Choosing wine to complement your customer’s menu choice

As pizza and pasta are both examples of Italian cuisine, it comes as no surprise that Italian style wines are the perfect complement to these meals. And with today’s consumers more educated about food and wine pairing, it makes sense to stock some suitable wines which your wait staff can recommend as perfect pairings for their menu choices.

But that doesn’t mean you need to order expensive Italian imports. As sommelier and wine consultant Christian Maier explains, many Australian producers are now making quality Italian style wines which capture the essential bouquet, nose and palate of their European antecedents.

“What you’re looking for in an Italian style wine to accompany pizza and pasta is one with a moderate, light structure, which has good acidity and a soft fruity character,” Christian says.

“Italian style cuisine tends to have a lot of refreshing character, some acidity and simple proteins like veal, salami and prosciutto, so you need to look for the same elements in your choice of wine – simple, good acidity and a rounded fruity body that will reach across the palate. Another way to think about it is that relaxed wine goes with relaxed food.”

Christian adds this is particularly the case when it comes to pizza: “You can look at pizza as a very casual style meal, in that you often eat it with your fingers and you share it with friends. So you would partner that with a wine which is relaxed drinking, not too intellectual. It’s also the case that a lot of tomato is used in pizza and pasta, and tomato has a strong level of umami and a kind of richness to it.

“Not all that many wines go with tomato, but Italian style wines do have an affinity with it – as they tend to be light-bodied reds. Avoid wine which is too heavy in tannins, so stay away from more structured wines like chianti, but go with something like valpolicella, a light bodied sangiovese or some relaxed pinot noir.

“Australia has really moved up in its production of these types – for example grenache, which is medium-bodied with an approachable palate, works very well with pizza.”

While you can recommend the above choices confident in the knowledge that they will be a good fit for both pizza and pasta, Christian emphasises that the most important aspect of choosing wine to go with food is that it should be a wine the customer will enjoy. “If a customer has a particular wine they like to drink, then they’ll enjoy the meal in any case. But matching wine with food adds another element because it can increase the customer’s enjoyment of the overall experience. This is where a sommelier or wine consultant can assist, by providing advice on what to pair.”

Instagram is a terrific social media tool for foodservice as it capitalises upon the ‘food selfie’ trend! People love sharing photos of great-looking food with friends, which makes Instagram ideal to showcase your signature dishes – and set mouths watering in the process!

And with more than 13 million active users in Australia – over 50 per cent of the country’s population – Instagram gives you great potential reach to publicise not only your business’ food but also its décor, ambience and happy, satisfied customers. In fact you can encourage customers to generate much of the content using their own photos. 

Here are our top tips to get you started exploiting the potential of Instagram as a foodservice marketing tool:

GOING LOCAL
Local produce is at the forefront of the menu and resonating strongly with customers, so try to incorporate locally grown and sourced ingredients whenever possible. And include a menu shout-out to them so your customers know you’re supporting them.

Mobile pizza catering can add another string to your business' bow

Mobile pizza catering is a great way to expand your business and complement your main dine-in, home delivery or takeaway operation. Now that lockdowns are behind us, demand is growing for mobile catering at markets, fairs and local events, as well as for weddings, birthday gatherings, workplace celebrations and corporate events.

You will need a fully contained mobile catering van complete with pizza oven, pizza chef and wait staff, and enough fresh ingredients to provide sufficient meals for all guests, plus plates and napkins as required. Your pricing needs to consider sufficient setup time (typically 2-3 hours) and travel fees outside of a set area (to cover your fuel costs), and you need to specify sufficient level ground (for your van/ovens), adequate ventilation and access to power/water (unless you have this in your vehicle). 

In addition to pizza, you can offer antipasto, pasta, desserts and beverages to ensure a complete catering solution.

There are however a few important points to bear in mind when considering expanding into mobile catering:

Startup costs

To get set up you will need to factor in the one-off startup costs like purchasing and equipping a food truck or similar vehicle with cooking equipment, oven, gas/electricity (generator), POS system etc and the various licenses and permits that are required. Other costs to bear in mind include business vehicle insurance and vehicle signage/painting.

Your vehicle will need sufficient room for refrigeration, food storage and preparation.

Decide which area/s you will cover

Even though your catering business is now mobile, you’ll want to set yourself a radius in which to operate so as to ensure cost-effectiveness.

Obtain necessary permits and ensure conformance with council ordinances and zoning laws

As with any business there are a number of licenses and permits you will need to organise. As a foodservice operator you’ll already be familiar with the requirements to adhere to the Food Standards Code and relevant legislation. A mobile catering business also brings with it the need to conform to various rules and regulations regarding where you can park the vehicle, where you can serve food, how long for and so on. These requirements will vary by area so as a starting point it’s best to check with the local council/food authority.

Make the right choice of oven

As the quality of the food is the most important element of the whole operation, it’s important to choose the right pizza oven that will work in the available space. Not only will you have to give careful consideration to the oven’s footprint but also ensure adequate ventilation.  

There are companies which specialise in commercial ovens for mobile catering and some which design ovens specifically for food trucks, so that’s probably the best place to start. 

Create customisable menu packages

While it’s smart to start with a standard menu similar to that of your regular dine-in, takeaway or home delivery business, you can also create catering packages for potential customers to choose from. And, bearing in mind the likelihood that parties of customers often include those with specialised dietary requirements, you’ll also need to have the flexibility to customise the menu to meet these needs. The more you can accommodate specialised requirements, the bigger your potential customer base.

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