Restaurant promotional items show care for customers

How branded pizza cutters provide peace of mind

By Mae Strehlow

Interview Featuring

Leo Dakmak

Owner of Bellucci Pizza

When restaurants go the extra mile, customers take notice. Food allergies affect about 33 million Americans opens in new window, including one in 10 adults and one in 13 children. Those working in the food and beverage, hospitality and many other industries know the importance of caring for these customers. The team at Bellucci Pizza opens in new window^® in New York City takes customer accommodations as serious as their tomato sauce and mozzarella. Leo Dakmak, owner, shared how thoughtful gestures—and the right restaurant promotional items—can make customer connections all the more meaningful.

Q: There are many pizzerias in New York City. What sets Bellucci Pizza apart from its competition?

A: New York City is known for its pizza. But when it comes to competition, we don’t really feel it. We just keep our heads down and try our absolute best to create a taste that we like. We’re very picky eaters, and if we like it, we think the public will too. The slice speaks for itself.

Q: What are the characteristics of a Bellucci pizza?

A: We try not to have a crust around the edge of our pizza, so we put cheese and sauce over everything. It’s a thin and crispy slice. The main thing that sets us apart is our grandma pies, which are kind of like Sicilian pies. They have a very thin crust, are rectangular or square, and as a slice there’s no flop. The crust is really airy—almost as airy as a croissant. Grandma pie is just a different style of pizza completely.

Q: How do you take care of customers who order gluten-free pizzas?

A: Having dietary restrictions, including living gluten-free, can be a challenge for people. Customers, even those who don’t eat gluten-free, often don’t get to see inside restaurant kitchens and some worry about how their food is being prepared. A lot of places have a gluten-free pizza or serve gluten-free food, but they use the same tools to cook the food as the non-gluten-free stuff, which defeats the purpose because of cross-contamination.

When we make gluten-free pies, we don’t cut them. We leave it to the customer and give them a new pizza cutter that has never touched gluten, so they know it’s safe to eat.

The perfect pizza-night accessory. Slice, pop and enjoy!

Q: Why provide a branded pizza cutter?

A: As a business, we are going above and beyond for the customer, and we hope it’s an experience that will touch them. When they have the branded pizza cutter at home, they’ll see it in their drawer, they’ll remember our business and the experience they had, and they’ll be more likely to come back or order from us again.

Q: Why did you choose that specific product?

A: My son comes from a background of architecture and loves products where form follows function. This pizza cutter has a bottle opener, so it’s perfect for a pizza party. There’s a perfect cutter for the pizza and an opener for your sodas or beers.

Q: What feedback have you heard about the branded pizza cutters?

A: I remember one great experience in particular. I had one of our regular gluten-free customers say, “I love this pizza cutter so much, but I have three at home and I don’t want to deplete your stock. I don’t want you to run out of it and would love to make sure more people get one.” Customers want to spread the love. It shows they’re grateful for the extra effort.

Q: What message are you hoping to send to customers?

A: We want to be very clear about our philosophy as a business in general. We go the extra mile for our customers. We always want to treat them like we’d like to be treated.

“We go the extra mile for our customers,” Leo Dakmak said.

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