Operations
After greater than 40 years, Figaro’s Italian Pizza continues to thrive as a nostalgic, small-town pizza franchise due to its progressive “We Bake or You Bake” mannequin and a novel dough that different main chains could not replicate.
Picture: Figaro’s Italian Pizza
August 1, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
For greater than 40 years, Figaro’s Italian Pizza has been a well-recognized sight in cities throughout the Pacific Northwest, with its distinctive brand promising a scorching, tacky meal. However for a lot of, the model is greater than only a fast dinner resolution; the take-and-bake firm is a nostalgic style of dwelling, a Friday night time custom and a logo of small-town consolation.
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Ron Berger owns Figaro’s Italian Pizza. Picture: Figaro’s |
Figaro’s started in March of 1981 in Oregon. Simply 40 miles down the street, one other take-and-bake pizza model, which might ultimately merge with one other to change into Papa Murphy’s, additionally blossomed.
“Take-and-bake pizza had not existed earlier than that month on this nation, and it did not exist largely as a result of nobody had perfected a dough method that will can help you take a dough and kneed it and roll it out, cowl it with toppings and make it achieve a house oven,” stated Ron Berger, president and CEO of Figaro’s Italian Pizza in a telephone name with Pizza Market.
At this time, Figaro’s has 31 models — 24 within the U.S., six in India and one in Cypress. Berger purchased the corporate in 2001. The model is 100% franchised.
Take-and-bake pizzas
Within the years since take and bake launched, the large chains have tried to supply it with out success. “They’ve given up not as a result of they do not know the right way to do it — they know the right way to do it. They’ve given up as a result of it seems that the dough in use at Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, all the main chains, is a really quick rising, quick dough that comprises a really strong yeast,” Berger defined. “And so, it is created for a quick rise, and the reason being as a result of all these chains, having an possibility of what is essential to them, they’ve all chosen time via the oven.”
From begin to end, the large chains can get a pie via the oven in underneath three minutes, Berger added. Take-and-bake pizza is strictly the alternative scenario, which means if an worker makes a take-and-bake pizza, the restaurant has to verify over the following hours and even days that the moisture from the sauce and toppings would not permeate the dough. If that occurs, the crust will burn whereas the interior a part of the pizza will probably be soggy. In essence, it will not bake proper.
“With a purpose to accomplish that trick of creating it doable for the dough to not be permeated by the moisture, the individuals who invented take-and-bake pizza went to the American Baking Institute. They requested for a dough that will be the consistency of a plate, like a bit of china, that will be impervious to moisture. And that was what was perfected,” Berger defined. That dough takes 5 to 6 minutes to undergo the oven, so it is costly by way of comfort and pace.
The large chains deserted take-and-bake pizza as a result of they did not wish to run two separate dough traces of their kitchens, Berger stated.
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Picture: Figaro’s |
Operations
In 1996, Figaro’s, which had been battling with close by Papa Murphy’s Take-and-Bake Pizza, added Middleby Marshall conveyor and Lincoln impinger ovens to all of its shops and coined the phrase “We Bake or You Bake.”
At this time, nearly all of clients choose up baked pizzas. One level of differentiation is that Figaro’s can present each baked pizzas and unbaked for a celebration, so there’s at all times scorching and contemporary pizza obtainable all through the night time.
A part of the attract of take-and-bake pizza is that visitors can watch a pizza get made and may see precisely what elements have gone on there. When it will get dwelling, visitors can add cheese, Parmesan and different elements not supplied by Figaro’s.
“After I consider massive holidays just like the World Collection, the Tremendous Bowl, Halloween, issues like that, that is after I suppose you see all people’s pizza gross sales go up. At Figaro’s, ours go up exponentially as a result of we offer the chance to combine each baked and unbaked,” Berger stated.
Berger stated his children are joyful to eat leftover pizza, so little goes to waste. Utilizing the celebration instance, say two of the ten pizzas you purchased did not get baked and eaten. They’re nonetheless good within the fridge for a number of days.
Cheese and pepperoni are the 2 prime sellers, however Figaro’s has a whole line that the model has perfected over time. The model employs a nationally famend chef to create their pizza flavors, just like the Creamy Garlic Hen, which has rooster, black olives, onions, inexperienced peppers and contemporary tomatoes on a signature garlic sauce. The sauce is made internally at each retailer day by day.
At its India shops, the place the model is contractually obligated to open 150 models, and the present six have opened since 2024, there are markets the place individuals do not eat beef or pork or are vegetarian. They as soon as once more employed their guide to create pizzas that slot in these markets.
Consistency is difficult, particularly because the model is small and has models abroad. With simply 9 individuals within the company workplace, together with three discipline officers, the model gives its franchisees coaching manuals and movies and recipes for continuity. These are all obtainable on an intranet.
Figaro’s is targeted on increasing on the higher peninsula of Michigan, Colorado, Illinois and California. Discovering actual property with inexpensive lease is difficult. Labor costs have additionally gone up. Earlier than and through COVID, the common employee made about $8 per hour. At this time that wage has jumped to $12 to $15 an hour. The price of meals and ovens have risen as properly.
For these contemplating going into the pizza enterprise, Berger advises that “in case you are not an outgoing particular person, and when you’re not an individual who was reared in a household the place you’re all about service and also you’re all about making different individuals joyful, seeing that smile on their face whenever you do one thing for them that is very nice and respectful and candy — if that is not you then you definately should not be within the (restaurant) enterprise. … You possibly can be taught, actually, in franchising. We practice individuals. … Manufacturing the product, cooking it, if you’ll, will not be the issue. The problem between success and failure in retail is the character of the proprietor and the group that’s greeting the client.”
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the positioning editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has greater than 20 years’ expertise protecting meals, individuals and locations.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings greater than 20 years’ expertise to Networld Media Group. She has spent practically twenty years protecting the pizza business, from impartial pizzerias to multi-unit chains and each measurement enterprise in between. Mandy has been featured on the Meals Community and has received quite a few awards for her protection of the restaurant business. She has an insatiable urge for food for studying, and may let you know the place to search out the very best slices within the nation after spending 15 years touring and consuming pizza for a residing.
