An idea to open a pizzeria is just an idea until you put your plan on paper. If you’re ready to turn your dream of opening a pizza restaurant into a reality, here is an example of a pizza business plan to help you get started.

Use this outline to create a pizza business plan that will organize your thoughts and ideas, create a document to attract investors and financing, and get you on the road to opening your own pizzeria.

For additional help, check out Lavu’s free ebook How to Build a Restaurant Business Plan. Use the ebook and example pizza business plan to get ready to open your new business. 

Example of a Pizza Business Plan 

Not all business plans use the exact same format. You don’t have to follow this example pizza business plan to the letter, but it is a good idea to include these important sections and details in your document. 

Executive Summary 

Start your pizza business plan with a brief yet descriptive summary of your business. Offer a quick look at why you are opening the business and what will make you different from others. Answer questions like: 

  • Why do you want to start a pizza business?
  • What makes you the right person to open a pizza business?
  • What will make your business stand out from others?

Company Overview

In the next section, dive deeper into the details of your restaurant. 

  • Brand & Concept: Describe your restaurant’s theme. What will inspire the brand, design elements, and atmosphere? 
  • Service Style: Explain how you will serve customers. Will your restaurant be fast casual or sit down? Will you offer delivery or only take out?  Will you have servers or will customers order at a counter? Can customers use a self-serving kiosk or order from their phone? 
  • Restaurant Layout: Describe the location of your restaurant. How much space do you need? What elements must your restaurant have? How much seating do you need? What do you require in the kitchen?  
  • Target Customer: Explain who the restaurant is for. Is it designed to attract families or an over-21 crowd? Outline the details of your ideal customer. 
  • Sample Menu: Put together a listing of the food and drink options you want to offer at your pizzeria. What type of pizzas will you serve? What size? Will you offer options outside of pizza? For tips on creating your menu, download Lavu’s free guide: How to Create a Successful Restaurant Menu.
  • Team and Management: Introduce your team, and share a brief bio about each member of your leadership team. Also, include a list of the positions you will need to fill at your restaurant.  

Related: Optimize Your Pizza Delivery Service Today

Market Analysis 

Once you describe your restaurant, add a section to your pizza business plan that compares your concept to your competition. Share research about your industry, customers, and market. 

  • Competition: List your competition and their positioning. Include information about competitors’ menu options, pricing, hours, and location. 
  • Positioning: Explain how your business position differs from your competition. Highlight what makes you unique and helps you stand out from competitor positioning. 

Location: Share research about your area. How many potential customers live in your area? How many competing businesses are in your area? What are the trends in the area? Is rent and real estate going up or down? Is the area growing or shrinking? 

Marketing Plan

Next, include a section about how you can market your new business and drive in customers. 

  • Marketing Assets: List the marketing assets you need to promote your business. Consider what you need for your website, signage, menus, promotional postcards, etc. 
  • Advertising: Share information about the advertising channels you will leverage and the average cost associated with each platform.  
  • Public Relations: Outline a PR plan for your restaurant. List media outlets in your area along with stories to pitch to nearby news stations, print publications, blogs, and social media influencers. 
  • Community Involvement: Share details about how your restaurant will integrate into the local community. What charities will you support? What local events will you sponsor? How can you get more people in your community to recognize your business?  
  • Customer Database & Loyalty Program: Explain how you plan to re-engage customers once they visit your pizzeria. Outline a plan to create a customer database or loyalty program that will bring existing customers back again. 

Operations Plan

In the next section of your pizza business plan, include details about how your restaurant will run. Share information about your operations. 

  • Hiring & Training: Outline plans for filling positions at your business and what you can do to train your team to excel in their roles. 
  • Tools & Software: Include a list of tools and software you will need to run your restaurant. A few essentials include a pizza point-of-sale (POS) system, online ordering platform, invoice management software, and inventory management system.
  • Partners & Vendors: Consider what partners you need to run your restaurant. What vendors and suppliers will you use? What companies or partners are essential? 

Related: Master Pizza Restaurant Inventory Management with These 5 Tools

Financial Plan 

Finally, end your pizza business plan with a section that gets into the details of your finances. This section will be especially important if you are seeking financing or investment in your business. 

  • Start-up Costs: Outline the costs to start your restaurant. For help with determining all of your expenses, download Lavu’s free Restaurant Start-Up Costs Worksheet.
  • Financing Options: Include a section about how you plan to finance your business. Are you self-funding? If so, how much are you investing? Will you seek outside investment? Are you relying on loans? 
  • Operating Expenses: Create projections on what it will cost to run your business. How much will it cost to keep your restaurant open each month? 
  • Sales Forecasts: Include projections for how much your restaurant will bring in each month. Based on your pricing and customers, how much revenue do you expect to generate? 

Related: Restaurant Accounting Methods: The Essential Guide

Create a Plan to Launch Your Pizza Business 

If you want to open a pizzeria, you can’t just dream about starting a pizza business. You need to put your plans on paper.

Use this outline of an example pizza business plan to get started. Build a document that organizes your ideas, directs your progress, and helps you land investors and financing.   
For additional guidance while building your business plan, download Lavu’s free ebook: How to Build a Restaurant Business Plan. Or, reach out to Lavu to see how we can be a partner in your business launch and growth. Get a demo of our pizza POS system to see how we can provide the tools you need to build your business.