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PrintThe Design and Delivery of the Perfect Pizza
CORPORATE CONCEPT BACKGROUNDER
Media Contact: Drew Flack, Buzz, Inc., 1-800-362-1273
The Design and Delivery of the Perfect Pizza
(in just under four minutes flat)
Two years in development, Twin Cities-based Solos Pizza Cafe
serves up the freshest, highest-quality pizzas in 3 minutes and 40 seconds
MAPLE GROVE, MN (July, 2008) - When you achieve "pizza frenzy" midway through your firstslice of a 10-inch pizza from Solos Pizza Cafe you probably won't be thinking about all the work that went into the experience.
That's because what you have in your mouth is the freshest, highest-quality, most delicious individual pizza you've ever tasted.
The fact that you were just watching it being made, and you've barely had time to get your beverage and sit down, doesn't hurt either. But don't be fooled. What may look like a piece of cake (or slice of pie, as the case may be) is the result of years of development, tons of trial and error, and more research than you's care to know about.
"What we didn't want was to end up with another 'me too' concept," says co-founder John Osterberg. "So we studied the Fast/Casual catagory, realized there wasn't anybody out there delivering a high-quality, individual pizza in a short amount of time at a reasonable price, so we thought we'd jump in and give it a try."
The Solos Pizza Cafes are a new model for how a concept can enter a growing catagoryand carve a niche based on excellence. From the flavor profiles, to ingredient sourcing, to oven R&D, and even to creating a respectful culture for staff and management, the Solos concept sets the pace for how this can be achieved.
Solos is the work of three Twin Cities men: Bruce Thomson, John Osterberg and Brian Banick. Thomson, one of the region's most prolific entrepreneurs, was a co-founderpf the Twin Cities ProEx, and also of Archiver's, the Photo Memory Store, now with 45locations nationwide. And it is his relentless curiosity and business leadershipthat sparked the imaginations of Osterberg and Banick, and challenged them to test the waters before fully executing and industry-leading pizza concept in the world of Fast Casual restaurants.
"We started this journey a few years ago with a 'take and bake' concept" continues Osterberg. "The product had a lot going for it, but we decided there was even more we could do with individual pizzas." Soon Thomson and Osterberg brought Banick into the mix, a self professed foodie, who began experimenting with flavors and developing the menu. With his involvement, the pace quickend.
Dough was tested and retested - more than 40 times. Ingredients were sampled and sampled again, oven manufacturers were visited, the results of national surveys were studied, and an interior designer was brought on board. Finally, a location was selected and in February 2007 the first Solos Pizza opened in maple Grove. The concept was a hit, blending the look, feel and flavor of artisan-style pizza with 21st century consistency.
Sixteen months later, the three men poised to open their second location, this one in Plymouth, Minnesota and if this goes as well as the first, a regional, or even national roll-out may be in order.
"We can tell people like our crust since very little of it's left on the plate," says Brian Banick. "All our recipes have been rigorously tested and not dumbed-down in an attempt to find the lowest common denominator. I want to make sure I can taste more than one flavor at all times, so consequently, our marinary is tangy, our mozzarella is made from whole milk, and our dough has just a hint of sweetness."
"It's like having a party in your mouth," says Osterberg with a laugh. "Brian has done a fantastic job, and when it tastes this good, you know you're on to something."