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Pizza Shop Equipment List

As one of the most beloved foods across the country, pizza remains a staple in both our diets and conversations. There's a pizzeria for nearly every palate, stimulating the timeless debates of thin-crust versus thick-crust and whether pineapple is an acceptable topping. If you're ready to open a pizzeria, this pizza shop equipment list outlines the supplies you need to start serving delicious pizzas to your loyal customers. For a quick reference, check out our printable pizza shop equipment checklist.


Shop All Pizza Supplies and Equipment

Use the following links to explore the different pizza shop equipment options:

  1. Pizza Ovens
  2. Pizza Dough Prep
  3. Pizza Ingredients
  4. Pizza Making Tools
  5. Pizza Bakeware
  6. Pizza Refrigeration
  7. Pizza Takeout and Delivery Supplies

1. Pizza Ovens

When choosing equipment, pizza ovens are one of the first things to consider. The right pizza oven is as crucial to your pizza's signature taste as your dough or toppings because the types of pizza ovens you choose determine the styles of pizza you can create. Each oven produces a different style and flavor of pizza, such as Chicago deep dish or New York thin crust. Additionally, the size of your pizza shop and your customer base also factor into choosing the right pizza oven. Make sure you know how much space is available in your kitchen and roughly how many orders your shop might fill before deciding which oven to purchase. You can also consider an outdoor pizza oven if you have space for an outdoor kitchen.

Below, we've included a list of the different types of pizza ovens and a brief overview of their benefits.

Restaurant Equipment
  • Brick pizza oven: Though it requires more skill to use and maintain, a brick oven is the traditional way of baking your pizza and gives it a smoky, wood-fired taste.
  • Conveyor pizza oven: Ideal for pizzerias that produce large quantities of pizza in a short timeframe, conveyor pizza ovens cycle multiple pizzas through the oven on a conveyor belt.
  • Pizza deck oven: A deck oven is what most people picture when they think of a pizza oven. It utilizes heated coils to bake pizzas evenly, plus it’s easy to use and maintain.
  • Convection pizza oven: Unlike other pizza ovens, convection ovens utilize hot air evenly circulated throughout the space to bake the pizzas. This method results in pizza with crispy, browned cheese and a soft doughy crust.
  • Countertop pizza oven: As a miniaturized version of a deck oven or convection oven, a countertop pizza oven saves space with its compact design while still producing quality pizza.
Restaurant Equipment

2. Pizza Dough Prep

The best pizzas start with excellent dough, so the appropriate pizza dough prep tools are fundamental to your pizzeria’s success. Though your secret dough recipe is unique to your pizza shop, equipment like a commercial dough mixer and a proofing cabinet are standard for creating and preparing the dough. Regardless of the style of pizza, the most essential pizza dough prep equipment includes commercial dough mixers, dough dividers, sheeters, rounders, and proper dough storage.

Commercial Dough Mixers

Mixing your pizza dough incorrectly results in a useless lump of dough that won’t rise properly, so using commercial dough mixers for this process ensures your dough is ready to bake. As the mixer combines your ingredients and kneads the dough, it distributes the yeast evenly throughout the dough. This allows the fermentation process to occur and create gluten, hydrate the flour, and integrate other dry ingredients. Additionally, a commercial dough mixer lets you prepare large quantities of dough at once, so you don’t need to worry about running out of dough.

Pizzerias use two types of commercial dough mixers. Based on the needs of your pizzeria, choosing the best mixer can help improve the efficiency of your kitchen.

  • Planetary mixer: This mixer is known for its versatility due to its detachable and interchangeable mixing parts. Not only can it mix pizza dough, but it also blends and beats other products like mashed potatoes, batter, and meatballs. The name for this mixer stems from the planetary attachment that orbits the motionless bowl, which is the reason for its many uses. Thanks to their versatility, planetary mixers are the preferred choice for pizzerias with an expanded menu.
  • Spiral mixer: Specifically intended to mix and create dough, a spiral mixer rotates to knead large quantities of dough for long periods to give you perfectly blended dough. Its dough hook head and mounted bowl are permanently fixed, preventing them from being interchangeable. Unlike the planetary mixer, the spiral mixer's bowl gently rotates small portions of the dough into the stationary hook to knead it. This method provides a more uniform dough, giving you more control over the quality of your dough.
Restaurant Equipment

Dough Dividers, Rounders, and Sheeters

Once you make your dough, dough dividers, rounders, and sheeters allow you to distribute and shape the dough for your different pizzas. Most tools are also automated, so they divide, stretch, and flatten your dough homogeneously based on your preset preferences. This results in uniformity across all your pizzas.

  • Dough divider: With a dough divider, you can divide large quantities of dough into equal portions for you to mold into pizzas.
  • Dough rounder: After dividing the dough, use a dough rounder to prevent gas from escaping from your dough. This machine creates a smooth outer surface that stretches the gluten on the outside of the dough.
  • Dough sheeter: A dough sheeter saves you time in the pizza-making process by flattening and rolling your dough into a uniform thickness. This is especially vital in pizzerias that produce a large number of pizzas in a short timeframe.
Restaurant Equipment

Dough Storage

Proper dough storage saves you time in the kitchen and money on ingredients, making it vital to your pizza shop’s operation. This unique equipment provides the ideal environment for dough to rise and rest until you’re ready to use it. As a result, your focus remains on making pizzas rather than continuously making dough.

  • Dough box: By utilizing dough boxes in your kitchen, you can store and transport large quantities of cut dough from proofing cabinets to the prep table. These boxes are also designed to allow the dough to rise.
  • Dough box racks: Stack and store both used and empty dough boxes out of the way with dough box racks.
  • Proofing cabinet: A proofing cabinet provides the best environment for your pizza dough to rise. They are both temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled, and you can adjust these levels based on your needs.
  • Pizza scale: Using a pizza scale ensures that your measurements of ingredients remain consistent for every pizza you make, no matter the size.

3. Pizza Ingredients

Pizza ingredients vary depending on the style of pizza and the topping options you include in your menu. However, several elements remain staples in many pizzas served across the country. Flour, yeast, sauce, and cheese appear in nearly every pizza, while deli meats and vegetables are popular topping choices. Check out our list of essential pizza ingredients below to ensure you have everything you need to craft delicious pizzas with incredible toppings.

Restaurant Equipment
  • Cheese: No matter which toppings you offer, cheese is present in almost all of them. The best cheeses for pizza are mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, parmesan, and gouda cheese based on their browning capability, melting ability, and unique flavors.  
  • Pizza sauce: Good pizza sauce is also vital to your pizzeria’s success. Unlike pasta sauce, pizza sauce is a thicker consistency made from tomato paste and spices and is baked together with the pizza.
  • Flour: Flour is the fundamental building block for your pizza dough, so consider buying it in bulk to eliminate the risk of running out of it.
  • Yeast: Like bread dough, pizza dough needs to rise before you bake it. Yeast acts as an agent to allow your dough to rise.
  • Deli meat: Many pizza shops offer deli meat, such as pepperoni, sausage, ham, prosciutto, bacon, and chicken, as topping options for their pizzas.
  • Spices: For a flavorful pizza, consider putting Italian spices both in the sauce and on top of the pizza. Common pizza spices include oregano, basil, onion flakes, and garlic salt.
  • Vegetables: Vegetable toppings are common among pizzerias that offer options like peppers, tomatoes, onions, spinach, and broccoli. Other food group toppings, such as black olives, are also popular choices.
  • Specialty toppings: If you plan to offer premium topping options, ingredients like buffalo sauce, barbecue sauce, anchovies, or pineapple will help you spice up your other toppings.

4. Pizza Making Tools

From preparation to service, there are a variety of pizza-making tools that help you create the best possible pizza for your loyal customers. These tools guarantee consistency between pizzas, such as using a ladle to evenly portion sauce or a cutting guide to create symmetrical pizza slices. Pizza-making tools also save you time in the kitchen, allowing you to fulfill customer orders quickly.

Restaurant Equipment
  • Pizza cutters: From wheel cutters to pizza knives, pizza cutters slice pizzas without damaging their structure.
  • Ladles: To easily portion the sauce on your pizza, use a ladle to add and spread sauce across the dough.
  • Cutting boards and guides: Cutting boards and pizza cutting guides help you slice pizza perfectly without damaging the surfaces in your kitchen.
  • Pizza dough dockers: Rolling a dough docker over your dough right before you bake the pizza reduces air bubbles and pockets to eliminate potential blisters and over-rising.
  • Electric meat slicers, grates, and shredders: No matter what toppings you offer, an electric cheese grater, meat slicer, or shredder makes prepping your toppings quick and easy.
  • Pizza servers: Pizza servers prevent you from burning your fingers and spreading germs while serving pizza.

5. Pizza Bakeware

When it's time to put your assembled pizza into the oven, the use of pizza bakeware helps your pizzas bake evenly for gooey cheese and crispy crust. Other items, such as pizza peels and pizza pan separators, protect you from burning yourself on the hot oven and pans. Our list of pizza bakeware ensures you have everything you need to bake your pizza to perfection.

Restaurant Equipment
  • Pizza stone: A pizza stone is an easy-to-use pizza accessory made from a porous material, such as ceramic or stone. It absorbs moisture during baking to ensure your crust is crispy and baked evenly.
  • Pizza pans: Whether you want to master Chicago deep dish or New York thin crust, pizza pans help shape the pizza while it bakes. There are many different types of pizza pans, so choose one that caters to the style of pizza you want to make.
  • Pizza peels: Shaped like a flat shovel, a pizza peel ensures your safety as you add, spin, and remove pizzas from your hot oven.
  • Pizza screens and disks: As a pizza pan subset, a pizza screen or disk helps your crust stay crispy while the pizza is baked or displayed. However, the pans have perforated surfaces to allow more air to travel and eliminate excess moisture.
  • Pizza pan separators: To save space in your crowded kitchen, pizza pan separators allow you to stack already-prepped pizzas in pizza pans until they’re ready to be baked.
Restaurant Equipment

6. Pizza Refrigeration

Pizza refrigeration is a vital component of running a pizza shop. Many pizza components – such as dough, cheese, deli meats, and pizza sauce – must be kept at a temperature less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit until used. As a result, a key aspect of food preparation and your ability to meet orders effectively relies on having a good refrigerator and freezer.

Refrigerators and Freezers

Typically, purchasing a refrigerator and freezer requires choosing between a walk-in unit or a reach-in unit. While both options store food at a food-safe temperature, each has its pros and cons. For more information on which option might be best for your pizza shop, check out our buying guide outlining the different types of commercial refrigeration options.

  • A walk-in refrigerator or freezer takes up none of your precious kitchen space, but it requires a large, separate space. Many pizzeria owners use it to store bulk ingredients, making it a preferred option for larger establishments.
  • Reach-in refrigerators and freezers are smaller, separate appliances. They can’t hold as much food, but they also fit right into your kitchen for easy access to pre-portioned ingredients. There are more options for different sizes, making them a better choice for smaller pizzerias.

Pizza Prep Tables

More than an ordinary table, pizza prep tables help streamline your pizza preparation process by creating a centralized location for ingredients and prep work. In addition to having a flat surface to assemble the pizzas, it also contains refrigerated cabinets and container holders for your ingredients. This keeps everything you need to make pizza organized, fresh, and in easy reach for your staff as they fill orders, saving precious time and space in the kitchen.

7. Pizza Takeout and Delivery Supplies

Takeout and delivery food continues to grow in popularity in the United States, and pizza has consistently been among the top takeout foods in the United States. Providing accessible takeout and delivery options for your customers is just as important as offering a quality dining-in experience. Below are the essential takeout and delivery supplies to stock up on for your pizza shop.

Restaurant Equipment
  • Pizza boxes: Critical to pizza delivery, pizza boxes are perfect for transporting pizzas to your customers.
  • Pizza bags: There are many styles of delivery bags available, but pizza delivery bags are unique. Often insulated to keep pizzas warm, pizza bags are designed to carry multiple pizzas in an easy-to-carry container to simplify the delivery process.  
  • Disposable pizza pans and portion cups: For an upscale delivery option, disposable pizza pans often include clear lids so customers can see the pizza. Additionally, disposable portion cups allow you to transport messy dipping sauces.
  • Napkins, plates, utensils: Disposable napkins, plates, and utensils for takeout and delivery customers provide them with everything they need to enjoy your delicious pizza wherever they are.
  • Cups, lids, and straws: If you offer fountain drinks for takeout and delivery, stock up on disposable cups, lids, and straws.
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Related Resources

What Is a Pizza Peel?

A pizza peel is a tool that lets you place pizzas in an oven while minimizing the risk of burns or injury. Sometimes referred to as a pizza shovel, a pizza paddle, or a pizza slider, they are comprised of a flat carrying surface attached to a long handle. Commonly found in pizza shops , peels come in several different shapes and sizes, allowing you to find one that best fits your oven and the pizzas you offer . In this blog, we'll investigate what a pizza peel is, how to use one, and how to keep dough from sticking to your peel. Shop All Pizza Peels Click the links below to skip to the commercial pizza peel information that most interests you: What Is a Pizza Peel Used For? How to Use a Pizza Peel How to Keep Pizza from Sticking to Peel Piz

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Food delivery and takeout services are two of the fastest growing segments of the restaurant industry. In the US, it's reported that 60% of consumers order takeout or delivery at least once a week. A growing reliance on convenience and quick service has created a boom in food delivery and offshoot services like curbside pickup and no-contact delivery . For restaurants affected by the pandemic, delivery service has provided a supplemental revenue stream. If you're interested in employing a restaurant delivery service, one of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether you should build your own team or use a third party company. Keep reading to learn more about how to choose the right service for you! Shop All Delivery Supplies Tips fo

Proofing Dough and Dough Boxes Guide

What is a dough box? Essential for your Italian pizzeria or busy commercial bakery, dough boxes are useful and effective for keeping fresh dough at its finest. These multi-purpose boxes perform numerous functions for your business, including proofing dough so that your most popular breads and pizza crusts rise higher with an excellent texture, and keeping dough moist and fresh for days at a time.

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