With National Pizza Month in October, operations must prepare for the year’s most predictable production surge. This high-demand period culminates in Halloween, which current industry studies confirm is the single busiest day for pizza delivery, even surpassing Super Bowl Sunday. With the constraints of refrigerated storage capacity and labor-intensive dough prep, scaling for this peak may be challenging. However, there’s a solution that will win you back more space and time for pizza preparation, all year round.
The Space & Time Constraint
If pizza is your specialty, you know that the primary operational challenge in scaling production is the space required during the cold proofing phase. Cold proofing requires dough to be housed in single-pan layers to prevent sticking and ensure proper air circulation. Traditionally, this approach consumes large amounts of horizontal storage and can quickly fill walk-in coolers or proofing cabinets. Operational stability also depends on minimizing friction points during prep and using equipment with long lifecycles to avoid unnecessary replacement costs.
Increasing Storage Density Without Sacrificing Dough Quality
To address these challenges, a specialized pan system has been developed to take advantage of vertical space while fully maintaining dough integrity. The system allows dough to be proofed while stacked, using an engineered design that ensures the pans separate easily and securely. A precise one-inch clearance between stacked pans ensures a consistent environment and uniform fermentation conditions for every dough ball, from the top pan to the bottom.
This stacking capability delivers up to a 30% reduction in the physical footprint required to proof a batch. By transforming low-density shelving into high-density vertical storage, the existing capacity of a cooler or temperature-controlled unit can be maximized without the need for capital expansion.
The pans providing this capability are the EXACT STACK® Pizza Pans from Chicago Metallic, engineered to enable dough to be proofed securely in vertical columns while functioning as high-density storage.
The Workflow Advantage
Beyond space, efficient equipment reduces the time dedicated to preparation, handling, and cleanup. EXACT STACK® Pizza Pans have sidewalls with a slight flare and an engineered stabilizing rib. This design ensures that when a prep cook lifts a pan from a stack with cold, raw dough inside, the pans separate cleanly without force or prying. This lessens the time typically lost to jammed equipment and reduces the potential for product damage.
Because the stacked pans are stable, the entire assembly is able to move as a single unit. Now you can portion, place, and stack the dough at your prep table, then move it to cold storage and on to the production line – all in one continuous step. The overall rhythm of your kitchen improves with this workflow because it eliminates unnecessary handling.
Built to Last
The availability of both plain and pre-seasoned options (with AMERICOAT® ePlus glaze) allows an operation to maintain a single hardware footprint across pizza recipes. The pre-seasoned option further cuts costs by eliminating the need to purchase and apply external oils or greases, reducing ingredient costs and associated sanitation labor.
Pans are constructed from high-strength aluminum with a hardcoat anodized surface. Your pan’s surface remains non-reactive because it’s surface strength resists chipping, peeling, and rust, preventing degradation that lessens food safety and quality. It also extends the pan lifecycle, safeguarding your investment and maintaining consistent results over years of commercial use.
Optimize Your Prep Space & Labor
Using an engineered stacking system is a smart way to get more out of your prep space and reduce the amount of labor needed for high-volume work. This system directly tackles the problems of cold proofing — limited space, inconsistent dough, and pan management — giving your business a clear ROI by building your assets and making sure pizza production stays on track.
Partnered With 
For more than 120 years, the Chicago Metallic name has been synonymous with innovative products, superior quality, and exceptional service. Today, we manufacture more than 300 different baking pans and ship to customers worldwide. As a Bundy Baking Solutions brand, we share expert resources with well-known top brands including American Pan, Pan Glo, and USA PAN. Our pans are manufactured in the United States with global materials. Our knowledgeable and experienced teams allow us to control the entire pan manufacturing process — from design to manufacture to coating to refurbishment. Chicago Metallic is located in Humboldt, Tennessee.
