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Editor’s Note: This article is part 6 of PMQ’s 2026 Pizza Power Report. You can scroll down to the bottom to navigate to the next section of the report.
By Rick Hynum and Charlie Pogacar
To stay profitable in 2026, Michael LaMarca, a veteran independent pizzeria owner and master franchisor of Master Pizza, says, “You need to really get hyper-focused on your operations.”
Know your customers’ expectations and meet or exceed them every single time, he adds. “At Master Pizza, when we understand what the customer expects from us—a higher-quality product, convenience of online ordering through an app, a rewards program, the opportunity for savings with coupons, fresh, hot pizza, and no transaction when they walk out because it’s already paid for—when we hit that, our stores are monsters. When we miss that customer expectation, our stores struggle.”
Send every customer home happy, then show them a little love through your loyalty program, and repeat business will drive more sales. “You get one shot at a customer—we call it winning every order,” he says. “That’s a big statement in our company. If you win that order, they’ll call you the next time they want pizza.”
Write that down, folks: Win every order. Make it your restaurant’s mantra. And let’s close this year’s Pizza Power Report with a few more tips to keep in mind for 2026:
Keep a close eye on prime costs. Aim to keep food and labor costs near 60% to 65% of your sales. Keep your menus lean and high-margin. Focus on rigorous portioning and reducing waste and energy usage. As Slice’s Loren Padelford says, “With tariffs and rising overall costs, those shops that find ways to reduce their supply chain costs on core items, lower their vendor counts, and eliminate labor and third parties will make bigger profits and have more flexibility.”
Build out a tech stack that works. A solid tech stack is not optional—it’s a must. Every pizzeria needs a quality POS system that handles order management (in-house, online, delivery and carryout), sales tracking and analytics, inventory and cost controls, labor forecasts and scheduling—the works..
Encourage first-party ordering. Break away from third-party aggregators if you can—or at least give them a wider berth. When you control the ordering channel, your margins will be higher. “The smartest indie operators are taking back control of their customers and their customer data from the third parties who have monopolized it over [recent] years,” Padelford says. “They want to own their customer data so they can deliver targeted and specific discounts and loyalty rewards to their best customers.”
Ramp up your catering operation. Catering is a sleeping giant, and 2026 is the year to wake it up. Catering drives higher incremental sales on fewer transactions and generates revenue during slow periods. And the right tiers and bundles—devised with food costs in mind—will make you the life of any party. Anchor the deal with higher-margin large pizzas and sides that are inexpensive to make while creating high value perception. Just one order lets you feed dozens, maybe 100 or more potential new customers.
Pursue the real influencers. Matt Plapp, CEO of America’s Best Restaurants in Florence, Kentucky, says the best influencers aren’t TikTok stars. “They’re your local teachers, coaches, pastors and band directors—the trusted leaders who already command the attention of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people,” he says. “Take a high school band director with 100 students. Those students bring along 200 to 300 parents, 200 to 300 grandparents and (easily) 500 supporters. Add in alumni and annual school turnover, and you’re looking at someone who could influence more than 2,000 people in your town.” Make them a core part of your everyday marketing strategy in 2026 instead of begging for Dave Portnoy’s attention.
