How &pizza Revolutionized Inventory and Cost Control Across 50+ Locations

Overview 

&pizza is an innovative fast casual pizza brand with a strong East Coast presence and over 50 locations spanning multiple states and franchise groups. Their dedication to quality drove the brand to get ahead in the fast-paced world of multi-unit restaurants by investing in COGS-Well, a leading solution for inventory management and cost control. 

Bold by nature, &pizza is not just a COGS-Well customer – they’re a power user. From day one, their team has embraced the system to its full potential, using almost every feature at their disposal to fine-tune operations, increase control, improve accuracy, and reduce costs across a unique multi-unit structure. 

We sat down with Jeremy Lanni, Director of Catering, Events, Fundraisers & Partnerships at &pizza, to talk about their journey before and after COGS-Well. 

Before COGS-Well: Inaccuracy and a Lack of Cost Control 

Jeremy Lanni, Director of Catering, Events, Fundraisers & Partnerships at &pizza

Before implementing COGS-Well, &pizza used a different inventory management system and got stuck in a cycle of inaccurate reports, clunky systems, and limited insight into their operations. According to Jeremy, it wasn’t long before the limitations started to show:

“It lacked in its functionality,” Jeremy said. “We had issues with invoices being imported correctly, and credits being imported if there were missed deliveries or returns. It was also very difficult to modify items or add new items on invoices without creating a bunch of headaches and issues.” 

Accuracy was also a major problem. According to Jeremy, “The last thing you want as an operator is to think your COGS is one number according to your inventory system and then get something completely different from your accounting system at the end of the period.” 

Enter COGS-Well: Accuracy, Efficiency, and Simplicity 

For a brand managing dozens of locations, efficiency and scalability were key. According to Jeremy, this is where COGS-Well stands out: 

“What we found was a system that is vast in what we're able to do thanks to the amount of reporting available to us and the flexibility when it comes to writing recipes and adding new inventory items.”  

Simplicity is built into the COGS-Well system design. “In the history of &pizza, we've gone through 3 or 4 inventory systems. There are ones that are just overly complicated and try to do too much. Because of COGS-Well's focus only on inventory control, when we need to address specific issues, we always find the capability in the system.” 

Daily Counts: Insights and Opportunities  

One of the most impactful changes for &pizza has been the ability to count inventory items daily - and customize those counts for each shop. They also take full inventory counts weekly.

“With COGS-Well, you can count the critical items you need to keep an eye on daily,” said Jeremy. “You can set it up to be different for every shop. So, if you have a shop that constantly has an over-usage of, let's say sodas, it’s usually an indicator that staff is taking them, so we include sodas in the daily count.” 

While unexpected, COGS-Well also became an incredibly valuable training tool for &pizza. Jeremy says, “You can have a location struggling with control of their portioning. By doing daily counts and comparing those to a calculated on-hand, you can pinpoint what days those issues are happening. Then we can look at our schedules, see who was working, and go back and retrain.” 

Seamless Transfers for Managers 

Coordinating transfers between locations in a multi-unit operation can be a logistical nightmare without a system that facilitates transfer requests, fulfillments, and approvals for the managers. 

“With COGS-Well, there’s no nine-step process or having to remember to write things down on paper,” Jeremy said.  We can put the transfer request in and do it from a phone. Once you've done your part, you just wait for the other person to execute the transfer fulfillment.” 

Detailed, Location-Based Reporting 

According to Jeremy, reporting and analytics have also taken a huge leap forward thanks to COGS-Well. District leaders can now instantly see what’s happening in their shops through specialized multi-location reporting without jumping through endless hoops. 

“When you're looking at these reports, it really gives you that granular breakdown of what you need to see for each location,” said Jeremy. “District leaders can just pull up their own district and see those numbers and get an idea of what’s happening in their locations without having to run 900 reports.” 

And when something looks off, it’s easy to investigate: “I can click to drill down on shredded blend cheese and go, 3 pounds were counted on the line, 10 pounds were in the cooler, and I have three cases in the walk-in. You’re able to pinpoint exactly where you need to go to recount and compare numbers without having to run a bunch of reports.” 

Recipe Management That Makes Sense 

COGS-Well’s recipe costing and preparation tools are designed for accuracy, flexibility, and ease of use. When a pizza recipe changes, the team doesn’t have to rewrite the recipe from scratch. 

“When you're writing a recipe, COGS-Well takes care of everything in one step,” Jeremy said. “I like the fact that you can add prep instructions that can be printed or displayed on a tablet to use as a guide. You build the recipe once, and then if you need to modify it, you just go in there and change the ingredients.” 

Waste Tracking: Missed by Many, Mastered by &pizza 

Waste tracking is a major focus at &pizza, and COGS-Well makes it easier to stay on top of it. While it might not always get the spotlight, waste tracking is one of the most powerful tools in a restaurant’s cost control toolbox. 

“By utilizing a waste log, you can drill down and find the root cause of issues like your inventory showing an overusage of something,” Jeremy shared. “It's important because it affects all your other numbers, especially if you're a brand using theoretical costs and usage.” 

While it’s an advanced feature, using theoretical reports in COGS-Well allows for more informed decision-making regarding menu pricing, inventory management, and employee training.

&pizza has significantly reduced their cost of goods sold across the board.

The Result: A 3% Reduction in COGS 

Since implementing COGS-Well, &pizza has significantly reduced their cost of goods sold across the board. How? It’s the result of real control, clear data, and staff being empowered to act on the insights the system provides.

“The last inventory system we were on, as a fleet, our COGS were higher,” Jeremy said. “Now, we're running somewhere around 3% lower.”

“Another example. A couple of years ago, we had 4, 5, or 6 locations every week with COGS that were just through the roof. Over time, by using COGS-Well, and by people learning the system more and understanding how to read the reports better, we don’t have that issue anymore.”

Final Thoughts 

What started as a search for better inventory control turned into a full-scale operational upgrade. &pizza didn’t just implement COGS-Well – they leaned into it, maximizing the system's capabilities to reduce costs, save time, and gain control over their inventory. Jeremy summed it up best: “All these tools within COGS-Well - that allow us to track price increases, that allow us to make sure all the transfers are being fulfilled, inventory counts are done right, invoicing is done right, and usage is what it should be - make it easier to maintain a healthy COGS.” 

As operations expand and Jeremy continues to explore the features in the system further, he appreciates knowing that COGS-Well's support team is only one email or phone call away to give him the guidance he needs. Having that kind of reassurance, he says, makes navigating the system easy.