Congratulations! You’ve been awarded a school contract.
That is an exciting opportunity for any pizza shop. School accounts can create a new, steady revenue stream during the week, while your regular weekend business continues to bring in customers. For many operators, it is a great way to add dependable volume and grow the business beyond normal lunch and dinner traffic.
But before the first large order is due, it is worth asking one important question: Is your store ready to prepare and deliver a large volume of pizzas at once?
School contracts can put new pressure on your kitchen. Instead of making pizzas one order at a time, your staff may need to prep, bake, cut, hold, and deliver dozens of pizzas within a tight window. Having the right supplies in place before the contract starts can help make the process smoother from day one. Northern Pizza Equipment can help you get set up with the tools you need.
Plan for Volume Before the First Order
A school contract is different from a normal rush. During a typical service, pizzas may move through the line in waves in a variety of sizes and styles. With a school order, a large number of the same pizzas need to be ready at the same time. That means your prep line, oven, cutting station, holding area, and delivery process all need to work together. If one part of the process slows down, the whole order can back up.
Before the contract begins, walk through the order from start to finish. How many pizzas will need to be built? How many can fit in the oven at once? Where will finished pizzas go while the rest are baking? How will they be cut? How will they be held? How will they be delivered?
Answering those questions early can help you avoid scrambling later.
Have Enough Pans and Screens
Pans and screens are one of the first things to check. If you do not have enough pans or screens, your prep line and oven cannot stay full. Staff may have to wait for pans to come out of the oven before building the next pizzas, which slows the entire process down.
For school contracts, the goal is to keep pizzas moving. You want enough pans or screens to support the full production flow: prepping, baking, cooling or staging, and loading the next round.
Northern Pizza Equipment offers heavy duty pizza screens in multiple sizes, including 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”, 16”, 18”, 20”, and 24” options. If you are increasing volume for a school account, it may be worth stocking up before the first delivery date. Ask about quantity discounts if you need to order in bulk.
Keep Pizzas Warm Before Delivery
Once pizzas come out of the oven, they may not leave the store immediately.
Depending on the size of the order, some pizzas may be finished before others are ready. You will need a way to hold them at the proper temperature until the full order is complete and ready to go.
That is where warming and holding equipment becomes important. Warming cabinets, holding tables, and strip warmers can help keep food warm while your staff finishes the order and prepares for delivery. The right setup depends on your kitchen space, order size, and how long pizzas need to be held before they leave the store.
If you are adding a school contract, do not wait until the first big order to figure this out. Make sure you have the holding space you need ahead of time.
Use Portion Padls for Even Slices
Schools often have to follow strict portion sizes. That means even slicing matters. If one pizza is cut into uneven slices, it can create serving issues for the school and inconsistency across the order.
A custom Portion PadL is a simple tool that helps your staff cut equal size slices every time. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, place it on the cutting board and follow the grooves for even, symmetrical slices.
Portion Padls are especially useful for school accounts because they help remove guesswork from the cutting process. They can also make training easier when multiple staff members are helping complete a large order.
Northern Pizza Equipment offers Portion Padls in multiple sizes and slice count options.
Make Sure Delivery Bags Can Handle the Order
After the pizzas are baked, cut, and held, they still need to make the trip. Delivery bags are an important part of school contract preparation. The pizzas need to arrive in good condition and at a safe temperature. If your current bags only hold a few pizzas, a large school order may require too many trips or too many bags.
Northern Pizza Equipment carries a 33” x 17” x 11” black nylon delivery bag that can hold 10 14” pizza boxes. It features a durable polyester exterior, stain resistant nylon interior, three layer insulation system, durable nylon handles, velcro closures, and a large ticket window. For shops handling large school deliveries, having the right bags can make loading, organizing, and transporting pizzas much easier.
Set Your Staff Up for a Smooth Contract
School contracts can be a great opportunity, but they require planning. Make sure your team has enough pans or screens to keep production moving. Add warming and holding equipment if pizzas need to be staged before delivery. Use Portion Padls to keep slices even. Stock delivery bags that can handle the volume.
With the right setup, your kitchen can move through large orders more efficiently and deliver a more consistent product to the school.
If you are preparing for a new school contract, Northern Pizza Equipment can help you find the supplies you need before the first order is due. Give our knowledgeable staff a call at 1-800-426-0323 to get started.
