings is answerable for placing collectively Tutta Bella’s wine checklist, which modifications twice a 12 months.
“We even have a brand new wine particular each time we’ve a pizza particular,” Jennings says. “In Italy, wine is meals, and it’s loved with each meal. We wish the expertise right here to be as authentically Italian as attainable, so the one factor Joe requires is that each one of our wines be Italian. What I attempt to do is get a great combine from each area.” After we visited Tutta Bella in Might for this story, Jennings had 14 wines on the menu — 10 reds and 4 whites. All have been priced beneath $40 for the bottle.
“My focus the final 12 months or so has been ‘Italy Accessible,’ ” Jennings explains. “All of the wines are $40 and beneath, they usually’re obtainable by the glass. And I need to make it so simple as attainable [to sell the wines], so I actively promote to prospects that they will style the wines and take a look at them in the event that they’re .”
Jennings says he evaluates the lineup and makes modifications each six months. Proper now, he says, he’s “actually centered on constructing worth. Since wine accounts for 20 % of our total gross sales, we’re in a position to actually have numerous enjoyable with it.” For wine to be such a big a part of the gross sales combine, Jennings says it takes a educated and proactive service workers. All of it goes again to Phelan’s earlier assertion that the servers have a ripple impact on the whole enterprise.
“I encourage our servers each evening to select one thing about our wines to concentrate on that evening,” says Jennings. “If the servers aren’t behind the wine, the wine received’t promote.”
That’s the place Fugere’s storytelling tradition is available in. It’s a easy, efficient approach for servers to subtly educate prospects about Tutta Bella’s wine choices. And contemplating that Italian wines are on the upswing by way of present recognition, there are many tales about them to be advised.
“I don’t prefer to get bored, and I don’t just like the servers to get bored,” says Jennings. “One of many positives is that I’ve undoubtedly seen a surge in the previous couple of years. Italian wines are scorching once more.”
Except for the wine, Tutta Bella can also be identified for its progressive spirits menu. Whereas Fugere initially required that Italian grappa be used as the bottom, he has since softened his stance and allowed the usage of vodka or gin as nicely. That’s as a result of he realized “we have been lacking out on numerous choices once we weren’t providing vodka or gin,” says Jennings. Nonetheless, regardless of this system’s enlargement, Jennings says the spirits menu that’s usually engineered by co-worker Brandon Hamlett (who couldn’t be current for our interview) stays rooted within the Italian fundamentals.
“After we construct a menu, we like to begin gradual and easy and let issues increase from there,” he says. “Just like the wines, we would like our menu to be accessible and have individuals style the drinks.”
Whereas creativity runs rampant all through the group, the very fact of the matter is that the spirits menu permits for extra experimentation than some other avenue — its components and combos aren’t dictated by a 3rd social gathering such because the VPN. On our go to, which prefaced summer time, the main target was on cool, refreshing cocktails that cleanse the palate, resembling lemon and cucumber. Jennings says the inventiveness of the wine and spirits program is a results of the liberty Fugere permits Hamlett and him to have.
“At any time when we launch a brand new program, price isn’t the primary consideration,” he says. “First, it’s creativity, authenticity and ease.” These have been the guiding ideas, as nicely, when Gojdics teamed with an area brewery to formulate a Tutta Bella-branded beer, which was blended particularly to match the flavors present in a conventional Neapolitan pizza.
“Tutta Bella Amber Ale is made particularly for us,” Gojdics says. “Over the course of the final couple of years, I used to be all the time on Joe about including one other beer. After which we began having every kind of issues with the beer by way of supply. So we needed to tailor a beer particularly for us.”
Gojdics discovered a Seattle microbrewery accidentally. He explains it this fashion: “I picked up a (native) journal with Kurt Cobain on the duvet, and within the again I discovered an article a few new microbrewery. I noticed many parallels between us and them. Their mission assertion might have been written by us.”
So the chef approached the brewers and organized for some pairings. What they found, says Gojdics, is that ambers pair nicely with Neapolitan pies “as a result of they’re much less hoppy and extra malty. And we found that one factor that’s on this specific amber that might not be in others is a black malt, and that matches the roasted traits of the cornicione.”
Tutta Bella Amber Ale went on the menu 15 months in the past, and Gojdics says, “we promote a ton of it. We’re very, very pleased with it.”
Reality be advised, there’s little or no — if something — occurring at Tutta Bella that its founder and workers shouldn’t be pleased with. Tables flip 4 instances on a busy Friday evening (common visitor expertise is 90 minutes), and gross sales will climb to a median of $2.5 million per retailer by the top of this 12 months. When the mud settles, that’s actually what it’s all about — constructing a profitable enterprise in a accountable, encouraging approach.
As soon as once more, enter Fugere. Accountability, accountability and sustainability are as essential to him as authenticity. And similar to he discovered a donations advocate in Morinaka, he has discovered an environmental steward in Sustainability Program Supervisor Erik Cain.
“We like to guide by instance and let individuals uncover what we’re doing,” says Fugere. “Erik is an ideal instance of residing the message we ship — he lives on a ship and rides a motorbike to work.”
Cain’s duties embrace discovering efficient methods to reduce Tutta Bella’s waste and unfavorable affect on the surroundings. Since eating places are among the largest customers of vitality and turbines of waste, Cain says it’s comparatively straightforward for a pizzeria to take small steps that add as much as make a giant distinction.
“We recycle and compost all of the glass, cardboard and paper we use,” he says. “We’re getting very near having zero rubbish. One other factor we observed is that children have been going by means of round 100 plastic cups and lids each few days. So we bought a reusable children cup with recyclable lids.”
These are simply a few Cain’s initiatives, however they’re already paying dividends for Tutta Bella, says Fugere.
“The sudden consequence and the reward to a few of what we’re doing by way of composting,” he says, “is that composting is inexpensive to have picked up than rubbish. However you’d be shocked the quantity of people that acknowledge and respect what we’re doing.”
That’s a far cry from Jamie Sprott’s ancillary appointment at Tutta Bella. Whereas his work as a chef in one in every of Tutta Bella’s places absolutely attracts consideration, his secondary job of serving because the Services Program Supervisor is likely one of the extra thankless gigs within the system. Let’s not confuse low profile with unimportant, nonetheless. Sprott’s ability set saves Tutta Bella 1000’s of {dollars} yearly.
“Someone’s bought to do it,” Fugere jokes of Sprott’s duties. “In actuality, although, it’s extraordinarily essential to operating a world class firm.”
Give it some thought. What’s extra damaging to a pizzeria than a serious tools failure in the course of a dinner rush? What does it price to get a restore firm in to repair the issue after hours, on instant discover? If there’s a Jamie Sprott within the constructing, life will get a lot simpler.
“Daily I put aside a sure period of time the place I can do issues across the constructing,” says Sprott. “Since I’m in a single retailer, I’ve a contact particular person arrange in every of the opposite three places that feed me info.”
Sprott maintains an inventory of all of the tools Tutta Bella makes use of — all the pieces from massive gadgets right down to gentle bulbs. His database permits him to instantly see whether or not an merchandise is beneath guarantee and which restore firm is finest suited to shortly fi x it. And, in lots of instances, he can fi x it himself.
“We keep 40 to 45 completely different service suppliers,” says Sprott, “as a result of we’ve numerous specialty tools. However I’m a tinkerer and a do-it-yourself kind of particular person — it’s simply my nature. So I’ll fi x one thing myself if I can. If I can’t, then I ensure I’m right here when the service man comes and I stand over his shoulder and watch how he fixes it in order that I can do it myself the following time.” Sprott and Fugere say {that a} correct upkeep schedule goes a good distance as nicely.
“Something on the road must be blown out with an air compressor recurrently,” advises Sprott. “Additionally, we do a bimonthly cleansing of the grease traps and exhaust techniques. For our woodburning ovens, they must be cleaned each two months.
“Developing with a upkeep schedule is essential. It’s actually a money-saving situation to have tools serviced incessantly. It’s less expensive than repairing it.”
Actually, says Fugere, the Services Administration Program has diminished upkeep prices by almost $2,000 monthly. And as is sort of all the time the case with Tutta Bella, there’s an extra fringe profit to this system.
“It impacts morale,” says Fugere. “You don’t need to work in a spot that’s in disrepair, the place the tools seems dangerous and doesn’t work. Our kitchens are open, and we’re happy with what we serve and the way we serve it.” ?
Jeremy White is editor-in-chief of Pizza In the present day.
