Your Guide to Purchasing a Commercial Pizza Oven
Are you planning to open a pizza shop or other restaurant establishment that offers America’s favorite pie as a main entrée? If so, you’re probably starting to shop around for a pizza oven, comparing prices, capabilities, and benefits of each style.
The shared benefit of purchasing a pizza oven, no matter the style, is that these ovens are designed to operate at higher temperatures, offering quicker baking times than traditional ovens. However, even within the pizza oven categories, there are some variations you should be aware of. The three main types of pizza ovens include conveyor, deck, and wood fired. Take a look at the chart below to understand the differences between each type of pizza oven.
|
Type of Oven |
Conveyor |
Deck |
Wood Fired |
| Power Source | Gas or electric | Gas or electric | Gas assist, wood, or dual fuel (gas and wood) |
| Claim to Fame | Best for high volume production | Less maintenance than wood fired while providing similar taste profile | Provides most authentic taste profile |
| Additional Benefit | Offers consistent quality | Can be stacked to increase capacity | Can be custom built, built in place, or purchased pre-assembled |
| Operating Requirements | Does not require experienced operator | Requires experienced operator | Requires most experienced operator |
| Cooking Temperature | 400-600 degrees Fahrenheit | 400-700 degrees Fahrenheit | 700-1,000 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Cooking Time | 4-5 minutes | 6-8 minutes | 90 seconds- 3 minutes |
Ultimately, the type of pizza oven you purchase will depend on your goals for your restaurant. When comparing the chart above to your operation’s goals and resources, you should also consider the following:
- Size and number of pizzas
The size of the pies you offer will determine the size of the oven you need. Additionally you will want to estimate the number of pizzas that will need to be baking at one time in order to keep business moving along and customers happy.
- Power source
The type of oven you buy will also depend on your establishment’s access to certain utilities and its location. Will you have access to gas, electric, or wood? Do you have proper ventilation? Does your state allow wood burning ovens?
- Experience of staff
Conveyor ovens are fairly easy to operate and produce consistent results. Deck and wood fired ovens however, require a little more skill. Wood fired oven are especially tricky and require someone with experience to monitor the baking process at all times.
- Menu & Restaurant Style
Do you want to provide authentic, high end pizzas for your customers? Would you prefer to churn out chain style pies? Are you a sit down establishment or a pick up and go?
Deciding on the right type of pizza oven doesn’t have to be difficult. Use this simple guide to start thinking through all of the possibilities and then narrow down your choices based on your goals for your restaurant or commercial kitchen.
Once you’ve identified the type of commercial pizza oven you wish to purchase, you’ll want to make sure to keep up with maintenance. Don’t delay in setting up a maintenance schedule so that you can get the most life out of your pizza oven. Contact CPS today to learn more about our maintenance programs or the pizza oven parts you may need down the roads.
