Pizza ovens for perfect in-house dining

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, with the global population consuming around five billion pizzas annually. However, the palates and expectations of diners have changed significantly with the rise of TikTok food influencers and shows like Masterchef.

No longer content with a simple takeaway pizza, diners now want authentic experiences that showcase local ingredients and can be adjusted to suit specific dietary needs.

In recent years, the demand for traditional Neapolitan pizza has surged. This globally beloved style of pizza, originating from Naples, Italy, is steeped in history and tradition and is sought after for its authentic flavour.

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And according to Ferretti Group Global Sales Manager Pietro Ferretti, the current generation of pizza ovens enables restaurants to deliver authentic, high-quality pizzas with greater efficiency and consistency than ever before.

For accommodation operators looking to impress, a pizza oven is more than just an appliance; it shows a commitment to delivering high quality pizza to guests and is a point of difference.

Now may be the perfect time to consider the benefits of installing a pizza oven, as Mr Ferretti says the pizza scene has exploded globally.

“As a result of the pandemic and the additional time spent at home, many amateur cooks are now making a great pizza at home,” he explained. “Diners are seeking out a great pizza and what once was acceptable no longer is. Diners expect a quality pizza with the finest ingredients, cooked fresh.”

Attracting guests and increasing revenue

In a competitive landscape, guests are looking for accommodation that provides something different. Offering authentic Napoletana pizza, particularly in towns or regions that may not have this style of pizza available, is a surefire way to stand out from the crowd and attract guests.

The process of making Neapolitan pizza using a pizza oven adds a layer of excitement and spectacle to the dining experience, making in-house dining an attractive option for both guests and locals. 

As an option for room service or takeaway, pizza is always a popular choice and allows hoteliers to potentially harness an additional revenue stream by catering to the local community as well as guests.

For hotels looking to provide in-house activities, offering pizza cooking classes is an innovative way to upsell and create a memorable holiday experience for guests.

During school holidays, a pizza oven can also add an element of excitement to a kids club by allowing the participants to choose their own pizza toppings and learn how authentic pizza is made.

But use for the pizza oven doesn’t stop at just pizzas, Mr Ferretti explained.

Instead, once installed, a pizza oven can be used throughout the day to cook a variety of meals for guests to enjoy in a matter of minutes.

“For hotels, pizza ovens are a worthy investment that can elevate the guest dining experience all throughout the day,” he said. “Picture this, at 7am your pizza oven is baking bread directly on the stone at 220°C for true artisan ciabatta, then sweet and savoury pastries, Sfogliatelle, Brioche, Crostata to accompany morning coffee.

“From 11am the oven is operating at 450°C for quality pizza Napoletana in 90 seconds, oven-roasted scampi in 90 seconds, or king prawns in two minutes. A pizza oven can create high quality meals fast and paired with local wines, creates an experience that entices guests to remain in house, and room service offerings become more attractive than ever before.”

Ferretti Group’s Award-Winning Maestro Pietro Ferretti training pizza chefs in hand stretching and dough management for new pizzeria.

The modern pizza oven: blending tradition with technology

The technology behind pizza ovens has evolved significantly, blending old-world techniques with modern advancements to enhance the cooking process and overall dining experience.

According to Mr Ferretti, the pizza ovens on the market now are more advanced than ever before, but also incredibly user-friendly. Instead of the time consuming process of hand-stretching the dough, pizza dough stretching machines now offer an almost identical result and are incredibly simple to operate.

“Creating an authentic product for diners to enjoy is easier than ever before,” he explained. “Pizza stretching machines that simulate hand-stretching produce 200 pizzas per hour and are simple enough to be operated by juniors.”

When it comes to selecting the right pizza oven for your venue, Mr Ferretti said whilst wood ovens remain popular, operators can now choose between a hybrid model that operates on wood and gas, gas-only and zero emission electric ovens.

“These ovens are now producing results like the traditional wood-fired oven,” he said. “Importantly, they can also help support periods of staffing crisis and quality firewood shortages whilst also showing a commitment to sustainability.”

And for chefs who may not have had significant training in pizza making, the new generation of pizza ovens require minimal training to operate.

This seamless integration of old and new ensures that diners can continue to enjoy the beloved taste of traditional pizza, complemented by the benefits of contemporary culinary technology.

“New generation pizza ovens automate much of the process, basically allowing the chef to leave the pizza to cook unsupervised for the most part,” Mr Ferretti said. “The systems are developed to be easy for everyone to use, even young chefs or chefs without training or experience in pizza making. 

“These new simplified systems are less challenging than traditional methods, while the results supersede anything ever remotely possible in the past.”