FastCasual: How Mici Co-founder Invented Tool to Simplify Kitchen Operations

When Mici Italian was created, founders Michael, Kim and Jeff Miceli’s goal was to ensure their product was always top quality. They immediately discovered how much harder it is to do things the artisanal way rather than using the generic processes of most pizza chains.

“It's incredibly labor-intensive, and there is much more prep work when you're making all the sauces from scratch and cooking pizza directly on a hot stone,” says Mici Italian Co-founder Jeff Miceli.

Perfecting the dough for an artisanal pizza is challenging, and training the staff on how to do this can take a long time. Miceli was passionate about maintaining the premium quality of menu items, so he began making different prototypes and gadgets to create the perfect dough press.

“The mold I settled on was one with dimples to simulate hand pressing and a slight cone shape to allow the dough to breathe and to create a thicker center,” says Miceli. “When I brought the press into the store, the kitchen staff didn't want me to take it home because it worked so well and streamlined production.”

The press has sped up kitchen operations and made it easier for the kitchen to make quality hand-pressed pizzas that are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. As franchisees sign on, they get to see firsthand how efficient the press is.