Clients are always looking for new ways to attract customers and adding a display pizza oven to a restaurant kitchen design can be strategic investment in your operational and marketing strategy. As attractive as they are as a display fixture in your restaurant, they are even more versatile from a menu standpoint. From pizza, to hearth baked breads and delicate bakery items to roasted fish and barbecue, more and more restaurateurs are finding new and innovative ways to use their display pizza oven to add to their bottom line.
Selecting the right oven for your restaurant however is far more involved than simply choosing a model based on aesthetics. There are various types of display pizza ovens on the market so here we’ll explain a few of the more popular options we have incorporated into recent projects. All are equally functional to make your standard pizza, but adding a few options can easily expand your capabilities to other dishes.
Standard Deck Oven
This style of pizza oven is the workhorse of the pizzeria industry and is most often designed into the back of the house, out of site of the customers. With greater options for exterior customization that are now available on the market, this can be a lost opportunity to market the freshness of your product to your customers.
Stone Deck Oven
This display pizza oven is becoming more and more popular in higher end pizzerias since cooking on stone adds a certain texture to the pizza crust that is more common in European type eateries. Stone deck display pizza ovens also offer the flexibility to incorporate hearth style baked goods to your menu. Some manufacturers also offer steam injection options to create moist cooking environments that can create thicker crusts on breads and provide an ideal cooking method for fragile desserts.
Wood Fired Display Pizza Oven
This hot new trend in designer eateries, wood fired pizza ovens add a certain eye appeal to your décor since their exterior is customized to match your concept, but also serve a wide variety of culinary purposes as well. Wood fired pizza display ovens can be heated either strictly with wood, or a combination of wood and gas to assist with maintaining consistent cooking temperatures. Cooking in a wood fired pizza oven also imparts a highly sought after slightly smoky flavor to the products cooked in it. This subtle flavor addition can be difference between a good dish and an amazing one that will leave your customers raving on social media.
Regardless of the display pizza oven that may have caught your eye, make sure you work with an experienced restaurant consultant to determine which unit will be best suited for your restaurant concept and culinary needs.