Please read the article and answer questions.

You and longtime chef and best friend Marco Fabio are convinced that you can carve out a distinct niche with your vision of bringing a wholly authentic recreation of the Roman pizza experience to London. Al Taglio will offer consumers an experience unlike anything else in the marketplace. Sold in slices by weight, the large, thick, rectangular pizza is baked in a traditional wood-fired oven, topped high with finest imported Italian ingredients and the freshest local Ontario produce, and taken to go. While on your tour of Italy, you and Marco Fabio noted that Roman pizza al taglio experience is different from the familiar North American experience. These restaurants do not take orders, nor do they do delivery. Instead, the customer comes in and makes their selection from the available choices. Menu options range from authentic favorites (fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil) to the more eclectic and excessive (mortadella, taleggio, fig, and rappini). The customer makes their choice, and then indicates the size of the slice they desire. Roman-style pizza has no pre-determined sizes and gives people the ability to get as little or as much as they like. It is then cut and weighed by the server. Prices will range, obviously, but you expect that the average slice will cost $8.00.

The Roman pizza experience is also typically a takeaway one, with limited (or non-existent...) seating. The focal point is the long counter, showcasing the various pizzas to choose from. Pizza al taglio is a "street food" and assumes the customer will take their order with them. This is not to say the experience is speedy and impersonal. You and Marco Fabio both agree the boisterous generosity of spirit you witnessed made for a fantastic experience. This was built around the interactions between the customer and server. Sometimes this was the pizzaiolo - pizza maker - themselves. Regardless, this warm and gregarious experience was truly engaging. They would talk about various items available, make recommendations, and show appreciation for their patronage. It is a bit of exhibitionism, but it makes the customer feel welcomed like an old friend, and ultimately leave satisfied.

You both recognize that translating this experience into something that's authentic and appeals to the London, Ontario consumer will not be easy. You also recognize that it is almost as essential an ingredient as stellar pizza will be to Al Taglio succeeding in the marketplace. Using the above information and your own insights and application of the course material, please answer the following:

a. We discussed four characteristics that make service products unique and uniquely challenging to market. How are those characteristics present in this service business and, most importantly, how should you and Marco Fabio address them? Please be detailed and specific.

b. Describe an appropriate retail mix for this service business. What does a customer see and experience when they walking through the door and up to the counter? Please be creative but also specific and detailed in your discussion. Hint: As you're working through this, make sure not to forget about those unique characteristics of services you discussed above.