Focusing on quality and service since 1982, Mark’s Pizzeria has found the key ingredients to success. The popular pizzeria with 48 locations across New York continues to thrive, employing more than 1,250 people and turning out a couple million pizzas each year.
Mark Crane, founder, namesake and president of Mark’s Pizzeria, is proud of his team’s success but admits it is no small feat to achieve a “consistently superior product every day.” Or, every 30 minutes, depending on how you look at it.
“It is a lot of work. Imagine your whole day revolving around 30-minute windows,” said Crane. “Every time the phone rings, we have 30 minutes to deliver a quality, delicious product.”
To start, Mark’s Pizzeria uses the freshest ingredients. In addition, Crane is fortunate to have a number of treasured recipes at his fingertips, including several inspired by his own grandmother. She was a special woman who is responsible for teaching him to cook traditional Italian dishes. From her famous sauces to the fried dough that appears on the dessert menu, it’s clear her influence lives on.
Crane is also deeply grateful to Mark’s Pizzeria staff, many of who have been with the company for several years. He says they are instrumental in the success of each location as they go the extra mile to ensure every customer’s needs are met.
With the customers’ needs top of mind, Crane recently sought a change with the flour he was using. Mark’s Pizzeria has worked with General Mills for more than a decade to provide the flour for its pizza and other menu items. Crane said he always appreciated the quality of the flour since it was nice to work with and helped him achieve the results he wanted.
However, with today’s consumers looking more closely at labels and the ingredients in the foods they are eating, Crane wondered if they could make their pizza even better.
“When we learned General Mills was offering unbromated and unbleached flour, we worked to make the switch across our menu at all of our locations,” said Crane.
He adds that the transition to the new flour was made seamless with support from the team at General Mills Foodservice, which includes Tom Santos, account executive and part of The Doughminators™—a team of experts who work with pizzeria owners to create signature crusts and solve crust catastrophes.
“We are hearing from more and more pizzeria owners who are interested in untreated flour alternatives,” said Santos. “General Mills has a range of flour options and can work closely with pizzerias to answer any technical questions, offer samples for testing and help ensure that quality is not lost in the transition.”
Santos applauds Mark’s Pizzeria for having a great product and understanding what its customers are looking for.
“Mark’s Pizzeria is a company that reflects the principles of its founder – family, honesty and integrity,” said Santos.
For more information about Mark’s Pizzeria, visit http://www.markspizzeria.com. To see Mark’s Pizzeria’s menu, click here.
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