A pizzeria production schedule in Excel is enough to prepare a service with a clear head: sales history, dough ball calculation. Its limit is the service itself: a spreadsheet does not close an online ordering slot when it is full. Pizza Planner Pro matches the acceptance of orders to the limit you set per 15-minute slot.
Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets) is instantly appealing because it seems free and is very flexible. Many craftspeople start their business by building home-made spreadsheets to estimate their dough needs and record their sales. However, as soon as the business grows in volume and faces intense rushes, the office tool very quickly shows costly structural limitations.
This detailed comparison analyses the strengths and weaknesses of Excel against dedicated production regulation software like Pizza Planner Pro, on the criteria of cost, regulation, data entry and use in the kitchen.
In short: the quick comparison
Excel is an excellent starter tool for occasional analysis with a clear head, but it proves incapable of interacting in real time during a service. Pizza Planner Pro regulates online order-taking and closes slots as soon as the limit you have set for your oven is reached. Pizza Planner Pro removes double manual entry and prevents overload in the kitchen.
Why do pizzerias start with Excel?
Many pizza makers and pizzeria managers know how to use Excel. Creating a spreadsheet has several initial advantages:
- No direct cost: The tool is already installed on the restaurant’s laptop.
- Full customisation: You can create your own columns (pizza name, weight, food cost).
- Simple record-keeping: Archiving the month’s sales in a table is within everyone’s reach.
Yet this apparent simplicity hides major flaws as soon as the rush starts.
What are Excel’s limitations for production scheduling?
Excel is a static spreadsheet designed for analysis after the event, not for steering a physical restaurant flow in real time:
- Constant manual entry: Having to copy out every ticket or update the cells by hand during service is impossible when the kitchen is under pressure.
- No connection with web sales: An Excel file cannot automatically close a slot on your Click & Collect website at 20:00 when your oven is saturated.
- The risk of human error: A formula deleted by mistake or a wrongly filled cell immediately distorts all the dough ball forecasts.
- Unsuited to mobile and kitchen screens: Handling an Excel table on a tablet with floury hands in the middle of the rush is an obstacle course.
How is Pizza Planner Pro designed specifically for pizzerias?
Pizza Planner Pro is designed for the independent pizzeria, to fulfil a single mission: regulating the flow of orders based on the capacity you declare for your oven.
Unlike Excel:
- It brings your orders together: those from the website are recorded in it, those from the counter and the phone are entered by the team, in a single interface.
- It regulates in real time: As soon as a 15-minute slot reaches your oven’s limit, the software no longer offers that slot on your ordering page.
- Simplified management of baking paces: You define your limits per slot and correct them when your pace changes.
- Simplified touch interface: Usable at a glance by the whole team on a tablet or a wall screen.
Full comparison table: Pizza Planner Pro vs Excel
| Criterion | Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets | Pizza Planner Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | Free (if already equipped) | Flat-rate subscription, no commission |
| Production regulation per slot | Manual formulas to maintain | Based on the capacity you declare |
| Regulation of orders based on your oven’s pace | Impossible | Built in (limit per slot that you set) |
| Click & Collect synchronisation | None | Website orders are recorded in your schedule and you confirm them |
| Daily set-up time | Manual entry for every ticket | You declare your capacity, then correct it when your pace changes |
| Use in the kitchen (floury hands) | Difficult and hard to read | Touch interface with large buttons |
| Support | No trade-specific support | The service’s messaging, reply within two business days |
Frequently asked questions
Is Excel enough for a pizzeria that is just starting out?
To prepare a service with a clear head, yes: sales history, dough ball calculation, food cost. Its limit appears during service, as soon as you take orders online or by phone on top of the counter. A spreadsheet does not close a full slot and requires you to re-enter everything by hand, just when the kitchen is under pressure.
Is it difficult to switch from Excel to Pizza Planner Pro?
No. You set the limit of pizzas your oven can handle per 15-minute slot, you enter your opening hours, and Pizza Planner Pro matches the acceptance of orders to that limit. You can keep your Excel file to analyse your sales: the two tools do not do the same job, one analyses after the event, the other regulates during service.
Can Excel close an online ordering slot?
No. An Excel file is not connected to your ordering page: it does not see orders arriving and cannot close a full slot. You would have to update it by hand during the rush. Pizza Planner Pro greys out on your ordering page any 15-minute slot that has reached the limit you have set: the customer sees it as full and chooses another one.
How much does Pizza Planner Pro cost?
Pizza Planner Pro Basic is a flat-rate monthly subscription, with no commission on your orders and no commitment. The current amount is shown on the Basic plan page, with the free trial. Excel seems free when it is already installed, but the time spent keeping it up during service has a cost too.
Ready to replace your complicated Excel files?
Simplify the management of your pizzeria and say goodbye to complicated tables. Pizza Planner Pro takes care of regulating your orders in real time.
→ Read our full guide to production scheduling
→ Another comparison: Pizza Planner Pro versus an online ordering platform
Try Pizza Planner Pro free of charge for 15 days: your bank card is saved with our payment provider and is not charged during the trial. The monthly subscription then starts automatically; you can cancel it at any time, at no cost.