What’s the one thing a pizzeria cannot do without? Cheese? Sauce? Ovens? That’s all true, but if you can’t hire, retain and reward trustworthy, hardworking employees, your operation will grind to a halt.

In these uncertain times, when operators are fighting to stay open and staff their restaurants, there is one thing you can do to tilt the scales in your favor, and that is to keep your employees happy and motivated. Giovanni Labbate of Billy Bricks Wood Fired Pizza has always taken this to heart. Pandemic or not, Labbate continually works to create a culture of support, encouragement and reward. PMQ’s Brian Hernandez sat down with Labbate to get his thoughts on employee compensation and employee retention.