In today’s fast-paced hospitality world, every slice matters – especially when it comes to boosting profit margins. Pizza, particularly when made with Virtue’s premium par-baked bases, already delivers excellent returns for operators across the hospitality and catering industries. But, when paired with clever and creative upsells, those margins can rise even higher.
Whether you’re running a bustling pub, a cosy café, a mobile catering unit or a boutique hotel, the opportunities to increase spend per head while delighting customers are plentiful. Hospitality upselling isn’t just about profit-it’s about enhancing the overall guest experience and creating memorable moments that keep them coming back for more.
Looking for new ways to elevate your pizza offerings through complementary food and drink options, as well as social and experience enhancements? Virtue has broken down some of our favourite high- margin menu ideas and creative upsells to help boost both your establishment’s revenue and guest satisfaction.
Pubs and bars are the perfect playground for pizza upsells. Virtue’s par-baked pizza bases-whether it’s the lighter, airy Pinsa Romana or the classic Neapolitan-style base -make it easy to deliver consistently high-quality pizzas even during peak hours.
Garlic Bread: While scoring well on food cost, garlic bread is a great additional offering alongside pizza and it’s a crowd pleasing favourite. Garlic bread can even be made using our pinsa romana bases, the recipe for this can be found here.
Bread bar bites: Warm pitta with hummus or freshly baked bread with olive oil and balsamic are always a hit. These two options can be easily made with our par-baked pizza bases, they’re ideal for guests to enjoy while socialising and a smart upsell for staff to suggest before the meal.
Add-on Dips & Sauces: Add flavoured oils, garlic mayo or spicy dips (the Hot Star Honey range has a brilliant selection) – perfect for crust-dipping and easy to upsell. Dips can be further split to include standard and premium options.
Pizza & Pint/Cocktail Combo: Offer a fixed-price combo of pizza with a pint of craft beer or a house cocktail. The high perceived value gives customers that satisfying ‘bargain’ felling. Additionally, the option of a beer flight/tasting board, is a fun way of offering multiple small pours and different flavours.
2-for-1 Pizza Tuesdays: Boost midweek trade with two-for-one offers or discounted second pizzas when customers buy a drink.
Group Platter Sharing Boards: Create a platter option, where the sliced Pinsa Romana pizzas chosen are served alongside olives, charcuterie (see Virtue’s great meats and charcuterie offerings) and pickles on wooden boards for a fun, social option.
For cafés that serve lunch or light evening fare, offering par-baked pizza bases allows for quick, high-quality pizza with minimal kitchen equipment. This gives cafés the flexibility to diversify menus without complicating operations.
Mini Side Salads: Pair pizzas with small, fresh salads for a lunch-friendly meal deal. A great way to utilise potential leftover pizza ingredients, fresh veg, olives, basil , with optional premium add-ons, burrata, or grilled chicken, as an easy high profit addition.
Pizza Rolls: Both a popular grab-and-go snack, and a great way to utilise dough ball scraps. Pizza rolls are an easy to pick up upsell.
Cold Drinks & Spritzes: Bundle with Italian sodas, iced coffees or non-alcoholic cocktails- perfect for the summer months.
Afternoon Sharing Platter: Combine mini artisan pizzas, dips, and snacks as a shareable afternoon special.
Sweet Finish: Introduce pizza-inspired desserts (e.g., Nutella and fruit flatbread on a Virtue base) for a final upsell.
Hotels: Room Service That Delivers on Taste and MarginHotels are in a prime position to leverage ready-made pizza options for room service, bar snacks, or late-night menus.
In-Room Dining Upgrades: Offer a “movie night” deal with pizza, drink and popcorn.
Appetizer Bundles: Build a selection of common appetizers using our par-baked bases, garlic knots, cheesy breadsticks, jalapeno poppers. By offering together as a bundle price, you will not only appeal to customers craving variety but also increase profitability with every order.
Local Pairings: Feature locally brewed beers, wines or fresh produce alongside pizza for a regional twist.
Premium Pizza Add-Ons: Use Virtue’s range of bases to differentiate -such as offering a Pinsa Romana premium base upgrade for an extra £2 over a standard base.
Mini Bar & Meal Deals: Bundle pizza orders with mini bar items for a complete in-room dining experience.
Catering businesses thrive on efficiency and presentation. Virtue’s par-baked artisan pizza bases lets caterers deliver a gourmet product that holds its quality across service formats-from weddings to festivals.
DIY Pizza Stations: Offer interactive build-your-own pizza bars using Virtue bases—guests can customise with sauces, toppings, and dips.
Event Platters: Serve quartered pizzas on elegant grazing boards with antipasti and salad bites.
Add-On Sides: Garlic breads, olives, and bruschetta rounds are easy to prepare and profitable.
Kids’ Combos: Smaller-sized pizzas with juice boxes and stickers or games-great for family-friendly events.
Smart upselling is about creating perceived value for the customer while delivering tangible profit for your business. Whether it’s a premium sourdough pizza dough, a lightweight Pinsa Romana, or a classic ready-made pizza, Virtue provides a consistent, premium foundation you can rely on.
By tailoring your upsells to your venue type and customer expectations, you can increase average spend, reduce waste, and boost loyalty. It’s more than just pizza—it’s a canvas for creative hospitality that works for your bottom line.
Ready to trial our ambient Par-baked pizza bases?
Contact us to request a sample or speak with our team about what works best for your operation.
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