• Includes 5 New Units Now Open, 2 at Amazon Distribution Center
• 24/7 Automated Pizzeria Brand Ramps Up Development with Largest Signing in Company History
• Franchise Agreement Signals New Era for Automated Food Service in Michigan

TROY, Mich., Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — PizzaForno, North America’s pioneering automated pizzeria renowned for baking high-quality pizza round-the-clock, has announced a significant 40-unit development agreement. This expansion includes the opening of five new locations in Clarkston, Caledonia, Flint, and Troy, Michigan.

On the heels of a remarkable year of growth, PizzaForno is excited to launch a number of new units throughout the state, strategically positioned to enhance customer accessibility. This expansion features two automated pizzerias at the Amazon Distribution Center in Grand Rapids, in partnership with sub-licensees DM Vending, along with additional locations at a SUNOCO gas station in Clarkston, Oakland Mall in Troy, and Mott College in Flint.

The launch of PizzaForno units at the Amazon Distribution Center in Grand Rapids marks a significant milestone, blending cutting-edge technology with convenient dining options. This opening symbolizes a meeting of two innovative industries, where automated pizza solutions cater to the fast-paced needs of a modern workforce. By providing high-quality, ready-to-eat meals 24/7, the brand is enhancing the dining experience for those working long hours.

PizzaForno is now operating at the following locations:

• Clarkston SUNOCO Gas Station
  7650 Ortonville Road, Clarkston, MI 48348
• Amazon Distribution Center
  4500 68th St SE, Caledonia, MI 49316
• Mott College
  1401 E Court Street, Flint, MI 48503
• Oakland Mall
  412 W 14 Mile Road, Troy, MI 48083

PizzaForno’s ambitious 40-unit development deal with Forno Brothers LLC is set to bring 10 more units in 2025, with the remaining to open by 2026. This exciting venture is driven by the dynamic partnership of couples Jason and Monika Lowder, alongside Dan and Shay Russell.

“We are thrilled to continue to introduce Michigan to 24/7 pizza automation at a time when prices are rising and food quality is often compromised,” said Dan Russell. “PizzaForno’s turnkey vending solutions provide hot food options 24/7, meeting the demand in high-traffic areas where choices are limited. Welcome to the future of dining.”

Jason Lowder, Master Licensee of Michigan and Chief Marketing Officer of PizzaForno, brings extensive experience as a former VP at Marco’s Pizza and a successful multi-unit franchisee.

“Being such a strong part of a brand that is revolutionizing the pizza experience is incredibly fulfilling. Our rapid growth is a testament to the quality and innovation we bring, and I’m excited to share that with our local communities,” said Jason Lowder. “My belief in PizzaForno’s potential inspired me to not only serve as Chief Marketing Officer, but also to take on the role of Master Licensee for Michigan. With strong ties to this region, I understand the importance of providing delicious and convenient food options right here at home. Together, with my partners, we’re expanding our reach and reinforcing our commitment to offering a 24/7 solution for quality pizza that everyone can enjoy.”

“This is just the beginning, as we look to expand our presence in more distribution centers, ensuring that even in the busiest environments, great food is always within reach,” said Lowder.

PizzaForno is poised for rapid growth and plans to have 1,000 operating units by 2027. The brand is focusing on expanding into campuses and other unconventional locations, leveraging its cutting-edge technology to serve diverse markets.

“This is a monumental moment for PizzaForno as we take a significant step into Michigan,” said Les Tomlin, Co-Founder & President of PizzaForno. “I look forward to not only making a lasting impact here, but also expanding our reach into many more states and Amazon distribution centers in the near future.”

Accessible 24/7 via digital screens, PizzaForno offers a variety of pizzas made with premium ingredients. Through the PizzaForno app, users can easily check inventory, place orders, and reserve pizzas for pick-up, providing a seamless ordering experience globally.

To learn more about PizzaForno, visit https://www.pizzaforno.com/. To inquire about the licensee opportunity, visit https://pizzaforno.com/licensing.

ABOUT PIZZAFORNO

Founded in 2018 by Canadian entrepreneurs William Moyer and Les Tomlin, PizzaForno is North America’s only automated pizzeria which introduces high quality pizza in less than 5 minutes. Accessible 24/7 at the tap of a digital screen, PizzaForno offers a selection of pizza options, each made with high quality ingredients. Utilizing technology made popular in France by ADIAL, PizzaForno has built the brand on a proven food tech platform with already 2,200 operating in Europe. PizzaForno currently has over 70 operating locations, over 100 additional locations committed in the U.S. alone, and over 30 U.S. locations already established in California, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Michigan, Virgina, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

The post PizzaForno Inks 40-Unit Development Deal in Michigan appeared first on Pizza Today.

Scott Sandler’s take on using a simple pizza dough method called a straight dough mix or direct mix.

Sourdough? Pre-Ferments, Biga, Poolish? Confused yet? Okay, you watched a few videos, heard some chatter, saw the trends, followed some influencers, etc. and now you want to do “sourdough” pizza. News flash: you don’t need any of these fancy techniques to make great dough. There is a simple method called a straight dough mix or direct mix.

For those new to the industry, this means you throw everything in the mixing bowl and just mix for 20 to 25 minutes until very smooth. I do a blend of local whole wheat, bread flour and 00 flour. You can just use one flour straight out of the bag. Let sit for 15 minutes after the mixing is done and then roll up into balls. After the mixing, let the dough balls sit for about 3 to 6 hours then into the fridge for overnight or longer or leave out at room temp for 12 hours then use. The amount of yeast will vary but typically I’ll do a 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast per 25 pounds of flour. In an emergency you can make dough in the morning for same day use but double the yeast, leave the dough out and use in the evening.

Popularity of these “bread” techniques bleeding into the pizza world started with artisan bread makers realizing they can make pizza on a Friday night and make some good money. Don’t get me wrong when done right these ‘fancy’ techniques can make outstanding pizza and they do. Key word here though, is done “right”.

Without question bread makers have elevated the pizza game. Then during COVID, millions took to making bread and pizza. Oven technology along with so much open-source information available created an environment where the masses could make great pizza. The secret is out, pizza has high margins and sells. Well, it just happens to be the most popular food in the world.

With so much information and misinformation out there, it can get very foggy. There’s a general misconception about what makes good dough. Group thought would have you believe that the only way to do pizza right is “sourdough” or that the longer you ferment your dough or the higher your hydration the pizza is somehow better. I beg to differ.

Let me spell out the advantages of doing a direct mix.

1. Time. To put it together takes minimal time and it is not an involved process.
2. Labor. A not-so-small amount of labor is saved by the direct mix method and training is much easier.
3. Consistency. With this method there are less mistakes, and you are going to get more consistent results.
4. Margins are better based on less product used, labor savings and the avoidance of costly mistakes.

Ultimately, it’s your choice how you want to make your dough. Whatever method you use when executed properly will produce outstanding pizza. The 10,000-foot view is this: it’s the care and attention given to the craft which are more important than any one particular thing when producing an outstanding pizza. However, sometimes simple is just better.

Scott Sandler owns Pizza Via in St. Louis, Missouri.

The post Knead to Know: The Merits of Direct Mix Pizza Dough appeared first on Pizza Today.

Promote and Position Your LTOs for Success

“A brand becomes a brand when it is consistent.”
– anonymous

There is always a debate on what is marketing and what is branding. There is one factor that runs into both, and that is consistency. When crafting your message, it must ring loud enough and often enough to make an impact.  We talked last month about implementing pizza styles that make you stick out from your competitors. When putting together the marketing campaign around the new style, you want to make sure your branding message is entrenched in the overall campaign.

We recently introduced a Tavern Style pizza to our menu, and we now are advertising it. We built this campaign for a 90-day stretch of time. In the past we have done monthly pizza specials. However, we have found that 30 days is not enough time to run a Limited Time Offer pizza. We like to run somewhere between 4 to 6 limited time offerings throughout the year. Some examples of LTO’s would be our stuffed crust pizza, our pickle pizza, a new style of pizza or a collaboration with a non-profit.

We like to run these LTOs because it keeps things fresh and new. When we run a new campaign, here are the ways we promote and position the new pizza:

• We start by taking great pictures. Set aside a few hours where you can take some great photos of the new pizza. We usually start this process at least two months before we launch the special.
• Once we have the pictures, we then create in-store displays. This includes posters, table tops and sometimes box toppers.
• We also create digital ads for social media. We have found that if we create fresh digital ads for all of the social platforms (each one having their own ad) that the results are higher. Additionally, we have found that if we use another fresh digital ad halfway through the campaign we likewise end up with higher visibility.
• On top of the digital static ads, mixing in videos in the form of short videos is a huge plus. Short videos of staff talking about the creation or trying it goes a long way in the eye of the customer. We typically have some paid Facebook and Instagram ads to which we allocate some of these advertising dollars. That further helps push these specials to introduce them to the public.
• Finally, training your staff to offer the LTO is another key to success. We let the staff try all the new LTO pizzas so that they understand the item and can get excited about it. We always offer it at a fair price — a fair price for the customer, but also a fair price for us so that we can still run a profitable restaurant.

If you have other forms of advertisement in your arsenal already like direct mail, TV, billboards or radio, I suggest you use them around your limited time offers as well. Since we mentioned profitability, that’s what we will get into in the next installment of Building Blocks!

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Promoting Your Limited Time Offerings appeared first on Pizza Today.

Throwing an effective staff party in a pizza restaurant isn’t just about having a good time—it’s about reinforcing team spirit, rewarding hard work, and ultimately boosting morale, which can lead to better performance in the workplace. We’ve been holding ANDOMANIA for nine years now, and it’s a game changer. Here is what I shoot for when planning it.

1. Set a Clear Purpose/Goal

Before planning anything, determine what you want to achieve with the party. Is it a celebration for meeting a sales goal, a holiday gathering, or simply a way to thank your team for their hard work? Clear objectives will help you plan better.

2. Choose the Right Time

Timing is crucial. Select a date and time that doesn’t conflict with peak business hours or key events. Ideally, choose an evening after a typically slow day or a Sunday night. Ensure the time works for most of your staff so everyone can attend. Take into account school the next day if you have a lot of kids in high school.

3. Involve the Team

Get input from your team about what they’d like to see at the party. This could include their favorite food, drink preferences or activity ideas. Employees feel more valued and engaged when they have a say in the event planning.

4. Create a Participatory Vibe

Plan activities that cater to diverse interests and that everyone can participate in. This could be anything from a pizza-making competition, games or even a karaoke session. The key is to ensure everyone feels included and has fun.

5. Fun yes; Unprofessional No

While it’s a party, it’s still important to maintain a level of professionalism. Avoid activities or games that could lead to uncomfortable situations or offend someone. Remember, the goal is strengthening the team, not create divisions.

6. Recognize & Reward

Use the party to recognize and reward your team for their hard work. This could be small awards, gift cards or even a heartfelt speech acknowledging individual contributions. Recognition can go a long way in boosting morale and showing appreciation. Having an award given to a store or individual breeds competition.

7. Prepare for the Next Day

Remember, the party will end, and the next day will come. Plan for any potential staffing issues if the party runs late. Consider giving your team the next morning off or arranging a later start time so they can recover.

8. Feedback and Follow-Up

After the party, ask for feedback. What did your staff enjoy? What could have been better? This shows that you value their opinions and helps you improve future events.

9. Document the Event

Capture the moments. Take photos or videos (with consent) to create memories for yourself and them. You can share these in your internal communications or even on social media (with staff approval) to showcase your restaurant’s positive work culture.

10. Have Fun Yourself

This one might be the hardest, but try to have fun yourself. It’s hard planning something and then relaxing. But this is your time to connect with your staff, so be a human and not the head honcho for once.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Mike’s Monthly Tip: 10 Rules to a Staff Party Planned Right appeared first on Pizza Today.

PizzaCon arrives this month — and it’s sure to thrill!

It’s November, which means PizzaCon is finally here! The one-day event is November 7 at the historic Fillmore venue in Philadelphia. We’ll have the City of Brotherly Love rocking with unbridled pizza enthusiasm as some of the industry’s top suppliers provide educational activation stations designed to help your pizza business thrive.

Beyond sampling some hot new products, PizzaCon also will offer a curated speaker lineup that will make your trip into Philly worthwhile. Here’s a quick peek at the educational opportunities that will be taking place upstairs on the Foundry level during the event.

There will be 5 sessions total led by a bevy of speakers, many of whom own and operate successful restaurants in the Northeast!

Marketing in Today’s Environment (Michael Androw, 11 a.m. – Noon) — Today’s restaurant landscape requires a more targeted marketing approach. Canvasing a neighborhood with door hangars, while occasionally still effective in certain markets, just doesn’t work like it used to. Costs are up and marketing budgets are being squeezed, so it’s important to allocate your precious resources carefully. In this seminar you’ll learn how to identify your specific customer and how to get in front of them and get their attention.

Growing Revenue Through Catering (Tony Cerimele, 1 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.) — In this session you’ll learn about ways to add a catering component to your business. Whether you’re looking to grow via corporate lunches, weddings or other large-scale events, building a plan to increase off-premise sales can take your pizza business to new heights.

Dough Styles (Gregorio Fierro, 2 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.)— A great pizza is dependent on a great dough. It’s the base on which everything is built. And while you can produce a variety of different pizza styles from just one dough formula, when you really immerse yourself in exploring and mastering different styles of dough, that’s when your final product takes flight and has that ‘wow’ factor you’re looking for.

Panel: Building Your Playbook (Jason Gore, Bret Lunsford, Ted Zizlsperger, 3 – 3:55 p.m.) — Whether starting or taking over a business, having a clear plan and operational playbook is essential to your success. The operations team at Sally’s Apizza, with over 60 years of combined experience from brands like Shake Shack, Disney, Buffalo Wild Wings, Outback Steakhouse, and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, has developed a playbook that ensures unforgettable hospitality, legendary food, brand consistency and profitability. Through a strong yet adaptable company culture, intentional decision making and investing in people, you can build a road map to success for your business.

Menu Development (Melissa Rickman, Eric Von Hansen, Jeff Smokevitch and Siler Chapman, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.) — You’re guaranteed to enjoy this entertaining and educational session as members of the vaunted World Pizza Champions take the stage to talk about menu development, some of their favorite and most successful recipes and answer your questions about menu development, food costs, building a new menu item, etc.

The post PizzaCon 2024: It’s Go Time! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Understanding Gen Z Employees in the Restaurant Workplace

Walter Rosales knows Gen Z well.

Besides raising a Gen Z son himself, Rosales is also the vice president of learning and development at Texas-based Cicis Pizza, a chain of nearly 300 restaurants in 20 states. With some 6,000 employees across the Cicis enterprise, Rosales says “easily half” come from Gen Z, a cohort running from today’s junior high students to those in their late 20s.

As Rosales and others can attest, Gen Z is already well entrenched in the restaurant industry workforce. According to Black Box Intelligence, Gen Zers filled 57 percent of hourly positions in full-service restaurants and 71 percent of hourly positions in quick-service eateries last year. In addition, three out of four new hires in 2023 came from Gen Z.

Given the sheer size of Gen Z – an estimated 70 million Americans – and the group’s mushrooming presence in the restaurant workforce, it’s become increasingly critical pizzerias understand Gen Z employees to remain competitive, productive operations. And to be certain, Gen Z features its own unique set of characteristics, values and expectations, many shaped by seismic societal forces like technology and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know the workforce has changed and Gen Z workers are in high demand, which informs how we run our organization,” Rosales notes.

1. Gen Zers are digital natives.

Gen Z came of age in a world fueled by tech. The oldest members of Gen Z, in fact, were about 10 when the iPhone debuted in 2007. They’ve grown up texting, not calling and turning to YouTube, not adults or books, for answers. Living in a tech-charged world influences how Gen Z learns and interacts with the world around them.

What it means for pizzerias: Gen Z not only wants technology in the workforce, but they want it to be intuitive and seamless, from the point-of-sale system to automation in the kitchen. They also want digital touchpoints for interviewing, scheduling, pay and training, where they particularly value video. Cicis, for instance, has conducted its own experiments and sent training information via video and written copy. Rosales reports far better executional results with training videos.

2. Gen Zers prize flexibility.

Alan Cabelly, founder of the Portland Leadership Institute and professor emeritus at Portland State University, has researched generations in the workforce for more than 40 years and says the pandemic influenced Gen Zers outlook on employment. They want a work-life balance and reject micromanagement. 

“They saw people working from home, revolting and voluntarily leaving the workforce,” Cabelly says. “They’ve told employers you have to do things differently.”

What it means for pizzerias: Flexibility is necessary. While a pizzeria cannot be flexible about where an employee works, operators can show flexibility with scheduling, store roles and rules. For instance, allow Gen Zers to plug into music in the kitchen or show a willingness to incorporate the employee’s skills and personality into their work rather than demanding rigid adherence to a pre-set vision.

“Operators don’t have to expect less of Gen Z, but they do need to accommodate them more to get the necessary output,” says Daniel Blaser, head of brand at Workstream, a leading human resources management platform for the hourly workforce.

3. Gen Zers want to connect to a greater purpose.

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 86 percent of Gen Zers say having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being. While “purpose” remains a subjective term, it most often applies to doing work that transcends profit alone.

What it means for pizzerias: More than ever, businesses have to set and communicate their purpose – whether it’s an environmental ethos, feeding the hungry or connecting with the community – to cultivate a more engaged and loyal workforce. To wit, Gen Zers’ interest in purpose has changed how Cicis discusses its work.

“We don’t focus on selling pizzas, but rather opening up our doors every day to take care of people,” Rosales says. “This has made a big difference in how our staff perceive their jobs at Cicis.”

4. Gen Zers are interested in advancement.

Given their youth, Gen Zers recognize they have a long life ahead of them. If they find interest or success in a given role, many want to see a path forward, perhaps even a career. When choosing or deciding to leave a job, access to development opportunities is just as important as pay and work-life balance to Gen Z, according to Deloitte’s study.

What it means for pizzerias: It’s important pizzeria leaders share advancement opportunities and show staff the restaurant will invest in their growth. On day one at orientation, for example, Cicis points out that the company president was once a Cicis assistant manager while 20 percent of store managers have matriculated into the franchising ranks and now own Cicis restaurants.

5. Gen Zers want to feel valued.

While many Gen Zers enter the workforce with optimism and energy, Blaser says they are more prone to “check out” – and quickly – if business leaders overlook their contributions. To that point, more than half of Gen Zers in the Deloitte survey said not being recognized or rewarded adequately for their work contributed to feelings of anxiety or stress.

What it means for pizzerias: Cabelly urges restaurant leadership to find opportunities for financial incentives where possible, while moments of recognition, especially public recognition amplifying the praise, are also valuable. Blaser, meanwhile, encourages restaurants to provide an experience and environment that supports and reinforces the value of its team members.

“We can’t be Hell’s Kitchen dictators,” Rosales adds. “Stressing the family atmosphere in Cicis restaurants has helped improve our retention.”

Why Gen Zers come and why they go

Top 5 reasons Gen Zers chose their employer

1. Good work/life balance
2. Learning and development opportunities
3. Salary or other financial benefits
4. Positive workplace culture
5. Flexible hours and/or reduced work week

Top 5 reasons Gen Zers left their employer

1. Pay wasn’t high enough
2. Lack of career advancement opportunities
3. Feeling burned out
4. Job detrimental to mental health
5. (Tie) Work was not fulfilling or meaningful; the role didn’t offer a positive work/life balance; lack of learning/skills development opportunities

*According to Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey

Daniel p. Smith  Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post 5 Things You Need to Know About Gen Z appeared first on Pizza Today.

About March of Dimes

About Village Idiot Pizza

The post Village Idiot Pizza Kicks off Seventh Annual ‘Pizza for Preemies’, Hosts ‘Shop & Slice’ Event with Kendra Scott appeared first on Pizza Today.

Skateboarding Legend Tony Hawk honors National Pizza Month with a skating trick brought to life from his Tony Hawk Pro Skater Video Game

Tony Hawk, the former skateboarding pro who amassed over 60 pro skateboarding victories and invented over 60 vertical skateboarding tricks, honored National Pizza Month as only Tony Hawk can. He created a real-life The Pizza Guy trick from Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game that ended with the skating legend spinning and opening a box of pizza.

In a TikTok released on October 24, Tony Hawk is playing the video game, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, where he recreates a . He says, “I want to be the pizza guy.” The scene moves to Tony Hawk at a skate park performing the same trick he did in the video game. Then he says “Happy Pizza Month” and gobbles up a slice of pizza.

Check out the Tony Hawk’s TikTok video.

How are you celebrating National Pizza Month?

The post Tony Hawk does real-life The Pizza Guy Trick for National Pizza Month appeared first on Pizza Today.

New Year brings New Federal, State and Local Policy Changes in 2025

It’s hard to believe that a new year is just around the corner. The new year also means new rules and regulations levels that all business owners should be aware of and plan for.

Business Ownership Information Report

The biggest new regulation to be aware of is the need for all businesses, no matter the size, to file a Business Ownership Information report (“BOI”) with the federal government. This requirement comes from the Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, and came into effect in 2024. Among its many provisions, it requires all business owners to fill out a BOI with the information of any shareholder or partner owning 25 percent or more of the business, or the information of anyone who may not have equity in the company but has “substantial control” over the company, like a corporate officer or director.

The BOI is administered by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen). The form can be filled out on their website and requires the names, addresses and identification, such as a passport or driver’s license, for each beneficial owner with more than 25-percent ownership in the company. While this form does not need to be filled out annually, if any of the information changes at any time, a new form must be updated with FinCen within 30 days of the change. For any new businesses formed in 2025 and beyond, this form must be completed within 30 days of entity formation.

While this form may sound somewhat trivial and an easy document to overlook, the penalties with non-compliance are far from insignificant: The federal government can fine you $10,000 and $591 per day of non-compliance, plus imprison any offenders for up to two years! The form is not complex and should not take terribly long to fill out, but those who miss the December 31, 2024 deadline may be subject to these draconian fines. You can find the BOI form at fincen.gov/boi

New Overtime Rules

The next change coming to business in 2025 is the Department of Labor’s new overtime rule, part of which came into effect on July 1, 2024 with the rest coming into effect on January 1, 2025. Beginning in January, the new overtime threshold is $1,128 per week, or $58,656 per year. This is an increase from the previous threshold of $684 per week. This means that if a salaried employee makes less than $1,128 per week, they are eligible for overtime pay on each hour over 40 worked per week.

As a reminder, any employee being paid salary vs. hourly wages must meet the federal requirements for executive employees: (1) they are paid the minimum threshold ($1,128 per week starting January 1), (2) the employee’s primary duty must be the management of a customarily recognized department, (3) the employee must customarily or regularly direct the work of two or more individuals, (4) the employee must have the authority to hire or fire employees, or the employee’s recommendation on hiring decisions must be given particular weight.

Tax Changes

2025 will also bring significant tax reform, regardless of who is in the White House and in control of Congress, as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of 2025. Many of us pizzeria operators have benefitted since 2017 from bonus depreciation, allowing new equipment purchases and other expenses to be immediately deducted instead of amortized over the life of the equipment. Bonus depreciation has been slowly phasing out until it sunsets entirely at the end of next year. This year, businesses get 40 percent, in 2025, only 20 percent. So, as you are doing year-end planning, consult with your CPA to see if there is advantage to making a larger purchase in 2024 vs. 2025.

Additionally, the estate and gift tax exemption will be cut in half from nearly $14 million next year to about $7 million in 2026. While these are large figures, it’s important to think about the size of your estate at the age you think you may pass away, not its value today. While your estate may not be impacted in today’s dollars, it could be as your business and assets grow until the time of your death. Thus, 2025 is the year to meet with your CPA and estate planning attorney to ensure that you take advantage of the higher threshold before its expiration next year. There are many legal maneuvers that can be used to shield your assets from the estate and gift tax prior to your death if you plan properly.

How Can I Stay Up-to-Date on Changes?

Small businesses struggle to keep up with the many federal and state agency rule changes that occur seemingly monthly, without much fanfare or media attention. While many laws come into effect on January 1st each year, others can come into effect on July 1st  or sometimes in March or October. The rule making process by our bureaucratic agencies is long and complicated, and the rules that often come out of such process tend to be just as complicated as the process itself. Unfortunately, it’s up to us as business owners to stay up to date on all these rules to ensure that we are in compliance.

At the federal level, the agencies that have the most impact to our industry are the Department of Labor (DOL), the Food and Drug Administration (these regulations are usually enforced at the local health department level), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The best way to stay up to date on changes are to develop a relationship with a business attorney who can help keep you informed as to upcoming changes at the federal, state and local levels. Many attorneys will send out e-mail blasts or newsletters with upcoming changes that may impact your business. Oftentimes, state restaurant associations are also involved in the local legislative process and can help you stay up to date on new regulations that come out of state agencies and legislatures.

In general, 2025 is going to be a year of big policy changes, no matter which party gains control. I encourage you to stay up to date and voice your opinion on rulemaking or legislation that may impact your business, either with your lawmakers or directly with agencies themselves. Our voices as business owners can have a real impact in crafting legislation and rule making.

The post In the Know: New Regulations for 2025 Impacting Restaurants appeared first on Pizza Today.

10 pizza toppings to watch in 2025

As we wrap up 2024, we are already looking forward to a new year filled with new and interesting pizza toppings. Let’s explore hot pizza toppings that will be trending in 2025.

We’ve combed through so much information to provide you with a glimpse of 2025 pizza trends. We have gathered insights from our upcoming Pizzeria Trends Report that will be published in December based on survey results from you, the pizzeria operator. We also evaluated what happened on the Pizza Expo show floor and took to analyzing web and social trends.

At Pizza Today, I’m known for identifying trends as I see them surface. We want to know what you are seeing in your markets. You can reach out to me, dgreer@pizzatoday.com, to provide your expert insights. Now on to the pizza ingredient trends. 

Macro Pizza Trends 2025

First, let’s look at macro-pizza trends. There are bigger overarching themes that will drive pizza inspiration in the next year. Then we’ll get into individual trending pizza toppings. 

1. Back to basics with an upgrade

The No. 1 trend we are seeing on pizza is that pizza is getting back to its roots with classic toppings. But there is a caveat. With back-to-basic pies, there is an upgraded element that can range from a unique cheese blend to a drizzle of a premium olive oil, chili oil or fresh ingredient finish.

2. Pizza Crust Enhancements

Pizza fans understand that it’s all about the crust. Pizza makers are creating more flavorful doughs with the addition of preferments and fats. 

3. International inspiration on Specialty Pizzas

Pizza kitchens are getting creative, and customers are loving it. We see a lot of that inspiration coming from international cuisine, especially Indian, Latin American and Asian foods. 

10 pizza toppings to get attention in 2025

Now we are going to dive into pizza toppings that may hit it big in 2025. Some of these pizza ingredients you’ll notice continue to be hot.

Microgreens. There is nothing like the look and pop of flavor with microgreens, from arugula and basil to beet, endive and Swiss chard. It’s important to note that these are used as finishing ingredients.

Vegan meats and cheeses. Plant-based meats and cheeses continue to thrive as customers seek to find vegan versions of their favorite pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella.

Berries. Don’t think just dessert pizzas here. Cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and other local berries are being paired with meats and creamy cheeses to create savory pies with a hint of sweet.

Green Chilies. These mild, yet spicy peppers are spreading far beyond the Southwest. You’ll find these chilies paired with pepperoni, chorizo, pulled pork, corn and creamy cheeses.

Pickles. Contrary to other sources, the industry says pickles are still very hot. So much so, operators have attempted to pull their pickle pizza off the menu to customer revolts. Pickle pizzas are evolving to new pairings, leaning on smoked and cured meats and unique cheeses.

Alternative Sausages. While customers love traditional Italian sausage and last year’s trending cup and char sausage, they are also gravitating toward sausage variations, like bratwurst, curry, chorizo, chicken sausage and Nduja.

Italian Beef. Chicago’s famous Italian Beef Sandwich has turned pizza in a big way. Don’t forget the au jus for dipping.

Giardiniera. The sweet and often hot pickled peppers go hand-in-hand with Italian Beef. Don’t stop there. Hot or mild Giardiniera are great with pepperoni, sausage, chorizo or a cheese pizza with ricotta dollops.

Lemon. This citrus fruit — either sliced, wedged, juiced or zested — has found its way onto pizza. It’s providing a beautiful contrast to pizza’s often savory and creamy flavors and adds that hit of acidity.

Cheddar Cheese. A good sharp cheddar or white cheddar cheese is being blended with mild mozzarella to create rich cheese pizza. Pizza fans are loving those crispy cheddar crust edges.

Have fun testing new pizza topping combinations in your kitchen. We’ll explore more pizza trends and pizza toppings in our 2025 Pizzeria Trends Report in December.

DENISE GREER  is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post Hot on Pizza in 2025: Popular Pizza Toppings to Trend in 2025 appeared first on Pizza Today.

Arrabbiata Sauce, also known as Angry Sauce, for Pasta, Pizza and Dipping

Arrabbiata sauce has always been an obsession of mine. If pasta is an option on the menu, it’s the first thing I order at an Italian restaurant. Being such a simple sauce, it can tell you a lot about the place and the ingredients they use. Arrabbiata is certainly not the flashiest Italian pasta sauce, nor the most complicated, and I think that’s what I like most about it. It is unassuming — but can come through in a big, big way if executed correctly. 

Like a simple slice of cheese pizza, everyone’s version of Arrabbiata sauce is different. The classic recipe is composed of garlic, dried chili flakes and tomatoes sautéed in olive oil. Little differences such as what kind of tomatoes you use, how you cut and cook the garlic, how spicy the chili flakes are and what type of olive oil you sauté everything in can make a huge difference in the final product. Outside of the traditional ingredients, there are liberties and additions that can change the sauce to make it your own.

When you translate “arrabbiata,” it literally means angry. The sauce, which is known as ‘sugo all’arrabbiata’ in Italy, originates from the Lazio region. It’s rooted in the Italian adjective “arabbiato,” which indicates a personal characteristic that is pushed to excess. The notion came from Roman cooks having a very heavy hand in the kitchen with the sauce’s main ingredients: garlic, tomatoes, dried red chili flakes and olive oil. The dish dates back to the 1950s when spicy cuisine was trending in Rome. While ‘arabbiato’ can be applied to any dish, spicy marinara is probably the most well-known.

Let’s talk tomatoes. While the dried red chilies are arguably the most dominate ingredient in Arrabbiata sauce, tomatoes comprise the bulk of the volume. With a sauce as simple as this one, you can really taste all the components. As a result, the sweeter and more robust the tomatoes are, the less outside sugar and salt you need to add. The sweetness of the tomatoes also balances out the heat from the chilies. 

The heat of the sauce is derived from dried red chili flakes. While you want the sauce to deliver this promised punch, you don’t want it so hot it’s inedible. To achieve a spicy but balanced sauce, start small and then go big. The hotness of the peppers becomes more evident after simmering in the sauce for a bit. Add a small amount and let it cook into the tomatoes for 20 minutes (because you can always add more). Another thing to keep in mind is that all red pepper flakes are not created equal. I don’t think I realized just how extreme of a difference there can be between brands until we switched ours. A teaspoon of one type of red pepper flakes does not equal the same amount of another. This is where taste testing really comes into play.

Another source of heat in the sauce comes from the garlic. Different varieties of garlic are spicier than others. While garlic might seem like a no brainer, the type you use along with how you slice and cook it can drastically change the overall taste of the sauce. Mincing the garlic will taste much different than creating thin slices on a mandolin or even slow cooking whole cloves in oil.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a good quality olive oil is always the way to go. Especially in simple dishes. The taste of the oil comes through and affects the taste of the entire sauce. Since you are using the oil to sauté the other ingredients and not as a finishing oil, you don’t need to use extra virgin.

Once you get the basics down, there are also a few non-traditional ingredients I like to add to my arrabbiata sauce. The first is wine. People who understand the advantage of putting wine in sauces tend to do so religiously. Wine enhances the dish by releasing the flavor molecules in the food you are sautéing it with. As the alcohol reduces, it concentrates its natural flavors with the other ingredients in the sauce.

Another great addition is butter. Aside from using great ingredients, butter is really the secret weapon in taking pasta sauces to the next level. It’s the very last thing you slip into the sauce to make everything cohesive and pop. Then there are finishing cheeses, such as Parmigiana Reggiano and Pecorino Romano. They don’t have to have a heavy presence in the sauce, but add a nice dimension to the finished dish.

Even if you don’t serve pasta at your shop, there are plenty of other places to add Arrabbiata sauce onto your menu. The obvious being on a pizza, but it really pairs with most anything that needs a spice upgrade. You can cook meatballs in arrabbiata sauce and serve them as a side or as a pizza topping. You can use it as a dipping sauce for garlic bread, knots or house-made rolls. A fun one is to spoon it onto a Sicilian or other pan pizza with alternating Alfredo sauce stripes. You can turn a traditional eggplant or chicken parm into a hot one. If you don’t have a pasta station you can do baked ziti or lasagna with an Arrabbiata sauce.

As you can see, Arrabbiata might appear to be a pretty straightforward sauce with basic ingredients, but how you utilize and cook those very components can make for a very unique dish.

Get the Arrabbiata Sauce Recipe.

The post The Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce Adds Heat and Flavor to the Menu appeared first on Pizza Today.

Making Fresh Pasta

Some of the best meals I’ve ever had have involved pizza, but have also involved pasta of some kind. There’s a restaurant in Rome that will forever be imprinted in my mind because sometimes the pasta will come to the table on a beautiful plate and sometimes it will be served directly from the pan it was cooked in. Why dirty another dish? As Americans, we all know dried pasta. While dried pasta is great, versatile and relatively cheap, fresh pasta is in a category unto its own.

Learning to make fresh pasta is its own art form and countless cookbooks have been written in its honor. With more shapes than you can imagine, there is a science to fresh pasta as well as a honed technique that can take years to master. Learning how to roll the perfect sfoglia (sheet) and pairing it with its perfect sauce as well as learning the details of each cut and shape can seem daunting. But just like pizza, pasta is a perfect vehicle for flavor, whether it’s sticking to traditional carbonara or Bolognese or completely switching it up and doing something outside the box. Pasta is beloved by all and is a lot easier to incorporate into a concept than you think.

There are two kinds of fresh pasta to consider.

The first is the kind that is either rolled out with a rolling pin or flattened out using a sheeter.  Most associate ravioli and other filled shapes with this. The hand crank machine is the smaller one and normally what you would have at home. They make larger commercial versions that are electric and can sheet out large quantities rather fast. The second kind of fresh pasta is one that is extruded out of a machine. For both kinds, specific equipment is necessary. But like any great nonna at home, using what you have always works just fine.

For those who are opting to go the hand rolled and hand filled route, a little more technique is required. If using a rolling pin or mattarello, learning the proper thickness of each shape as well as how to keep the dough uniform in thickness can take time. Just like any skill, it takes repetition and a lot of attention to detail. But before you get to rolling, you need to begin with the dough. Like pizza dough, hydration and flour choice is key. The type of flour can vary, but most commonly it will be a “00” and a low protein or a semolina/semola flour. Pasta has just as much nuance as any other flour-based product, but for those going the super simple route “00” flour and water works just fine. For those wanting a richer and more golden color to the dough will want to add eggs, either in their entirety or just the yolks. Traditionally, pasta dough with eggs was reserved for special occasions and the upper wealthy class.

If you’d like to try just flour and water first before adding in eggs, I would start with a 50-percent hydration and practice your kneading skills. Pasta dough will need to be kneaded for a bit to develop some strength and texture. But just like pizza dough, it can be overworked. A rest period is always advised between kneading and rolling.

If you’re ready to add in eggs or even a vegetable puree of some kind I’ve seen the hydration level go up to 55 to 60 percent — but you don’t really want a super wet dough. There are a lot of cookbooks out there that can teach you the finer points of rolling out a fresh sheet of pasta, but not every operation has the time or enough staff to hand shape each order of ravioli. For those restaurants that specialize in hand formed pasta, the work is worth it as you can tell by the texture on the tooth when you bite into it that it was made by hand and not by a machine.

One of my all-time favorite noodle shapes is bucatini.

I love long noodles similar to a spaghetti. But the fact that it is hollow in the middle gives it a completely different texture. Other shapes I love are conchiglie (shells) and fusilli, and flat noodles like mafaldine. There are so many fun shapes out there that lend to a different eating experience, but shapes like these are better as extruded pastas.

An extruder is a machine that has a hopper where you add flour and water and it will mix it for you and then push the dough out through a die. The good ones are made from bronze, and as the dough is pushed out through the die, the noodle takes its shape. The important thing about bronze cut dies is it helps with the texture of the noodle. Some of this comes from the hydration and proper mix time, but you don’t want a super slick noodle regardless of the shape. What you are looking for is a little bit of texture, so the sauce has something to stick to. If you’ve ever bought dried pasta from the store and your sauce has a hard time sticking even though you haven’t added any oil, this is why. Bronze dies can be more expensive, but the quality of the product speaks for itself.

Now let’s talk equipment and cost.

Is it really worth it to invest in the equipment and knowledge needed to make great fresh pasta? Extruders can vary in size and cost depending on your needs, but on a menu most people are charging the same as a regular entrée or pizza which pays for itself in time just as your mixer.

The equipment needed to make filled shapes like ravioli and agnolotti is minimal, and even a fork and pizza wheel will do most of what you need. But the time it takes to learn technique and consistency is the hard part. One of the things I love most about fresh pasta is the cook time. Smaller shapes can cook in as few as two minutes, whereas thicker shapes can cook in about five with the texture coming out al dente and it is still cooking in less time than a dried pasta. This quick cook time means you can churn out pasta dishes in less than 10 minutes, turning tables much faster.

Ultimately, fresh pasta can be a great addition to any menu and can be as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be.

Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.

The post What You Need to Know About Making Pasta in Your Restaurant appeared first on Pizza Today.

According to one source, it’s Philadelphia. Not only is the City of Brotherly Love home to PizzaCon this month, but it also ranks as the No. 1 city in the world when it comes to pizza-related Google searches. That information comes from Chef’s Pencil, which scoured Google Trends search data and discovered that Philly is “the most pizza-obsessed city in the world.”

According to Chef’s Pencil, Philadelphia has “the highest percentage of pizza-related Google searches relative to all local searches.”  That’s good stuff!

Jeremy White, Editor in Chief, Pizza Today Magazine

It makes sense considering the city’s high Italian American population. Philly is second only to New York City in that regard.

Of course, this report from Chef’s Pencil was just released and we did not have this data when we selected Philadelphia to host PizzaCon on November 7. But it sure seems to fit nicely, nonetheless.

What else fits nicely at PizzaCon? The exhibiting activation stations! While there will be the sampling you’ve come to expect at our events, these activations provide attendees with an opportunity to receive a hands-on, consultative approach to using the products and wares our exhibiting friends will be promoting to the industry. You’ll want to take plenty of time at each station asking questions and figuring out which goods are a fit for your business.

It’s not every day that you’re able to talk shop with subject matter experts who can help improve your
bottom line, so take advantage of the knowledge that will be available at each activation station.

Likewise, be sure to listen in on the seminars that best meet your needs at PizzaCon as well. For a look at the subjects, flip to the article.

We’re really excited to see you in Philadelphia this month at PizzaCon. Please grab me or Denise, introduce yourself and say hello. We’re currently looking for Hot Slice podcast guests for the winter (hint, hint).

Best,

Jeremy White
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

The post Commentary: It’s Time for PizzaCon! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizzerias can benefit from updating menus, logos and décor

Even a timeless classic needs an update once in a while. From legacy brands that have been around for decades to newer concepts trying to keep up with changing consumer tastes, pizzerias can benefit from refreshing their brands. A refresh could include designing a new logo, removing slow sellers from the menu, modernizing the dining room and other updates.

When Hannah O’Hara and Dean Rein purchased Lisa’s Pizza in Milwaukee in January of this year, they wanted to make some changes, but not alienate longtime customers. “We wanted to make it our own, but stay true to its history,” O’Hara says. “We did not change too much too fast. People get really upset really easily.”

Before becoming pizzeria owners, Rein worked as an industrial engineer and O’Hara specialized in quality assurance. Her area of expertise is root cause analysis and corrective actions, which means figuring out what is causing something to happen and how to fix it. “We came into it with the mindset of wanting to continuously improve, which is big in the manufacturing space,” O’Hara says.

The new owners closed the pizzeria for eight days for an intensive cleaning, then reopened with a streamlined menu. Gone was the fish fry, a menu item that saw about one order per month. Unpopular pizza toppings such as ground beef and shrimp were replaced with trendy offerings such as hot honey. Also new were vegetarian-friendly items such as pesto, and a gluten-free cauliflower crust.

The dishes that stayed on the menu were standardized and the recipes uploaded onto a Google Drive. The previous owners had not written down the recipes and relied on their memory of handfuls of ingredients. Documenting recipes make it easy for kitchen crews to access the information, and help the Lisa’s Pizza brand maintain product consistency.

The new owners also added accessible seating by getting a city permit and adding outdoor tables. New exterior paint also increased the curb appeal, as did new bright red signage. The restaurant did not have a logo before, so the team developed a whimsical logo featuring Lisa, the pizzeria’s mysterious namesake. “Some people think the logo is too sexy,” O’Hara says. “But I don’t mind.”

Lisa’s Pizza now has a social media presence, which helps the brand engage with the community and compete with chains and other operators in the area. “A lot of people have been grateful for us buying the place,” O’Hara says. “They thought Lisa’s Pizza would come to an end, or someone would buy it and completely trash it. We kept it alive and gave the brand a refresh.”

Research first

For pizzeria owners doing a brand refresh, one challenge is to figure out which logo, décor and menu items to keep, and which to change. One way to do this is by asking customers how they perceive the brand, because their answers sometimes don’t match what the pizzeria owner might think.

“We’re very focused on the research and sociological effects of branding and how people interact with a brand,” says Jon Hartman, creative director at Wunder Werkz, a Denver, Colorado and Reykjavik, Iceland-based branding company that worked on a brand refresh for Mici Italian, a family-owned chain in Denver.

The first step in the brand refresh was to conduct research. Wunder Werkz interviewed Mici customers on what they valued in the brand. They found that people valued their experience in the restaurants more than the visuals of the brand.

“The minute you create a restaurant, you create something that exists in the public,” Hartman says. “Other people feel ownership of their experience within the restaurant. People take their kids there, they went on first dates there, they have memories.”

Mici Italian was also working on franchising the concept, so Wunder Werkz came up with a new logo that works well in different aspect ratios. That way, the logo remains consistent in different sized signage at stores that are freestanding, inline and other types of real estate.

Wunder Werkz also updated the interiors of Mici Italian restaurants, including the red and green palette, lighting, wood and higher end materials. “It was important to have something solidified and professional as they went more into franchise mode,” Hartman says. “It was widely positively received. The future franchisees understood there is a strong brand story to tell.”

Hartman says it’s important to avoid preconceived notions of what a brand should look like, or to simply redesign stores to look sleek and modern. “The secret to success is to come in with an open mind,” he says. “Process where you can go as opposed to saying we need to do this specific thing.”

Refresh versus rebrand

A brand refresh is different from a rebrand. There have been some high-profile rebranding efforts by large chains announcing menu overhauls, new logos and other major changes. Rebranding is more robust than a brand refresh.

“If it’s a rebranding, we are starting over again, and everything is up for grabs,” says Danny Bendas, managing partner with Synergy Restaurant Consultants in Newport Beach, California. “A refresh can include trying to promote different sales channels, change in dining layout, change in marketing, update the décor.”

Bendas notes that some restaurant companies have refreshed their brands recently to reflect their move to more takeout and delivery, while others have focused more on a return to basics, going back to being the pizzeria they once were. While customer feedback is important, the operator must also make sure the new components are easy to execute. If the refresh includes new menu items, these must be dishes that the kitchen staff can prepare with their current equipment and staff levels. Don’t add catering or a full beverage menu, Bendas says, without considering back of house.

“Bring your brand up to today’s standards without harming what people know you as,” Bendas says. “Don’t lose sight of who you are, and what got you to the party.”

NORA CALEY is a freelance writer who covers small business, finance and lifestyle topics.

The post Restaurant Branding Refresh appeared first on Pizza Today.

Create a better 2025 budget for profitability and stability

Financially planning your year with a solid budget separates a professional from the rest. You’re not just running a restaurant; you’re a professional restaurateur, and part of that title means owning your numbers. Sure, your CPA gets everything squared away for the taxman, but it’s on you to develop a rock-solid strategy for the upcoming fiscal year. If numbers and Excel aren’t your thing—or even if they are—follow these guidelines to get a grip on your finances and set your business up for success.

Step 1: Look Back to Move Forward

When planning your budget for the next year, the first step is to look back. Start by examining last year’s numbers and assume that most variables will stay the same unless you know of upcoming changes, like opening a new store. If last year didn’t go as planned, take those “oh crap” moments and turn them into lessons for 2025. We find it easier to plan on a 13-month calendar, broken into 13 four-week periods. This approach helps avoid the pitfalls of varying month lengths and weekends, giving you a consistent framework for comparison.

Start by evaluating:

• What was our run rate last year?
• Where did we stand on sales, labor and food costs?
• What was our total revenue percentage in each period?

Identify what worked (e.g., solid labor numbers) and what didn’t (e.g., high food costs). Then, figure out how to replicate your successes and prevent the issues that tripped you up.

Areas to Laser-Focus On

1. Labor Costs

Labor is one of the biggest and most controllable expenses in your restaurant. For 2025, aim to keep labor costs between 20-30% of total revenue. The exact percentage will vary depending on your restaurant type, but balancing adequate staffing with financial efficiency is key. Regularly review your scheduling practices to avoid overstaffing during slow periods or understaffing when you’re busy. Investing in labor management tools can help optimize shifts and reduce unnecessary labor costs.

2. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)

COGS, which includes the cost of raw ingredients, is another critical area that demands your attention. The target for COGS is typically 20-30% of revenue. To avoid eroding profit margins, regularly analyze your menu pricing and portion control. Engaging in regular vendor negotiations and exploring alternative suppliers can also help keep COGS in check.

3. Fixed and Variable Expenses

Fixed expenses—like rent, insurance and loan payments—need careful monitoring because they don’t fluctuate with sales volume. Your target here is usually around 12-18% of revenue. Variable expenses—like utilities and marketing—will change based on your business activity level. Managing these effectively requires a proactive approach, like adopting energy-efficient practices to reduce utility costs or being strategic about marketing spend.

Common Budgeting Pitfalls and How to Fix Them

1. Underestimating Expenses

One of the most common mistakes operators make is underestimating their expenses. This usually happens due to overly optimistic projections or failing to account for all potential costs. The solution? Adopt a conservative approach when estimating expenses. Make sure you factor in all seasonal or cyclical costs as well.

2. Ignoring Cash Flow Management

Even if your budget looks great on paper, your operation can be easily wrecked by poor cash flow management. Pay attention to when revenues are received and the due dates for major expenses, like payroll, vendor payments and taxes. Maintaining a cash buffer can help you manage unexpected expenses or revenue dips. A payment calendar is a great tool for tracking when large payments are due and preventing cash flow surprises.

3. Overlooking the Impact of Seasonality

You will experience fluctuations in revenue due to seasonality, so don’t overlook it. Failing to account for these can result in cash shortages during slow periods. Use historical data to anticipate seasonal changes in revenue and adjust your budget accordingly. This might mean setting aside reserves during peak seasons to cover leaner months or ramping up marketing efforts to drive traffic during slower times.

The Value of the Budgeting Cycle

The budgeting cycle is more than just an annual exercise; it’s a strategic process that provides valuable insights into your restaurant’s financial health. By going through this cycle, you can:

1. Gain Financial Clarity

The budgeting process forces you to confront the financial realities of your business. It highlights where money is being spent, where it’s being wasted, and where there are opportunities to save or invest more effectively. This clarity is crucial for making informed decisions throughout the year.

2. Enhance Accountability

A well-structured budget assigns accountability across different areas of your business. For example, if labor costs consistently exceed the budget, it may indicate a need for better scheduling practices or a review of staffing levels. Regularly reviewing your budget performance allows you to hold managers accountable and make necessary adjustments before small issues become big problems.

3. Prepare for the Unexpected

The budgeting process is also about preparing for the unexpected. By identifying potential risks and setting aside contingencies, you can better navigate challenges like sudden increases in ingredient prices, equipment breakdowns or economic downturns. This proactive approach ensures you’re not caught off guard by unforeseen events.

BECAUSE…….

Creating a better budget for 2025 isn’t just about managing your money; it’s about strategically positioning your restaurant for success. Focus on key areas like labor costs, COGS and cash flow management, and avoid common budgeting mistakes. Embrace the budgeting cycle as a critical tool for achieving your business goals — it’s not a chore, it’s your roadmap to profitability and stability.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post 2025 Budget Set Up Right appeared first on Pizza Today.

Inaugural Pizza Expo Columbus: A New Midwest Event Debuts October 26-27, 2025, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center

New York, NY (October 30, 2024) — The team behind the world’s leading pizza industry trade show, International Pizza Expo, and the respected Pizza Today magazine, a subsidiary of Emerald Holding, Inc., today announced the launch of Pizza Expo Columbus. This new event, tailored for Midwest pizza industry professionals, will debut on October 26-27, 2025, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.

Pizza Expo Columbus will build upon the 40-year legacy of the International Pizza Expo, bringing top industry opportunities to the heart of the Midwest pizza community. The event promises to be a must-attend gathering for those passionate about the art and business of pizza.

Bill Oakley, Show Director of International Pizza Expo, emphasized the significance of this launch: “Pizza Expo Columbus will offer pizzeria operators and owners in the region unparalleled opportunities for networking, learning, and discovering innovation. We’ve designed this show as an expansion of the 41^st edition of International Pizza Expo to serve the needs of operators in the Midwest region.”

The trade show will serve as a pivotal platform for pizzeria operators, suppliers, and industry experts to explore the latest trends, technologies, and techniques shaping the future of pizza. Attendees can expect:

• Hands-on workshops and demonstrations led by industry experts
• Keynote speeches from pizza industry leaders
• World-class competitions showcasing culinary talent
• A diverse array of exhibitors presenting cutting-edge products and services

“Columbus is the beating heart of Midwest Pizza and is a melting pot of all the American styles, flavors, and techniques,” said John Gutekanst, Owner of Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio. “Pizza Expo Columbus is going to be a volcano of independent pizzeria showmanship, creativity, and insightful engagement with experts in equipment, food products, and new pizza technologies. I’m not going to miss it!”

A diverse array of exhibitors will be ready to showcase cutting-edge products, state-of-the-art equipment, and services tailored to meet the unique needs of pizzeria operators.

Oakley concluded, “We believe Pizza Expo Columbus will become the national epicenter for pizza professionals looking to elevate their craft and grow their businesses. It’s an invaluable opportunity for all operators, seasoned or new, to gain knowledge, form lasting relationships, and drive their businesses forward.”

For more information about exhibiting or attending Pizza Expo Columbus, please contact: Bill Oakley, Show Director, on boakley@pizzatoday.com

About International Pizza Expo & Conference: The annual International Pizza Expo remains unchallenged as the industry’s largest event. Thousands of pizzeria professionals convene in Las Vegas, Nevada each year for 3 days dedicated to all things pizza. Suppliers from across the globe, networking and educational sessions led by top industry professionals, and international competitions round out this unrivaled event. Visit https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/ for more information.

About Pizza Today: Since the early 1980s, Pizza Today has been the pizzeria industry’s most trusted and valuable educational business resource for more than four decades. The international award-winning content focuses on insider tips, operational advice, recipes and information integral to helping today’s pizzeria owner operate more efficiently and profitably. For more information, please visit https://pizzatoday.com

About Emerald: Emerald’s talented and experienced team grows our customers’ businesses 365 days a year through connections, content, and commerce. We expand connections that drive new business opportunities, product discovery, and relationships with over 140 annual events, matchmaking, and lead-gen services. We create content to ensure that our customers are on the cutting edge of their industries and are continually developing their skills. And we power commerce through efficient year-round buying and selling. We do all this by seamlessly integrating in-person and digital platforms and channels. Emerald is immersed in the industries we serve and committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. As true partners, we create experiences that inspire, amaze, and deliver breakthrough results. For more information, please visit www.emeraldx.com.

The post Pizza Today, International Pizza Expo Bring National Pizza Show to Columbus in 2025 appeared first on Pizza Today.

“Reaching 50 stores is an incredible accomplishment for the entire Stoner’s team and a true testament to our dedicated franchisees,” said John Stetson, CEO and Owner of Stoner’s Pizza Joint. “We are proud of the brand we have built and look forward to continue our expansion to 100 units and beyond!”

“We are excited to be opening the doors to the brand’s 50th location. The Stoner’s team has provided a high level of support which has given us confidence to continue growing with the brand,” said Tobbie May, Owner of the San Marcos store.

The 50th location is located at 748 North LBJ Drive, Suite 102, San Marcos, TX 78666, just steps away from Texas State University. To celebrate this milestone, Stoner’s Pizza Joint’s newest location will offer $4.20 small 1-topping pizza all day during its grand opening on Thursday, October 24th. They will also donate 50 pizzas to local first responders in honor of National First Responders Day on Monday, October 28th.

Stoner’s Pizza is a delivery and takeout-focused concept featuring fresh, high-quality food prepared in-house daily with minimal production time, including proprietary pizza dough, sauce, and cheese blend recipes. Menu items include a variety of specialty pizzas, calzones, strombolis, hickory-smoked chicken wings made daily in-house, freshly prepared salads, and warm baked desserts.

Stoner’s currently operates 50 restaurants system-wide, spanning seven states, with an additional 15 units in development.

About Stoner’s Pizza:

Founded in 2013, Stoner’s Pizza is a flavor-first, community-first, rapidly growing fast-casual pizza brand with 50 locations in the Southeast US, Texas, and Colorado. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Stoner’s Pizza is committed to the freshest ingredients, unique flavors, and a commitment to unparalleled customer service.

For more information, visit https://www.stonerspizzajoint.com, email the brand at info@stonerspizzajoint.com, or connect via Facebook and Instagram.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Stoner’s Pizza, visit www.stonerspizzajointfranchise.com or contact the Stoner’s Pizza Franchise Development team at franchise@stonerspizzajoint.com.

SOURCE Stoner’s Pizza Joint

The post Stoner’s Pizza Opens 50th Location Nationwide appeared first on Pizza Today.

Trumbull joined Domino’s in 2011 from Procter & Gamble, where she worked on several iconic brands, including Tide and Gain. During her 13-year tenure at Domino’s, Trumbull has held multiple leadership roles, progressing from Program Leader of Hispanic Marketing to Director of Loyalty, to Director of Digital Advertising, and to Vice President of Advertising. Most recently, in March 2023, she was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, overseeing advertising, media, product innovation, and national sales.

Throughout her career at Domino’s, Trumbull has spearheaded key marketing initiatives that have become synonymous with the brand’s innovation and customer-centric focus. Notable campaigns include Domino’s Carryout Tips, Domino’s Emergency Pizza, Domino’s Pinpoint Delivery^®, Quality Captains, New York Style Pizza and the company’s revamped loyalty program, Domino’s^® Rewards.

“I’m thrilled to announce Kate’s promotion to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer,” said Jordan. “From the time I met Kate over a decade ago, it was clear she had the vision and passion to help shape the future of Domino’s. Over the years, she’s proven herself by driving innovative campaigns like Paving for Pizza and Domino’s Emergency Pizza, and has been instrumental in activating our Hungry for MORE strategy and leading the advertising launch of our revamped loyalty program. Her deep connection to our franchisees and her ability to blend creativity with strategic thinking has played a key role in Domino’s growth.”

“As she steps into the CMO role, I’m confident that Kate will take our marketing to new heights, especially as we expand our Hungry for MORE strategy globally. Her leadership will ensure that our marketing remains innovative, aligned, and impactful, and I look forward to seeing the continued success she’ll bring to the brand.”

“In all my roles at Domino’s, I’ve learned so much from our franchisees, many of whom started as drivers or worked in-store,” said Trumbull. “Their passion and commitment to the brand have directly influenced my marketing approach. I’m incredibly proud of the teams I’ve led, from Loyalty to Digital Marketing to Advertising and Product Innovation, as their work has played a key role in our ascent to becoming the No. 1 pizza company in the world.”

About Domino’s Pizza^®
Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 21,000 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of over $18.9 billion for the trailing four quarters ended September 8, 2024. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino’s stores as of the end of the third quarter of 2024. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2023 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms including seven unique ways to order Domino’s.

Order – dominos.com
Company Info – biz.dominos.com
Media Assets – media.dominos.com

SOURCE Domino’s Pizza

The post Domino’s® Appoints Kate Trumbull as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer appeared first on Pizza Today.

Korean BBQ Pork Belly pizza from Ranger Joe’s Pizza in Kalispell, Montana, is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Ranger Joe’s Pizza in Kalispell, Montana, and its Korean BBQ Pork Belly pizza. Ranger Joe pulled us in by pairing of popular Korean-style toppings with traditional ingredients and a few surprises.

Spoiler alert: We highlight some of the big trends we see in 2025 and introducing International cuisine onto the pizza menu is one of them. Nice work Ranger Joe for being ahead of the trend.

We reached out to Ranger Joe Ledwidge himself for details on this delicious pizza.

Pizza Name: Korean BBQ Pork Belly pizza

What’s on the pizza? 

Pizza sauce, Korean BBQ sauce, Italian sausage, red onion, whole milk low moisture mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey jack cheeses, parsley, and topped with sriracha mayo once it is out of the oven.

Why is this pizza special? 

The combination of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors from Korean BBQ sauce, marinated meats, and fresh onions creates a delicious fusion that’s different from traditional pizza or toppings.

Geek out on the process:

Our Korean BBQ Fusion Pizza is a bold and flavorful creation that brings together the best of Korean barbecue and classic pizza indulgence.

We begin with our pizza dough, cold fermented for 48 to 72 hours, ensuring it develops the perfect aroma and flavor. We add a light layer of pizza and Korean BBQ sauce to the base. We add our cooked in-house Italian sausage, crisp red onions, low-moisture whole milk mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and creamy Monterey Jack cheese. It is then topped with our in-house, secret-marinated Korean BBQ pork belly meat. Fresh parsley adds a touch of flavor and brightness, and for the final kick, it’s drizzled with spicy Sriracha mayo after coming out of the oven. This pizza is the ultimate mashup of Asian and Italian flavors, guaranteed to thrill those taste buds!

Who created the pizza? 

I created this pizza and it won second place for Non-Traditional category in the Northwest Region at 2023 Pizza Expo.

How’d I come up with the pizza?

Back where we used to live, it felt like there was a Korean BBQ spot on every corner. We’d hit up our favorite place at least once a month, and I came to crave that sweet and savory flavor. After moving to Montana, where Korean BBQ options are nonexistent, I started missing it soooo much.

To satisfy that craving, I decided to create the next best thing—a Korean BBQ pork belly pizza. It’s the perfect fusion of Italian and Asian flavors. Every time I give out samples to customers in the drive-thru or in the lobby, they instantly fall in love with the flavor. It’s become one of the most popular pizzas on our menu!

What’s been the customer response? 

Over the past year, demand has skyrocketed, and we’ve seen a huge increase in orders. We used to make just one batch a week, sometimes even tossing out the leftovers if they weren’t used. Now, we’re making two to three batches a week just to keep up with the growing demand. People are falling in love with it!

Learn more about Ranger Joe’s Pizza and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rangerjoespizza/.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

Past Pizza of the Week Features:

Tiger Style, Detroit Style Pizza, Providence Pizza Co, Kansas City, Missouri, is Pizza of the Week.
Photo courtesy of Providence Pizza Co.

Pulp Fig-tion Pizza, GFL Pizza, Loveland, Colorado.
Photo Courtesy of GFL Pizza.

Spicy Italian Delight Pizza, Pizza One, Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey.
Photo Courtesy of Pizza One.

Birria Pizza, Pizza Buzz, Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo Courtesy of Pizza Buzz.

Summertime Gladness, Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon.
Photo Courtesy of Boxcar Pizza.

Southern Style Tomato Pie, East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Photo by Andrew Marcus.

The Smokehouse Pizza, Arizona-based Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew House
Photo courtesy of Craft 64.

Korean Corn Cheese Pizza, Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria in Provo, Utah.
Photo courtesy of Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria.

Root Veggie, Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Muskegon, Michigan
Photo courtesy of the Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza Team.

The 522, Omaha, Nebraska-based Izzy’s Pizza
Photo Courtesy of Izzy’s Pizza.

The post Pizza of the Week: Korean BBQ Pork Belly pizza, Ranger Joe’s Pizza, Kalispell, Montana appeared first on Pizza Today.

CHICAGO (October 15, 2024) – It’s official! Home Run Inn (HRI) is the founder of National Tavern-Style Pizza Day on October 22. With roots as a tavern on Chicago’s Southside since 1923 and officially serving its signature crispy crust since the early 1940’s, Mayor Brandon Johnson cheers on Home Run Inn for the first celebration on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 that will be filled with special offers and a donation to support the people of the great City of Chicago!

Festivities will include Home Run Inn’s popular Large Cheese, Sausage or Pepperoni Pizzas for $13.99 (regular price $21.75-$25.00, limit 3 per customer), available at any Home Run Inn restaurant October 22 and 23; a chance to win one of 23 Throw Back Tavern-Style Pizza Parties (to include 10 pizzas, a tavern-style pizza party kit and limited time tavern-style merch valued at $200 each); and a donation of 11,923 pizzas during the year 2025 to the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) for Chicagoans experiencing homelessness, families, seniors and youth.

Home Run Inn, known for its tavern-style thin crust pizza, has been an iconic institution in Chicago since 1923. The original tavern located at the corner of 31st Street and Kildare Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood was owned by great grandparents Mary and Vincent Grittani. It was later named “Home Run Inn” in 1947 when a home run from a neighborhood baseball game was hit through the tavern’s window.

The family-owned business continued when their daughter married Nick Perrino, who, after he returned from World War II, joined his mother-in-law in the tavern. They came up with the idea to put complimentary pizza at the bar, as a snack to go with a cold drink. The family’s original recipe from Bari, Italy of hand-pinched crispy crust, zesty sauce and plentiful cheese soon became a hit. Thus, Home Run Inn began selling the pizza, and the famous tavern-style recipe took off.

“We were among the pioneers in conceptualizing frozen pizza,” noted Gina Perrino Bolger, a fourth-generation family member and Senior VP of Marketing. “A regular customer from Wisconsin frequently requested his pizza to be partially baked. This piqued my grandfather’s curiosity, leading him to discover that the customer would store the pizza in his icebox to finish baking it later at home.” Home Run Inn tavern-style frozen pizzas originated back in the 1960’s and are now available in grocery stores across the country and one of the top 10 pizza brands sold nationwide.

Home Run Inn, led by fourth-generation family member CEO Dan Costello, remains passionately committed to building their family legacy, upholding the values passed down from their great-grandparents, and actively giving back to the communities they serve and beyond.

About Home Run Inn (HRI)

Home Run Inn Pizza is considered Chicago’s original tavern-style thin crust pizza known for its irresistible flavor, hand-pinched crispy crust, zesty sauce, plentiful cheese and homemade sausage. The small tavern of the 1920s was officially named Home Run Inn in 1947 when a baseball from a neighborhood game came crashing through the tavern’s window. Now, the company has nine pizzerias throughout the Chicagoland area and frozen pizza available from coast to coast. Home Run Inn Pizza is currently the Official Pizza of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field and sold at Chicago’s Midway International Airport. Still family-owned and operated, Home Run Inn Pizza ranks among the top 10 frozen pizza brands sold nationally and number one in the Chicagoland area. For further information regarding Home Run Inn Pizza visit www.homeruninnpizza.com.

ABOUT DFSS

Working with community partners, the Department of Family & Support Services connects Chicago residents and families to resources that builds stability, supports their well-being, and empowers them to thrive.

The post It’s Official: Mayor of Chicago Celebrates Home Run Inn as Founder of “National Tavern-Style Pizza Day” to be Celebrated for the First Time on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

DETROIT, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Little Caesars, the third largest pizza chain in the world, announced today it is expanding its footprint with non-traditional restaurants, signing new license agreements to debut Little Caesars express locations across college campuses. Targeting a younger crowd that craves affordable and delicious meals while juggling a busy schedule, Little Caesars is opening this fall at Eastern Michigan University and at Washington State University in 2025, with additional restaurants in the pipeline for 2025.

“With convenience, value and quality at the forefront of everything Little Caesars does, the brand is a great fit for college campuses. We’re excited to kick off the school year with these new opportunities to deliver to students and faculty the food and dining experience that meets their individual needs and preferences,” said Bryan Ketelhut, National Director of Non-Traditional and Development Services at Little Caesars. “By expanding our brand’s presence across non-traditional venues, we’re also giving franchisees the opportunity to diversify their business portfolios, staying competitive in each of their respective markets and keeping Little Caesars top-of-mind with consumers in their communities.”

Overseeing the operations of Little Caesars at Eastern Michigan University’s Crossroads Marketplace is Sheena and Lenny Plocharczyk. Having worked with Little Caesars franchise services department for many years, the husband-and-wife team understand how to run a successful franchise and drive sales.

“Given our experience working at the corporate level and recognizing there is strong demand for iconic brands like Little Caesars to be accessible across college campuses, we knew this was a great investment opportunity for us to jump on board with,” said Sheena Plocharczyk. “The transition to becoming franchisees has been smooth and the support we have received from the team has helped set us up for success on campus. As an alumna of Eastern Michigan University, I am really excited about this new business endeavor.”

Little Caesars has also partnered with Washington State University’s Dining Services to open a location in the Compton Union Building (CUB) food court. “We are very excited to bring a nationally recognized pizza brand to the food court and believe it will be very popular with our students,” said Karee Shaw, director of the CUB. “It will complement the other concepts we have in the food court and offer variety to the campus community.”

To become more accessible to guests, Little Caesars is focused on expanding its non-traditional locations in 2024 and beyond. The leading pizza chain is committed to bringing Little Caesars to consumers across a variety of settings, including university towns and college campuses, casinos, amusement parks, stadiums, hospitals, zoos and airports. With Little Caesars infamous grab-and-go menu items, including Crazy Puffs® and HOT-N-READY® pizza, the brand is equipped to provide the types of food products travelers, students and fans are craving at these high foot traffic hubs.

For more information, interested candidates can visit franchise.littlecaesars.com.

About Little Caesars®

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it is the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with restaurants in each of the 50 U.S. states and 28 countries and territories.

Known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed Crazy Bread®, Little Caesars uses quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. The brand is known for innovation and is home of the exclusive Pizza Portal® pickup, a heated, self-service mobile order pickup station. Little Caesars is also the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League.

An exceptionally high-growth company with over 60 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join the team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar. Little Caesars is proud to be part of the Ilitch Companies family of businesses.

The post Little Caesars® Pumps up School Spirit with Hot-N-Ready® Pizza at College Campuses in Washington and Michigan appeared first on Pizza Today.

For Immediate Release – Arlington, VA – While the restaurant industry continues to face challenges, with headlines dominated by bankruptcies, closures, and low sales, Pupatella, the largest VPN Certified Neapolitan pizzeria group in the United States, is thriving. In an era where many restaurant brands are scaling back, Pupatella has reached a major milestone by opening its 10th location — and its momentum shows no signs of slowing down. With two more locations slated to open in the next six months, the brand is defying the trend and capturing both local and national attention.

“Our success comes down to staying true to what we do best: serving authentic, high-quality Neapolitan pizza,” said Jim Biafore, CEO of Pupatella. “We’ve built strong relationships with our guests, who appreciate our commitment to traditional pizza-making techniques and quality ingredients, and that loyalty has been key to our growth.”

The pizza industry has been hit hard by inflation, labor shortages, and shifting consumer habits, but Pupatella continues to see an increase in both new and repeat guests. The brand’s emphasis on an authentic dining experience, from its traditional wood-fired ovens to its imported Italian ingredients, has cultivated a devoted following that keeps coming back.

“We’re not just opening new locations; we’re growing a community of pizza lovers who trust us to deliver the same authentic flavors across every Pupatella restaurant,” added Biafore. “This expansion is a testament to the incredible support from our guests and the dedication of our team.”

In addition to the upcoming locations, Pupatella’s 10 current restaurants continue to perform well, consistently receiving positive reviews for their quality food, welcoming atmosphere, and excellent service. As the brand moves forward, it remains focused on maintaining the high standards that have earned it a reputation as a go-to destination for Neapolitan pizza lovers.

About Pupatella

Pupatella was founded with the mission of bringing authentic Neapolitan pizza to the United States. With its first location in Arlington, Virginia, the brand has expanded to become the largest VPN Certified Neapolitan pizzeria group in the country. Dedicated to using traditional pizza-making techniques and quality ingredients imported from Italy, Pupatella has frequented Best Pizza lists, including being named a World Artisan Pizza Chain – Excellent Pizzeria by the prestigious 50 Top Pizza. For more information, visit www.pupatella.com.

The post Amid Restaurant Industry Challenges, Pupatella Defies the Odds with Continued Growth and Loyal Customer Base appeared first on Pizza Today.

Celebrated San Francisco Pizza Concept to Join Growing Lineup of Retailers at New Waterfront Neighborhood

SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, 2024 – Mission Rock Partners, a collaboration of the San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer, today announced an agreement with Flour + Water Hospitality Group to bring a new location of its quick-service pizza restaurant to Mission Rock.

Flour + Water Pizza Shop will operate out of an 1,800-square-foot street-level space at the newly-completed commercial building located at 1090 Dr. Maya Angelou Lane.  It will be the first stand-alone location of the Pizza Shop, which was conceptualized by co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow to bring their pies to neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area. 

Fueled by the centralized dough production at the award-winning flagship Flour + Water Pizzeria in North Beach where Flour + Water Pizza Shop was born, the restaurant showcases McNaughton and Pollnow’s interpretation of California style pizza, composed with an emphasis on high-quality ingredients from leading domestic purveyors.  The Pizza Shop will also serve antipasti and salads that reflect the chefs’ long-standing relationships with Northern California producers and farmers, fan favorites such as hand-rolled mozzarella sticks and Calabrian chicken wings, as well as a beverage program featuring a selection of wine, beer and non-alcoholic options.

Flour + Water Pizza Shop joins the growing lineup of popular Bay Area retailers coming to Mission Rock.  Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, LuxFit and Proper Food have all opened this summer. Arsicault Bakery, Quik Dog and a full-service restaurant from the team behind the award-winning Che Fico are scheduled to open in the coming months. Additional retailers will continue to be announced on a rolling basis.      

“Our vision for the Pizza Shop is to bring our pizza and hospitality-driven approach to new neighborhoods where we can make a positive impact,” said Thomas McNaughton, Co-Chef and Co-Founder, Flour + Water Hospitality Group. “We look forward to serving and contributing to this dynamic Mission Rock community.” 

“Flour + Water Hospitality Group is a beloved San Francisco institution and its Pizza Shop is the perfect restaurant to occupy this prime location within Mission Rock,” said Tishman Speyer Managing Director Maggie Kadin.  “We are thrilled to add yet another exciting offering for the neighborhood’s growing community of residents, workers and visitors.” 

“We’re pleased to welcome Flour + Water Pizza Shop to Mission Rock,” said San Francisco Giants Vice President of Real Estate Development Julian Pancoast. “This homegrown establishment seamlessly integrates into our vibrant new neighborhood. Flour + Water’s deep San Francisco roots and renowned culinary expertise significantly enhance our vision of cultivating a diverse dining destination.”

Mission Rock represents over 15 years of city planning and community input to transform a surface parking lot into an exciting new neighborhood featuring stylish rental homes, inspired parks and open spaces, community-serving retail, innovative workspaces, and parking to serve ballpark patrons and the surrounding area.  Tishman Speyer and the Giants have partnered with Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s largest real estate company, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., to bring the first phase of the project to fruition.

China Basin Park, the five-acre waterfront gathering space that serves as the centerpiece of the neighborhood, opened this year and is regularly hosting community programming.  Visa’s Market Support Center, which encompasses an entire 13-story commercial tower, opened in June.  Apartment tower The Canyon welcomed its first residents in June 2023, and its first office user, Capgemini, in April 2024.  Apartment tower Verde welcomed its first residents in June 2024 and is home to Studio by Tishman Speyer, Mission Rock’s move-in ready flexible coworking space.  

The retail leasing program continues to be spearheaded by the CBRE team of Alex Sagues and Laura Barr, which represented Mission Rock Partners in the agreement.  Flour + Water Hospitality Group was represented by Retail West, Inc.

About Tishman Speyer (tishmanspeyer.com)

Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 36 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Our portfolio spans market rate and affordable residential communities, premier office properties and retail spaces, industrial facilities, and mixed-use campuses. We create state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties joint venture, and foster innovation through our strategic proptech investments. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we are unparalleled in our ability to foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers’ evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO, and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 533 properties, totaling 223 million square feet, with a combined value of over $129 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.

About the San Francisco Giants (sfgiants.com)

One of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, the 140-year old franchise moved to San Francisco from New York in 1958. After playing a total of 42 years in Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park, the team moved to the privately constructed, downtown ballpark on the corner of 3rd and King in 2000. The organization is widely recognized for its innovative business practices and baseball excellence having been named in the past decade the Sports Organization of the Year by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, Organization of the Year by Baseball America and ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Oracle Park is also the only ballpark in the country to have earned Silver, Gold and Platinum LEED certification for an existing building. Since opening its gates, Oracle Park has become internationally-renowned as a premier venue in the world of both sports and entertainment. On the diamond, more than 64 million spectators have witnessed countless magical moments, including three World Series Championships (2010, 2012 & 2014), the raising of four National League Pennants and eight playoff appearances. The ballpark has also hosted some of music’s biggest acts, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé & Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Green Day and Billy Joel. 

About Flour + Water Hospitality Group

Flour + Water Hospitality Group is a culture-driven San Francisco-based hospitality group dedicated to creating stand-out culinary experiences that reflect the leadership’s shared commitment to quality, community impact and transparency. Led by co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, and their partners Kara Bratcher, Dan Nestojko, Vanya Shekell, and David Steele, the team operates Flour + Water, Flour + Water Pasta Shop and Penny Roma in San Francisco’s Mission District, as well as the Flour + Water Pizzeria and Flour + Water Foods brands. They are also partners in the award-winning Trick Dog. McNaughton and Pollnow’s creativity and expertise is on display across the group’s concepts with offerings reflective of regional Italian traditions and Northern California inspirations with hand-crafted pasta and pizza at the center.  

Since the opening of the original Flour + Water in 2009, the Group’s passion for cultivating community through genuine hospitality and memorable experiences has established the company as an industry leader.  Their approach has had an indelible impact on the Bay Area’s culinary landscape, the restaurant spaces often functioning as incubators, expanding Flour + Water’s influence beyond their hometown. Committed to sustainable sourcing and practices, Flour + Water Hospitality Group was a founding member of Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit mobilizing the food world around agricultural climate solutions. For more information visit fwhospitality.com. 

The post San Francisco Giants and Tishman Speyer to Welcome Flour + Water Pizza Shop to Mission Rock appeared first on Pizza Today.

Sign up now for the pizza industry largest event, Pizza Expo in Las Vegas on March 25-27

In its 41st year, International Pizza Expo returns to Las Vegas on March 25-27, 2025 at Las Vegas Convention Center – West Exhibit Hall. Attendees can take advantage of hundreds of top suppliers, exclusive educational opportunities, world-class competitions, and the unmatched opportunity to connect with your pizza community.

With a special Insider rate, you can save $150 off onsite pricing on your 3-day pass when you register before October 31st!

During the registration process, you’ll be able to sign up for competitions in the International Pizza Challenge and World Pizza Games, as well as added-fee workshops.

So you can plan accordingly, here’s a quick glance at the show schedule:

Show Floor Dates & Hours — Tuesday – Thursday, March 25 – 27, 2025

Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Education Schedule Dates & Hours — Sunday – Wednesday, March 23 – 26, 2025

Sunday, March 23: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Monday, March 24: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 25: 8:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Wednesday, March 26: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM

School of Pizzeria Management Workshop Dates

Sunday – Tuesday, March 23 – 25, 2025

New-Operator and Early-Arriving Attendee Programming

Monday, March 24, 2025

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

About International Pizza Expo & Conference: 

The annual International Pizza Expo, powered by Pizza Today, remains unchallenged as the industry’s largest event. Thousands of pizzeria professionals convene in Las Vegas, Nevada each year for 3 days dedicated to all things pizza. Suppliers from across the globe, networking and educational sessions led by top industry professionals, and national competitions round out this unrivaled event. Visit https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/ for more information.

The post Pizza Expo 2025 Registration is Live appeared first on Pizza Today.

House-made Sausage Recipes and Sausage Pizza Combinations

In honor of National Sausage Pizza Day, lets dive into making sausage in house. Sausage is one of the most popular pizza toppings. Separate yourself from competitors by making sausage in-house. Customers will perk up when your servers describe house-made sausage with fresh herbs and spices. Create distinct flavored sausage to fit your menu needs by including fennel, garlic or heating it up with crushed red pepper.

Try this Italian sausage recipe.

To start:

Ingredients
2 pounds ground pork (70/30 lean to fat ratio)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons ground fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic

For more of this delicious recipe and other house-made sausage tips, click here.

Or, try these house-made sausage recipes:
Midwestern-Style Sausage
Southwest-Style Sausage
Tuscan-Style Sausage
Oriental Style Sausage
Sweet Italian Style Sausage
Greek Loukanika Sausage

Now, what to do with all of that sausage, try these recipes:
Sausage Rustica Pizza
Spinach and Sausage Pie
Winning Sausage & Peppers Pizza
Arrabbiata Calabrian Chili and Cup and Char Sausage Pizza

The post Make sausage in house (with recipes) appeared first on Pizza Today.

Philadelphia ranked top city obsessed with pizza

What city is most obsessed with pizza? According to one source, it’s Philadelphia. Not only is the City of Brotherly Love home to PizzaCon in November, but it also ranks as the No. 1 city in the entire world when it comes to pizza-related Google searches.

That information comes from Chef’s Pencil, which scoured Google Trends search data and discovered that Philly is  (their words) “the most pizza-obsessed city in the world.”

According to Chef’s Pencil, Philadelphia has “the highest percentage of pizza-related Google searches relative to all local searches.”

It makes sense considering the city’s high Italian American population. Philly is second only to New York City in that regard. The Top 10, which is dominated by Italy and the United States, has some surprises.

1 — Philadelphia

2 — Naples, Italy

3 — Turin, Italy

4 — Columbus, Ohio

5 — Rome, Italy (tie)

5 — Boston (tie)

7 — Milan, Italy

8 — Copenhagen, Denmark (tie)

8 — Indianapolis (tie)

10 — Chicago

Ironically, when Chef’s Pencil dug further into Google Trends data and looked at the highest percentage of pizza-related Google searches relative to all local searches by country, the United States was fourth. Here’s the Top 5.

1 — Italy

2 — Denmark

3 — Canada

4 — United States

5 — Israel

Denmark and Canada being more pizza-obsessed than the United States??? We say NO WAY! But this piece was full of information that we thought you’d find of interest this National Pizza Month, so give it a read.

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

The post World’s Most Obsessed Pizza Cities appeared first on Pizza Today.

Tiger Style Pizza from Providence Pizza Co. in Kansas City, Missouri, is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Providence Pizza Co. in Kansas City, Missouri, and its Tiger Style Pizza. The presentation on this pizza is fire. Tiger Style Pizza stands out for its vivid use of the quintessential striping on Detroit-style pizza pairing three sauces on top on a simple cheese square pie.

We reached out to Providence Pizza C. to learn more details on the multi-sauce-topped Detroit pizza.

Pizza Name: Tiger Style

What’s on the pizza? 

Nut free pesto, house made vodka sauce and marinara, Romano cheese, and mozzarella

How’d you come up with it?

This pizza features all of the sauces that we make in house and packs your tastebuds with flavor.

Why is it special/geek out on it: 

Our chef @chefbenjaminwood created this pizza but one of our FOH staff named it! I love to get our team involved in naming each pizza and even what pizza we want to carry.

How’d I come up with it?

It was a way to add another option for those who do not eat meat.

What’s been the customer response? 

They love it. Love the name. Love style. Love flavors

Learn more about Providence Pizza Co.  and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/providencepizza/

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

Past Pizza of the Week Features:

Pulp Fig-tion Pizza, GFL Pizza, Loveland, Colorado
Photo Courtesy of GFL Pizza

Spicy Italian Delight Pizza, Pizza One, Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey
Photo Courtesy of Pizza One

The post Pizza of the Week: Tiger Style, Providence Pizza Co., Kansas City, Missouri appeared first on Pizza Today.

Try these 31 pizza recipes for October’s National Pizza Month

October is National Pizza Month, an observance created by Pizza Today 40 years ago. For those four decades, Pizza Today has provided pizzerias with ideas and recipes for delicious pizzas. So, we’re going through our archives and bringing you some of the best pizza recipes. Find more pizza recipes.

Here are 31 pizza recipes to honor National Pizza Month

We picked 31 pizza recipes that span the creativity of pizza making from classic ingredients, trendy toppings to unique creations. You’ll find pizza recipes everyone will love. This recipes cane be used by beginners and master pizza makers alike. In no particular order, here are our 31 pizza recipes for National Pizza Month.

1. White Hot Pizza — Kick off the list is this month’s On Deck recipe “White Hot”, Chris Decker created simple, yet flavorful combination. He says, “The way this mixture of cheese blends together, the crunch of the almond with the slight spice of the finishing oil all rounded out with a little lemon zest is all you need to enjoy this one.”
   

   Photo by Chris Decker

2. Berry Belly Pizza — This pizza hits all the flavor notes. For the On Deck recipe, Chris Decker says ” I love the way pork and fruit play with each other. Add those flavors to a crispy crust along with creamy, whole milk mozzarella, fatty delicious pork belly, a sweet/hot mixture of some fresh in season berries and some greens and this one is a balanced attack for your taste buds.”
   

   Photo by Chris Decker

3. Golden Lantern Pizza — This vibrant pizza Chris Decker says is a tribute to California and Cal-Mex pizza. He says, “We use smoked mozzarella as a base, chipotle marinated chicken, pineapple pickled peppers, citrus pickled onions, cilantro, and of course the king of all California, the avocado.”
   

   Photo by Chris Decker

4. A Winning Sausage and Pepper Pizza — Even this classic combination can have a little extra oomph. John Gutekanst says, “This pizza starts with the Pain a’ l’ Ancienne method for the dough. This cold and long fermented dough was first introduced to me by Master Baker Peter Reinhart in his book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. The cold prohibits the yeast from activating and affords the enzymes a chance to break down complex carbohydrates into sugars. This creates a rich flavor and killer caramelization. The sauce is a house made chunky tomato sauce using the best sweet California pear tomatoes to be had. The cheese blend is designed to play with the fatty sausage and is a 50/50 blend of mozzarella and provolone with a touch of sour Asiago. The sweet fennel sausage is house made with no nitrates and has a spicy component; it is placed on raw to draw out the natural juices to cover the pie and meld flavors while the green peppers are cooking.”
   

   Photo by John Gutekanst

5. Chicken “Cordon Blacon” — John Gutekanst created this play on the famous entree. He says, “This pizza is a knockout blast of all the lusciousness in a traditional Cordon Bleu dish. The difference is that bacon is used instead of ham, and they all bake on a pizza. If you use non-crunchy chicken, you can always toss the panko breadcrumbs on the pie after the oven bake.”
   

   Photo by John Gutekanst

6. Sunday Gravy Pizza — The sauce or “Sunday Gravy” makes this pizza standout and the ricotta and micro arugula turn it into a stunner. Chris Decker shares the sauce and pizza recipe.
   

   Photo by Chris Decker

7. The Grandma Pizza — Grandma style pizza is hot right now. Tony Gemignani provides his recipe for the unique square-cut pizza. Tony describes the Grandma: “They are cooked in a half-black reinforced sheet pan, are heavily oiled and feature sliced mozzarella (sometimes shredded or fresh mozz is used). These pizzas are topped with tomato sauce and cooked in a gas brick oven. You could finish it with Grana Padano, herbs, pecorino, olive oil, Parmigiano and chopped garlic. Sometimes the dry cheese can go on before. This pizza is typically shorter/thinner than your typical Sicilian.”
   

   Photo by Josh Keown

8. Gorgonzola Pear Pizza with Prosciutto di Parma — John Gutekanst loves to add creativity to his pizza menu. He says, “This is an all-time favorite in my pizzeria and exhibits what Italians call the “Agrodolce” or sweet-and-sour flavor profile. Some people cannot handle the strong flavor of gorgonzola, so I temper this with some shredded mozzarella. The Bosc pear is my favorite because it doesn’t get too soft and is baked without turning brown and mealy. The added touch of maple syrup and pecan creates a strong sweet foil for the sour cheese and a crunchy finish.
   

   Photo by Pizza Today

9. Purgatory Pig — This one comes to us from our Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White. He adds the heat of jalapenos and hot honey and BACON to a traditional pepperoni pizza.
   

   Photo by Pizza Today

10. The Bahn Mi Pizza — For this recipe, John Gutekanst says, “This famous sandwich relies heavily upon the crunch of crispy French bread. For this reason, a thin and crispy crust and a sprinkle of Japanese Panko breadcrumbs is a good choice. This pizza is topped with a Hoisin sauce, aged provolone, (a great fit for Asian-style pizza flavors) pulled pork topping and then baked. The beauty of this is the finish of easy pickled carrot and radishes, cilantro and pickled or fresh jalapeño.”
    

    Photo by John Gutekanst

11. Direct Method Sicilian Pepperoni Pizza —  John Gutekanst creates a recipe for the popular Sicilian pizza style. He says, “In my pizzeria, we make both indirect method dough (using pre-ferments and old dough) and direct method doughs for all our focaccia and Sicilian pizzas. We also use a multitude of grains that accentuate different tastes and textures to the thick breading. This recipe uses just the basic ingredients at 72-percent hydration to form a great pizza crust and incorporates time, temperature and patience. You may want to keep it retarded under refrigeration for another day for a more dynamic crust and added digestibility.”
    

    Sicilian Pizza by John Gutekanst, Avalanche Pizza, Athens, Ohio

12. Peaches and Cream Pizza — This beautiful pizza is by Tony Gemignani. He says, “Stone fruit season is here, and that reminds me of an event I did long ago. About 25 years ago I was asked to compete in the Franciscan Estates Pizza Battle in Napa, California. I teamed up with Chef Courtney Townsend, and we competed against three other restaurants — most notably A16 and Bistro Don Giovanni. Each team was grouped with 15 sommeliers from around the world. They assisted us in making two styles of pizza. The sommeliers paired a wine to each pizza. We had to make 15 of each pizza, and boy was it a challenge! One pizza was a duck confit and the other was a pizza called Peaches & Cream. It has always been one of my favorite pizzas. And here is a recipe that is very similar to what we made. By the way, we took home a win that day (which we were very honored to receive)!”
    

    Photo by Tony Gemignani

13. Detroit Pizza — It wasn’t until a decade ago that Detroit style could be found outside of the Motor City. Now it’s all over the U.S. Try this unique pizza.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

14. The Pepperoni Star — This one was created by our Pizza Today Executive Editor Denise Greer. This stuffed crust pizza adds artistry to pizza by folding and filling the ends with cheese.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

15. Kale & Chorizo Pizza — Created by Tony Gemignani is a unique twist on a chorizo pizza using mozzarella slices and a lemon wedge to finish the pizza.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

16. The Royale with Cheese — This is John Gutekanst upstyle of a cheese pizza. He describes its name inspiration. “This is one of the most prolific pizzas in my menu mix,” he says. “It started as a riff on John Travolta’s line in the movie Pulp Fiction as he described what the Big Mac is called in France and it also highlighted a great local band named The Royales. This pizza’s genius is in its ginormous flavor and its simplicity.”
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

17. Pulled Pork & Sweet Corn Pizza — Tony Gemignani combines two American favorites: pulled pork and corn. Add cilantro, salt and queso fresco or cotija cheese and a squeeze of the orange makes your pizza really pop.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

18. Mortadella and Pistachio Pizza — Pizza Today Executive Editor Denise Greer drew inspiration from the classic Italian mortadella pizza for this one.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

19. Chicken Parm Pizza — What’s not to love about turning the classic Italian Chicken Parmesan into a pizza. Tony Gemignani created a hit with this one.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

20. Poached Egg and Wild Mushroom Pizza — Pizza Today Executive Editor Denise Greer came up with beauty that makes a great breakfast or brunch pizza.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

21. Prosciutto Arugula Pizza — Tony Gemignani wanted to create a pizza that provided that missing ingredient, so this recipe provides options to really make it sizzle. He says, “I feel that every pizza should have three to four flavor profiles (sweet, salty, savory, acidic).”
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

22. Micro Arugula and Portobello Pizza — Pizza Today Executive Editor Denise Greer wanted to spotlight microgreens as finishing ingredients. This pizza balances tanginess, acidity and creaminess.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

23. Angry Meatball and Ricotta Pizza — This spicy take on a meatball pizza was created by Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

24. Pancetta Pizza Giardiniera
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

25. Chicken Béchamel Pizza — Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White created this creamy white pizza. He says, “This sauce can also be used to great effect in pasta dishes. Béchamel may not be as popular as Alfredo when it comes to this application, but your customers will not be disappointed. This recipe is a personal favorite of mine.”
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

26. Upside Down Pizza — Tony Gemignani created one of our favorite pizza recipes that we recreated in the Pizza Today test kitchen. Tony says, “One of my all-time favorite pizzas is an upside-down pizza. An upside-down pizza is a Sicilian pan pizza. Depending on where you are from it could also be called a Sicilian tomato pie with cheese. These Sicilian pizzas resemble a bakery pie as they are cooked in an oiled pan with sliced mozzarella added first and then topped with a robust sauce, olive oil and grated Romano or Parmesan.”
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

27. Black & Blue Dessert Pizza — Created by Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White, the Black & Blue Dessert Pizza recipe is a sweet dessert pizza that features tart berries, including blackberries and blueberries.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

28. Pineapple Upside-Down Pizza — John Gutekanst creates a unique pizza using the king of fruit, pineapple. He says, “This pizza is one of my favorites and is surprisingly easy to make. The slices of pineapple are more expensive than tidbits; But without any meats, this pizza can easily be made for a food cost of less than 30 percent. Many modifications can also be made with an additional toss of pine nuts or walnuts for a nice textural foil.”
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

29. Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza — Hot Chicken is still all rage. Make it or use a local hot chicken spot to create a fun and popular pizza. Don’t forget the pickles.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

30. Country Ham Pizza with Blue Cheese and Dried Cherries — This recipe is Courtesy of Richard Sible, executive chef at Garage Bar in Louisville, KY. Country ham makes a great topping that is different than its traditional ham cousin. This one is brilliantly paired with seasonal produce.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

31. Halloween Cookie Pizza — Can’t have October pizza recipes without a Halloween tribute. This sweet cookie pizza has marshmallows, Oreos, Candy Corn and hot fudge.
    

    Photo by Josh Keown

     

Need a pizza dough recipe first?

You want to make pizza but don’t know where to start with pizza dough. Check out Pizza Dough Recipes for Top Trending Pizza Styles. Explore dough styles and find out how to make Detroit, New York, Grandma, Sicilian, Chicago Thin and Deep Dish pizzas with tips and advices from the pizza industry’s top pizza masters and dough experts.

More Fun with National Pizza Month

See how we are helping pizzerias and pizza enthusiasts celebrate National Pizza Month in our National Pizza Month Toolkit.

Check out interesting pizza-related fun facts about pizza, pizza history, pizza topping, pizza world records for your next pizza trivia game or pizza quiz in 36 Pizza Fun Facts.

Pizza Today is home to the official National Pizza Month Logo and fun social media graphics available to you for free. Find out more in Free National Pizza Month Images & Ideas.

The post 31 Pizza Recipes to Celebrate National Pizza Month in October appeared first on Pizza Today.

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Pizza Hut, LLC is thrilled to mark the 40th anniversary of its beloved BOOK IT! ^® program by giving away ONE MILLION FREE PERSONAL PAN PIZZAS during National Book Month this October. Since 1984, the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program has ignited a passion for reading in millions of children, and now, for the first time, readers of all ages are invited to join in the celebration with a limited time offer of a free Personal Pan Pizza (with $8 minimum purchase)* for everyone who embraces the joy of reading.

As the nation’s longest-running corporate-supported reading initiative, BOOK IT! provides a platform that encourages students from Pre-K through 6th grade to set and achieve their reading goals. The program’s core mission has always been to cultivate a deep, personal connection with reading. Now, as part of the 40th-anniversary celebration, Pizza Hut is extending this mission beyond children to readers of all ages, inviting families, friends, and communities to come together and share in the joy of books.

“I’m incredibly proud of what the BOOK IT! program has achieved over the past four decades,” said Pizza Hut U.S. President Carl Loredo. “It’s inspired more than 70 million children to discover the magic of books, helping to build a lifelong love of reading. As we’re celebrating 40 years, we’re excited to invite readers of all ages to rediscover the joy of reading—one book (and pizza) at a time.”

In the last few years, Pizza Hut has evolved the BOOK IT! program to suit modern educational needs, offering digital reading logs and virtual classrooms to make it even easier for schools and families to participate. The program remains completely free, encouraging parents, educators to sign up on behalf of their students at www.bookitprogram.com and ensure the tradition of reading – and the rewards that come with it – continues to thrive for future generations.

As they celebrate 40 years, Pizza Hut shares some fun facts about the beloved literacy program:

• Since 1984, it’s estimated that more than 1.5 BILLION pizzas have been awarded to young readers through the BOOK IT! program.
• From 2013 – 2023 alone, Pizza Hut gave away more than 56 million Personal Pan Pizzas – enough to stretch from coast to coast in the U.S. twice!
• In the past, United States Presidents have shared their support for the brand’s mission to inspire reading among the country’s youth, including President Ronald Reagan.
• From 2019 – 2023, Pizza Hut expanded its program by partnering with First Book, a non-profit designed to offer books at a discount or for free for educators who serve kids in Title 1 schools, to better support children of all backgrounds to help them succeed. In just five years, the partnership has impacted more than 391,000 children at these schools.

This year’s 40th-anniversary celebration coincides perfectly with October’s National Book Month, making it the ideal time to recognize the countless ways books have shaped our lives. Whether you’re a young student just discovering the magic of reading or an adult rekindling your love for books, Pizza Hut is here to celebrate your journey with a free Personal Pan Pizza (with $8 minimum purchase)* – because great books deserve great rewards.

Pizza and reading enthusiasts alike can use the code “BOOKIT40” at checkout online or on the app to redeem a free Personal Pan Pizza (with an $8 minimum purchase). *Code valid 10/1 through 10/30 (or until 1 million Personal Pan Pizza^®s are redeemed) at participating locations with $8 minimum purchase. Code valid for use online or on Pizza Hut app only. Customer responsible for all taxes, tips and fees.

Guests can also opt to order the BOOK IT! Bundle found online and the app, which includes 2 large, 1-topping pizzas and breadsticks. For every BOOK IT! Bundle sold, Pizza Hut will give a portion of proceeds to the BOOK IT! program.

About Pizza Hut^®

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original Pan^® and Original Stuffed Crust^® pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards^®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 18+. See applicable terms at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/. A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world.

For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

The post Pizza Hut Celebrates 40 Years of Book It! ® with One Million Free Personal Pan Pizzas® to Readers of All Ages appeared first on Pizza Today.

COSTA MESA, Calif. (October 1, 2024) – California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), the iconic restaurant brand renowned for bold, innovative flavors with a California point of view, is rewarding guests who celebrate the true potential of pizza during National Pizza Month. The brand announced its BOGO for the Bold offer, designed to encourage all pizza fans to experience its newest innovations instead of defaulting to their usual pizzas. For the entire month of October, anyone who orders the brand-new Burnt Ends BBQ Pizza or returning fan-favorite Bacon & Brussels Pizza in a participating restaurant or online will receive a FREE Take & Bake Pizza from one of the five best-selling flavors to enjoy later at home*.

CPK’s limited-time pizzas to celebrate National Pizza Month include a future legend and a throwback favorite, both showcasing their leadership and legacy of creating unexpected pizza recipes that become instant classics or cult favorites. The all-new Burnt Ends BBQ Pizza, perfectly combines the flavors of a backyard BBQ with tangy and fresh accents, while the return of the Bacon & Brussels Pizza reimagines a popular side dish as a main event pizza with its world-class bacon and perfectly roasted seasonal brussels sprouts.

• Burnt Ends BBQ Pizza: Tender smoked brisket burnt ends, smothered in CPK’s signature BBQ sauce, then piled high with smoked Gouda and Mozzarella cheeses. Topped off with tangy pickled red onions and fresh cilantro for a burst of flavor in every bite.
• Bacon & Brussels Pizza: Creamy goat cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, and savory Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon. Topped with caramelized onions, Romano and Parmesan cheeses, and a dash of black pepper.

“As the OG and longtime ambassador of bold, creative pizzas, CPK is thrilled to celebrate National Pizza Month like no other restaurant can,” shared Chef Paul Pszybylski, VP of Culinary Innovation. “We’re celebrating all the pizza lovers who are tired of the same old same old, by offering them not only two new pizzas to enjoy when they visit, but a bonus favorite pizza to bake at home later. Both limited-time recipes lean into the smoky and cozy flavors of fall and may even become the next great legend of our menu!”

CPK’s Take & Bake Pizzas are prepared to order and sold fresh, not frozen, and include all of the fresh garnishes to expertly and easily finish the pizzas at home. Included in the BOGO for the Bold offer are the following best-selling Take & Bake Pizzas: Traditional Cheese, Pepperoni, BBQ Chicken, MUPESA (Mushroom, Pepperoni, Sausage – because, IYKYK) and Hawaiian.   Guests should use code: BOGO at checkout to receive their FREE Take & Bake Pizza.

For more information, visit www.cpk.com and follow @cpk or @calpizzakitchen on social media.

*Terms, conditions and limits apply.

About California Pizza Kitchen

In 1985, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its first restaurant in Beverly Hills and introduced diners to gourmet California inspired pizza. With a passion for combining fresh, seasonal ingredients with flavor inspirations from around the world, today CPK is a global brand serving creative California cuisine in over 160 restaurants across 10 countries and U.S. territories. From its innovative, hearth-baked pizzas such as The Original BBQ Chicken, Thai Chicken, and California Club, to inventive salads, and unique pasta dishes that combine the old world with the new, CPK does everything with an imaginative California-inspired twist that guests love.

The post California Pizza Kitchen Is Sending Home Free Pizzas to Guests Who Try Their Newest Creations to Celebrate National Pizza Month appeared first on Pizza Today.

LAWRENCE, MA (October 1, 2024) – Sal’s Pizza, a family owned and operated business for over 30 years, announced the launch of its first mobile app, available for IOS and Android users. The Sal’s Pizza app provides customers the ability to unlock free rewards by earning points on orders through their rewards account registered to the app. The app also allows the ability to check-in at select locations and receive rewards towards online or in-store purchases.

To celebrate National Pizza Month in October, pizza fans who download the Sal’s Pizza app beginning on October 1^st and sign up for Sal’s Pizza’s “Pizza Perks” Program while placing an order throughout the month of October, will automatically receive a $5 reward dropped into their designated app rewards account. The app and offer are available for the following locations, Derry, New Hampshire; Manchester, New Hampshire; Billerica, Massachusetts; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; and Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

“We know that our loyal guests’ dining and ordering experiences are constantly evolving, and we at Sal’s Pizza are taking our pizza-making skills to the next level by providing the ability to order pizza conveniently from your device, wherever you may be, with our brand-new app,” said Sal Lupoli, President and CEO of Sal’s Pizza. “This is just the beginning of our Pizza Perks Program, and we look forward to offering our rewards members unique and elevated offers and benefits.”

By signing up for Sal’s Pizza Perks Program, customers will also receive a $5 reward for every $100 they spend and a free pizza on their birthday. Those who download the app can redeem rewards on orders placed via the app, at Sals.com or in-store. The rewards program also delivers personalized and customized offers for customers and double point days on various days of the week.

About Sal’s Pizza

Sal’s Pizza has been a family owned and operated business since 1990. Sal Lupoli opened his first pizza store in Salem, NH and now has 130 locations. They are known for using only the finest and freshest ingredients, as well as being home to the 19-inch, three-pound pizza. Sal’s Pizza also offers a retail line of pizzas and sauces that can be found in stores like Market Basket, Big Y and BJ’s – along with hundreds of K-12 schools and universities – nationwide. For more information, please visit www.sals.com and follow on social media at @salspizzaofficial and  https://www.facebook.com/SalsPizzaOfficial.

The post Sal’s Pizza Celebrates National Pizza Month Throughout October With Free Money for Pizza Lovers Who Download Sal’s NEW Pizza App appeared first on Pizza Today.

You should love it too — it’s National Pizza Month!

Jeremy White, Editor in Chief, Pizza Today Magazine

Pizza Today first designated October as National Pizza Month way back in the 1980s. Fast forward to today and National Pizza Month has only grown.

By leaps and bounds.

Pizzerias across the country celebrate it with their customers. Pizza is so important and so revered that it doesn’t get a mere day, but an entire month.

Let that sink in.

Check out the National Pizza Month Operator Toolkit we’ve put together for you as soon as you can.

Like, yesterday.

This toolkit is designed to help YOU make the most of National Pizza Month in your community and contains press releases, graphics, and other media assets (including a video) you can use to draw media attention to your business during the entire month. Be sure to check out the monthly marketing calendar as well.

Our hope is that we can help you make this October your best month ever. Let’s get started!

PizzaCon: In other news, we are now a month away from PizzaCon in Philadelphia. This event is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and not just for those located in the Northeast corridor of the United States. If you haven’t already, be sure to register at Pizzacon.com for the event (which takes place November 7th). See you there!

Jeremy White

Editor In Chief

jwhite@pizzatoday.com

The post Commentary: Ode to October appeared first on Pizza Today.

Conditioners and improvers can help calm tough pizza dough

Have you ever worked a busy night, and your job is to stretch everything, but it seems like you’re in for the worst upper body workout of your life as opposed to making pizza?

One of the worst feelings is going through a busy service and your dough just doesn’t seem to want to cooperate like it normally does. Dough — that you’ve meticulously worked on that’s meant to be soft and easy to stretch — has now become your worst enemy. Dough snaps back continuously and is super hard, making it that much more difficult to get good results. Enter the dough conditioners and improvers. I’ve always grown up in an environment that promotes less additives are best, but sometimes you just need to fix it.

With today’s diet culture bleeding into the larger food culture, we’ve been taught additives are the enemy even though we do not quite understand them fully. In my definition, dough conditioners are an additive that we add to our dough to help improve upon certain key characteristics like texture, stretchability and softness that go beyond the main ingredients of flour, water, salt and yeast. When I first began, the main dough conditioner I ever heard about was called PZ-44. Over the years, I have learned that dough conditioners take many forms, and they can be as natural as fruit or as complex as man-made lab invented ingredients.

First things first, what is PZ-44 and other conditioners like it?

PZ-44, and similar conditioners are meant to soften and relax dough, reducing snapback as well as reducing mixing times. These are known as PZ-44 and Reddi Sponge.  PZ-44 is made from whey proteins and L-Cysteine, and Reddi Sponge is made from whey proteins, corn, potassium bromate, L-Cysteine, ascorbic acid and monocalcium phosphate (depending on the type of Reddi Sponge).

Some of these names should sound familiar if you pay attention to flour and what’s really in your ingredients. It’s not as simple as listing wheat on a bag of flour anymore because of the process it undergoes to manufacture it as well as storage and transportation. Some ingredients are added in to help with preservation over the course of long travel periods or help slow down the aging process and some ingredients are added in for nutritional value. During the grinding process of flour, some nutrition is lost by the extraction of bran for more refined flours, so companies will add back in certain nutrients like Niacin and Ascorbic acid, a.k.a. Vitamin C, which are found naturally and can help with gluten structure.

Potassium Bromate is an ingredient that gets a bad wrap and is soon to be outlawed in California. You’ve mostly heard about this one when it comes to New York style pizza. Numerous pizzerias still use bromated flour because it strengthens dough and helps with spring. This ingredient is banned in Europe and other countries, such as Canada, because it has been potentially linked to cancer. L-Cysteine is an amino acid that is normally used to help with extensibility. It helps shorten gluten strands, so dough is more easily manipulated and stretched. This ingredient can be derived from plants like oats and lentils but also from animal-based products. Like gelatin, a lot of vegans and vegetarians will steer clear of this ingredient because it can be found in animal hooves and feathers making it cheaper to produce.

Deactivated Yeast, a.k.a. Nutritional Yeast, is a great replacement for L-Cysteine as it contains glutathione — which also cuts down gluten strands, breaking down proteins in dough. The only drawback to this ingredient is it is quicker to change the flavor of dough with the more you use.

The more natural approach to conditioning or improving dough would be to go the fruit route.

Fruits like kiwi, pineapple and papaya, whose juices contain enzymes that help cut gluten strands down, make dough easier to stretch and handle. The tricky part about using fruit is that the concentration within will vary drastically from season to season and it is harder to maintain consistency from batch to batch.

Something that you are probably already using that helps condition and relax dough is fat. A lot of pizza makers use olive oil or animal fat like butter or lard. Fats coat gluten strands which makes them stretchier, but also reduces the length of these strands as fats and most things do not mix well and instead create barriers. A less common ingredient these days that functions very similarly is eggs.

One thing that I found surprising as a dough conditioner was meat tenderizer. Modernist Cuisine mentions trying meat tenderizers in a powdered form that work quite well at softening dough. Since meat tenderizers are derived from natural ingredients like those found in fruit juices — but have been purified and processed— they are more consistent and in a measurable form that helps making dough simpler and more reliable.

Dough conditioners were invented at a time when flour was of poor quality.

During times of war and climate change wheat is increasingly hard to grow, especially with supply and demand ever evolving. Dough conditioners and improvers were created to make it easier on the baker — be them professional or at home to make quality products. Nowadays it is easier than ever to gain access to great quality flour, which may not need a conditioner or improver to create dough that is easy to work with and consistent. Knowing how to read an ingredient label and understand the purpose of each item just adds to your repertoire and ability to make great dough in times of surplus and in times of instability.

There are many ways to make dough that is manageable and easy to work with and conditioners and improvers are nothing to scoff at. Just understand restraint is key and to start small when trying them out.

Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<

The post Relaxing Tough Pizza Dough: Using Dough Conditioners and Improvers appeared first on Pizza Today.

LTOs are a proven pathway to drive traffic, creating buzz and excitement for a restaurant’s menu. Savvy operators use the flexibility to experiment with new flavors and concepts without making long-term commitments. Holidays like National Pasta and Pizza Month in October or Valentine’s Day in February offer opportunities to capitalize on cultural moments and trends. “The right LTO, whether seasonally or creatively driven, or centered around a theme, always draws people in,” says Kevin Felice, vice president of the 40North at Villa Restaurant Group.

Successful LTO strategies find the middle path between innovation and familiarity. Too new and different, and guests may be hesitant to try a menu item, but laying what’s new on a familiar foundation greatly increases the chances of success. This is why pasta makes a great framework for LTOs: it’s got broad appeal — loved/liked by 89 percent of consumers according to Datassential — and offers endless possibilities for customization and personalization.

“For me, pasta is a great menu category for trying new things because people are already comfortable with the basics,” Felice says. “They understand what pasta is, so if you can incorporate fun ingredients or new items into something familiar, they’re more likely to give it a try.”

To truly stand out, LTOs should be visually appealing, taste great, and perform consistently. This is why pizza operators have experienced success with simple innovations like heart-shaped pizzas, and the new, limited-edition heart-shaped Barilla Love pasta also taps into this concept. “The appeal of the heart-shaped pasta is obvious; it’s cute, fun, and looks great on the plate,” says Felice. “On special occasions, small details like these make a big difference.”

Pasta is a versatile dish that can stand alone or pair with popular menu items. A heart-shaped pasta with “rosa” tomato-cream sauce is perfect for a Valentine’s Day menu, or a baked item with fall-season flavors for National Pasta Month. As a side, it can be used for a heart-shaped mac and cheese paired with popular menu items like wings. Pasta’s ability to maximize existing SKUs and sauces, particularly in the pizza category, makes it an easy addition to the menu.

Pasta is also quick and easy to prepare without highly skilled labor, which is crucial for restaurant operations. “Speed of service is important in the pizza category, and a delicious bowl of pasta can be served fast,” Felice says. “Pasta is quick from both a kitchen and guest perspective.”

Crucially, pasta is profitable. Operators can control portion sizes and ingredient costs while delivering a dish that feels indulgent and satisfying to the customer. With the right sauce or toppings, a simple bowl of pasta can add value to the guest while maintaining excellent margins.

As the need to drive traffic only increases, using LTOs can be a winning strategy, especially with an easy, versatile, profitable, and popular item like pasta. Available only for a limited time, Barilla Love adds an instant hook to the menu, offering more than just the visual appeal of the heart-shaped rigatoni. It comes with Barilla’s well-earned reputation for quality, a legacy shaped by over 147 years in the pasta business.

Barilla Love is available through your distributor now via pre-order from DOT Foods, delivering in early 2025. Supplies are limited! For samples and more information, visit the Barilla website today.

The post Pasta LTO’s Pave the Way to Profit appeared first on Pizza Today.

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 26, 2024)– Katie’s Pizza & Pasta scored big on Walmart’s Open Call product pitch day by earning the rare and coveted Golden Ticket offer. The win means Katie’s hand-made frozen pizzas will be available in Walmart grocery stores starting in mid-to-late 2025.

Owner Katie Lee and Culinary Director Chef Jake Sanderson received the news onsite at Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, immediately following their pitch, which focused on Lee’s unrelenting drive to grow the brand and keep doing more to share their award-winning offerings with a wider audience. Only a fraction of the hundreds of businesses who pitch thousands of products during Walmart’s Open Call receive the prestigious Golden Ticket offer.

“We did it! We got a Golden Ticket,” said Lee. “It’s the American dream come true, and we’re so proud to expand into Walmart. We’re so grateful to our St. Louis fans who have supported us as we started offering frozen pizzas through our restaurant business during the pandemic. We dreamed big and expanded into local grocery outlets, nationwide shipping, then moved into wider retail distribution, and now Walmart.”

Katie’s is outperforming the strong frozen pizza category with over 100% growth year over year for the past three years, which is 10 times the growth of the entire category. What sets the Katie’s frozen pizza line apart is the team’s commitment to hand-crafting the premium artisan pizzas daily with scratch ingredients. Katie’s is the only restaurant of its size that makes pizzas and pastas by hand for retail, raising the bar on packaged frozen food. Going the extra mile ensures freshness and quality in every hand-stretched wood-fired pizza.

Following the 2021 renovation of its frozen production facility, Katie’s frozen pizzas and pasta bakes became available at local St. Louis grocers Dierbergs Markets and Straubs. Growth continued with additional expansions into retailers including Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, Kings-Balduccis, Mothers, Whole Foods Markets and more.

About Katie’s Pizza & Pasta

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta’s promise is to create moments of enjoyment between friends and family through passion-filled food and warm hospitality. Katie Lee’s dream to bring hand-made, in-house artisan and Neapolitan pizza to St. Louis began through one location under the ownership of her father, Tom Lee, in 2008. Today, KPP includes three locations. KPP Rock Hill opened in 2013 followed by the Town & Country location in 2017. The largest location opened in 2023 in downtown St. Louis’ Ballpark Village featuring a pasta-making station, wood-fired grill, expansive patio, private events space and in-house market selling to-go items. Katie’s portfolio of fresh and frozen pizzas, pastas and sauces are available at many grocery retailers and shipped nationwide. Since 2014, KPP’s “Giveback Tuesday” program has donated over $470,000 to St. Louis-based charities. To learn more and sign up for our newsletter visit KatiesPizzaAndPasta.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X to see the latest.

The post Katie’s Pizza & Pasta lands frozen pizza deal with Walmart appeared first on Pizza Today.

 

“The McDonald’s McRib is McBack to McTantalize your McTastebuds”

New York Times

Marketing your restaurant is more than have a special or a coupon on some of your pizzas. It is about creating excitement around your menu items. No one has done that better than McDonalds. In the pizza business we have seen some McRib-like trends with pickle pizzas and pizzas with hot Cheetos on them. These specials or limited time offerings can create that desired effect to get someone to try your product. But how do they get them to keep coming back for it over and over?

There is one sure fire way to get the result of having a customer come back over and over. It is to create a product that is so good that the customer craves it. This goes beyond a gimmick pizza; I am talking about adding new pizza styles to your current menu. With social media, customers are more aware of the different styles of pizza from across the country. Tik Tok trends can put a pizza style on the map and on the minds of hungry customers nationwide.

Being first to market in your area can be crucial when adding a new style to your pizzeria. Educating the customer through your marketing, which should include social media, will help strengthen your product launch. One of our styles that we launched a few years back truly demonstrated this. We launched a grandma-style pizza. Many customers understood pan pizza or even Sicilian pizza but not a grandma-style pizza. We created a whole campaign around not just promoting but educating our consumers on what they were about to order. When other pizzerias in our area later adopted grandma pizzas, ours was the gold standard for judging how good a grandma pizza was.

Learning the different styles through research is a good approach. There is no substitute for finding the pizzeria where the style originated or where it became a cult following. Trying that pizza and others that they have influenced is a smart way to find out how you want to make your product and what spins you want to put on it. Making a pizza style yours gives you a unique calling card. This can be seen with many different Detroit pizzas across the country. Cheese crowns specifically have added flare to the pizzerias that have mastered this technique.

Getting attuned with pizzeria trends on Tik Tok is not the only way to find that hot new style. Watching the competitions at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas will give many insights. A few years back I remember seeing a Chicago Tavern pizza in the Non-Traditional category, a very authentic good-looking pie. The score was not one the competitor could hang his apron on. Fast forward to The Real California Cheese Competition this year in Napa Valley and that style with the competitor’s own flare on it won one of the top prizes! Seeing that has us ready to launch a Tavern-style pizza at all our locations. In the next installment we will talk about the marketing campaign of our new pizza style. (No, there will not be Hot Cheetos on it!)

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Adding New Pizza Styles to Your Pizzeria appeared first on Pizza Today.

Share Your Pizzeria’s Story with Local Media Right Now

Updated October 2, 2024. October’s National Pizza Month is the perfect time to reach out to local and regional media to get coverage. In the October issue of Pizza Today, I shared Media, Marketing and Social Media Ideas for National Pizza Month. But I want to go a step further on getting media coverage during National Pizza Month.

5 Ways to Get Media Coverage During National Pizza Month

Let’s break down each section of 5 ways that you may be able to capitalize on National Pizza Month and look at National Pizza Month media coverage from last year as examples.

Deals, Deals, Deals!

Offering specials and discounts for National Pizza Month can grab the attention of local media. Often, we see media outlets run stories at the beginning of October sharing with the audience the best places to find National Pizza Month deals. If you have a special or discount going this month, be sure to send the details to the correct person at the media outlet.

USA Today highlighted how to take advantage of pizza deals nationwide all month long. See the USA Today article.

Chicago Food Magazine featured local pizzerias and their specialty pizzas and happenings surrounding National Pizza Month. Read the Chicago Food Magazine’s story. (Note: Magazines plan coverage months in advance in print magazine, but often update their digital magazines with new information.)

Local Celebration Roundups  

News media receive several press releases and alerts on the same subject. When it comes to NPM, they often create a feature highlighting how each pizzeria is celebrating. You’ll notice community outreach initiatives, pizza giveaways, interviews and more.

The Detroit Free Press featured how each highlighted pizzeria celebrates. Check out the Detroit Free Press coverage. 

Pizzeria Listicles

Listicles are very popular in print and online media resources. We see a lot of lists on where to find the best pizza in the area. The focus here is eye-catching photos of pizza and details on the pizzeria. Send them why your pizza should rank high. Include jaw-dropping photos of your pizza and any accolades you’ve received locally, regionally and nationally.

Connecticut Insider spotlighted 12 new Connecticut pizzerias that opened in 2023 for National Pizza Month with eye-catching photos of pizza and details on the pizzeria. Read the Connecticut Insider feature. 

Local media also like to draw attention to where to find the best pizza in the area. Pensacola News Journal marked the start of National Pizza Month with its list of best pizza joints. Check out Pensacola News Journal’s list.

New Menu/Product Release

October is a great month to roll out a new menu or new pizza. Share them with your local media, maybe even a tasting event.

Last year, Lou Malnati’s rolled out its Meatball Marinara Pizza to honor National Pizza Month. Many media outlets picked up the story, including On Milwaukee. Read the On Milwaukee feature. 

On-Air Appearances

Media outlets have found National Pizza Month a great opportunity to bring pizzeria owners and pizza chefs live in studio to talk pizza, do a food demo or highlight what the business is doing for National Pizza Month. Reach out and pitch yourself and your business to get an on-air spot.

CBS News Detroit featured Rocco’s Pizzeria in a 4:30-minute segment, and continued the coverages to others all month long. Watch the CBS News Detroit segment.

Yes, you can submit stories through the media outlets general story submission areas through their website or e-mail. Another approach is to reach out to the food and restaurant writers. You’ll notice the writer’s details at the bottom of most stories with e-mail or their social handles. You can try pitching them directly.

You can also host a Press Night. Invite local food writers, bloggers, etc. in for a free dinner during which you give them a top-notch pizza experience and hit key talking points that differentiates your pizzeria … i.e. expand on whatever it is that makes you special and unique in your city, whether that be locally sourced ingredients, gluten-free, organic, beer in your dough, etc.

Explore more resources and help with celebrating National Pizza Month in our Toolkit. 

Now that’s it National Pizza Month 2024. See who’s getting media coverage for National Pizza Month:

Since it’s October and National Pizza Month has begun, let’s look at the pizzerias getting media attention for their National Pizza Month Campaigns. We’ll update this list with more media stories as they become available. Here are the National Pizza Month stories on local, regional and national media.

Delaware Online: It’s National Pizza Month! Here’s where to get a deal on pizza

Springfield News-Leader: The internet says October is National Pizza Month. Here are some Springfield spots

PIX11 New York: PIX11 Morning News, Celebrating National Pizza Month

STLSSportsPage: October is National Pizza Month; How do you get your “pizza” on? Here are a few ideas

Las Vegas Review-Journal: 9 new places in Las Vegas to celebrate National Pizza Month

Fox2 Detroit: Buddy’s Pizza stops by for National Pizza month

The post Media Loves National Pizza Month appeared first on Pizza Today.

Media, Marketing and Social Media Ideas for National Pizza Month

Other foods get a day. Pizza gets an entire month! Rightfully so, it is America’s favorite food. October is National Pizza Month. It’s a tradition Pizza Today’s founder started in 1984 and has been going strong ever since. The month was even officially dedicated National Pizza Month by U.S. Congress in 1987.

Our goal for National Pizza Month (NPM) is to help you leverage the holiday to increase your business. We created a Pizzeria Operator Toolkit that provides you with the tools, resources and ideas to promote National Pizza Month in your shop. You’ll find the official NPM logo, social graphics, customizable graphics, a customizable press release, a customizable social media calendar, ways to celebrate, pizza fun facts for games, and an opportunity for you to share your National Pizza Month story. Go to the toolkit at PizzaToday.com/NationalPizzaMonth.

Media Loves National Pizza Month

One area you can find highly successful is gaining media attention during National Pizza Month. It’s an is opportunity to showcase your pizza to your community. Media loves National Pizza Month so be sure to share what you are doing with all your local media outlets.

I combed through past National Pizza Month Coverage and found some common themes. Here are a 5 ways that you may be able to capitalize on:

1. Deals, Deals, Deals! — Offering specials and discounts for National Pizza Month can grab the attention of local media. Often, we see media outlets run stories at the beginning of October sharing with the audience the best places to find National Pizza Month deals. If you have a special or discount going this month, be sure to send the details to the correct person at the media outlet.
2. Local Celebration Roundups — News media receive several press releases and alerts on the same subject. When it comes to NPM, they often create a feature highlighting how each pizzeria is celebrating. You’ll notice community outreach initiatives, pizza giveaways, interviews and more.
3. Pizzeria Listicles — Listicles are very popular in print and online media resources. We see a lot of lists on where to find the best pizza in the area. The focus here is eye-catching photos of pizza and details on the pizzeria. Send them why your pizza should rank high. Include jaw-dropping photos of your pizza and any accolades you’ve received locally, regionally and nationally.
4. New Menu/Product Release — October is a great month to roll out a new menu or new pizza. Share them with your local media, maybe even a tasting event.
5. On-Air Appearances — Media outlets have found National Pizza Month a great opportunity to bring pizzeria owners and pizza chefs live in studio to talk pizza, do a food demo or highlight what the business is doing for National Pizza Month. Reach out and pitch yourself and your business to get an on-air spot.

Yes, you can submit stories through the media outlets general story submission areas through their website or e-mail. Another approach is to reach out to the food and restaurant writers. You’ll notice the writer’s details at the bottom of most stories with e-mail or their social handles. You can try pitching them directly.

You can also host a Press Night. Invite local food writers, bloggers, etc. in for a free dinner during which you hit key talking points that differentiates your pizzeria … i.e. expand on whatever it is that makes you special and unique in your city, whether that be locally sourced ingredients, gluten-free, organic, beer in your dough, etc.

13 ways to celebrate National Pizza Month

Try one or a few of these low-cost or no cost NPM marketing ideas

1. Eating challenge. Get entrants to compete for t-shirts or other swag. Do a wall of fame.
2. Random Pizza Giveaway. Collect customer info and randomly give away a year (or month or week) of free pizza to a customer who orders during National Pizza Month.
3. Pizza History Night. Sell a dinner for $X per person. During the event, tell your patrons the history of pizza and include history games.
4. Run a customer recipe promotion. Invite your patrons to create your next big hit! Have customers submit recipes for topping combinations, etc. Winner gets the pizza named after them on your menu or free pizza for a year or a $200 gift card, etc.
5. Offer a National Pizza Month one-of-kind offer to your loyalty club members. Think swag, secret menu item, etc.
6. Host a Guest Chef Takeover Night, where a local or regional chef creates a menu with pre-sale dinner event tickets at $X per person.
7. Create games for each day of October with a drawing where winner receives free item or offer. (Think small games, like guess the number of pepperonis on a pizza; guess the ingredient; answer questions related to your pizzeria; in-store scavenger hunt; photo with a specific item social contest, etc.)
8. Crown an Ultimate Pizza Fan. Invite customers to submit on social media why they should be the winner.
9. Ask customers to send you video submissions. Have them state why they LOVE your pizza. Push these videos out to social media platforms — free marketing!
10. Challenge a pizzeria owner in another city to a duel. Whoever sells the most cheese pies in October gets to pick a charity and the “loser” donates $500 to said charity.
11. Let an employee take over your social media account each week of the Month of October to share your pizzeria’s story.
12. Take key team members on a pizza tour of your nearest large metropolitan market and share the experience with your pizzeria’s social followers.
13. Create a video to share with your pizzeria’s social followers on who you are and why you founded the pizzeria. Go further and create another video going behind-the-scenes to show how you make the pizza.

Find more marketing ideas and resources for National Pizza Month in our Pizzeria Operator Toolkit at PizzaToday.com/NationalPizzaMonth.

Get Social with National Pizza Month

YAY! 31 Days of Pizza! We’ve made it easy for you to create social content for EVERY DAY IN OCTOBER in the Toolkit. We’ve created a customizable Sample Social Media Calendar. Take an idea or two or use it as inspiration to create your own calendar.

I want to draw your attention to some designated days within National Pizza Month that your will want tie in. Here are a few to make sure you acknowledge:

National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This is a great opportunity to showcase that disability employment is a pillar of your restaurant. Find a unique way to highlight that.

International Pizza and a Beer Day, Wednesday, October 9. Post your best pizza and beer photo or video short. Make them drool and offer a pint and pizza special. “Grab a beer and a slice, throw in a breadstick.”

National Sausage Pizza Day, Friday, October 11. Showcase your best sausage pizza. Or if you make sausage in house, show the process. Your’ customers with appreciate your scratch made approach.

National Mushroom Day, Tuesday, October 15. Mushroom is a top-five pizza topping. Highlight your best mushroom pizza. Get down to the mushrooms types you use and how you prepare them.

World Pizza Maker Day, Friday, October 25. Show your pizza makers doing what they do best. Share their passion and techniques. Thank them for being the best.

National Make a Difference Day, Monday, October 28. Showcase a giving or volunteer program your
pizzeria and crew are passionate about.

Halloween, Thursday, October 31. It’s one of the biggest days in the pizza business. Post a fun Halloween photos and posts.

Our social media calendar has content ideas for every day in October. Check out the customizable calendar in our National Pizza Month Toolkit. 

Let’s have the biggest, best pizza month ever!

The post It’s National Pizza Month (October), Let’s Go! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Tis the season for gift cards, parties, catering and employee appreciation

Updated for 2024 Holiday Season. The holiday season is quickly approaching. Will your pizzeria be ready? Capitalize on the holiday season at your pizzeria. Between November and January is an extremely busy time. Three of the busiest days at pizzerias are the day before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The past few years of uncertainty and monster sales days on any given Friday have prepared you well for the busiest day rushes. Are you ready for the holiday’s big four: gift cards, parties, catering and employee appreciation. We’ve pulled together tips and resources for you to dive deeper into the holiday season’s vital components for pizzeria owners.

Gift Cards

The holiday season is the best time of year to sell those gift cards. We have a few tips for selling more gift cards. They are:

• Promote gift cards at the counter, on tables, in to-go and delivery packaging.
• You can even use a QR Code as a quick link to buy them directly from your website.
• Incentivize your customers: the more gift cards they buy, they will receive $x in gift cards.

For more gift card tips, check out Holiday Gift Cards: Ramp It Up. Also read Give Sales a Lift with a Gift Card Program.

Parties

Accommodating large groups can be very lucrative, but it also can provide several challenges. Here are a few areas you should start with to get party planning rolling:

• Create a large quantity menu for various sized groups.
  Outline in writing any large-party policies, such as service fees, minimum orders, advance notice, block-out times, etc.
• Establish a point person to work with groups and coordinate with managers and inventory controllers.
• Have an employee schedule plan in place for the influx of large parties and off-premise catering.
• Start a social campaign to let your followers know you are now taking reservations for holiday parties.
• Detail your large party and off-premise catering options on your Web site. Add a teaser on your homepage.

Read more on handling large parties in Group Friendly.

Catering

Courtesy of Andolini’s Pizza, Tulsa, OK

Holidays can mean big catering sales if you plan effectively.

• If want catering sales, you must set up the catering side as a business. Menus, pricing and operations should be specific to the catering function.
• Be sure you have a handle on the food quality of your off-premise items, especially your pizza dough.
• Know your limits. What is the biggest event that your operation can feasibly handle.
• Have an execution manager to stay on top of following through with prep and day of logistics.
• Don’t forget to follow up with catering clients and let them know you appreciate their business. That could include a gift card.

Get more tips on catering in The Beauty of Catering and Booking Catering and Facility Rental.

Avoid Employee Burnout

The holiday season can be a stressful time for restaurant employees, who are not only dealing with the end of the year restaurant sprint, but they are also dealing with their own lives and schedules. Focus on your employees to prevent burnout or worse turnover. Mike Bausch offers ideas to help avoid burnout:

• Communication: The Backbone
• Lock-in Those Schedules
• Incentives: More Than Just Tips
• Flexibility and Fair Play
• Hard Work Doesn’t Go Unnoticed
• Breaks are Non-Negotiable
• Post-Holiday Reality Check
• Paychecks that Make Sense
• Training: The Foundation
• Feedback Isn’t Just Top-Down

Read A Gameplan to Avoid Team Burnout where Mike details more.

With the busiest months of the year falling at the end of the year, you want to make sure you’re fully staffed. Mike Bausch also offers advice on limiting workforce attrition in your restaurant in Achieving a Fully Staffed Restaurant.

Employee Appreciation

The holiday season and end of the year are popular times to show your employees how much you appreciate them. There are so many holiday gift opportunities. Cash is always an option, in the form of bonuses and raises. What about other ideas? Here are few alternatives or even additions to cash that your employees may appreciate:

• Paid time off
• Closing for the holidays
• Personal, handwritten “Thank you” note from the owner(s)
• Throw a holiday party
• Partner with other businesses to give employee gifts

Explore more Employee Appreciation ideas.

Have a great holiday season at your pizzeria.

The post Time to Gear Up for the Holiday Season at Your Pizzeria appeared first on Pizza Today.

How you want to be treated in all segments of your restaurant

We know the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. It’s basic, and we all heard it in grade school. It can have massive value for your restaurant if you can lean into that concept. I don’t mean this on a superficial level; I mean, you must live it. How would you ideally want to be treated in all segments of your restaurant?

As the owner, I find it easy to see my restaurant strictly from a birds-eye view. Putting yourself in another’s shoes is a great way to see areas for improvement.

Let’s start at the customer level. You’re the customer taking your first steps into the restaurant. How do you feel? Do you have a welcoming ambiance and a kind and personable host? How long does it take to get seated, and are you ignored when you walk in the door? Does this place look like the place you want to sit for 20 min, 1 hour, all day? Would someone want to be there for a while because the ambiance stands on its own? BTW I do not want campers as much as you, but the real question is: does the space make you want to stay?

After you’ve examined your restaurant’s vibe and layout, think about the food and service. If there’s a dish you wouldn’t eat or a server you know is boring and bordering on rude, are you owning that? If that is the current experience and you wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy this experience yourself, what makes you think a random stranger would?

The golden rule is also helpful with social media, in more ways than one. Once again, it’s easy to get wrapped up in posting to post because “it’s just a dumb app for kids, right?” But at the end of the day, it’s not your experience that will make a profit; it’s your followers.

Comb through your online presence from a customer’s perspective. Are you personable and fun to follow, or cold, boring, and detached? When you’re running a business profile, it’s easy to assume a professional approach is best, but if you wouldn’t follow and interact with your content, odds are no one else would either.

This holds true for your website. I’ve seen many confusing and nondescript websites with bush league photos; what about this page says, “we have our act together”, because if all it says is “we figured we’d make a website because that’s what you do and here’s ours” it’s not enough, it’s actually hurting you. A customer may go to your website ready to order your food but end up ordering somewhere else after failing to decipher how to get half pepperoni and half sausage on their pizza, or just bounce because the site conveys you don’t have a plan.

Your relationship with your staff is just as important as your relationship with your customers, so put yourself in their shoes too. Would you want to work for you? Do you give a hoot about them, provide flexibility with hours, and treat your staff with kindness? If your staff makes a mistake, how do you deal with the issue, and if you were to be on the receiving end would it be fixed? If the answer is no you need to reevaluate your approach as a boss.

And finally, you’re not the only one who needs to be exercising the golden rule in your restaurant. Your staff does, too. If your staff ever serves food that they wouldn’t eat themselves, i.e. burnt, soggy or old, they fail themselves and fail to represent you. If your staff consistently strives to provide the experience they demand for themselves, those high standards lead to mutual respect and more revenue.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Mike’s Monthly Tip: In Their Shoes appeared first on Pizza Today.

We take a look at sandwich options for your winter and fall menu

As the weather begins to turn cooler, customers inevitably yearn for heavier foods, even at lunch. Since sandwiches are often ordered at lunch and not so much during the dinner daypart in pizzerias, now is a great time to begin planning a sandwich lineup you can deploy as limited time offerings or weekly specials to get you through the upcoming cold months.

We’ll start with Chicken Parmesan because it’s a classic staple that utilizes ingredients you are likely to have on hand. Most love this dish, so let’s turn it into a delicious sub.

Chicken Parmesan Sub

Get the Chicken Parmesan Sub recipe.

Next up is a cheesesteak, in honor of the upcoming visit to Philadelphia for PizzaCon next month. I’m sure many of you will trek to some of the City of Brotherly Love’s iconic cheesesteak shops while there. I know I will. A juicy cheesesteak is easily one of my favorite sandwiches. However, let’s put a twist on this one and use chicken instead of beef.

Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich

Get the Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich recipe.

Sliders remain all the rage, and appetizer sales continue to be popular. This Caprese Meatball Slider is not only guaranteed to fly off the shelves, but it is versatile. Use it on your appetizer menu or serve 3 together for a weekly sandwich deal. The choice is yours, but you won’t go wrong either way.

Caprese Meatball Sliders

Get the Caprese Meatball Sliders recipe.

Jeremy White  is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

The post Sandwiches to Jumpstart Lunch appeared first on Pizza Today.

Autumn vegetables turned pizza toppings

I’m not going to wax poetic about how autumn feels. Yes, those crisp winds are starting to sting, and the rustle of the leaves make my heart sing…Blah blah blah. My priority is that the pizza business is starting to rebound from that hot summer slump and fall is the time for a nice revenue bump! This is the time of bounty and excitement where the culinary rubber hits the pizza road separating me from my staid competitors.

The abundance of local vegetables and fruit are all around and just waiting to be fabricated to adorn a great autumn pie. Local farmers, farmer’s markets and local vegetable purveyors now provide some of the freshest pizza and pasta components for you to play with. Let’s dive into the many categories of foods, traditional recipes and pizza toppings that can make this autumn a humdinger.

Late season tomatoes

These may be gnarly looking, but these last hangers-on of late fall have a reputation for thick skins, strong umami and intensified sugars. The late cherry tomatoes taste like candy (halved, sliced horizontally between two plastic ricotta lids and just strewn on a pie). Larger varieties like Mortgage Lifter, Big Rainbow, Ponderosa Pink, Amana Orange and Cherokee Purples shine in this late season. I’ve fallen in love with making spicy tomato skins to finish pizzas off with. After oven-drying tomatoes to intensify their flavor, peel the skins off and sprinkle Piment d’Espelette (French Basque chili powder) or fine Korean pepper flakes on the skins and dehydrate until crisp and flavorful.

Squash

These heavy varieties look daunting, but the price-per-ounce yield is phenomenal. Don’t be intimidated by the size of these bad boys. If choosing Butternuts, Honeynuts and other long squashes, make sure they have long or thick necks because that’s where the usable flesh is — and you won’t have to deal with the seeds. My new favorite is the Tromboncino, an Italian heirloom squash that is creamy and can be eaten sliced raw, roasted with lemon or
maple, and even pickled. The huge North Georgia Candy Roaster sweetens as it is stored for up to six months. Squashes have historically paired well with other winter vegetables like the Lombardian Gnocchi di Zucca e Patate, or pumpkin and potato gnocchi. Winter squashes are a perfect match for Prosciutto di Parma, country ham, apples, coriander, cream, garlic, nutmeg, onions, Parmigiano, Pecorino, Fontina and Gruyere.

Cabbages 

Savoy, Napa, Oxheart, and red cabbage can all be boiled, braised, grilled, brined, marinated or steamed. This flexibility lends itself to be manipulated in many sexy ways on pizza. The crunch is a great foil for melting cheeses and salty pork toppings and can be fantastic when used with fruit like apples and sour cheeses. Chicken, ginger, bacon, caraway, mustard, vinegar, garlic, and Taleggio, feta, Cheddar, Swiss and Teleme cheeses are great pairings with cabbage. Many modern chefs in Italy have taken to making a defining cabbage edge with flair. Like chef Gianluca Gorini in Emilia Romana with his Passatelli, a pasta with grated Parmigiano, eggs, breadcrumbs and very little flour. His Passatelli Romagnoli, Brodo di Verza, Semi di Zucca is a Savoy cabbage broth (using the outer leaves that usually get thrown away) with pumpkin seeds and (ahem) soy sauce.

Potatoes

Potatoes are another vegetable that has a broad range of manipulation and fabrication in any pizza menu mix. Sliced on a robo coupe into salted water (to ward of oxidation) then squeezed out just before topping on a pizza is fantastic. Potato mash is a convenient and delicious way to build a pizza. Colorful potatoes and small fingerling potatoes are popular to either slice or smash on a cutting board before transferring to a pizza for a dramatic effect. Like cabbage and squash, potatoes can be cooked in the South American Rescoldo style in a pile of glowing hot charcoal. Great pairings are garlic, shallots, tarragon, chorizo, thyme, bacon, cream, Gruyere, Comte’, Gouda, Manchego, Raclette and Fontina.

Peppers 

My favorite fall vegetables are the sweet Italian and the long Toro peppers grown by farmers near me. I like to roast them over hot coals. But in a pinch, I turn to torching them on a gas burning range which does the trick. After roasting, just put it into a bag or covered pot to steam for easy skinning. Stuffing peppers is another of my favorites with spicy sausage or ground duck. Spicy peppers are really getting popular and are extremely easy to grind into your proprietary marinara for spicy pizza specials. I like to make what I call “Spicy Crueltons”— take the hottest of the hots and grind up with extra virgin olive oil, and raw garlic and toss with house-cut croutons, then bake the bread until crisp and finish with Parmigiano and herbs. There is a great salad served at Christmas in Naples, Italy called Burdiglione, which provides rinforzo (reinforcement) when they eat lean, fish-based dishes. It contains quick-pickled sweet peppers, cauliflower, and carrots, with capers, olives, anchovies, parsley and a vinegarette.

Eggplant 

Once upon a time, you could only hope to find the large black “Nadia” eggplant around. Now, there is a plethora of small, long and medium to large eggplants around that have their own flavor niche and cooking techniques. The long Japanese eggplants are great peeled, sliced down the length and poached in lemony miso, or dashi to look like an octopus on a pizza. The small Thai eggplant with their denser flesh is great grilled. The Italians along the Amalfi Coast have even been making desserts like the Mulingnana C’A’ Ciucculata, which is fried eggplant slices coated in chocolate. 

Nuts 

These easily foragable nuggets from the forest include both the English and black walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, (or filberts) ground nuts, as well as acorns, chestnuts and pistachios. I feel that nuts are the best finishing item on pizzas behind herbs to make a great pie stand out because of the texture and crunch. Any nuts that are coated in something sweet like honey, maple syrup or agave with some sort of spice like cayenne really stand out. The Ravioli Del Plin Con Ripieno Alla Nocciola e Crema Al Riccaverano, or Pinched Ravioli with Hazelnuts and Cheese is a standout in the mountain town of Magliano Alfieri in the Piedmont Region of Italy. It combines hazelnuts and mascarpone filling in pasta with a soft, ripened Robiola cream sauce.

JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Fall Guy: Menu Ideas with Easily Accessible Autumn Produce! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Answering the question: How should I layout the equipment in my kitchen?

Many operators ask me for insight on the operations of a restaurant, but recently there has been one specific question that has been coming up repeatedly. “I’m setting up a new restaurant. How should I layout the equipment in my kitchen?”

On the surface it may seem easy, but it’s really not. Proper layout and floor planning of your equipment can be the difference between smooth sailing during busy times or utter chaos and disaster. Every kitchen footprint is different. Rarely will they be perfect. Often operators will lease a space that was previously a restaurant and there may be some infrastructure already in place in the kitchen to work around. Other times you may be doing a build out from scratch, and you can really create something tailored exactly to your needs. But the one constant in every scenario is that every square foot of space costs you money. Customers don’t sit in the kitchen, so you need to maximize every inch of space in that dining area to accommodate as many guests as possible. As a result, what area always gets short changed when it comes to space? You guessed it, the kitchen. So, how can we best lay it out so it helps us succeed?

1. The Quiet Corner

When an order comes into the kitchen the clock starts ticking. We need to get it out in as timely manner as possible. When it’s crazy dinner rush time that becomes even more imperative. Not every step of our process demands high speed and instant execution. I’m referring to the dough making and dish washing. If you utilize an area toward the rear of your kitchen for both the dish area and a dough prep area, then you can keep these out of the line of fire during hectic service. Keeping your flour bags stored next to the dough mixer makes life very easy. Your sore back will thank you. Being close to the dish area also makes it convenient when it comes to moving a heavy mixing bowl over there to be washed.

2. Avoid The Criss Cross

Speed and efficiency are paramount during the busy times. Anyone who has spent any time in a kitchen knows that the phrase “BEHIND” is used on a constant basis. Every time you have to walk behind someone else, it increases the chances of a ‘bumping into’ accident. Think of either an in-line or circular workflow in your pizza process to avoid the criss cross. Start with your dough stretching. This is the start of the line. It is wise to have this starting point be toward the rear, and we can work our way forward in the making and baking process. Next comes the assembly of the pizza. By having the pizza prep table either next to or directly behind your dough stretching area you will avoid the need for staff to cross over one another. Now it’s time to get that pizza into the oven. If the kitchen is linear then situate your ovens next in line after your pizza prep table. If it’s a smaller and somewhat circular workspace then try to position your oven in an area where you can simply turn around and insert the pizza. Once the pizza is finished, you’ll need to move it to the cutting and boxing area. It is very important that this area be as close to the exit of the oven as possible. When you pull that pie out of the oven, the less steps you must take with it decreases the chances of dropping it. The last thing you need is a remake during the middle of the hit.

3. Sightlines

In every article or seminar about operations we always hear the phrase “communication is key”. It is so true. This is where sightlines in the kitchen become very important. The pizza station will always be the primary station in the kitchen, but many operations have other stations such as fry, pasta, grill, etc. If the pizza station is humming along just fine but the grill is full and they have tickets down to the floor, you need sightlines between stations so you can see this and communicate with one another. You don’t need a pizza coming out and sitting for 10 minutes getting cold while you’re waiting for a dish from the grill station that is getting absolutely slammed. Making sure that you have clear sight lines between stations when designing your kitchen layout will keep that communication flowing and prevent disaster.

4. Clear The Way!

Now that the food is prepared you still need to get it to the guest. Try to situate your window or final food pickup area in a spot that has clear walkways. If you can design it in a manner that keeps servers from having to come too far into the kitchen then you can prevent more accidents and keep the machine running smoothly. Further, if you have front of house staff that will come in back to grab to-go pizzas that are ready, try to create a clear uninterrupted path for them as well. When someone is carrying a stack of boxed pizzas the last thing you need is a crash and drop.

When you first look at a new space it can be easy to just try to shove everything in, but there really is a true science to doing it right. Being able to execute effectively during the busy times will lend to greater success. The ability to pull this off will be directly impacted by how you lay out that kitchen. Take your time. Draw out numerous drafts. Use different colored pens to draw out the paths of different employees operating in the kitchen. If those lines don’t cross, then you are on the right track. When the busy times come your competitors will be a hot mess in their kitchen, but you will have well managed and calculated chaos. This will allow you to handle those times in a much more efficient manner and this will translate into you being able to handle more orders during those times. Some careful planning and thought can translate into significant dollars down the road.

Michael Androw owns E & D Pizza Company in Avon, Connecticut.

The post Design Your Pizzeria Kitchen for Success appeared first on Pizza Today.

Limit workforce attrition in your restaurant

Transition times of the year lead to higher workforce attrition. These next few months are some of the busiest for the pizza industry. It’s great to have an influx of customers, but to give the best experience possible, you’ve got to have service that matches the demand, or it can turn into a negative if people feel burned by the experience.

COVID changed hiring forever; it is different now. The industry is not the same as it once was; the employee is in the power position of where they will work, and their expectations of their employer have never been higher. The key is to match that standard as an employer and increase expectations of output and attitude in line with those higher standards.

So, how do you find talented applicants? First, you must come to terms with the fact that you’re not the only place looking for good hires. Everyone is. Rather than interviewing the applicant, the applicant is interviewing you. To have a successful hiring process, you have to make your restaurant somewhere they want to work, and here is how you pull that off:

1. Warm Blanket First Impression

The best employees want a welcoming environment and a workplace that inspires growth.

The whole application process should be an overwhelmingly accepting and kind experience that inspires them to stop applying for jobs and see this opportunity out fully instead. That means they are seated when seeking to apply, offered food, and everyone working stops to say hi and introduce themselves. This costs nothing and moves the needle.

Keep in mind a motivated staff intrinsically will attract people who want to be motivated.

2. Compensation

Paying more is the seemingly obvious way to attract applicants, but incentive pay and profit sharing are much more powerful ways to keep staff engaged and create a paired interest strategy that ensures they seek your wins because they lead to their wins. Pay alone doesn’t matter as much as the belief that this restaurant is a positive place for their growth, not just financially but as a person, however, they define that.

3. Culture and Communication

The culture of your restaurant is vital for retaining employees. You and your staff should be on the same team, all working to make your restaurant the best it can be. This can be done through team-building exercises and communication via staff meetings and effective messaging platforms. Everyone should feel comfortable about communicating issues along with successes, and most of all just like being around each other.

Using messaging software to create an open line of communication between you and your employees is a great way to foster teamwork. It keeps your employees on the ball without becoming too intrusive. You can keep tabs on employees outside work hours but remain in a work-sanctioned context.

The culture of your workplace also depends on the relationship you have with your employees. Go out of your way to make them feel comfortable enough to come to you with problems. Your staff sees elements of your restaurant you don’t, this gives them a valuable perspective you should cherish.

4. Training

A comprehensive and detailed onboarding program is also attractive to worthwhile applicants. If your training process is less than three days long, it’s not robust enough. If you want your staff to take their job seriously, you have to take your staff seriously. Off the bat, you should convey your restaurant’s values, expectations and culture. The more detailed and comprehensive the onboarding process, the more confident a new hire will be.

Now, once you’ve got your five-star employees, keep them engaged and motivated by design not by accident.

5. Empathetic Scheduling

A major point of stress for employees is inconsistent scheduling. You should be flexible with scheduling, taking into consideration your employees’ personal lives while also meeting the needs of your restaurant. They should have to request off well in advance, and you should post the schedule at least 10 days in advance. This mutual expectation leads to stability and trust.

Technology means you can create schedules that the employees have a say in. Allow them to provide their availability and trade shifts if necessary. This avoids last-minute call-ins or animosity between you and a busy employee. Give schedules in advance so you know who won’t be able to work, and they can plan their personal lives accordingly.

6. Cross training

What was once a content and hard-working employee can become bored if there isn’t any opportunity for growth. Many of the most motivated employees don’t want to work at your restaurant for the rest of their lives, but give them opportunities for development while working for you. Cross-training opportunities and training programs provide employees with a diverse skillset they can bring to their future careers. Think of it as an apartment with all the amenities, they don’t have to leave if they already have everything they need.

These hard-working employees are also drawn to upward mobility within the workplace. With your staff, stagnation is the enemy. Make leadership roles within the staff. If an employee is exceptional, reward them with more responsibility. This not only puts your restaurant on good shoulders, but it also provides inspiration and competition for your other staff. A clear path to improvement makes employees more likely to stay for the long term.

Remember, a kind word can go a long way. Making room in your restaurant’s culture for praise and recognition can make an unsure or unconfident worker get their footing. It creates the motivation to work harder and do better. With no clue what an employee is doing right, how would they know what to change and keep constant?

Where there are praises, there are also bound to be mistakes. When your team messes up, meet them at their level. Mistakes usually aren’t at the hands of a singular employee, it’s a domino effect. As the boss, it’s your job to address the issue, be kind and forgiving, and ask your staff for ideas on improvement. Once again, they have a perspective you don’t; listen and make your adjustments to what they say.

Running a restaurant is a ton of spinning plates, and you can’t spin them alone. Make your restaurant a place where hard work = getting noticed. Cultivate a culture of constant improvement to attract A players who want the ball and want to keep moving it down the field.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Achieving a Fully Staffed Restaurant appeared first on Pizza Today.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich., Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hungry Howie’s®, the originator of Flavored Crust® Pizza, is kicking off its annual fundraising campaign, Love, Hope & Pizza, dedicated to raising awareness and program funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc® (NBCF).

As part of this year’s campaign, the brand is refreshing its Secret Menu with the addition of a limited-time, large Pink Pizza. Priced at $12, the vibrant new offering will be available starting today through October 27, with 50 percent of sales donated directly to NBCF. The Pink Pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella and edible pink glitter to symbolize hope and solidarity for those impacted by breast cancer and includes complimentary Hungry Howie’s Flavored Crust of choice.

Hungry Howie’s will continue to serve its famous Flavored Crust pizzas in Hungry Howie’s’ pink pizza boxes to highlight the brand’s commitment to increasing awareness of the disease. In addition to the Pink Pizza philanthropic efforts, Hungry Howie’s will also donate a portion of proceeds for all items sold in a pink pizza box sold from September 23 to October 31 to benefit NBCF. Customers may also make an additional contribution to NBCF during checkout by rounding up their bill to the nearest dollar or by making a $1, $5, or $10 donation.

“We’re honored to continue our partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation through our Love, Hope & Pizza campaign. Since 2009, this partnership has remained a cornerstone of Hungry Howie’s philanthropic efforts, spotlighting the importance of raising funds for key research needed to continue the fight against breast cancer,” said Steve Jackson, CEO of Hungry Howie’s. “This year, we’re taking it a step further by refreshing our Secret Menu with the Pink Pizza, giving our customers a new way to show their support for the cause.”

From September 23 to October 27, Hungry Howie’s is also offering customers one complimentary order of Howie Bread for online orders of $25 or more.

As part of the national initiative to unite communities across the U.S. to end breast cancer, Love, Hope & Pizza has raised over $5 million in proceeds benefiting the foundation’s life-saving initiatives since launching in 2009.

For more information about Hungry Howie’s, please visit www.HungryHowies.com. For additional information on NBCF, please visit www.nbcf.org.

About Hungry Howie’s

Known for inventing Flavored Crust® pizza, Hungry Howie’s has been around for more than 50 years and provides customers of all ages with high-quality products at a great value. Currently, the brand has over 517 stores in 21 states across the United States and their customers are big fans of flavor. The menu aims to satisfy all – with dough made fresh daily in-house at all locations, offering original round, deep dish, thin crust, and gluten-free options, coupled with the array of options for just crust, including 8 free Flavored Crust® options – Butter, Asiago Cheese, Cajun, Butter Cheese, Sesame, Garlic Herb, Ranch, and Italian Herb. No one can live on pizza alone, so Hungry Howie’s offers a great selection of calzone-style oven-baked subs, Howie Bread®, fresh salads, Howie Wings®, Howie Rolls®, desserts & Pepsi® products.

The company is also widely known for its annual Love Hope & Pizza campaign, giving back to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for the past 15 years. The campaign marks its commitment to give back to local communities, by educating all around breast cancer awareness. To learn more about Hungry Howie’s and to stay in the know, check out www.hungryhowies.com or stay up to date through Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and Facebook.

About National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc®.
Recognized as one of the leading breast cancer organizations in the world, National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc®. (NBCF) is Helping Women Now® by providing early detection, education, and support services to those affected by breast cancer. A recipient of Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating for 18 years, NBCF provides support through their National Mammography Program, Patient Navigation, breast health education, and patient support programs. For more information, please visit https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/.

The post Hungry Howie’s Brings Back 16th Annual Love, Hope & Pizza Campaign with Pink Pizza to Support the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc® appeared first on Pizza Today.

BRISTOW, Va., Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a signed 3-unit development agreement in Virgina, a key development state. Site selection is currently underway across Bristow, Haymarket, Centreville, and more, with the first location set to open in Q2 2025.

Behind the development agreement is powerhouse entrepreneur Marcel Clarke. He boasts an impressive background with success and proven expertise across multiple industries, from real estate development and commercial cleaning enterprises to stock market and cryptocurrency investments, alongside various other joint ventures, plus executive coaching and mentorship programs. His vast experience and business acumen well-equip him to take on Marco’s franchise opportunity as a multi-unit operator.

Clarke’s journey to entrepreneurship comes from humble beginnings – being schooled in the streets, facing trouble with authorities, watching his father’s successful businesses fold as a result of a misjudged partner, and being forced to near homelessness. However, the disadvantaged pockets of his youth have intricately defined the grit and determination he has today as he’s grown, and continues to build, his business empire.

“Regardless of our origin story, success hinges on courage and consistency – principles I’ve applied to my own journey,” said Clarke. “I aim to use my life as a blueprint to show others just how to transition to entrepreneurship to gain success with authenticity and ease. I’m always looking to grow and build my business platform, but only with opportunities I feel passionate about and see potential in. That’s where Marco’s came into the picture. Not only does my family drive near and far for the product, but with Marco’s business model, there’s a clear path to building a multi-store portfolio. As a generational entrepreneur, this was something that was immensely important to me as I build toward a future.”

As multi-unit franchise development continues to grow, Marco’s leadership prioritizes a development support system, including technology and tools to help identify territories for expansion, plus support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and information related to financing. Nearly half of Marco’s current franchise network is comprised of multi-unit operators.

“We are thrilled to welcome Marcel to our franchise family with this 3-store agreement,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “He embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and passion that aligns perfectly with our brand values. We are confident that this partnership will significantly contribute to our continued growth across the state. We look forward to seeing Marcel lead this next wave of development.”

U.S. prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as the Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports the Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated average net royalty sales of AUV $1,208,653 during the 2023 fiscal year*.

FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, reports Marco’s 2023 FUND Score of 895 is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. These impressive rankings are a testament to the brand’s commitment to financing guidance as a core focus of its franchise development strategy which has led the 1,200-unit brand on the path to continued growth.

For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Jamie Cecil at jcecil@marcos.com or 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

*Based on the Average Sales Volume of the top 50% of U.S. Franchised Stores for our fiscal year 2023. Based on our fiscal year 2023, 185 of 447 Franchised Stores in the category (or 41%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of Marco’s Franchising’s 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

The post Marco’s Pizza Announces Signed Agreement Set to Bring 3 New Stores to Virginia appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza Today offers complimentary National Pizza Month graphics to help pizzerias and pizza enthusiasts celebrate

October is National Pizza Month, a monthlong celebration of America’s favorite food. Pizza Today is home to the official National Pizza Month Logo and fun social media graphics available to you for free.

Did you know Pizza Today started National Pizza Month 40 years ago!

Pizza Today’s founder Gerry Durnell created the National Pizza Month observance in 1984 to mark the debut of the first issue of Pizza Today magazine. The U.S. Congress officially designated October as National Pizza Month in 1987.

Pizzerias around the U.S. will celebrate National Pizza Month with deals, promotions, new pizzas and more. How will you celebrate? We’ve made it easy for you to join in on the National Pizza Month fun by downloading, customizing and sharing our official National Pizza Month logo and graphics.

Official National Pizza Month Logo

This is the official logo for National Pizza Month. As you create your own graphics and images to celebrate National Pizza Month, incorporate the official logo. It is available in our National Pizza Month Toolkit.

Get free, downloadable National Pizza Month Graphics

As founder of National Pizza Month, Pizza Today wants to make it easy for you to celebrate pizza month. Our talented design team have put together a dozen graphics for you to use on social media. Below are some of the graphics available. To download these graphics and more including video shorts, go to our National Pizza Month Toolkit where you can download them.

#nationalpizzamonth

Whether you’re on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or others, don’t forget to use the hashtag #nationalpizzamonth. Go further and also add a unique hashtag specific to your brand to track its shares. Don’t forget to tag @pizzatoday so we can follow your NPM campaign.

Want more help with National Pizza Month?

We created the National Pizza Month Toolkit to provide everyone with tools, resources and ideas to promote National Pizza Month. You’ll find the official NPM logo, social graphics, customizable graphics, a customizable press release, a customizable social media calendar, ways to celebrate, pizza fun facts for games, and an opportunity for you to share your National Pizza Month story. Go to the toolkit at PizzaToday.com/NationalPizzaMonth.

Let’s have the biggest pizza month ever!!!

The post Free National Pizza Month Images & Ideas appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizzas from Across the U.S. to Get You Excited for National Pepperoni Pizza Day

National Pepperoni Pizza Day is TODAY, Friday, September 20th. This food holiday honors America’s favorite pizza topping, the pepperoni. It is not only Pizza Today saying, pepperoni is No. 1. Pizzeria operators across the country indicated in our survey for the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report that pepperoni was the No.1 selling pizza topping.

Pepperoni isn’t the only pizza topping to get a special holiday, find out 10 Can’t Miss Pizza Holidays.

What is Pepperoni?

John Gutekanst answered the question (What is Pepperoni?) in Pep Talk. He said, “The history of pepperoni is vague. There is no cured meat called “pepperoni” in Italy. It is thought that the millions of Italian immigrants who landed here created this semi-spicy salami out of new-world ingredients. It could have been modeled on the Salame di Napoli, which is made with garlic, wine and chili. Or perhaps it’s based on the Salsiccia di Calabria, which has fennel, chilies, wine and garlic.

While pepperoni is like a lot of salami, its beauty lies in the depth of flavor released when it is heated. The fat and spice content, along with the small circumference of each slice in modern pepperoni, react to heat unlike any larger salami. Almost all dry-cured, medium-fat salumi like soppressata, lonza, coppa, Calabrese, Prosciutto di Parma and cotechino tend to release more fat and flavor when you lay a thin slice on an oven-warmed pizza, but not under direct heat. Pepperoni’s inherent flavor concentration releases copious amounts of fatty flavor in high temperatures without burning the whole slice. There are some advantages that certain pepperoni types have above the others. Like all foods you buy for your customers, it all depends upon the price you are willing pay for quality.” Read the full article Pep Talk now!

Pepperoni comes in many forms. There are several pepperoni styles that give pizzas a different look from the standard round and cup and char pepperoni to large old world and cubed pepperoni.

8 Pepperoni Pizzas from some of the Hottest Pizzerias in the U.S.

Pizza Today travels America visiting some of best pizzerias in the U.S. The Pepperoni Pizza is often one of the selected pizzas that pizzeria operators like to show off and let us try. Here is a collection Pepperoni Pizzas from our travels to pizzerias in America:

No. 1: Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

No. 2: Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey

No. 3: Metro Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada

No. 4: Via Tribunali, Seattle, Washington

No. 5: Via 313, Austin, Texas

No. 6: Fine Folk Pizza, Fort Myers, Florida

No. 7: Paulie Gee’s, Brooklyn, NY

No. 8: Andolini’s Pizzeria, Tulsa, Oklahoma

More Pepperoni Celebration on Pizza Today Instagram and Facebook

We aren’t done celebrating National Pepperoni Pizza Day. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The post TODAY is National Pepperoni Pizza Day — September 20 appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza is the most popular food in the world, and hundreds of millions of pizzas are consumed in the US every year. There is no shortage of great pizza restaurants, but they need support to stay competitive and improve their business. Baker’s Quality® offers business solutions through its products and support.

Crusts Made for Your Business

Introducing premade and parbaked pizza crusts into your business offers several benefits. First and foremost is time savings. These crusts significantly reduce the prep time required to make a pizza, often involving minimal proofing or thawing. This efficiency allows smaller operations to produce larger quantities, easing employee workload.

Premade pizza crusts also help save money in various ways. Bulk purchasing options lower ingredient costs, and the longer shelf life of these crusts reduces purchasing frequency. Additionally, the minimal preparation and easy management translate to lower wage costs in areas like training, expertise, and hours.

Beyond operational advantages, premade crusts are available in several varieties. One of the industries most popular crusts at the moment is the tavern crust because of it’s versatility in recipes and it’s texture and flavor. While crispy crusts like tavern crusts are in right now, self-rising, raised edge, flatbread, and thick crusts are still popular options with customers and businesses.

While some may doubt the quality of premade pizza crusts, they are crafted with high-quality ingredients to ensure excellent results for restaurants.

Dough for Any Product

Premade dough balls offer many of the same benefits as premade crusts but with greater versatility. They provide significant time savings and lower production costs for a restaurant while also allowing for a wider range of menu items beyond just pizza.

Areas of a menu that can be enhanced with dough balls include:

• Appetizers
• Sides
• Main courses
• Desserts

Although premade dough balls require slightly more prep time than premade pizza crusts, they still save considerable time compared to making dough from scratch. Additionally, premade dough producers supply optimal instructions to help you create the best products for your customers.

Bread Made Easy

Restaurants can utilize various styles of premade bread, with sandwich bread being one of the primary options. Premade sandwich bread, though simple in concept, offers versatility in preparation. Typically available in sheets or flats, these bread pieces can be baked to achieve either a crispy and flaky texture or a softer, pita-like consistency. This flexibility allows restaurants to create unique sandwiches tailored to their specific style. Additionally, the bread can be cut into different sizes, which is suitable for sub-like sandwiches or small slider sandwiches.

One of the main benefits of using premade sandwich flats is their convenience. They come in large quantities and take up minimal space in a kitchen, making them ideal for smaller establishments with limited storage capacity. For larger kitchens, having a substantial stock of sandwich flats on hand reduces the need for frequent orders, saving on costs.

Another popular form of premade bread is breadsticks. These are a crowd favorite and a perfect addition to any restaurant menu. However, they are often underutilized in terms of creativity. Premade breadsticks come in sheets of precut dough, allowing restaurants to add a variety of toppings beyond just cheese. This flexibility enables the creation of unique and appealing breadstick options, much like creating different flavor combinations for pizzas.

All Around Savings

Introducing one or all of these types of premade products can significantly improve the efficiency of a kitchen and enhance a business’s offerings. These products can speed up the preparation time for menu items, reducing stress on employees and lowering operational costs. With premade items, you benefit from a longer shelf life, allowing restaurants to order less frequently and take advantage of bulk purchasing options. Beyond the operational advantages, these products also foster creativity, enabling restaurants to focus on what truly matters: the food.

Find Your Next Pizza Crust Partner

Discover the tradition of excellence that defines Baker’s Quality®. Quality has been baked into our name since 1997, and our dedication to superior customer experience starts with providing small-batch, custom pizza crusts supported by outstanding customer service. We only use the finest, freshest ingredients in our products, ensuring superior taste and quality with every bite. Join us in creating food to be proud of.

The post Pizza Dough and Crusts Made for Business Success appeared first on Pizza Today.

About Via 313

About Savory Fund

The post Via 313 Pizza Debuts Third H-Town Location in Houston Heights appeared first on Pizza Today.

TOLEDO, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces the launch of its new Triple Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza. The limited-time menu item features three types of pepperoni – America’s favorite pizza topping – offering a pepperoni pizza experience like no other just in time for National Pepperoni Pizza Day on Sept. 20. Starting at $11.99*, pepperoni fanatics can experience the delicious, bold flavor of this one-of-a-kind pizza at participating Marco’s locations.

Building off Marco’s hallmark Pepperoni Magnifico® pizza, the Triple Pepperoni Magnifico features the addition of an all-new delectably bold shredded pepperoni – along with Marco’s signature crispy, cupped Old World Pepperoni® and classic pepperoni, making Marco’s the only national pizza brand to combine these three ingredients for a flavor-packed pizza.

This mouthwatering pepperoni trio sits atop a bed of Marco’s dough made in-store daily, original sauce, and three fresh signature cheeses. Marco’s Triple Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza is then finished the Magnifico way with a garlic-sauced crust and Romesan sprinkle all over to craft a premium pizza experience for pepperoni fans.

“At Marco’s Pizza, we are all-in on big, bold flavor – and our new Triple Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza delivers triple the flavor with our unique pepperoni trio featuring this bold new shredded pepperoni. We are excited to offer this beloved pizza topping in its bolder, crispier form to deliver an innovative twist on the fan-favorite Pepperoni Magnifico,” said Chief Marketing Officer Denise Lauer of Marco’s Franchising, LLC. “Pepperoni fanatics looking to elevate their pizza routine will love the bold taste and crispy texture of shredded pepperoni on our new Triple Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza.”

For more information about this offer and Marco’s Pizza, and to find your nearest location, please visit www.marcos.com or download our mobile app available on the App Store or Google Play.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

*Use code TRIPLEPEP. Valid on Large Triple Pepperoni Magnifico only for a limited time. Price and participation may vary. California prices higher and use code TRIPLEPEPCA. No substitutions. Additional toppings extra. Not valid on catering orders, with other offers or discounts, or through 3rd-party delivery apps. Delivery fee/tax extra (varies by store). Delivery orders must meet stated minimum. Other restrictions may apply – see store or marcos.com for details.

The post Marco’s Pizza® Unveils Its New Triple Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza, Celebrating Pepperoni Flavor and Fandom Ahead of National Pepperoni Pizza Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pulp Fig-tion Pizza from GFL Pizza, Loveland, Colorado is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to GFL Pizza, Loveland, Colorado and its Pulp Fig-tion Pizza. This pizza is hitting those creamy, sweet, savory and hot notes with three cheeses, bacon, fig jam and Calabrian chilies. But this pie goes a step further and adds pistachios. That finishing of lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil is the chef’s kiss on this one.

We reached out to GFL Pizza for the skinny on this pizza and the mobile pizzeria. Chef Owner Guy Luna @the_dough_jedi had this to say about the business: “A little about me: I was born and raised in NJ. I moved to Colorado 9 years ago. I’ve been making pizzas professionally for a year and four months. I entered the Traditional category for the International Pizza Challenge at the International Pizza Expo and placed 25th out of 100. We celebrated 1 year of being in business May 20th.”

Now on to the pizza…

Pizza Name: Pulp Fig-tion

What’s on the pizza? 

GL: The pizza in the photo is called Pulp Fig-tion. It is topped with Grande Fumella smoked mozzarella, Grande whole milk mozzarella, Grande Ricotta cheese, Hormel bacon, Calabrian chilies, fig jam, pistachios, then finished with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest.

How’d you come up with it?

GL: The inspiration for the pizza stems from when I was a child. We had cherry and fig trees in our yard and every year we would make fig jam and it was my favorite. Harvest or autumn was/is my favorite time of year. This pizza gives you a savory/sweet/spicy heartiness that is perfect for incoming colder weather.

Why is it special/geek out on it: 

GL: First, I lay down a blend of smoked and whole milk mozzarella. Next I take a good amount of bacon and spread it around. After that I add ricotta dollops followed by Calabrian chiles. Then I take spoonful of fig jam and place them in between the ricotta dollops. Finally, I sprinkle some pistachios on and then brush the crust with olive oil. It’s baked at 550F for around 10-12 minutes. After it comes out it is rested, cut, and then finished with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest.

What’s been the customer response? 

GL: The customer response has been incredible! Some people didn’t know pizza like this existed.

Learn more about GFL Pizza on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gfl_pizza/.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

Past Pizza of the Week Features:

Spicy Italian Delight Pizza, Pizza One, Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey
Photo Courtesy of Pizza One

Birria Pizza, Pizza Buzz, Fort Worth, Texas
Photo Courtesy of Pizza Buzz

Summertime Gladness, Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon
Photo Courtesy of Boxcar Pizza

Southern Style Tomato Pie, East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Photo by Andrew Marcus.

The Smokehouse Pizza, Arizona-based Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew House
Photo courtesy of Craft 64.

Korean Corn Cheese Pizza, Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria in Provo, Utah. Photo courtesy of Fat Daddy’s Pizzeria

Root Veggie, Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Muskegon, Michigan. Photo courtesy of the Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza Team.

The 522, Omaha, Nebraska-based Izzy’s Pizza
Photo Courtesy of Izzy’s Pizza.

The post Pizza of the Week: GFL Pizza, Loveland, Colorado appeared first on Pizza Today.

Now is the perfect time to launch those autumn pizza menus. Pizza chains Domino’s, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Peter Piper Pizza recently released their fall menus specials and deals. Here’s what we see looking at the three pizza companies’ new fall menus.

Buffalo Chicken is red hot on fall menus

Domino’s, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Peter Piper Pizza all bring their version of Buffalo chicken on the menu.

Domino’s rolls out a Spicy Buffalo 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese with a drizzle of hot Buffalo sauce beginning on September 23.

One of the five new limited time items that Grimaldi’s Pizzeria launched September 10 is a Buffalo Chicken Pizza. It features Fire-braised chicken breast, Sweet Baby Ray’s^® Hot Sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola crumbles and celery.

Peter Piper Pizza rolled out its limited-time Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pizza on September 9. It’s a white pizza with chicken, red onion, crushed red pepper flakes and Buffalo ranch sauce on a cheddar cheese crust, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The pizza company also suggests adding side of its Jalapeno Ranch Dressing.

Cozy comfort food dominates fall menus

As weather turns cool, people look to sweaters, hoodies, blankets and comfort foods. Domino’s has answered that demand with a new menu item that will warm up customers this fall.

Mac & Cheese is an American favorite and a go-to comfort. In a release, Kate Trumbull, Domino’s senior vice president – chief brand officer said, “There is nothing like the comfort of Domino’s Mac & Cheese on a crisp fall day, so grab a cozy blanket, curl up, and savor every warm bite of cheesy deliciousness.”

LTOs satisfy the customer’s sweet tooth

Halloween kicks off a holiday season filled with sweet treats. Pizza companies are leaning in on its dessert and sweet offerings this fall.

Peter Piper Pizza rolled out a bit of nostalgia with it limited-time Fruit Loops ICEE. In a release, Peter Piper Pizza Chief Marketing Officer said, “Heading into the fall and the holiday season, guests are looking for value, so we wanted to offer great deals alongside crave-worthy food. Our goal is to create an experience that brings families together for fun and great meals.” This one is bringing back childhood memories in every sip.

There are fall flavors that often radiate across the country. Caramel apple and pumpkin are two of them. What better way for a pizzeria to incorporate those flavors than cheesecake? Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has included a Pumpkin Cheesecake and a Caramel Apple Cheesecake on its Fall Favorites menu. The Pumpkin Cheesecake has a cinnamon sugar cookie crust and is topped with whipped cream and garnished with caramel sauce. The caramel and diced green apple cheesecake also features a cinnamon sugar cookie crust and is garnished with caramel and whipped cream.

Fall menus put an emphasis on deals

As we get closer to the holiday season, customers are looking for savings. Pizza chains are answering that call with family packages and deals.

With Domino’s new Mac and Cheese offering, the pizza company has launched a few incentives to try the new dishes:

• Mix & Match Deal: order any two or more menu items (including Mac & Cheese) for $6.99 each.
• Domino’s Rewards members may redeem 60 points for a free order of Mac & Cheese.

Peter Piper Pizza has created an extensive promotions program this fall, including Peter a new $10 coupon book, which offers $50 in savings on food, drinks and games with buy one, get one free all-you-can-eat lunch buffet; free order of breadsticks, free 32-ounce fountain drink, half off 60 minutes of game play with the purchase of 60 minutes and more. Additionally, Peter Piper Pizza is re-introducing its popular “throwback” pricing where guests can enjoy two large 1-topping pizzas for $19.99 with the purchase of any gameplay package.

Need Fall Menu Ideas

Browse through Menu Development and Recipes for fall menu ideas and pairings.

Let us know what’s on your limited-time fall menu. Tag Pizza Today on social.

The post Pizza Chains Domino’s, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Peter Piper Pizza launch new Fall Menus appeared first on Pizza Today.

Spicy Italian Delight Pizza from Pizza One, Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Pizza One with three locations in Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey and its Spicy Italian Delight Pizza. We love this pizza. The chicken cutlets and peppers with that mozzarella, it’s the right combination of ingredients.

Pizza One is known for bringing delicious specials to its menus at each location. The pizza company will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. We reached out to the pizzeria on Instagram to get more info on this outstanding pie.

Pizza Name: Spicy Italian Delight

What’s on the pizza? 

Savor the flavor of a crispy chicken cutlet topped with hearty tomato sauce, zesty long Italian hot peppers, fragrant Calabrian oregano, premium Corto extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkling of savory Pecorino Romano cheese.

Who created the pizza?

Created by Dante Ismail, follow his culinary adventures on Instagram @dante881979. Inspired by his go-to sandwich ingredients, this creation has been a hit with customers who can’t get enough!

Learn more about Pizza One and follow on Instagram.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Pizza One, Wayne, Haskell and Sparta, New Jersey appeared first on Pizza Today.

DETROIT, Sept. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Little Caesars, the third largest pizza chain in the world, celebrates its 65th anniversary with another successful development period, signing numerous new multi-unit development agreements to expand its footprint across the U.S. Spearheaded by talented groups of restaurant operators, these agreements will translate into more than 23 new restaurants opening in markets with a need and demand for delicious and affordable menu items like those of Little Caesars. New locations will open in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Charlotte, Albuquerque, Brooklyn, Baltimore and Greenville. Additionally, Little Caesars hosted several grand openings over the past few months, including three new restaurants in New York City.

“Over the past few years, we’ve taken steps to continue to meet the demands and preferences of franchisees and guests alike. As we celebrate our 65^th anniversary, we’re thrilled to see our franchisees’ hard work come to fruition and encouraged by the significant strides we’ve made so far this year as a brand,” said Patrick Cunningham, Vice President of U.S. Development at Little Caesars. “With several new deals and grand openings on the way, we’re excited about the future of Little Caesars and look forward to giving guests more opportunities to enjoy their favorite menu items nationwide.”

Little Caesars expansion efforts in the Northeast are strengthened by the recent commitment made by restaurateurs Suhel Ahmed and Saurabh Desai, who plan to open 10 new locations throughout New York City by 2026. The duo boasts more than 40 combined years of experience in the restaurant space and have a keen eye for identifying opportunities. Equally as passionate about the QSR and pizza industry is Kiren Patel, who, together with his team at Sagacity Ventures, acquired more than 30 Little Caesars restaurants across the Northeast and committed to opening additional locations in the Baltimore market. The franchise group’s goal is to expand to 50 Little Caesars across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Maryland.

“Pizza is a staple in America, and the quality that Little Caesars delivers when it comes to freshness, value and convenience is unmatched. We’re looking forward to meeting our guests demands by making these high-quality offerings accessible in new communities,” said Kiren Patel, Little Caesars franchisee. “Little Caesars efficient operations and model makes it stand out against other brands. Between its processes, innovative menu items, and technologies, the support and resources Little Caesars provides its franchisees made it an easy decision for us to become franchisees.”

In 2024, Little Caesars accelerated non-traditional unit expansion to meet the demand for flexible options in competitive markets and the growing preference for convenient dining. Little Caesars is committed to bringing the brand to consumers across a variety of non-traditional locations, including university towns and college campuses, casinos, amusement parks, hospitals, zoos and airports. With Little Caesars famous Hot-N-Ready menu items, including its recent launch of Crazy Puffs™, the brand is fully equipped to provide the types of delicious meals that travelers, students and fans crave at these high foot-traffic hubs.

Little Caesars is actively seeking qualified multi-unit franchise operators to join its team across the U.S., including in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, New Orleans, and North and South Carolina. For more information, interested candidates can visit franchise.littlecaesars.com.

About Little Caesars®

Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it is the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with restaurants in each of the 50 U.S. states and 28 countries and territories.

Known for its HOT-N-READY® pizza and famed Crazy Bread®, Little Caesars uses quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes. The brand is known for innovation and is home of the exclusive Pizza Portal® pickup, a heated, self-service mobile order pickup station. Little Caesars is also the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League.

An exceptionally high-growth company with over 60 years of experience in the $145 billion worldwide pizza industry, Little Caesars is continually looking for franchisee candidates to join the team in markets around the world. In addition to providing the opportunity for entrepreneurial independence in a franchise system, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar. Little Caesars is proud to be part of the Ilitch Companies family of businesses.

The post Little Caesars Surges Forward in 2024 with Explosive Franchise Growth and Expansion appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Q&A with Michael Hanna, chef/owner, St. Vito Focacceria in Nashville, Tennessee

Concept:

St. Vito is a Sicilian pizza concept that pays homage to “Sfincione” style pizza out of Palermo, Sicily. Alongside pizza, St. Vito offers an ever-changing seasonal menu of Sicilian and Italian-American-inspired plates.

Pizza Style & Dough:

The pizza is cooked in 10x14x2 steel Lloyd pans, naturally leavened and cold fermented for up to three days. The dough is always 100-percent hydrated and we never use commercial yeasts. All pizzas are par-baked without any toppings and later reheated through and dressed. One whole pizza is six slices and we sell by the slice and whole. Every pizza is studded with fontina cheese and topped with Pecorino and bread as an homage to the original style found throughout Sicily.

What is the key to a perfect SFINCIONE?

The key to a perfect sfincione, in regards to how we make it, is a crunchy bottom, soft and airy wide crumb, gooey fontina cheese bite, and fresh toppings. When the dough is perfectly stretched and fermented the result is heaven-like.

With so many competing restaurant options in downtown Nashville, what is the best way you’ve been able to reach the market?

Just make really good consistent food. It all speaks for itself; word of mouth is the best marketing.

What made it possible for you to go from a pop-up to a brick-and-mortar location?

Preparation and failure, I was always ready for a meeting with potential inventors. I went through multiple different suitors before landing on the partner that I felt comfortable doing business with. I also have to give some credit to my kids or kids at the time. Before my daughter came along I didn’t have much patience or much long-term planning ability. I realized soon after experiencing fatherhood that time was a bit of a marathon and to slow down, and stop being so reactive. The food was good and different considering the market I was attempting to start the business in so I had time to figure it out.

What’s next?

Keep trucking along and make St. Vito the best it can be. We have a lot of potential and we are a very different style of restaurant compared to others. We only seat 43 people and have a very small staff. Our pizza is sort of an educational experience for some residents in our city so I feel it’s our job to be as consistent and persistent as possible for our customers.

The post Conversation: Michael Hanna, St. Vito Focacceria | Nashville, Tennessee appeared first on Pizza Today.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 9, 2024 – Shrinkflation seems to be everywhere these days, but not at Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ). The largest pizza company in the world is taking a stand against shrinkflation by giving customers more food for the same price. Introducing MOREflation: when online customers mix and match any two or more medium two-topping pizzas from Domino’s for $6.99 each, they can upgrade one of their pizzas to a large for free from Sept. 9-29.

“As a response to high inflation, many companies are shrinking products to avoid raising prices,” said Joe Jordan, Domino’s president of U.S. and global services. “We understand that consumers are looking for great-tasting, affordable meal options. That’s why we’ve taken our biggest and best offer – our mix and match deal – and made it even better by giving customers more pizza for the same price.”

Consumers want to get the most out of their hard-earned money and Domino’s MOREflation deal is yet another way the brand is delivering renowned value, when it matters most.

“We’ve always been dedicated to providing delicious food at a great price to customers,” Jordan continued. “From our enhanced loyalty program, Domino’s Rewards, which makes it even easier for members to earn free items more often, to launching our Carryout Tips and Emergency Pizza programs – we’re constantly looking at innovative ways we can provide value.”

Customers can choose from Hand Tossed, Thin Crust or New York Style Crust for their upgraded large pizza, allowing them to customize their pizza, just the way they like it.

To take advantage of the deal, customers should visit dominos.com or use Domino’s app, select the MOREflation offer, and place their order. Get MOREflation, not shrinkflation – only at Domino’s.

About Domino’s Pizza^®

Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza is the largest pizza company in the world, with a significant business in both delivery and carryout pizza. It ranks among the world’s top public restaurant brands with a global enterprise of more than 20,900 stores in over 90 markets. Domino’s had global retail sales of over $18.7 billion for the trailing four quarters ended June 16, 2024. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for 99% of Domino’s stores as of the end of the second quarter of 2024. In the U.S., Domino’s generated more than 85% of U.S. retail sales in 2023 via digital channels and has developed several innovative ordering platforms including seven unique ways to order Domino’s.

Order – dominos.com

Company Info – biz.dominos.com

Media Assets – media.dominos.com

The post Domino’s is Saying No to Shrinkflation by Launching MOREflation appeared first on Pizza Today.

Photo courtesy of &PIZZA

“Removing the Farmer’s Daughter was the ultimate FAFO experience,” said Mike Burns, CEO of &pizza. “One of the most popular pies &pizza ever introduced, it was a masterpiece, nothing short of culinary lore. It showcased that we weren’t afraid to push the boundaries when it came to toppings such as cracking an egg on a pizza, and ticked off a lot of our customers when we pulled it. I wish we had a good answer as to why, but we won’t try to spin it or sugar coat it – we F-ed up!”

The post E-I-E-I-OH S#!T – &PIZZA Brings Legendary Pie Out of Retirement appeared first on Pizza Today.

For the 13^th consecutive year, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is proud to announce its continued partnership with No Kid Hungry®. Since 2012, Grimaldi’s annual campaigns have raised over $1 million, which can help provide 10 million meals* to kids.

Throughout the month of September, guests who donate to No Kid Hungry at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria’s restaurants across the country will receive a bounce back card that can be redeemed on their next visit. The bounce back cards will be gifted in increments of $5 up to a total of $25 per visit. Donations must be made in the restaurant to be eligible to receive the bounce back card. For every dollar donated, No Kid Hungry can provide up to 10 meals for hungry children across the country.

“Childhood hunger is a growing crisis impacting communities throughout the U.S.. We are proud to continue our partnership with No Kid Hungry in the fight to ensure every child has the food they need to thrive,” said Michael Flaum, COO of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. “Over the past 13 years we have deepened our commitment to supporting each community where we have locations, and we are forever thankful to No Kid Hungry and our guests for being such tremendous partners in this endeavor.”

Guests who prefer to enjoy the Grimaldi’s experience in the comfort of their own home can place orders for carry-out or delivery from the Grimaldi’s website or delivery orders via DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Rewards members will earn points with every order, including via dine-in, phone, mobile app and the Grimaldi’s website. Donations are not eligible to earn rewards points. Find your neighborhood Grimaldi’s location here.

*$1 can provide up to 10 meals. Donations help support programs that feed kids; No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar.

About Grimaldi’s Pizzeria:

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria serves traditional coal brick-oven pizza using pizza-making traditions originating in Brooklyn over 100 years ago.  Using only the freshest ingredients, pizzas are prepared in the brand’s signature coal fired brick-ovens, which deliver an authentic taste that cannot be achieved with gas, convection, or wood burning ovens. Its family-friendly, casual yet upscale New York-themed restaurants have become a favorite destination in every community in which they serve. It is Grimaldi’s passion for pizza that has made it a “must eat” for pizza lovers everywhere.

For more information on Grimaldi’s Pizzeria “Like” Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on Facebook here, follow Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on Instagram here and follow Grimaldi’s Pizzeria on TikTok here .

About No Kid Hungry:

No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.

The post Grimaldi’s to Partner with No Kid Hungry for 13th Annual Campaign appeared first on Pizza Today.

Celebrate National Cheese Pizza Day September 5

National Cheese Pizza Day on September 5 calls to attention the quintessential holy trinity of pizza, the cheese pizza. It is the classic combination of cheese, red pizza sauce and crust. A cheese slice is what we use to measure pizzas from different pizzerias. It’s the basis to which all other pizzas are judged. The cheese pizza is a staple deserving of its own holiday. Pizzerias around the country demonstrate just how innovative and creative a cheese pizza can be on National Cheese Pizza Day.

People love cheese pizza so much that Extra Cheese is a Top 5 Pizza Topping. See what other toppings round out the Top 5 and even Top 10. 

Let’s crush on delicious cheese pizzas from pizzerias in the U.S.

Here are just a sampling of cheese pizzas that we, at Pizza Today, have had the amazing opportunity to try in America:

Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, New York

Williamsburg Pizza, Brooklyn, New York. Photo by Josh Keown

Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut. Photo by Josh Keown

Scottie’s Pizza Parlor, Portland, Oregon

Scottie’s Pizza Parlor, Portland, Oregon. Photo by Josh Keown

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Dallas, Texas

Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Dallas, Texas. Photo by Josh Keown

Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey

Razza, Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo by Josh Keown

Scarr’s Pizza, New York, New York

Scarr’s Pizza, New York, New York. Photo by Josh Keown

Pizza Jerk, Portland, Oregon

Pizza Jerk, Portland, Oregon. Photo by Josh Keown

Cheese Pizza Recipes to Honor National Cheese Pizza Day

Pizza Today has thousands of recipes in our online recipe collect. We’ve scoured the collection to bring you the best cheese pizza recipe for you to try.

First up is a cheese Grandma Pie. There is something about the Grandma pizza style that draws attention to that glorious whole-milk mozzarella. Here is a grandma pie recipe by World Pizza Champion and Pizza Restaurateur Tony Gemignani. Go to the recipe below.

Grandma Pie Recipe

Next, John Gutekanst wanted to great an elevated spin on a traditional cheese pizza. The Royale with Cheese uses a cheese blend of Feta, Asiago, Parmigiano, Gorgonzola and Provolone. Go to the recipe below.

Royale with Cheese Pizza Recipe

One of the best cheese pizzas we ever made in the Pizza Today Test Kitchen was an Upside Down Sicilian Pizza. This pizza changes up the placement of the mozzarella to be applied first then the sauce. This pizza was also created by the goat of the pizza industry Tony Geminani. It is dynamite. Get the recipe below.

Upside Down Pizza Recipe

Here are a few other spins on cheese pizza to give a try. (Don’t hate on the beer cheese and nacho cheese!)

Four-Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza

Beer Cheese Pizza

Nacho Cheese Pizza

The Best Cheese Pizza in the World

Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice Division at International Pizza Challenge 2024.

We felt so strongly about the role of the cheese pizza that we debuted a Division for The World’s Best Cheese Slice in the International Pizza Challenge at the 2024 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

The Cheese Slice competition has strict criteria. In IPC’s newest division, competitors provided the dough, traditional red tomato sauce (only), cheese/cheese blend and spices. NO par-baking. Once the pizza enters the oven ONLY a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (infused or not), grated cheese & dry spices after baking are acceptable; NO other drizzles, toppings, cheeses, or work on the pizza is allowed once the pizza enters the oven. This division is open to all crust styles.

Find more International Pizza Challenge 2024 winners.

Share Your National Cheese Pizza Day With Us

We want to see what you are doing for National Cheese Pizza Day. Tag Pizza Today on your favorite social media channels!

The post September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

The post Rosati’s Pizza Celebrates 60th Anniversary with a Nationwide Classic Car Giveaway appeared first on Pizza Today.

Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Enzo’s Pizza Co, Johnson City, NY; Slice and Pie, Washington, DC; Penelope, Tucson, AZ

This month we look at hot pizza places in New York, Washington, DC and Arizona. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at dgreer@pizzatoday.com.

Enzo’s Pizza Co., Johnson City, New York

Enzo’s is a boutique style pizza shop that strictly serves pizza. Dough is made using a 100+ year family recipe and sauces daily in house. Enzo’s Pizza Co. opened in May. The concept is owned by United States Marine Veteran Nick Buono; Olivia Di Rienzo, youngest owner at 19 and graduate of the Boces Culinary program; and  first generation Italian businessman Justin Stenta. “All three of our family’s parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles are all from Italy and came to the USA for a better life, for the American dream,” says Stenta. “Our pizzeria is located in Johnson City, NY which is part of Binghamton, NY (central, upstate NY) –— full of history and a beautiful area. We currently offer four styles of pizza. We have a personal pan pizza, 15-inch round pan pizza, 16-inch hand tossed stone cooked pizza and a 12 x 12 square pan pizza Sicilian style.  We also make Enzo poppers, aka garlic knots, stuffed cheese breads and pinwheels. We offer a specialty pizza each week that the community always looks forward to! We are sticking true to our Italian roots, that if it can be made with dough, we can make it. Our most ordered pizza is the Killer Bees. It can be made on any style, most popular on the 12 x 12 square Sicilian pan pizza.” 

Slice & Pie, Washington, DC

The pizzeria was recently named 50 Top Pizza Slice USA, among other national and regional recognitions. Slice & Pie is known for its New York-style and Detroit-style whole pies and by the slice by pizzaiolo master Giulio Adriano. The menu also highlights a Sicilian style Upside Down Pizza. The menu is straight forward offering a few specialties to accompany the pizza menu. Pizzas include the Burrata Pie with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh burrata, basil, Parmesan and olive oil. There is also the Spicy Supreme Pie with Parmesan cream, mozzarella, mushroom, garlic, truffle oil and parsley. Slice & Pie also offers gluten free options.

Penelope Pizza, Tucson, Arizona

The wood-fired pizzeria is garnering a lot of attention locally and national, including the 50 Top USA list. Penelope has moved into a new location to expand its culinary offerings like house-made pasta and more unique pizzas, a bar program and events. A product of the Covid-19 pandemic, the concept has grown from pop-up pizza kits to food truck before opening the restaurant. Fan favorites include Spicy Jim with 50/50 base, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, oregano, chili flakes, Parmesan, basil and a Buffalo ranch drizzle. Another favorite is the Pammy with Calabrian pesto oil, smoke cheese blend, marinated cherry tomatoes, chives and balsamic glaze drizzle.

Check out more Pizza Destinations in People & Pizzerias.

The post Pizza Destinations: Enzo’s Pizza Co, Johnson City, NY; Slice and Pie, Washington, DC; Penelope, Tucson, AZ appeared first on Pizza Today.

September is one of my favorite months of the year. For starters, I was born in September. But there has always been something about the month where summer and autumn collide that I enjoy. From plucking fresh apples to football to playoff baseball to back to school, September just has a lot to offer.

That’s why I wrote the article on using apples in your pizzeria kitchen. A wistful nostalgia invades my brain when I think of September in my youth. One memory I hold dear is of an apple tree behind my grandparents’ house. Each fall I’d pick those small, firm and deliciously juicy apples and listen to the crunch as I bit into them. I can still smell them. I can still see the white inner flesh and taste the somewhat bitter skin. I’d pull them from the tree and bite into them immediately, feeling the warmth of the sun on them as the fruit touched my lips.

Those simple days shaped me, and I find myself yearning for them.

Jeremy White, Editor in Chief, Pizza Today Magazine

As wholesome and American as apple pie seems to be, that’s but one way to make use of the fruit in a professional kitchen. We all love a good apple fritter, after all, and I’m a sucker for apple butter. But in your pizzeria, one of the best ways to utilize the item is with a dessert pizza. I still remember an apple pie pizza I had in Ohio 20 years ago. The apples were shaved thinly and cooked with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar — with a hint of bourbon. The resulting sauce, along with cream, was used as the base and topped with the cooked apples. Crunchy oats and a caramel drizzle finished off the pizza, and my mouth waters thinking about it two decades later. I’ve tried my best to recreate it with the recipe offered in the article. Give it a try in your kitchen. Tweak it to your likes and run it as a weekly special later this month and let me know how it goes!

NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH: Before I let you go, dear reader, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that next month is National Pizza Month. We have a detailed NPM playbook that you want to bookmark and refer to often as you plan how you’ll celebrate the month in your pizzeria. This is an opportunity to get a jumpstart

Best,

Jeremy White

Editor In Chief

jwhite@pizzatoday.com

The post Commentary: An Apple a Day… appeared first on Pizza Today.

Explore children’s restaurant menu ideas

Let’s be honest, if you have kids under the age of 5 years old, the most important thing when dining out is how quickly the first plate of food can hit the table. Yes, many restaurants hand out crayons and coloring paper. Yes, my Little Slices sit and draw pictures like calm young men…for about two minutes before they start making laps around the other tables and are wrestling on the floor.

Do I love eating good food and trying new places? It’s one of my favorite things to do. However, I’ve realized that being a parent is about finding balance in almost everything we do — and that includes compromising on where we eat. That’s why finding a place where everyone is happy and actually eats the food on their plate is so essential. While having a kids menu isn’t required, it can definitely help sway a family’s decision to eat at a restaurant. Especially if it’s a good one. 

In an era where many restaurants are putting a lot of thought into where their ingredients come from and how they are grown and processed, it’s no wonder that kids menus are also becoming more and more elevated.

Chefs seems to go about creating a kids’ menu one of two ways. They either get the memo that kids like good food too, and pick a few items that are central to their standard menu and simplify them. This is about taking what really makes your restaurant shine, and making a kid friendly version. Making smaller versions of what you already sell saves you prep time, makes it so you don’t have to order extra ingredients and keeps everyone (hopefully) happy.

The other way, which I’ve realized is also quite common, is to serve very basic, cheap food for the kids portions. Along the lines of box Mac ’n Cheese (and yes, I do give this to my boys but if you’re serving homemade for adults why not just make a smaller portion size for the kids?), frozen hamburgers or chicken nuggets. I’m in the camp where you don’t have to overcomplicate a kids menu as long as what you are serving tastes and feels good.

The Makings of a Great Kids Menu

A few things that make up a great kids’ menu:

• Smaller portions. Half the food usually ends up on the table, floor or finished by the parents.
• Cheaper price. Everyone wants a deal, especially if you have an entourage of little ones following you around.
• Easy and fast to make. The faster the food gets on the table, the less chance of a complete meltdown there is and the happier everyone in the entire restaurant will be.
• Meat and vegetarian options. Not everyone eats pepperoni. Some kids live off it. If you really want to make it special, a vegan option is great too.
• French fries, if you have a fryer. Always French fries. Sadly, we don’t have a deep fryer at my shop and I’m contemplating putting one in just so I can feed my babes fries.
• Dipping sauces. If your kids are anything like mine, they love to dip. Dip and make as big of mess as possible. Please remember to tip your servers.
• Gluten free option. Some kids really are Celiac and it’s really difficult for them not to have something to eat. I wish I had been more conscious of this in the past. My nephew is Celiac and I now realize just how hard it is for him to eat out anywhere or even partake in simple things like eating birthday cake.
• Serve items that reflect your main menu. Don’t buy things that you don’t already serve on your menu. Your customers are coming to you for a reason.
• Simplify. Creating smaller and more basic versions of staple menu items is sometimes all it takes.
• Cater to both picky eaters and more adventurous ones. Even if you only have one item on your kids menu, make it so it can be prepared with a standard option like cheesy bread or an advanced option like garlic and bacon cheesy bread.

It’s safe to say that every kids menu will be different depending on the cuisine you are serving. As with any menu, it’s always fun to get creative, so don’t be afraid to give your kids menu an up level from what it once was. Being in the pizza industry makes creating one pretty easy as pizza is the definition of kid food. It is an easy dish to keep simple or offer more flavorful toppings, and there are many things in a pizzeria that can be made adventurous. Why only serve basic fries when you can also offer an alternative with meatballs and melted mozzarella on top? Instead of a basic grilled cheese with ketchup to dip, make it an Italian grilled cheese on your house focaccia with a side of marinara and ranch. It could be the difference of families picking your place over another for their weekly Friday night pizza.

I recently added what I call “Johnny Rolls” to our menu, which is essentially my take on a Stromboli. It was a natural fit to make a kids size version, a Little Johnny if you will. The great thing about these is that they are super easy to make and can be customized for each kid. If your little one only likes cheese, no problem. Do you have a kid who craves spice and substance? One jalapeño and pepperoni Little Johnny
coming right up.

Whether you are looking to jazz up your kids menu or are starting from scratch, just remember to put things on there that will appeal to most everyone. Well, everyone under the age of 10 at least. There is absolutely nothing wrong with serving up hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries … just make them good. The kids will notice and the adults are the ones wiping the plates clean anyway, so they will definitely notice. If you want to keep it basic, the more adventurous eaters can always order off the main menu. I know my Little Slices usually want what we have anyway.

Whether or not your kids like a lot of flavor or a basic grilled cheese, it’s always nice to have something special just for them. Creating a kids menu with a few solid options can benefit both you and your customers and keep all of those Little Slices coming back for more.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

The post The Kid-friendly Pizzeria: The Makings of a Great Kids Menu appeared first on Pizza Today.

Question from a Pizza Today Reader: How do I fix pizza dough that is too soft?

I received a question recently asking about how to correct dough that is too soft. My first question is: is it too soft on the table in its raw state, or too soft out of the oven? Two very different things and lots of factors to consider.

Pizza Dough that is too soft

For dough that is too soft I would first ask, what is your hydration and flour and what is your process from start to finish, including temps, if you know them? Any time I encounter a problem with my dough, my first reaction is not to blame the ingredients first, but to analyze the process and any circumstances that may stand out.

If my recipe has been tested and I have made it many times before, then I know there’s an error somewhere in the process as opposed to the ingredients. When I opened my restaurant, I started with a planetary mixer and developed my recipe considering this. After a bit, I invested in a spiral mixer and had to completely change my mixing process to accommodate the new piece of equipment. The way I was incorporating the water had to be changed, which greatly affects how the flour absorbs (which changes the final texture and gluten structure). Where my mixer sits in the prep area also played a large factor.

My prep area does not have the greatest ventilation, and the large dish machine is nearby. Knowing the humidity from the dish machine was going to play a factor, I decided to lower the temperature of the water going into the recipe by a few degrees. This small change helped keep the consistency of the dough in place. Bench resting the batch after the mix was another element I added to ensure full absorption and to be certain the temperature was right before cutting and balling.

Addressing Most Common Contributors to Soft Dough

The two most common reasons for too soft of a dough I’ve encountered are rushing the mixing process and not letting the flour hydrate and absorb completely and not mixing thoroughly enough. Not all flour is the same. The types and combinations of wheat going into a bag of flour are going to change from season to season and year to year. Although millers are aiming for the same recipe every time, flours change. I’ve also seen a bag of flour off by close to a pound which can drastically change the final product since all ingredients are based off total flour weight. Considering transportation and handling, this isn’t always one person or one company’s fault. Mistakes happen, and sometimes delivery drivers are just a little too tough on our products.

During the mix, how you add your water is important. For higher hydrations or for a flour that I’ve noticed isn’t absorbing well I would recommend an autolyse. After adding the majority of your water, pause for 20-30 minutes and let the flour fully absorb. Then go back and add the rest of your water and ingredients. You’d be surprised how different your dough will feel after an autolyse. I’ve had to catch myself at the restaurant and also in competition because I was trying to rush the process (whether it’s because I’m pressed for time, or I’m just nervous) — and usually an autolyse fixes that issue.

If my dough was consistently too soft and not absorbing well, I would consider blending a different type of flour. Most pizzerias are using strictly 00 but 00 flour has had as much of the bran and germ removed as possible. The bran not only contains a lot of nutrients, but also absorbs more water. Adding in 5-10 percent of a type 0 or type 1 would be a nice change without feeling like your dough and flavor has changed too drastically. If looking for a bigger changeup I recommend a small percentage of Rye flour.

Rushing the process and not mixing the dough enough can result in the dough being too soft. My mixers have multiple speeds, and if I’m toggling up and down between them I sometimes go too fast. Hence, the gluten hasn’t developed enough before pulling it out of the mixer. If I notice this before scaling out the dough, then a bench rest or bulk ferment will help the gluten develop and ensure the dough remains soft but elastic. If I’ve already balled my dough and when I come back to it hours later or the next day it’s flat instead of raised and airy, then I would re-ball the dough and let it rest again for a few hours before attempting to use it. I’ve had this happen on numerous occasions and it always seems to be when I need the dough the most. Re-balling is one of your best tools that a lot of people forget about. Most dough is not a lost cause, but time is not always on your side.

Lastly, when it comes to the mixing process, how are you measuring your ingredients? If you are not using the same unit of measurement for everything, I can assure you there will be inconsistencies in your final dough. Volume measurements are notoriously inconsistent and switching to weights is the best practice.

If the Finished Pizza Crust is Too Soft

If you find that your dough is too soft coming out of the oven, there are a few things you can do. Lower the temperature of your deck and slow down the cooking process. If using an electric oven, you’ll want to play around with the top and bottom settings as well. The higher the hydration the slower you’ll need to cook it if you are looking for a crunchy base. If your oven has internal vents, check that they are at least halfway open. Some people don’t realize their vents are closed and trapping all the moisture inside.

When taking your pizzas out of the oven, some don’t cut them right away but place them on cooling racks first to let some of the steam dissipate. Using trays with dimples also elevates the pizza so it is not sitting in its juices after it has been cut. Each of these measures can help ensure your dough is not too soft.

Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<

The post How to Correct a Pizza Dough that is Too Soft to Work With appeared first on Pizza Today.

Most Efficient Way to Expand Your Pizza Business

“I’m always thinking one step ahead. Like a carpenter that makes stairs.”
Andy Bernard

We talked about expansion in the last installment. In that spirit I wanted to describe what I do in the “down” time in between expansions. What I have found is that just flipping a switch to start thinking about expansion is a lot more difficult than always planning it. Being well prepared is the first step in taking the next leap in your business. It is also the way to find the best deal and to expand the most efficient way.

I am always on the hunt for the next location or opportunity. I have many methods of looking for the next part of our expansion. First, I like the ways that I can personally search and find deals. I have found restaurants on Craigslist, Facebook, and through listening to what people tell me. Once you have a pizzeria, everyone will tell you about where to put the next one or where there is one for sale. I explore every option — because you never know what the situation is until you lay your own eyes on it. Our 4th location was brought to me and for 6 months I would not go look at it because I did not think it fit our mold. As soon as I walked in, I realized it was perfect. Six years later it is one of our best locations. I have never made the mistake of not at least looking at a potential location again.

When I am scouring Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for new locations, I am also looking for equipment. Big secret to let you in on: the best time to buy equipment is when you don’t need it. It stretches out the investment needed to enter a new location. You also are buying from a place where you can negotiate the best price on equipment because it is not an immediate need. As I have mentioned before I like to buy newly used equipment for everything but refrigeration. We have a space where we keep mixers, ovens, stainless and anything else that may have been a good deal in between buying locations.

The other thing we always work on and plan while we are on the hunt for the next location? We strengthen our current operations and systems. We are consistently updating our training program and our training materials. It is crucial to be always working on any kinks in our systems that may prevent future growth. When we buy new locations no two kitchens are ever the same, so we are always thinking of how to simplify our methods without sacrificing quality. In between opening new stores, we have found if we spend time getting as operationally sound as possible it makes the next location that much easier. We have recently perfected and tested — and now implemented — par baking all of our pan dough.

In the next installment of Building Blocks, we will dig into all the styles of dough we have added to our menu over the years.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Expansion — Always on Your Mind appeared first on Pizza Today.

Which is greater: passion or knowledge?

In a restaurant, upselling is essential to get incremental revenue, but it also enhances the customer experience. Add-ons and upgrades makes the customer experience better and puts extra money in your pocket. The challenge lies in making these upgrades appealing and worth it to your customers. Passion for selling the menu will always supersede knowledge of the menu. Knowing the ingredients inside and out, while important, does not connect on an emotional level. Commonly, sales training is purely about what you sell and what is in it. I’d argue you can get further with a passionate server with nearly no knowledge, over the most knowledgeable server who’s “over it.”

Imagine talking about your favorite band. No one tries to explain how incredible The Rolling Stones or Metallica are by just listing lyrics to Satisfaction or Master of Puppets. There’s no context, no draw. To convey what you dig about them, you have to convey the energy, not the data. The same rules apply to selling menu items. When a bartender lists off the ingredients, tasting notes, lager or ale, they completely miss the mark of creating an experience. That’s because there is a power in passion. It’s deeply contagious. When your staff genuinely loves what they serve, it will resonate.

With a passion for the menu, your servers can better influence the customer. They don’t want to miss out on enjoying that item because your staff enjoys it so much. This inevitably leads to incrementally better revenue and the customer is more stoked to eat something other people enjoy rather than just another basic menu item. Instead of simply saying, “This item comes with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes,” it should be, “This has imported San Marzano tomatoes that I absolutely love, and we get our basil fresh each day. This is the thing I eat every time I finish a shift and I love it.” It’s completely different. By selling with a story and connection, customers have less purchase anxiety and more purchase pride, which is what they came for.

The term “upselling” has a negative connotation. It’s assumed you’re tricking the customer into buying something they don’t want or need. Rather, upselling is a way of helping inform a customer of the ways your restaurant goes above and beyond, ensuring they get the best experience possible. Yes, they’ll pay for the privilege, but it’s a win all around. That’s what happens when upselling is an extension of the conversation, and the only way to get to that extension is through passion.

Even at the bar, instead of giving a monotonous list of the wine and where it comes from, going in-depth about the family that owns the vineyard, what you love to pair this wine with, and why it’s special is going to create a connection. To foster this kind of passion in your staff requires role-playing and it helps to curate base stories you, as the owner, would use to connect with a customer. This way your staff can mimic what you’re passionate about and get a baseline for their own opinions on the menu. Do this and you will create a staff that is more excited to work with their customers, more appreciative of the menu, and darn near zero investment for massive ROI to the bottom line.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Mike’s Monthly Tip: Passion Over Knowledge appeared first on Pizza Today.

Soup and Salad on the Menu: A Soup and Salad Sensation

Variety is the spice of life. While some can eat pizza every day, others need to mix it up. When you look at increasing lunch business and repeat customers, soups and salads can be just the type of attractive menu items to entice diners to choose your restaurant.

Adding soup and salad options also allows you to attract guests seeking something lighter and healthy. Depending on your menu choices, soups and salads can appeal to individuals wanting low-carb, low-sodium, Keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian and other restricted diets.

A great benefit to offering soups and salads is that they can yield higher margins. They also make for great grab-and-go (Be sure to read my grab-and-go story on page 34), catering, carryout or delivery. As you plan those new soup and salads, be sure to factor in single and bulk packaging to make additional revenue for those new items. 

Think combo. Develop soups and salads that pair well with each other. Market the pairing on menus and in promotions. Don’t forget to train your staff to upsell these items together, separately or as part of a complete meal bundle. With our prep ahead meal culture, plant the seed that soup and salad also make a great next-day lunch if they want to go ahead and put in that order.

Building your Soup and Salad Menu

When you build your soup and salad menu, here are a few considerations as you dive in:

• Go with your strengths. If your menu leans heavy to classic Italian dishes, your soups and salads should be too. If outrageous toppings are your thing, the same creativity should apply to a soup and salad menu.
• Look at your pizza makeline. Cross-utilizing ingredients can help with costing out that new menu.
• Run a report of previous soup/salad successes. Look at past menus for stars. You don’t have to bring that exact item back. You can use it to draw inspiration and apply a spin on the hit item.
• What’s local, regional or in season? Look to your own community for inspiration. What do people in your area go crazy for? Are there local businesses you should partner with for ingredients?   

What’s trending with Soups and Salads?

• Beans are all the rage right now. Bean salads and bean soups, consumers are gravitating towards beans for protein and variety.
• International soups and stews. The National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot Culinary Forecast called it as we entered 2024. Soups with an international flare are hitting big with consumers.
• Superfoods are still top of mind. Creating and marketing super food ingredients can pique the interest of curious diners.

Soups and Salad Italian Inspiration

Many pizzeria operators look to Italy for menu inspiration. Soup and salad ideas are abundant. Here are some items to pair:

First, salads:

• Caprese Salad. Classic and simple, plate caprese beautifully and it will be a star.
• Antipasto salad. Take an antipasto platter and create a salad and add Romaine and a nice lemon vinaigrette dressing.
• Panzanella. This Tuscan salad featured Italian bread, chopped vegetables, chickpeas and balsamic style dressing.
• Insalata di carciofi e bottarga. A Sardinia specialty, this salad features bottarga, which is fish roe. An easy substitute here is anchovy filet. It is combined with radicchio, artichoke, salt and lemon juice.

Next, soups:

• Stracciatella. This is an Italian egg drop soup featuring chicken broth, egg, spinach and Parmesan.
• Ribollita. A great winter option, this is a Tuscan white bean soup made with day-old bread, kale, cabbage or other hearty vegetables. 
• Zuppa Toscana. The creamy soup features bacon, Italian sausage, potatoes, crushed red pepper flakes and cream.
• Acquacotta. Another Tuscan soup, this one features cannellini beans, escarole, fennel and day-old bread.

A Great Cold Weather Pairing

Now let’s get down to recipes. I am pairing a Cheddar Broccoli Soup with Cavoletti Salad. It’s a great fall and winter soup and salad combo. The creaminess of soup balances against the tartness of the salad. Combining the two also provides a filling meal.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Get the Cheddar Broccoli Soup recipe.

Cavoletti Salad

Get the Cavoletti Salad recipe. 

DENISE GREER  is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post Build a Soup and Salad Menu to Drive Return Visits appeared first on Pizza Today.

Apples on the Fall Menu: Apple of My Eye

If you read my article in the June issue, then you know about my love affair with peaches. Without question, a ripe summer peach is my favorite fruit — and you can make an absolute banger of a pizza with them!

While pineapple stirs all the tired controversy (yes, they belong on pizza) and gets the attention as the top fruit used in our industry, the humble and delicious apple will do far more than keep the doctor away if you give it a chance. Apples make for a wonderful addition to your fall menu!

Use them in salads, on dessert pizzas or on sandwiches. Apples naturally pair well with pork, so don’t limit yourself to a caramel apple dessert pie (though those are amazingly tasty, no doubt).

Here are some recipes to get your wheels turning and spur some creativity in your kitchen. As always, use these as a base for inspiration and expand to meet your needs.

We’ll start with this beauty the one and only Tony Gemignani developed.

Holiday Apple Jack’s Pizza

Get the Holiday Apple Jack’s Pizza recipe.

This next recipe is for a salad  that is one of my favorites. It’s different than what your competition offers, so don’t sleep on it.

Summer Salad with Sausage

Get the Summer Salad with Sausage recipe.

For those who serve a more complete dine-in menu that features entrees, here’s your next weekly special.

Grilled Pork with Rosemary and Apples

Here’s the Grilled Pork with Rosemary and Apples recipe.

Obviously, if you’re bringing in apples you’ve got to have that sweet dessert finish. Here it is!

Caramel Apple Crisp Pizza

Get the Caramel Apple Crisp Pizza recipe.

Jeremy White  is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

The post Fall Apple Pizzas: Bring the crunch — and sweetness — to your menu this autumn appeared first on Pizza Today.

The Ultimate Impulse Buy: Grab-and-go options at the counter

An additional revenue stream just waiting for you is at your counter area. It’s grab-n-go items. From retail and service industry to restaurants and grocery stores, you’ll find those quick and easy items that customers can’t resist buying when at the register to pay.

In a restaurant setting, you have the opportunity to tempt a customer to take your products to go.

Grab-and-go offerings are a great way to increase check averages and meet the convenience demand of customers. Items offered as grab and go can range from prepared menu items, signature ingredients to specialty desserts and beverages.

Logistics of Grab-and-Go

Before we dive into offerings, let’s go through the logistics. There are several operational areas to look at before you decide what to offer.

• Spacing. How much space at the register or adjacent can you plan to accommodate a designated grab-and-go area?
• Display. Will items sit on top of the counter? Some grab-and-go items may require shelving, a temperature controlled display case, refrigeration or a freezer.
• Packaging. The items must be packaged strong enough to hold the integrity of the item, sealed to ensure freshness and have proper labeling. Check all guidelines according to your health department, the CDC and the FDA.
• Portability. Is the grab-and-go item easily portable? Easy to carry and eat on the go make great grab-and-go options.
• Wayfinding. Think about the journey of the customer inside your restaurant. When and how do they interact with the grab-and-go section? Is it easy to see and entice them to purchase items? Don’t forget signage.
• Marketing. You should have a marketing plan to promote your grab-and-go.

Building a Grab-and-Go Menu

Your grab-and-go offerings need to be as thought out as your regular menu. There are so many items that can be offered grab and go, from sandwiches, salads, soups and even entrees to desserts, beverages and proprietary sauces, dressings and dough. This will require product development, a pricing strategy and testing.

First, evaluate your menu for in-demand items that would make great grab-and-go items. What can hold up to your quality standards as grab and go? Secondly, are there any new items that you could bring to your grab-and-go, carryout and delivery operation? Lastly, should you outsource grab-and-go items? This is an enticing direction, especially considering the packaging and labeling component. Maybe there is a hot bakery or deli that would be perfect to partner with for your grab and go.

Jason’s New York Style Pizza in Bangor, Maine, offers an array of grab-and-go options. The standout, operator Jonathan Fell says, are the Whoopie Pies. “So, a Whoopie Pie is a Maine thing. It is basically two cakes with filling in between—a staple at most pizza and sub shops up here,” he says. “We offer vanilla and chocolate whoopies daily, with seasonal ones throughout the year. We strategically place whoopies and desserts on the counters at all locations, making them our top-selling desserts.”

That’s not all Jason’s offers. “For grab-and-go items, we’ve found that keeping it simple is best,” he continues. “Salads and subs packaged to go sell best, along with a few sides like pasta and potato salad. Having them easily available right when you walk into our stores is key.”

Tievoli Pizza Bar and Tievoli Pizza Truck in Palatine, Illinois, go straight for the indulgent items with grab-and-go. “We sell chocolate chip cookies and Nutella brownies for grab-n-go options, both at our brick and mortar and our pizza truck. They’re displayed near point of sale and offered for every transaction,” says owner Giovanni Labbate. “For us, it’s important to package nicely so customers can see what you have and it’s appealing. Both are displayed in a basket for easy access and visibility.

Grab-and-go items may differ depending on concept type. Labbate differentiates offerings for his mobile and brick and mortar locations. “I think in a mobile unit, a dessert option is the best for grab-n-go, especially for us being a pizza truck. At our Brick-and-Mortar it’s basically the same, but we play around with new dessert options all the time such as cake pops, chocolates, new cookies and Rice Crispy treats.

Tips for a Better Grab-and-Go

As you plan your grab-and-go menu, here are a few tips for success.

• Go with your strengths when you develop grab-and-go items. Stick with items that you can knock out of the park every time.

“I’d say the biggest takeaway for grab-and-go service is quick, easy, and consistent,” Fell says. “Our feedback from customers when we started grab-and-go was to ‘please make sure you have it every day.’ Folks don’t want to come in one day for that amazing to-go sandwich and find it unavailable the next day.”

Labbate has a different approach. He suggests don’t do the same thing. “Always keep it fresh and try new items to keep customers’ interest,” he says.

• Think about customer demand. Are there items that customers have consistently asked to have packaged to go.

• Always ensure that the quality of your menu items is being maintained, especially in a grab-and-go environment. There is nothing worse than a customer excited to have the item at home later and it is stale. Check expiration dates on items. Furthermore, test that the expiration date maintains your level of freshness.

• One last thing: don’t forget to add your grab-and-go items to your online menu and on third-party menus.

DENISE GREER  is Executive Editor of Pizza Today.

The post Building a Grab-and-Go Menu appeared first on Pizza Today.

Keys to repeat customers

Classic TV shows always have regulars. Friends had Central Perk, Seinfeld had Monks, and Happy Days had Arnold’s.

These types of regulars are a restaurant’s best friend. So why were Ross, Rachel and the gang always at Central Perk? Why did the Fonz only eat burgers at one place? Because the vibe was the same and they felt at home there. Also, I do get that the set decorator didn’t want to deal with making a new set each week, but there is value to be derived from the idealized version of having our customers “living” part of their story with us. How does that happen?

Knowing the owner, feeling comfortable and accepted, and having consistency is how this occurs. It will continue if there is an impressive experience tied to the location. If it’s basic, you and your restaurant will become a CHECK BOX — a restaurant they visited once and no longer need to re-visit because they’ve “been there.”

Regulars not only provide consistent clientele for your business and your servers, but they’re your business’s best word-of-mouth advertisers. Having loyal customers you can count on makes your life as a business owner 10 times easier.

Many customers have the mentality that after they’ve tried your food once, they don’t need to come again. This is dangerous for a restaurant. It means that while you might have plenty of clients now, that could change in a heartbeat. Regulars keep your restaurant running while other customers filter through. They are vital for long-term success.

The real question lies in how you make a customer a loyal one. I’ve seen three main tactics successfully make customers come back time and time again. Systemized Kindness, Loyalty Programs and Innovation.

Systemized Kindness

Systemized kindness is a way to ensure your environment is welcoming. Having overtly kind staff or creating “random” acts of kindness cultivates a happy experience for the customer. Many corporations have got this down to a T. Starbucks gives out Puppocinos if you bring your dog through the drive-thru. Chick-fil-A hands out random stuffed cows and ends each interaction with “my pleasure.” Dutch Bros gives out free stickers and trains a talkative staff.

These businesses not only drive repeat traffic but also have an actual fanbase. When people who come into your business feel welcomed and gratified and leave feeling joyful, it makes them want to come back. Better yet, it makes them fans of your brand, not just your food. This type of customer relationship is the cream of the crop in customer loyalty.

It sounds like common sense, but putting effort into making your restaurant an environment people want to be in will inevitably bring in repeat customers. IT HAS TO BE SYSTEMATIC, though. It seems random but is anything but.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs have been used for decades to try to create repeat clientele. These programs have taken many shapes throughout the years and can now be implemented into your POS. There are several different types of loyalty programs. And, currently, there is no industry leader. This means that finding a loyalty program that works for your restaurant will require some trial and error.

The punch card is a common strategy for generating repeat clients. For example, if you buy 10 pizzas, you get the 11th free. The goal is to get a customer who would have only purchased one or two pizzas to buy your product until they earn their free pizza.

These days, punch card programs often aren’t operated on a teensy card, but online. Your restaurant might set up a point system or keep track of spending through your POS. Restaurants often pair this with an e-mail subscription, reminding the customer of their deal. This works well for those customers who are particularly money-conscious. Reminding them of their opportunity to get a free item or notifying them of other money-saving promotions your restaurant organizes can make them loyal customers.

Taking these e-mail promotions a step further, collecting customer data can be a great way to promote loyalty. Rewarding customers for ordering through an app or restaurant card is a great way to track buying habits. If you know a customer is ordering your veggie pizza repeatedly, you should market vegetable-based and healthy options to that customer. If a customer repeatedly orders a kid’s meal, inform them about children’s promotions or updates to the menu.

These methods make sense and cost little to organize, but they make the customer feel like they’re working for their reward. If you want a legitimate regular at your restaurant, they have to come and eat your food by their own fruition.

An alteration to the punch card method is a great way to achieve this kind of loyalty. Reward someone for buying repeatedly with one of your best items. If you have a dish you know brings customers back or earns rave reviews, consider adding this to an order for free. Have the signature item do the work for you. In other words, “if you buy three large pizzas you get our (Blank signature item) for free.” If it’s truly good, the customer will want to come back to try it again. This works best with unique menu items that are specific to your restaurant.

Innovation

Innovation is the final key to driving repeat customers. If you constantly have the same menu items, promotions and environment customers become bored with your restaurant. They know what to expect, and their experience will be the same.

Constantly searching for ways to make the customer experience better, whether that be adding a new menu item, having a new promotion or changing your layout keeps customers on their toes and gives them new things to experience in your restaurant.

That’s not to say there’s no value in consistency. If a customer has an excellent experience with your staff the first time they come in, make sure the staff isn’t grumpy the next. If they receive an amazing pizza for their first meal with you, ensure their second is of similar quality.

Pinpoint the things you do well, keep those consistent, but constantly search for ways to grow.

Having regulars is a privilege you have to earn. Creating programs to entice repeat clientele is a great way to introduce customers to what you do well. Still, to make faithful regulars, you have to ensure passionate staff, consistent food quality, and an environment that leaves the customers happier than they entered.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Customer Retention: Converting Newbies to Regulars appeared first on Pizza Today.

Denver, Colorado (August 26, 2024) – Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta, Denver’s fast-casual pizza and pasta concept offering made-from-scratch fare, officially opens its first Fort Collins location on Friday, September 13, 2024, located at 2550 E Harmony Rd, Fort Collins, CO with FREE pizza, live comedy, giveaways, and more. The pizza brand, locally owned by Garrett Brizendine, CEO of EPIQ Ventures, LLC, plans to continue expanding their Denver lineup of pizzerias.

With over 40 years of serving the Colorado community, Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta has established itself as a go-to spot for high-quality pizza and Italian cuisine. The Fort Collins location marks the 19th restaurant in the Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta family and brings the same commitment to fresh ingredients, excellent service, and a welcoming atmosphere that customers have come to expect. With locations in Denver, Golden, and Colorado Springs, the Fort Collins opening follows the brand’s newest outpost at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Colorado’s historic outdoor concert, film, fitness, and event venue.

“We could not be more excited to join the Fort Collins community!” says Peter Counter, Manager of Brand Development, “Our entire team has worked hard to ensure that this location offers the same great experience that has made Anthony’s a favorite across Colorado.”

Grand opening activities in Fort Collins start at 11:00 A.M. and include sample menu items, a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce, giveaways – including sunglasses and water bottles and  FREE pizza with a live comedy performance with Ginger Whale starting at 4:00 P.M.

The new Fort Collins location will be open seven days a week, from 11:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. For more information, please visit Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta website or follow Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta on social media @anthonyspizzaandpasta.

WHEN:          

Friday September 13, 2024

11:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M.

WHERE:                                  

Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta

2550 E Harmony Rd.

Fort Collins CO 80525

About Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta

Founded in 1984, Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta specializes in authentic Italian food, made by people with a passion for what they do in the kitchen.

The post Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta Unveils 19th Colorado Location appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizzerias can enhance the customer experience, even with fewer touchpoints

The dining experience has changed, as restaurants rely more on technology and less on the personal touch to serve customers. Pizzerias have to make sure customers still enjoy the experience, whether they are getting full service, counter service, takeout or delivery. With fewer customer touchpoints, operators must develop ways to enhance the customer experience, so they can remain competitive.

Customer experience includes customer service, which relies on well-trained employees, but it doesn’t end with whether a server was polite and speedy. Customer experience also includes the menu, restaurant ambiance and intangibles such as the vibe of the place. Pizzeria operators say several factors, from hiring to the use of technology, can improve the customer experience.

Empower employees

One important factor in shaping the customer experience is recruiting and retaining employees. “We focus on hiring college-age people,” says Laura Ambrose, who with her husband, Jeff, owns Woodstock’s Pizza in San Diego. “They tend to be thinkers. We’re looking for people who can assess an opportunity.”

The opportunity is to serve pizzeria customers in a way that makes them feel like they had a unique experience. “You can go into a restaurant and say, okay, they had decent customer service,” Ambrose says. “We empower our team to make moments.”

When a group arrives with small children, someone offers a booster seat or high chair. If a customer walks in carrying a birthday cake, a team member offers to put it in the walk-in cooler, or provide candles. Some crew members thrive in that environment. One worker dressed up as a character from a movie that was the theme of a kid’s party.

“We’ve had lots of customer testimonials saying how wonderful it is when the team sees an opportunity and really makes something of it,” Ambrose says. “They have fun with it too.”

Observe everything

Woodstock’s Pizza, which has eight locations, is counter service, but has adapted as customer needs have evolved. “We’ve morphed away from ‘You order at the counter and we yell your name out so you can come get your food’,” Ambrose says. “Now we bring it to you. We have servers, runners, and we have our manager on duty, or MOD.”

The MOD monitors everything from the front of the house. If they see a large group of people approach the counter, the MOD might get them to sit at a table, then come back and take their order. That way, there is not a crowd at the counter bringing the entire ordering process to a halt as everyone decides what they want.

Employees are trained to engage with customers, and not with insincere “how-is-everything?” table touches. If someone looks unhappy and they haven’t touched their pizza, it is likely that the order was wrong or something else happened, and the worker needs to figure out how to make it right. “We want people to be happy, and when people leave, they tell other people,” Ambrose says. “Word of mouth is more important than reviews.”

Make every touchpoint special

Whether the customer dines in for a nice meal or orders pizza for a quick pickup, the crew should make the experience a good one. “We want to make sure the customer is glad they are here,” says Shane Abbott, owner of the full-service Lupo and counter service Stevie’s Famous, both in the Seattle area.

Abbot describes Lupo as a date night restaurant, with a cocktail and wine list, a menu that features seasonal organic vegetables, and candles on the tables. The restaurant specializes in wood-fired sourdough pizza, and the wood fire oven, large dough mixer and pantry ingredients are visible from the dining room. The two-location Stevie’s Famous offers slices and pies for takeout and delivery, with streamlined, easy online ordering.

At both establishments, small actions enhance the customer experience. For dine-in, the server describes the dish when they bring it to the table. For pick-up, the crew member opens the box to let the customer see the pie. Both actions are meant to confirm that the pizzeria got the order right. “The real focus is that the customer experience is really consistent,” Abbott says.

Pizza is the perfect solution for a special night out and for a simple desire to avoid cooking and doing dishes. It’s important to enhance the customer experience in both scenarios, Abbott says, because Lupo and Stevie’s cannot win on price but on building relationships. “We’re trying to do something special on the food and delivering a little more food quality, a little more story, a little more character,” he says.

Streamline the online

Even online ordering contributes to the customer experience. For many consumers, a few minutes on the pizzeria’s website might be the only interaction with the brand, so that experience needs to be a pleasant one. While technology is often considered the opposite of engaging with customers, it can help pizzerias position themselves as a place to get a tasty pizza and be treated well.

When Mellow Mushroom did a system-wide rebrand in November 2023, the chain rolled out a new online ordering experience. “Guests have the opportunity to create accounts where they can save payments and favorite items to expedite the process of satisfied cravings,” says Anne Mejia, senior vice president of brand development.

Also, Mejia says, team members are trained on menu items and general standards. The company uses online training and changed the material by moving from long videos to short videos, and added Spanish language content.

Technology can also help pizzerias communicate with customers to find out what can be done to improve the customer experience. Mellow Mushroom uses a guest feedback platform for customers to comment on topics such as a recent dine-in experience, online ordering, gift cards and more.

“We value positive feedback to solidify what we’re doing right, and we consider negative or constructive feedback to drill down on areas of improvement and continue to find ways to enhance experiences,” Mejia says. “Through listening, we are able to reinforce what’s resonating with our guest and staff, but if something isn’t, we’re able to look into it on the local or system level to promptly respond/solve/adapt.”

NORA CALEY  is a freelance writer who covers small business, finance and lifestyle topics.

The post Steps to Improve the Customer Experience appeared first on Pizza Today.

Leveraging Loyalty

Mike Burns wants loyalty

When the veteran restaurant industry executive took the helm of fast casual pizza chain &pizza earlier this year, overhauling the 55-restaurant chain’s tech stack, including its loyalty program, was among his top priorities.

While &pizza had an existing loyalty program, it relied heavily on discounting and mass texting and was falling short of its potential. Burns knew it could work better, particularly at generating repeat visits, by becoming more dynamic, seamless and unique.

Burns leveraged his existing relationship with Thanx, a prominent loyalty and guest engagement platform for restaurants, and focused on “building loyalty organically.” He and his team adopted a quirky and memorable loyalty program name – the Dead Presidents Club – aligned with the brand’s counterculture vibe and Washington, D.C. roots. They created a redemption program featuring both food and merchandise and developed random surprises and VIP experiences. They initiated A/B testing to assess what efforts propelled results. Within four months of its launch, Burns saw results as &pizza scored a five-point swing in sales.

“If you’re doing loyalty right, it should prompt repeat visits and build a dedicated fan base for the brand,” Burns says.

In a competitive restaurant landscape, a loyalty program is becoming an all-important tool for restaurants to drive repeat visits.

“A loyalty program is crucial because it gives your high-value guests a compelling reason to dine with you more often,” Thanx vice president of marketing Emily Rugaber says. “It’s why so many are looking to ramp this up.”

Building return visits with loyalty

Citing years of data, Paytronix, a leader in guest engagement for restaurants, finds adding a basic loyalty program creates an 18- to 30-percent increase in spending and visit frequency among program members. That’s enticing, of course, but merely having a loyalty program isn’t enough. To optimize a program and woo repeat visits, strategy and thoughtful action matters, which is why savvy restaurant operators take these steps:

Create a differentiated loyalty program.

Loyalty programs have been around for decades and the old-school “punch card” method – buy 10 pizzas and get a free large pizza – fails to inspire in contemporary times.

“Customers don’t want to wait until their 10th visit to see the value of the program,” Paytronix senior strategist Julia Bigwood says.

Shrewd restaurant loyalty programs create differentiation through tiered levels allowing members to earn rewards more frequently and, even more, choose the rewards they want. Potential rewards might include complimentary appetizers or desserts, merchandise, exclusive access to new menu items or VIP experiences like a special beer and pizza pairing event.

With the Dead Presidents Club at &pizza, members earn coins with purchases. They can then redeem coins for both food and merchandise, including irreverent – and undeniably unique – t-shirts like Abraham Lincoln sporting a mohawk or George Washington with a nose ring and gold teeth.

Choice and uniqueness, Bigwood notes, helps generate excitement and return visits.

Personalize offers to entice returns.

Diners are individuals, which is why blasting out one-size-fits-all messages rarely achieves objectives. Today’s consumers, who regularly see personalized recommendations of television shows, books or footwear they might like based on past history, expect tailored communications created just for them.

Bigwood, in fact, calls “driving the right offers to the right people at the right time” the bread and butter of loyalty.

Pizzerias can learn about their customers and craft relevant, personalized offers for them by leaning into the personal information members provide upon loyalty program registration as well as the purchase history they build up thereafter.

With customer data in hand, pizzerias can then design targeted, focused messages to invite a return. Such communications might include: the traditional birthday or anniversary free dessert offer; an introductory reward for the new enrollee to use on their second visit to the restaurant; or early access to a returning LTO menu item for loyalty program members who previously ordered the item.

“We want to retain our customers and make it compelling for them to keep coming in,” Burns says.

Make the loyalty program seamless for all.

Too often, restaurant loyalty programs are clumsy and difficult to interact with, which makes it easy for customers to discontinue use and dine elsewhere. From signing up and earning points to redeeming rewards, Rugaber says loyalty programs “should be easy, intuitive and quick.”

At &pizza, all customers using the company’s mobile app are automatically enrolled in the loyalty program – and 90 percent of loyalty customers have their credit card on file. Whenever they use their credit card for an &pizza purchase, they earn coins. There’s no giving their phone number or name and the friction-free process is something customers appreciate, Burns says.

The seamless experience should also extend to the operational side as well. At &pizza, Thanx talks to the restaurants’ point-of-sale and online ordering platforms, so there are no extra steps required of store staff. This frees staff to focus on service, speed and hospitality, some of the most important ingredients to stimulating return visits.

Evolve the loyalty program.

In too many cases, Rugaber says operators launch their loyalty program and then … that’s it. The program never changes and becomes rote, predictable and static. There are no exciting rewards like secret menus to keep things exciting or incorporating tech-fueled advancements to make things more seamless or personalized for guests.

“Historically, a loyalty program is a check-the-box item, but it should always be evolving and finding ways to grow,” Rugaber says.

Rugaber suggests routinely testing different options to see what resonates. For instance, a free dessert offer might spur more traffic from loyalty members than a free appetizer, so the more cost-effective option could drive the better outcome.

Leveraging automation, a pizzeria might send “almost there” messages to nudge guests just shy of a reward to return. In its Loyalty Trend Report 2024, Paytronix recommends sending these offers via e-mail and including images of the reward guests will receive alongside their current point balance. By simply sending that reminder message – with no additional incentive – Paytronix helped one quick-service brand achieve a 5.5 percent visit lift.

DANIEL P. SMITH Chicago-based writer has covered business issues and best practices for a variety of trade publications, newspapers, and magazines.

The post How pizzerias can use loyalty programs to propel return visits appeared first on Pizza Today.

Adam Oldenburg completes his first year as CEO of Toppers Pizza. Photo provided by Toppers Pizza.

WHITEWATER, Wis. (July, 2024) – As Adam Oldenburg completes his first year as CEO of Toppers Pizza, the brand has seen significant achievements and a visionary shift towards empowering franchisees. Oldenburg, who took the helm last May following the 30-year leadership tenure of founder Scott Gittrich, has led Toppers through an exhilarating phase of growth and transformation.

ABOUT TOPPERS PIZZA

The post Toppers Pizza CEO Adam Oldenburg Celebrates First Year at the Helm with Major Growth and Franchisee Success appeared first on Pizza Today.

COLUMBUS, Ohio ­– As consumers are seeking out more affordable menu options, Donatos Pizza, the premium pizza franchise famous for its abundance of toppings, announces the debut of its brand-new Bakery Crust Pizza. Designed with families in mind, this new pizza features a square cut, thicker bakery-style crust with smoked provolone cheese and Donatos Pizza’s fresh toppings, offering exceptional value for a family-friendly meal.

The new Bakery Crust Pizza is cut into nine square pieces, with a choice of up to three toppings, perfect for sharing with friends and family. With a special introductory offer, customers can enjoy two 1-topping Bakery Crust Pizzas for just $19.99 (or one for $11.99), making it the ideal option for budget-conscious families looking for a quality meal that does not compromise on flavor or value.

“We understand the importance of offering meals that are not only delicious but also affordable, especially during challenging economic times,” said Jodie Conrad, Chief Marketing Officer at Donatos Pizza. “Our new Bakery Crust Pizza is a perfect option for families who want to enjoy a hearty, quality meal without overspending.”

This new offering will be available at all Donatos Pizza locations starting August 19^th. The introduction of the Bakery Crust Pizza reflects the brand’s dedication to providing great value and substantial meals to all customers.

For more information about Donatos Pizza, please visit www.donatos.com. 

About Donatos Pizza

Donatos Pizza, founded by Jim Grote in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio, is a family-owned business known for its famous thin-crust pizzas with abundant toppings spread Edge to Edge®. Headquartered in Columbus, Donatos and its franchise partners operate over 175 stores. Additionally, Donatos Pizza is proudly served in nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants. Committed to quality, community, and customer satisfaction, Donatos Pizza has received numerous awards and accolades, reflecting its dedication to excellence and innovation. For more information about Donatos Pizza and franchising opportunities, visit www.donatosfranchise.com.

The post Donatos Pizza Squares Off Against Inflation with NEW Bakery Crust Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a 9-unit area development agreement in New Mexico. This marks a significant milestone for the brand as it breaks into a new state, with its nationwide footprint now spanning 35 states. Site selection is currently underway, with the first two locations slated to open in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho areas before the end of Q1 2025.

Seasoned franchisees Chris and Kristian Ornelas, the principal owners of the company developing the units, invested in Marco’s with an aim to diversify their franchise portfolio. The husband-wife team are the largest Fiesta Auto Insurance franchisees with 38 locations across three states. As longtime customers and avid fans of Marco’s, the Ornelas signed an agreement back in 2022 but did not move forward at that time due to a health scare. Fast forward two years later, they are moving forward with Marco’s, a brand they are passionate about bringing to their local community.

“When looking to invest in our second business, we wanted to marry our franchising background with our love for pizza,” said Chris Ornelas. “Simply put, Marco’s offers a superior product that is delivered consistently. Pair quality with strong franchise operations, and we knew we had an opportunity at our fingertips to develop in an untapped market. While 2022 was a scary time for us personally, it’s provided a fresh take on life – shifting our mentality to seize the moment!”

As multi-unit franchise development continues to grow, Marco’s leadership prioritizes a development support system, including technology and tools to help identify territories for expansion, plus support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and information related to financing. Nearly half of Marco’s current franchise network is comprised of multi-unit operators.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chris and Kristian to Marco’s,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “Our expansion into New Mexico is a move that underscores our commitment to bringing our exceptional product to new markets. This strategic growth aligns perfectly with our vision of reaching more customers and tapping into the incredible potential we see across New Mexico. Our research indicates the state is poised for remarkable growth, and we are excited to contribute to its development while also expanding our footprint.”

U.S. prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as the Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports the Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated average net royalty sales of AUV $1,208,653 during the 2023 fiscal year*.

FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, reports Marco’s 2023 FUND Score of 895 is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. These impressive rankings are a testament to the brand’s commitment to financing guidance as a core focus of its franchise development strategy which has led the 1,200-unit brand on the path to continued growth.

For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Jamie Cecil at jcecil@marcos.com or 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

*Based on the Average Sales Volume of the top 50% of U.S. Franchised Stores for our fiscal year 2023. Based on our fiscal year 2023, 185 of 447 Franchised Stores in the category (or 41%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of Marco’s Franchising’s 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

The post Marco’s Pizza Debuts in New Mexico with 9-Unit Area Development Agreement appeared first on Pizza Today.

Birria Pizza from Pizza Buzz in Watauga, Texas is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Pizza Buzz in Fort Worth, Texas and its Birria Pizza. We have to admit this pizza made us drool as we scrolled past it on Instagram. Birria is a hot trending pizza topping. You’ll noticed the Detroit-style pizza crust with the cheesy crispy edges. Even the Instagram description pulls pizza fans in. “The Birria Pizza of the month is here! And its best served on a Detroit-style crust. It starts with a loaded base of mozzarella cheese, followed by a topping of tender, shredded Birria beef, smoky Birria stew, a sprinkle of chopped white onions, fresh cilantro, side of lime slices, and … of course, a bowl of cosumé for dipping.”

Owner Jay Hansji created this crave-worthy pizza. He gives us the scoop on Pizza Buzz’s Pizza of the Month Special.

Pizza Name: Birria Pizza

What’s on the pizza? 

JH: Beef cooked in a stew, mozzarella cheese, then topped with white onions and fresh cilantro comes with side of lime and consommé. 

Why is it special/geek out on it: 

JH: In Texas, Birria Tacos are very famous so I decided to put it on pizza. I like to do things that will standout like my AL Pastor Pizza, Elote Pizza, and Tandoori Chicken Pizza. I think of pizza crust as a canvas of art you can do many things to it.

The process of making Birria is a long process because you have to break the meat down for 6-8 hours in a stew.

What’s been the customer response? 

JH: Customers love it so much they want us to keep it permeant on the menu.

Jay Hansji’s name may sound familiar from a previous Pizza Expo when he proposed this wife and co-owner Manisha on the Demonstration Stage. The couple have been married for 20 years through an arranged marriage and it was Manisha’s dream to have an official proposal and wedding. Jay made that dream come true as he sat on a panel discussion at the exhibitor presentation. Jay also surprised his wife by flying in their kids and his wife’s mother for the special event. Read Love is in the Air at Pizza Expo with a Proposal.

Learn more about Pizza Buzz https://pizzabuzz.com/ and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pizzabuzzfortworth/

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Pizza Buzz, Watauga, Texas appeared first on Pizza Today.

Pizza Today shares facts about pizza and pizza trivia to impress your pizza fans

National Pizza Month is in October. Study up on pizza, America’s favorite food. How much do you know about pizza? Let’s dive into pizza fun facts. Use these to build a pizza trivia game, quiz with prizes or share on social or in store.

We’ve pulled together interesting pizza-related Fun facts about pizza, pizza history, pizza topping, pizza world records for your next pizza trivia game or pizza quiz.

36 Interesting Pizza-related Fun facts

Here are fun facts about pizza, pizza history, pizza topping, pizza world records and more.

1. There are over 73,000 pizzerias in the U.S. as of 2023. IBISWorld
2. California has the most pizzerias followed by New York and Texas. IBISWorld
3. New York is the No. 1 pizza style offered in the U.S.
4. The Top 5 pizza styles in America are New York, Traditional American, Sicilian, Deep Dish and Neapolitan.
5. Detroit-style pizza is the biggest pizza style trend in the U.S. currently.
6. The most popular pizza topping in America is Pepperoni.
7. The Top 5 Pizza Toppings in America are Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom, Extra Cheese and Bacon.
8. In 1905, at 32½ Spring Street, Lombardi’s became the first officially licensed pizzeria in the United States.
9. Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was invented in 1941.
10. According to American Heritage, the number of American pizza parlors grew from 500 in 1934 to 20,000 in 1956.
11. The first Pizza Hut, in fact, was opened in 1958 by Frank and Dean Carney in Wichita, Kansas.
12. 1959 Little Caesars opened in Garden City, Michigan.
13. Domino’s, was born shortly thereafter when brothers Tom and James Monaghan borrowed $500 to purchase DomiNick’s Pizza in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960.
14. Chef Ed LUdou and Wolfgang Puck gave birth to California style artisan pizza in 1980.
15. International Pizza Expo, the largest gathering of pizza professionals launched in Las Vegas, Nevada.
16. National Pizza Month was created in October to mark the first issue of Pizza Today magazine in 1984.
17. The U.S. Congress officially designated October as National Pizza Month in 1987.
18. In 1889, Don Raffaele Esposito created the Margherita Pizza, which is adorned with nothing but tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, in honor of Margherita Teresa Giovanni, who was the Italian Queen at the time.
19. The word pizza originated in Gaeta, Italy in 997 AD according to food historian Giuseppe Nocca in La Repubblica.
20. Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in Naples, Italy is widely believed to be the world’s first pizzeria, opened in 1830.
21. Americans eat three billion pizzas per year.
22. The average American eats 180 slices of pizza a year
23. The average American consumes 11 pounds of mozzarella a year, more than any other cheese. It is attributed to the demand for pizza.
24. The biggest pizza sales days are Super Bowl Sunday, Halloween, the day before Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
25. The traditional pizza box was invented in 1964 by a New York-based pizza shop.
26. In 2001, a pizza was delivered to the International Space Station, making it the first pizza to be eaten in space.
27. The largest pizza party with 3,357 participants, and was achieved by World Pizza Champions (USA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, on January 21, 2023.
28. The Longest Pizza in the World measures 6,3333 feet and 3.60 inches. Roughly 17,700 pounds of dough, 5,000 pounds of tomato sauce and 3,900 pounds of mozzarella cheese were used to make the pizza that took 54 hours by a team of over 100 people. The Guinness World Record was set by Pizzaovens.com, Venice Bakery, Orlando Foods, At-Pac, Sysco, TFX Non Stick, Capstone Scaffold Services, Scaffold Works, SoCal Gas, Tony Gemignani, Giulio Adriani, John Arena and Italforni in Fontana, California, USA, in 2017.
29. The Largest Pizza Commercially Available measures 8 feet by 2 feet and 8 inches from Moontower Pizza Bar in Burleson, Texas. When the record was set in 2018, the pizza retailed for $299.95 plus tax.
30. The Largest Pizza Delivery was 30,000 pizzas delivered to United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, in Afghanistan, on July 4, 2012. The delivery was organized by Pizzas 4 Patriots.
31. The Highest Pizza Toss is 21 feet and 5 inches set by Joe Carlucci in 2006.
32. The Largest Pizza Base Spun in One Minute at 28.35 inches is also held by Joe Carlucci set in 2017.
33. The Largest Pizza Base Spun in Three Minutes is 33.2 inches wide and was set by Tony Gemignani in 2006.
34. The Most Pizza Boxes Folded in One Minute is 18 and set by Randy DeGregorio in 2020.
35. The Largest Collection of Pizza Boxes was set in 2013 with 595 different boxes by Scott Wiener.
36. The most varieties of cheese on a pizza is 1,001, by Fabien Montellanico, Sophie Hatat Richart-Luna, Florian OnAir and Benoît Bruel, at Déliss’ Pizza in Lyon, France, on October 8, 2023.

More Pizza Fun

If you like these pizza fun facts, check out:

Guide to the 2024 National “Best Pizzas” Lists

10 Can’t Miss Pizza Holidays

2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report

Best Pizza Recipes 

Troubleshooting Your Pizza Dough — A Guide to Making Pizza Better

The post 36 Pizza Fun Facts appeared first on Pizza Today.

Summertime Gladness from Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Boxcar Pizza in Portland, Oregon and its Summertime Gladness. This pizza is proof that Vegan pizzas are amazing. The plant-based pie really highlights the summer’s best produce and pairs them with creamy vegan cheese and aioli.

Owner Odie O’Connor lets us in on this delicious, featured pizza special.

Pizza Name:

Summertime Gladness (shout out Lana Del Ray!)

What’s on the pizza? 

Mozzarella, Cheddar, Roasted Corn, Garlic, Mama Lil’s Peppers, Cilantro-Lime Aioli, Pickled Red Onions

Why is it special? Geek out on the process. 

Summertime Corn is one of my favorite pizza toppings, got to take full advantage of the seasonal toppings in Oregon. Our dough is a 48-hour sourdough process that we par bake so while it’s still filling, it eats lighter than a traditional Detroit Style Pizza.

How’d you come up with the pizza? 

Trying to utilize flavors from a traditional Elote while still putting our own spin on it.  There’s a lot of bright flavors going on.

What’s been the customer response? 

This is one of our most popular specials, summertime corn on pizza is the best!

We talked to Odie earlier this year in a Conversation in Pizza Today Magazine about Boxcar’s pizza style and dough. He says, “Our Detroit style pizzas are a 70-percent hydration sourdough that we par-bake every morning. We use Small’s Family Bread Flour who are located here in the Pacific Northwest. Doing sourdough Detroit style pizza was challenging because the rise is such an important part of the style. I learned that timing the first mix and the feeding of the starter perfectly is vital. We do an overnight autolyse with the leaven and half the flour and water for the batch (most dough savvy people would say this is not a real autolyse). Allowing the dough to autolyse with the leaven in really develops the flavor, dough strength, and gets a head start on the first rise. When I first opened Boxcar we were not par-baking the doughs, but we couldn’t get the consistency that I was looking for. Since deciding to par bake every morning we can assure that we’re getting the dough at the perfect spot in the fermentation process, and we get a much more springy crust because the initial bake isn’t weighted down with ingredients. Par-baking also makes for a lighter, fluffy inside and a very crispy bottom and edges.” Read the Conversation with Odie O’Connor.

You can also listen to Odie O’Connor talk pizza shop on The Hot Slice Podcast.

Learn more about Boxcar  and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/boxcarpizza/.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Boxcar Pizza, Portland, Oregon appeared first on Pizza Today.

Tavern Style Pizza makes its way onto the menus of the largest pizza companies

This summer, Pizza Hut rolled out its tavern-style pizza, marking several of the largest pizza companies to offer the style. We’ve noticed the rise of tavern style pizza for the last several years. Also known as Chicago Thin, tavern pizza continues its growth across America. In the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report, American pizzeria owners indicated that Tavern was among the Top 5 Emerging Pizza Styles. Let’s first look at what’s happening with tavern pizza at Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars.

Pizza Hut unveiled its Chicago Tavern Style Pizza this Year

In June, Pizza Hut announced its latest style drop: Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza. According to a release, Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors available in four recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage, and Double Pepperoni. Read the full release. 

Domino’s, a Tavern Veteran with its Crunchy Thin

Domino’s rolled out its Crunch Thin in 1993, back when the style was only known in Chicago and the Midwest region. It’s received a fresh look after a viral article.

In Praise of… Domino’s?

In an op ed piece by John Kessler, he did a side-by-side comparison of Domino’s Crunchy Thin Crust and other beloved tavern style pies. His take is interesting and worth a read. Go to Kessler’s article.

Little Caesars Also an Early Adopter of Tavern Style

Back in 2018, Little Caesars rolled out its Thin Crust Pepperoni with a $6 promotion making the HOT-N-READY Brand the second of the largest pizza chains to offer a tavern style pizza. It’s marketed as a crispy, flaky, thin crust pizza. You can read a release on that launch now.

What is Tavern Style Pizza?

Tavern pizza is known by many names: Chicago thin, cracker thin, party cut, just to name a few. The hallmark of a tavern style pizza is a light, cracker thin crust that is cut into squares. The origin of Tavern dates back to the 1930s in Chicago’s bars that essentially created a pizza style that was easier eat with beer.

How do I make Tavern Style Pizza?

Making a good party cut pizza like tavern style comes down to the dough. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann always said, “This cracker-like pizza is less about the toppings and more about the dough.” When it comes to Chicago Thin, “any good, patent grade bread flour with 10.5- to 11.5-percent protein content should work well.” There are also a couple specifics he discusses. “A planetary type mixer will work best for mixing this dough. You will need to use a dough sheeter/roller to form the dough into skins. You could roll the dough by hand.” The Dough Doctor provided his dough formula for Chicago Thin with step-by-step instructions. Follow Tom Lehmann’s Chicago Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe.

Dough expert Laura Meyer offers advice for those looking for a super crispy Chicago Thin Crust Pizza in her article Tavern Style Pizza is Sweeping the Nation. “Par baking the dough is another way to add crispiness to a thin-crust pie. As much as I love crispy thin-crust pizzas, they lose that crunch very quickly as the pizza cools down. Maintaining that crispiness is one of the hardest traits to keep. Utilizing cornmeal and a par bake or double bake method helps ensure your pizza stays crispy for a longer period of time.”

Check out more on Tavern Pizza and other Pizza Style Dough Recipes.

The post Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Little Caesars All Offer Tavern Style Pizza appeared first on Pizza Today.

Mountain Mike’s Pizza Opens Second Restaurant in Medford, Oregon

 

The post Mountain Mike’s Pizza Opens Fifth Oregon Location appeared first on Pizza Today.

Answer America’s Cheese Obsession on your Apps Menu

People are obsessed — absolutely obsessed — with cheese! Make sure your appetizer menu answers America’s cheesy cravings.

There is a reason you see so many cheese-based appetizers on restaurant menus. They are proven winners. You’ll find nachos, chips and queso, jalapeno poppers, pretzels and beer cheese, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip and fried mac and cheese balls on pizzeria menus across the country. There are two classic cheesy delights that have become synonymous with pizzerias: cheesy garlic bread (stix) and mozzarella sticks. I’ve included basic recipes that you should play with to find your own unique spin. Try changing up the herbs or cheeses you use, add some heat or intensify the garlic. Create the next big thing.

Two Classic Cheesy Appetizers for Pizzerias

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Mozzarella sticks are a classic appetizer to pair with pizza. They have been a popular offering since the 1970s. Sure you can source them. But they are also easy to make in house. Try this Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe!

Cheesy Garlic Bread from Pizza Dough

Garlic bread is another fan favorite app. When you make it cheesy garlic bread, you’ve created an instant hit. Being able to use your regular pizza dough enables to to easily add this one to the menu. Play around with this Cheesy Garlic Bread from Pizza Dough Recipe!

Take cheesy garlic bread to the next level by creating cheesy garlic bombs. Pinch golf ball-sized dough ball and place a cube of mozzarella in the center reshaping the ball. Bake. Toss in a mixture of butter, roasted garlic, Parmesan, and dried basil and parsley. Just changing from bread to ball may help you stand out from competitors.

Now let’s go a bit unconventional with cheesy apps

Your menu is an opportunity to showcase your team’s culinary creativity and expertise. Building appetizers based on cheese opens a myriad of possibilities with more than 1,800 types of cheeses in the world. You can go simple with a caprese salad featuring your fresh mozzarella. Burrata is an appetizer by itself. Or offer marinated mozzarella or baked goat cheese or ricotta. There are a number of ways to highlight cheese to start meals.

Whipped Ricotta

A favorite option is whipped ricotta. This is one simple appetizer that adds an upscale flare and a menu price to match. You can change it up to incorporate various flavors. A great advantage to whipped ricotta is its versatility. You can finish pizza with whipped ricotta or incorporate it into desserts. Get the Spicy Whipped Ricotta Recipe.

Cheesy Appetizer Trend Spotter

We need to thank Wisconsin for a very specific cheese product that is popping up on menus across the country. The cheese curd. Long known as a rite of passage as you enter the state, squeaky cheese curds have gained popularity.

The mild cheddar-like pieces are made from curdled milk in the cheese-making process. They are creamy and known to squeak when you bite into them. You can serve them as is or replace mozzarella in your appetizer applications, like fried mozzarella. Fried cheese curds or garlic cheese curd bombs can pique customers’ curiosity.

Flip the Script on Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken dip is a hot appetizer in more ways than one. This is a fun spin on traditional buffalo chicken dip. It offers upselling add-on options. Make it a Buffalo cheese dip and serve it with chicken tenders or nuggets. If you include the chicken in the fondue, you can serve it with crisp fresh veggies, crostini or chips. Get the Buffalo Chicken Fondue Recipe.

The post Cheesy Appetizer Ideas: A Cheesy Start appeared first on Pizza Today.

B2B Pizza Leader invites Pizzeria Operators to be counted in annual industry survey

Pizza Today, the pizzeria industry’s most trusted and valuable educational B2B resource for more than four decades, has embarked on its third annual Pizzeria Operator Survey with a subsequent 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report to be released in December. The comprehensive deep-dive study provides pizzeria professionals with trends and insights on menus and toppings, employee strategies, marketing, sales and growth, supplier trends, projections, industry concerns and technology.

Pizzeria operators — from independents and chains to food trucks/catering pizza operations — are now invited to participate in the third annual Pizzeria Operator Survey. Survey period ends Tuesday, September 3.

“In our third year of the Pizzeria Operator Survey, we have refined our questions down to drive qualitative data on what’s really happened in the pizzeria industry right now,” says Executive Editor Denise Greer. “We encourage all pizzeria operators to be counted in this study.”

Upon launching the Report, Pizza Today set out to create a comprehensive deep-dive analysis of the pizzeria industry for the pizzeria industry with valuable insights that operators can use to gauge their standing in the market, infuse new ideas and help their bottom line.

“While massive changes rarely take place in a one-year timeframe barring a watershed event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the subtle movements in our data help provide us with a roadmap to show where the United States pizza industry is heading,” says Editor In Chief Jeremy White. “Running the numbers comparatively helps guide our future content to ensure it continues to be the most relevant and helpful information pizzeria owners can rely on to sustain their businesses. It also provides our readers with the most accurate snapshot of where things stand today so that they can better understand exactly how they are faring in the current landscape as compared to their peers across the nation.”

A few key findings from the 2024 Pizza Industry Trends Report include:

• Style variety matters. The trend of offering different styles of pizza is not slowing. Customers are now expecting it.
• Plant-based and Vegan demand remains. Operators continue ramping up their efforts to provide these options to consumers.
• Automation. Operators are seeking ways to streamline operations to battle the lack of labor and to meet consumer expectations.
• Independents are leading the charge in menu creativity. They are rolling out new pizza styles and pizza topping combinations that are being noticed by major chains.
• Detroit continues its rise. Detroit-style pizza is the biggest pizza style trend in the U.S. currently.
• The Top 5 Pizza Styles in America are: New York, Traditional American, Sicilian, Deep Dish and Neapolitan.
• The Top 5 Pizza Toppings in America are: Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom, Extra Cheese and Bacon.

Read the full 2024 Pizzeria Industry Trends Report or request a download version.

Be counted in this year’s analysis by completing the 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey. The entirety should take about 7-10 minutes. If you have questions about the survey, contact Denise Greer at dgreer@pizzatoday.com.

Complete your 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey today.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Hillshire Farm, Smithfield and PizzaCloud.

###

About Pizza Today: Founded in 1984, Pizza Today has been the pizzeria industry’s most trusted and valuable educational business resource for more than four decades. The international award-winning content focuses on insider tips, operational advice, recipes and information integral to helping today’s pizzeria owner operate more efficiently and profitably. For more information, please visit https://pizzatoday.com.

About International Pizza Expo & Conference: The annual International Pizza Expo remains unchallenged as the industry’s largest event. Thousands of pizzeria professionals convene in Las Vegas, Nevada each year for 3 days dedicated to all things pizza. Suppliers from across the globe, networking and educational sessions led by top industry professionals, and national competitions round out this unrivaled event. Visit https://pizzaexpo.pizzatoday.com/ for more information.

About Emerald: Emerald’s talented and experienced team grows our customers’ businesses 365 days a year through connections, content, and commerce. We expand connections that drive new business opportunities, product discovery, and relationships with over 140 annual events, matchmaking, and lead-gen services. We create content to ensure that our customers are on the cutting edge of their industries and are continually developing their skills. And we power commerce through efficient year-round buying and selling. We do all this by seamlessly integrating in-person and digital platforms and channels. Emerald is immersed in the industries we serve and committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. As true partners, we create experiences that inspire, amaze, and deliver breakthrough results. For more information, please visit: www.emeraldx.com

The post Pizza Today launches 2024 Pizzeria Operator Survey appeared first on Pizza Today.

Guide to the 2024 Best Pizza Lists

The search of this year’s leading national best pizza lists has started early. Did your pizzeria make one of this year’s top pizza lists? Making best pizza in the US, state, region or even world can be a game changer for pizzerias. Be sure to bookmark this guide and visit it often. Bookmark this page. We will be updating it with new pizza lists as they come out.

See which pizzerias are being recognized in the U.S. this year. Each “best pizza” list is based on its own criteria using expert panels, audience votes, reviews or other factors. Here are the biggest pizza lists of 2024 so far:

50 Top Pizza releases 50 Top Pizza World 2024

Una Pizza Napoletana by Anthony Mangieri in New York has been named the Best Pizzeria in the World for 2024. Other American pizzeria, pizza makers and pizzeria owners also received recognition.

Giorgia Caporuscio from Don Antonio in New York, has captured the special recognition Empower Women – Fedegroup Award for being a source of inspiration to female pizza makers around the World.

The Pizza of the Year 2024 – Latteria Sorrentina Award has gone to Mission Impossible at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco.

The Performance of the Year 2024 – Robo Award has gone to Robert’s in Chicago.

There are 29 countries present in the World Ranking 2024: the first is Italy with 41 venues, followed by the United States of America with 15 pizzerias. Go to the complete 50 Top Pizza World 2024 ranking.

Yelp picks Top 100 Pizza Spots in the Midwest 2024

Yelp just ranked the Top 100 pizzerias in the Midwest. Top spot goes to Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park, Michigan. No. 2 is Futuro in Indianapolis, Indiana. We talked to owner Luke Tobias on a previous episode of The Hot Slice Podcast. You can listen now.  Chicago and a national favorite Pequod’s Pizza took third. Rounding out the Top 5 pizza spots in the Midwest is fourth place Tyler’s Pizzeria & Bakery in Reynoldsburg, Ohio and fifth place Milly’s Pizza in the Pan in Chicago.

How did Yelp select the Top 100 Pizzerias in the Midwest. According to Yelp: “This is a list of the best pizza spots in the Midwest, according to Yelp. We identified businesses in the pizza category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning relevant keywords, and then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning those keywords.”

Check out the full list of Top 100 Pizza Spots in the Midwest 2024.

Collage of photos, including owners Eric and Amy Redfield, along with staff making pizzas at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photos by Josh Keown.

Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria is Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Pizza Today, a leading B2B pizza industry publication, has named Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria as its 2024 Pizzeria of the Year. This prestigious award highlights Camporosso’s exceptional commitment to culinary excellence, innovative employee engagement, and unparalleled community involvement. Camporosso, established by Eric and Amy Redfield in Ft. Mitchell, KY, has rapidly become a beacon of quality and community spirit in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.

Read the feature on Pizzeria of the Year Camporossa. 

Infatuation names 18 Of The Best Pizza Places In America

David Lee, owner of Pizza Jawn in Philadelphia, PA. Photo Courtesy of Pizza Jawn.

Content hub Infatuation just released it’s list of 18 pizza places as best pizza in America. There are some familiar names on the list, like Portland-based Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Pizzeria Bianco and L’Industrie in Brooklyn. What really caught our eye was pizzerias like Philly-based Pizza Jawn. We named named owner David Lee a Rising Star in the Pizza Industry in 2022. There were also newcomers like Quarter Sheets Pizza Club in LA, Outta Sight Pizza in San Francisco and Gold Tooth Tony’s in Houston.

Check out Infatuation’s complete list of 18 Of The Best Pizza Places In America.

50 Top Pizza USA 2024 List Released, New York tops best pizza list

Marinara Pizza, Una Pizza Napoletana, Lower East Side, NYC

New York’s Una Pizza Napoletana repeats as the Best Pizzeria in the United States. Second place “Tony’s Pizza Napoletana” in San Francisco and third “Pizzeria Beddia” in Philadelphia. The best Pizza Slice is from “L’industrie Pizzeria” in New York. New York City asserts its dominance in the U.S. pizza scene, with 17 restaurants in the guide, followed by Chicago (7), and Portland (6). The most represented state is New York.

There were several newcomings to the Top 50 pizzas list, including La Leggenda in Miami, Florida; Craft 64 in Scottsdale, Arizona; Pizza Baby in Charlotte, North Carolina; Truly Pizza in Dana Point, California, among others.

Check out the complete 50 Top Pizza USA 2024.

Eat This, Not That! Ranks Best Slice of Pizza, According to Chefs

Burrata & Hot Honey Pizza, L’Industrie, Brooklyn, NYC

New York slice famed L’Industrie nabs the No. 1 spot on Where to Get The Best Slice of Pizza in America, According to Chefs from Eat This, Not That!, a brand that’s comprised of an award-winning team of journalists and board-certified experts, doctors, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and dietitians who work together to bring you accurate, timely, informative, and actionable content on food, nutrition, dieting, weight loss, health, wellness, and more.

L’Industrie’s pizzas were called “a textural masterpiece.” Also in Top 10 pizza slices spots are Ian’s Pizza in Madison, Wisconsin. Tivoli in Seattle, Wells Brothers Pizza in Racine, Wisconsin, Umberto’s in New York.

Check out the full best pizza slices list at Get The Best Slice of Pizza in America, According to Chefs.

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Down North Pizza, Philadelphia, PA

James Beard Awards recognizes Pizzerias, Pizza Chefs

Pizzerias are being recognized in several James Beard Award categories this year. The James Beard Awards are among the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing leaders in the culinary and food media industries, and those in the broader food systems.

Check out these what pizzerias and pizza chefs are honorees or finalists in the James Beard Awards 2024:

Muhammad Abdul-Hadi, Founder/Owner, Down North Pizza and Down North Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, will receive the Leadership Award for Industry Culture and Practices.

Photo Courtesy of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty

Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty, Portland, OR, is a finalist for Outstanding Chef.

Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown, MD is a finalist for the award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.

Honorees and category winners will be announced at the James Beard Awards® ceremonies presented by Capital One held on June 8-10 in Chicago.

Congrats also the James Beard Awards semi-finalists, including:

Chef-owner Tony Conte opened Inferno in 2015. He applies his fine-dining culinary background to his artisanal, wood-fired pizzeria.

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — Bufalina, Austin, TX

Best Chef by Region

California — Michael Procaccini and Stefano Procaccini, La Parolaccia, Long Beach, CA

Great Lakes — Salvador Fernandez, Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, Greencastle, IN

New York State — Scarr Pimentel, Scarr’s Pizza, New York, NY

For more about the honorees and finalists, as well as when the awards ceremony will take place, read Pizzerias, Pizza Chefs recognized at 2024 James Beard Awards.

International Pizza Challenge crowns Best Pizza winners, Pizza Maker of the Year

Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year at the International Pizza Challenge during Pizza Expo (March 19-21) in Las Vegas

Pizza makers from pizzerias around the world went head-to-head to find out who makes the best pizza in the world at the International Pizza Challenge (IPC) at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, March 19-21, 2024. This year’s Challenge included five professional pizza-making divisions and three partner competitions. In all, International Pizza Challenged welcomed 439 unique pizza competitors with a total of about 500 competition spots in the Traditional Pizza, Non-Traditional Pizza, Neapolitan/STG Pizza, Pan Pizza, World’s Best Cheese Slice divisions.

Check out these best pizza winning pizzerias:

• Tony Cerimele, owner of New Columbus Pizza Company, in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, is the 2024 World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year and Best Pan Pizza.
• Joe Carlucci, owner of Valentina’s Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Madison, Alabama, captures 2024 Best of the Best Pizza title.
• Andy Huynh, Cowabunga+, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wins the World’s Best Cheese Slice.
• Vincenzo Santoro, Song e Napule, New York, New York, wins Best Neapolitan Pizza.
• Alex White, Yukon Pizza, Las Vegas, Nevada, wins Best Non-Traditional Pizza.
• Sergio Balderas, Truly Pizza, Dana Point, California, wins wins Best Traditional Pizza.

Regional Best Traditional Pizzas and Best Non-Traditional Pizzas in the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and International were also recognized. For more on the International Pizza Challenge and to see more best pizza winners, go to Official International Pizza Challenge 2024 Best Pizza Winners are…

Clever identifies The Best Pizza Cities in America

Clever Real Estate names Denver among the best pizza cities, in addition to Chicago and New York.

Clever’s research went on to rank 50 Pizza Cities, The 15 Best Pizza Cities, Rankings by Category, The 10 Worst Pizza Cities and America’s Pizza Preferences.

According to Clever, they ranked “50 biggest metro areas in the U.S. using the following parameters for each city: Pizza reputation, based on a survey of 1,000 Americans; Rate of pizza restaurants per 100,000 residents; Pizza passion, based on local internet search activity for 34 pizza-related terms (e.g., “pizza near me,” “pizza delivery,” “pan pizza,” etc.); Average Yelp rating for pizza restaurants; Average price of a large cheese pizza; Average price of a large pepperoni pizza; Share of median annual income required to purchase one cheese pizza each week for a year; and Share of median annual income required to purchase one pepperoni pizza each week for a year.”

Go to Clever’s The Best Pizza Cities in America: 2024 Data.

Top 100 Pizza Spots according to Yelp Elites 2024

Yelp has just released its list Top 100 Pizza Spots. Pizzerias on the list were selected by Yelp Elite Squad. Who are these Yelp Elites? According to Yelp’s Support Center, “The Yelp Elite Squad is our way of recognizing people who are active in the Yelp community and role models on and off the Yelp site. Elite-worthiness is based on a number of things, including well-written reviews, high quality photos, a detailed personal profile, and a history of playing well with others.”

Lombardi’s Pizza, New York

For the Top 100 pizza list, Yelp compiled the list according to this: “This is an all-time list of the Top Pizza Spots in the US, according to Yelp Elites. We identified businesses in the pizza category on Yelp, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and number of 5-star reviews each business had that were written by members of the Yelp Elite Squad.”

1. Pequod’s Pizzeria, Chicago, Illinois
2. Bestia, Los Angeles, California
3. Lombardi’s Pizza, New York, New York

Find out who else made the Top 100, go to the Top 100 Pizza Spots according to Yelp Elites 2024.

35 Pizzerias to Watch in 2024

Our 35 pizzerias to watch this year was hand selected by Pizza Today, taking into account factors like total operation, from sales and employee programs to community outreach and marketing. We asked independent pizzeria owners to submit their businesses for consideration in our Pizzerias to Watch list. We received hundreds of outstanding submissions. To name a few:

• Abbiocco Pizzeria, Indianapolis, Indiana AbbioccoPizzeria.com
• Dedham House of Pizza, Dedham, Massachusetts www.dedhamhouseofpizza.com
• Mattenga’s Pizzeria, Schertz, Texas mattengas.com/
• Old Town Pizza, Auburn, California www.otpizza.net
• Slice Pizza & Brew, Birmingham, AL https://www.slicebirmingham.com/

Check out the entire 35 Pizzerias to Watch in 2024 feature.

Stay tuned. More best pizza lists will be added as they are published.

See who made America’s Best Pizza Lists in 2023.

The post Guide to the 2024 National “Best Pizzas” Lists appeared first on Pizza Today.

About 1N5

About Cincinnati Children’s

About Dewey’s Pizza

The post Dewey’s Pizza 5th Annual “Run to Raise Dough 5K” Returns August 11 appeared first on Pizza Today.

Common pizza dough problems and how to fix them

This extensive guide for troubleshooting your pizza dough and pizza crust answers common pizza dough problems to help you make a better pizza. Whether you are a professional pizza maker and pizzaiolo or an at home pizza maker and pizza chef, answers to common dough questions can help you perfect your pizza. Pizza Today has spent four decades providing solutions to pizza dough issues that pizzerias face. Through Dough Doctor, Knead to Know and Kitchen features, we have helped pizzerias learn more about pizza dough productions, management and fixing pizza dough problems. We have a section of PizzaToday.com dedicated to Dough Production & Development. Bookmark that link and browse through recent articles.

Here, we are addressing common dough problems and how to fix them. Before you dive into specific pizza dough questions, go ahead and bookmark this page. We will continue to add more dough questions and solutions.

What’s wrong with my pizza dough?

There are many things that could be wrong with your dough. Maybe your pizza is sticking to the peel. Maybe your dough is too soggy or your dough is undercooked. Maybe your pizza dough is overproofed. Maybe your pizza dough is too touch or stick or dough won’t stretch… this guide has answers to all of these common concerns and more

Explore the following common pizza dough questions with many resources to help solve each issue:

How do I get rid of the gum line on pizza crust?

Why is my pizza crust soggy?

Why does my pizza dough keep snapping back when I try to stretch it? Why does my dough not stay stretched?

How to prevent my pizza crust from bubbling in the oven?

How do I stop getting my pizza stuck on the pizza peel?

What do I do if I ruin my batch of pizza dough?

How do I keep the ingredients from sliding off my pizza crust?

Why is my pizza dough weak and tears when I stretch it?

Why is my pizza crust undercooked?

Why is my pizza crust too tough or chewy?

Why is my pizza dough too soft?

Why is my pizza dough so sticky?

How do I fix overproofed pizza dough?

.

How do I get rid of the gum line on pizza crust?

What do you do when your pizza has a dreaded gum line? First, what is a gum line? The gum line is the doughy section of the crust, basically undercooked dough of the crust under its sauce, toppings and cheese.

4 causes of the gum line on finished pizza crust

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann identified four common factors that contribute to the development of the gum line. They are:

1. Excessive thinning of the sauce. A thin watery sauce that exhibits a tendency to separate upon standing will develop a wet soggy area just below the sauce, leading to the development of a gum line.
2. Pre-saucing of the pizza skins ahead of time for in-store use or in making take and bake pizzas. Pre-saucing of the skins should be avoided whenever possible, but when it must be done, either to help keep up with orders during busy periods, or when making take and bake pizzas, the pizza skins should be given a very light application of oil prior to saucing.
3. Too much sauce used on the pizza. When too much sauce is used on the pizza, it becomes more difficult to bake out thoroughly.
4. Insufficient yeast level. This can result from a number of things. Incorrect dough formulation (not enough yeast), but more commonly it is the result of action taken to address blowing of the dough.

A few other solutions to reducing a gum line is to cross stack dough balls when they goes into the cooler. Keep adequate temperature control over your dough-making process to make sure the dough has cooled properly before cooling.

Read all about the dreaded gum line — What causes it and what to do about it.

.

Why is my pizza crust soggy?

A myriad of factors can contribute to a soggy pizza crust. Here are a few common causes to start your trouble shooting:

The main culprit could be your pizza sauce. Audrey Kelly says, “It is also important to tailor your sauce to fit the style of pizza you are making. You don’t want a super heavy sauce on a delicate Neapolitan pie just as you want something more substantial on a Sicilian crust.”

It could also be your toppings, especially fresh vegetables. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann provided an interesting solution. “I solved that problem by using a Japanese breadcrumb. I find it best to sauce the dough first, then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the coarse, plain, white crumb on top of the sauce. Then add the cheese and the vegetable toppings. The crumbs will absorb the moisture from the veggies, and the texture blends right in with the cheese. It really does work and prevents soggy bottom pizza!” Another option to roast vegetables slightly to expel excess water content.

Check that your oven temperature is correct. Thoroughly inspect your oven temperature. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann goes into what to look for in troubleshooting oven temperature issues.

.

Why does my pizza dough keep snapping back when I try to stretch it? Why does my dough not stay stretched?

Also called dough memory, pizza dough snapback occurs when a stretched pizza will not stay stretched – snaps back – no matter how much you stretch or how much pressure applied to the stretch.

Dough Expert Laura Meyer addresses pizza dough snapback or dough memory in a Knead to Know column. She says, “To better understand why dough snaps back we need to have a basic understanding of gluten development. Mixing time and the type of mixer used is extremely important when it comes to gluten development. If not done properly this can lead to your dough snapping back. Over mixing is a thing. When it comes time to mix your dough, having a game plan and all your ingredients weighed out and ready to go is important. I have seen many operations weigh as they go, which translates to dough mixing for too long in the mixer and the gluten becoming too tight.

“Cold dough is another factor here,” she continues. “Cold dough will not only cook poorly but will not stretch well and will continue to snap back. If you were to try and run a marathon without warming up you’ll most likely pull a muscle within the first few miles. Dough is no different, warming up your dough means the dough will stretch nicely and be less likely to tear.”

4 ways you can address pizza dough snapback

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann identifies four ways you can address dough snapback:

1. By changing to a lower-protein content flour, we can generally reduce the amount of snap-back (though, in severe cases, this will not totally eliminate it).
2. Dough fermentation. One cause of snap-back is insufficient dough conditioning through fermentation, so anything which will increase the amount of fermentation the dough receives prior to opening into a skin will help to reduce or eliminate the problem. This might include any of the following: increasing the yeast level; increasing the finished (mixed) dough temperature or increasing the total fermentation time. Any of these actions will result in an increase in dough fermentation that will weaken the wheat flour proteins and result in a softer, more extensible (less elastic) dough that exhibits less of a tendency to snap-back.
3. Dough absorption. In some cases where only a slight amount of snap-back needs to be addressed, a slight increase of two to five percent in dough absorption might be sufficient to address the problem without any other changes being necessary.
4. Reducing agents. Reducing agents are ingredients that act on the flour proteins by breaking them down or weakening them. Some will even destroy/denature the proteins entirely. Reducing agents are what one might call the “silver bullet” or “magic ingredient” when it comes to excessive dough snap-back or memory. These are ingredients that you just add to the dough formulation and — poof! — no more snap back.

Read on in a Q&A with the Dough Doctor.

An easy fix may be using PZ-44 Dough Conditioner. In a Dough Doctor story, the late Tom Lehmann says, “This ingredient is what we call a “reducing agent.” When used in a dough, it will cause the dough to become softer and more extensible (less elastic). What this means is that it will not exhibit the snap-back characteristics during hand, or machine forming. When adding any type of reducing agent to your dough, care must be taken to prevent using it in an excessive amount.” Read more.

.

How to prevent my pizza crust from bubbling in the oven?

Fermentation is one of the keys to reducing bubbling in our pizza doughs. The Late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann looks at solutions to preventing bubbling crust.

With normal yeast levels (0.375 percent instant dry yeast, 0.5 percent active dry yeast, or 1.25 percent compressed/fresh yeast), and a finished (mixed) dough temperature in the 80 to 85F range, the bubbles are minimized after 2.5 hours of fermentation time at ambient temperature (approximately 70F).

If you take the proper storage steps, you can pretty much eliminate bubbles. Start by taking the dough balls immediately after scaling and balling and place them in dough boxes, cross-stacked for two hours. Be sure to wipe them with salad oil to prevent them from drying out in the cooler. After two hours, downstack them and allow them to ferment overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for two hours before you use them and you’re ready to go.

The second main cause of bubbling crusts, and possibly the most common today, has to do with both temperature and tempering of the dough balls after removal from the cooler. If the dough is at cooler temperature when taken to the oven for baking, an open invitation has been extended for bubble development.

Some prefer to allow dough balls to warm 5F above the cooler temperature. “We have found that by allowing the dough to temper at room temperature for 2 hours prior to opening the dough balls up into skins.”

Dough dockers are designed to help control bubbling. But they don’t do anything to prevent it, or address the problem at its root cause. If you do happen to have one of those doughs that just seems to have a penchant for bubbling, the dough docker might prove to be your salvation.

The Late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann explores Bubbling Pizza Crust further.

.

How do I stop getting my pizza stuck on the pizza peel?

Pizza sticking to a peel as you put the pizza in the oven is common pizza dough problem While some may think maker error, the real answer may lie in dough science. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann addressed the cause of this dough issue in Pizza Today. “If you are using malt in your dough, make doubly sure that it is non-diastatic (non-enzyme active) malt. If the malt is diastatic malt (enzyme active), it will convert starch in the flour to sugars, making the dough sticky or tacky to the point where it will stick to almost any surface it comes into contact with, including a prep peel,” he said.

“If the dough is over absorbed (contains too much water) it may feel clammy or even exhibit a slight tackiness when touched,” he added. “Over absorbed dough tends to be difficult to work with as the dough is just too extensible and is easily over stretched during the forming operation. While some of the traditional doughs are fairly high in absorption and difficult to handle during forming, they can still be peeled into the oven without much of a problem if they are well floured for ease of handling, and either fine cornmeal, or semolina flour is used as the peel dust to aid in sliding the prepared dough skin off of the peel. Be sure to use a wood or wood laminate peel for your prep peel.”

He continued to offer this simple solution: “just make sure once the dough is placed on the peel it is dressed and peeled into the oven without interruption. Of course, a good peel dust doesn’t hurt either.”

From the Pizza Today Test Kitchen, we learned that if you give the peel a little shake after you top the pizza, it’s a good check before you attempt to slide a pizza off the peel onto a hot oven deck.

Go even more in depth into dough sticking on pizza peels.

Understand why certain flours are good peel release agents in Prep Peel and Dough.

Learn everything you ever want to know about pizza peels. Read Tools of the Trade Part One, Part Two and Part Three from Tony Gemignani:

Tools of the Trade

Peel Off on Different Types of Pizza Peels

Pizza Peels, Part III

.

What do I do if I ruin my batch of pizza dough? 

Blowing a batch of dough happens. What’s important is that you have a plan in place to replace the pizza dough that has blown and maintain pizza service with the best pizza dough. That is where emergency dough comes in.

The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann provided a blue print for you to create an emergency dough fast. “Every shop should have an emergency dough formula and procedure tucked away for these not-so-special moments,” Lehmann said. “I like to make my emergency dough from my regular dough formula because I’m already familiar with it. Still, we need to make a few changes to our dough formula to allow it to be made quickly and be ready for making pizza skins in not much more than two hours.”

He continues, “I have found that increasing the yeast content to double the normal level helps to speed things up a bit. Increasing the finished dough temperature to something in the 90 to 95 F range really helps to get the dough on line within the two-hour time limit as well. The quickest way to do this is to just increase the temperature of the water that you are adding to the dough by 15 F (assuming you are presently targeting a finished dough temperature of 80 to 85 F). If you are not targeting your finished dough temperature in that range, give it your best estimation for water temperature to get your dough to come from the mixer within 90 to 95 F.

I also like to have a bag of reducing agent, such as PZ-44, on hand for these occasions. By including a reducing agent in the emergency dough formulation you will have a greater assurance that the dough will handle well without excessive snap-back during the forming procedure.”

Go deeper into creating an emergency dough.

.

How do I keep the ingredients from sliding off my pizza crust?

There are several causes of ingredients sliding off your pizza crust. The first component you need to examine is if your pizza crust is strong enough to support the weight of the toppings that you are putting on the pizza. Pizza Master John Gutekanst dives into types of pizza crusts and the toppings they can support. “Too much hydration, wet toppings, weighty meats and cheeses, and insufficient thought about how the heated foundation will support all these assets can lead to your downfall. To avoid this, let’s look at the styles of pizzas and the topping support they offer.

Pizza styles and the weight of toppings

• Thin and crispy pizza: Low tolerance for weighty toppings unless an extremely low-hydrated, high-gluten dough is baked at medium temperatures, creating a hard, crisp crust that will not “flop” or crack. Examples are the East Coast Hot Oil pizzas, the Roman Scrocciarella and the St. Louis thin. A lot of these styles are made with less sauce and cheese and cut in the Chicago “Tavern Style” squares to accommodate multiple toppings.
• Medium thick brick-oven crust: Mid-level tolerance for heavy toppings depends upon hydration. Below 70 percent and a lower temperature bake at 500 F will dry a dynamic high-gluten crust out enough for plenty of sauce and cheese. The more steam remaining in the crust will soften the dough, and higher heat will only crisp the outside of the cornicione (crust.) If you try drying out the gluten scaffolding in the center at this high temperature, it will only burn the outside.
• High Hydration Crusts: Believe it or not, high hydration crusts are the perfect platform for dressing with multiple toppings. Pizzas like the Pizza in Teglia are baked in pans because of that high moisture, but they create a crisp crust and large cell structure at temperatures in the mid 500 F range. These pizzas also have a lot of oil in the mix because the oil coats the gluten strands eliminating moisture saturation. This technique creates strong alveoli, or “lungs” when filled by carbon dioxide. Many high-hydration pizzas are par-baked much in the same pans that the smaller-celled Sicilian Pizzas are, like the wonderful Sfincione.

Read his article: Heavy Lift: Crusts to Support Loaded Pizzas

Secondly, the dreaded gum line can be the culprit of toppings sliding off your pizza. Whether the pizza is over-sauced, under cooked or insufficient yeast levels, you’ll want to address these problems right away. Take a look at how to fix gum line issues. 

.

Why is my pizza dough weak and tears when I stretch it?

Laura Meyer addressed dough tearing. “If your dough tears easily or is unable to stretch, then it has not developed enough gluten and could use a little bit more time mixing,” she says… “If my dough is high in hydration and I am using a planetary mixer, it can be hard for the dough to reach full gluten development purely because of the style of mixer and the way it is constructed. This is not necessarily a flaw by any means. Planetary mixers are great work horses and for some operations the best choice because it can accommodate attachments for cutting and shredding. Knowing that this mixer is not as well suited for high hydrated doughs, bulk fermentation as well as incorporating a few folds before refrigerating the dough will ensure that the dough absorbs all the water and develops to full gluten development. A good rule of thumb when using bulk fermentation is the shorter the mix time the longer the bulk fermentation and vice versa.

Autolyse is another technique used by bakers and pizza makers to make sure flour is well hydrated and to ensure full gluten development. Autolyse is a rest period during the mixing process.

Read her article: Knead to Know: What Comes After the Mix for your Batch of Dough.

.

Why is my pizza crust undercooked?

Laura Meyer knows the ins and outs of proper pizza cooking. To address an undercooked pizza crust, she says, “One of the most common errors I see in kitchens is not enough dough has been pulled out of the refrigerator before service. Just as you should never put a cold steak on a grill, you should never put cold dough in a hot oven. If you are cooking Neapolitan pizza, cold dough tends to blister more giving it that leopard spotting everyone loves but at the same time is that much harder to cook all the way through. No matter what style you are cooking, your oven is going to have a set point and a specific cook time. In every kitchen I have worked in there is always that one cook or new person that loves cold dough because it is easier to stretch and harder to tear. The downfall of this is an improperly trained cook. During the cooking process your dough is rising in temperature to cook the toppings, cheese and dough. If your dough is cold, it is harder for it to cook all the way through while your toppings cook and the dough browns. When the pizza enters the oven, the water in the dough begins to boil and evaporate. If the dough is cold, it will not cook all the way through leaving too much moisture in the dough resulting in a gum line.

“Another flaw I see repeatedly is improperly cooked bottoms. On busy nights it can be hard to keep up with dine-in as well as take-out and delivery. It can become overwhelming and adding on people constantly asking where their food is can be anxiety driven and frustrating. Most cooks try and compensate by putting as many pies as they physically can in the oven thinking they’re going to push food out faster that way. What really ends up happening is the oven cools down to a point where the stones cannot recover with each new rotation of pies. As pizzas cook, the heat from the stones is absorbed by the pizza. By putting pizzas in the same spot, those areas completely lose their heat meaning the bottoms never cook. To combat this, I recommend leaving at least one spot where nothing is cooking leaving it as a “hot spot”. By keeping a hot spot in the oven, you will always have an area to rotate your pizzas into towards the end of the bake to finish off the bottoms. If you are using screens, it is smart to remove the screen halfway through so the pizza can finish on the physical stone. The contact with the stone will ensure a well-done bottom as well as ensure you get the desired crispiness.”

Read her article: Knead to Know: Avoid an Undercooked Pizza and Unhappy Diners.

.

Why is my pizza crust too tough or chewy?

There are many factors that cause a pizza crust to be too chewy or too tough. The Late Tom Lehmann dives into the topic and provides cause and ways to fix the issue. He said, “When we encounter an excessively tough and chewy thin-crust pizza, the problem might be due to improper dough management techniques (such as a finished dough temperature that is too low, which therefore results in insufficient dough fermentation). Another cause for a tough and chewy crust characteristic is trying to sheet the dough too thin, thinking that it will make for a crispier finished crust. Just the opposite is true. Our dough formula and dough management procedure can be “spot on,” but if we sheet/roll the dough too thin we end up degassing the dough, making it more dense. The heat then passes right on through the dough without ever getting it hot enough to fully bake it and we end up with a crust that might have some resemblance of crispiness when it comes out of the oven but soon progresses from crispy to tough and chewy. The answer here is to use a different method to open the dough into a pizza skin (hand formed or pressed) or to open the sheeting rolls slightly to give a thicker pizza skin better able to create a heat/thermal block.

Read Lehmann’s article: Dough Doctor: Tough Sell — Causes of too tough, chewy crust.

.

How to prevent my pizza crust from burning?

The first thing to examine: Is your pizza crust burnt or is that part of the pizza style and pizza characteristics? Blistering, also known as leoparding, is common with many high-heat, wood-fired pizzas. Char is a common characteristic of pizza styles, like New Haven and many artisan style pizzas.

Laura Meyer says, “At times what appears to be burnt areas are thin spots on the crust that formed during the stretch but were never degassed before entering the oven.  A simple fix is to pop thin bubbles before cooking or using a bubble popper to deflate enlarged bubbles inside the oven before they firm up.”

.

Why is my pizza dough too soft?

The Late Tom Lehmann answered this question based on a two-day cold fermentation. “Your dough formula likely contains too much oil. Keep in mind that both water and oil contribute to the soft and extensible handling properties of the dough. It’s most likely that this is where the problem is. To correct the problem, I would suggest reducing the oil content to a level where it does not exceed four percent of the flour weight and to where the combined water and oil do not exceed 56 to 60 percent of the flour weight.”

He continued. “Also, keep in mind that the flour needs to hydrate the water in order to form “gluten”. With the high level of oil that you’re using it is entirely possible that a good deal of the flour is absorbing oil rather than water if the oil is not added in a delayed manner. To do this, do not add the oil until the ingredients have had a chance to mix together at a low speed for a couple of minutes. When you cannot see any dry flour in the mixing bowl, the oil can be added and blended in by mixing for an additional minute at low speed. Then, the dough can be mixed in your normal manner. This should give you more consistent dough performance, especially after a couple of days in the cooler.” Read on in Knead to Know: Soft Sell.

.

Why is my pizza dough so sticky?

The minute you pull your dough from the dough box, you know when you have a sticky situation. The late Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann said, “The number one reason for a wet, sticky dough is covering it when you put it into the cooler. After mixing, the dough is going to be at least at room temperature or above, making it quite a bit warmer than the inside of your cooler, which should be operating at 36 to 40F. When you lid the container of dough balls, the moisture that is being held in the warm air condenses onto the inside of the container (the top where there is head space above the dough) as it cools due to exposure to the cold air. Since the dough retains a lot of heat (latent heat) it continues to generate moist air within the box and the moisture continues to condense onto the inside of the container until the dough and box eventually equilibrate at the same temperature. By this time, though, the box is flooded with water that drips onto the dough surface. This water is slowly absorbed back into the dough, but under most conditions the dough is removed from the cooler for use before it is fully absorbed. What we experience is a wet, sticky dough. To add insult to injury, these doughs also tend to have a strong propensity to bubble during baking as the water in the outer portion of the dough is vaporized into steam.

He provided a few step-by-step solutions to solve the sticky dough problem in Knead to Know: Sticky Situation.

.

How do I fix overproofed pizza dough?

First, how do you know if your pizza dough is overproofed? John Gutekanst, dough expert and owner of Avalanche Pizza in Athens Ohio shares how tests to see how his pizza dough is proofed. “There are certain ways you can tell how far along your proofing has gotten. One way is to use your finger. Note: these examples are for dough that is not cold. Refrigerated dough may act differently.

• If the dough ball bounces back right away when pressed with your finger, it is not ready for prime time and needs to proof longer.
• If the ball is poked and the dent answers back in a slow, even fashion, it is ready to bake.
• If the dough ball has puffed up tremendously and your finger dent stays in the dough with no bounce back, the dough is borderline over-proofed.
• If the dough looks completely deflated like a wrinkly beach ball and deflates when poked with your finger, it is over-proofed.

One solution that Gutekanst shares is this: “This is a secret that many great pizzaioli and bakers hold tight to their chests, ‘The Re-knead.’  It is used extensively in the airy, Roman style Pizza in Teglia, as well as high-hydration sourdough bakers. The re-knead is a dough resurrection that stretches already mixed and relaxed dough. This procedure strengthens the gluten matrix and introduces new feeding opportunities to the yeast. Most re-kneads are part of a calculated dough schedule which takes highly hydrated, cold fermented dough, brings it to room temperature for a short period of time, and re-forms a new, stronger dough ball. This technique can also be used for dough that has become over-proofed. It gives you a chance to use that secondary rise that a rehabbed gluten matrix and new yeast activity affords you.” He offers other tips to help correct an over proofed pizza dough.

Read his full article Overproofed Pizza Dough: Deflate Gate.

Check back as we will add more common pizza dough problems. Explore more pizza making how-to and advice articles from master pizza makers and dough experts in Dough Production & Development.

The post Troubleshooting Your Pizza Dough — A Guide to Making Pizza Better appeared first on Pizza Today.

Attend PizzaCon, November 7, 2024 at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We have an amazing lineup set for PizzaCon this coming November in Philadelphia. At the historic Fillmore venue, we’ll pack the day with keynotes, educational sessions and activation stations designed to bombard your senses with all the sights, smells and tastes of the pizza industry’s most innovative products!

As you should already know by now from last month’s column, Tony Gemignani and John Arena will deliver a keynote address to kick off the day. And Scott Wiener will bookend the event with a highly anticipated pizza tour of Philly!

You should make plans now to attend their Thursday, Nov. 7 morning keynote address, as well as Scott’s afternoon Philly Pizza Tour. Scott is best known for his Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and has amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of our industry. Tour goers will hear about the history of pizza, as well as commentary from Scott’s perspective as a professional pizza educator and consumer. You’ll enjoy the discussion between pizzerias as much as the food itself. This will be your only chance this year to join Scott Wiener on a bus tour of three of the top Philadelphia pizzerias. Those who purchase a tour ticket will be able to sample pizza and local beers, visit the kitchens and meet the owners.

I like to think that attending PizzaCon will be one of, if not the best, investments of time and money that you’ll make this year. The bottom line is there’s always something new at our events that can improve your pizzeria. Remember, attending PizzaCon is a tax-deductible working vacation. For more information on attending PizzaCon 2024, please visit PizzaCon.com.

It’s all pizza and it’s all for YOU!

Kind regards,

Bill Oakley
Group Show Director

The post Tony Gemignani, John Arena, and Scott Wiener Are Coming to PizzaCon 2024! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Recognized for Culinary Excellence, Employee Engagement, and Unprecedented Community Stewardship

Ft. Mitchell, KY – Pizza Today, a leading B2B industry publication, has named Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria as its 2024 Pizzeria of the Year. This prestigious award highlights Camporosso’s exceptional commitment to culinary excellence, innovative employee engagement, and unparalleled community involvement.

Camporosso, established by Eric and Amy Redfield in Ft. Mitchell, KY, has rapidly become a beacon of quality and community spirit in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. The recognition from Pizza Today underscores the significant impact that the Redfields have made through their dedication to creating a superior work environment and giving back to the community.

“What Eric and Amy Redfield have created in Ft. Mitchell is simply astounding,” says Pizza Today’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeremy White. “The couple have built systems based not only on food quality but on meaningful employee engagement and community involvement that goes above and beyond. The couple epitomizes what it means to be a community steward. Their spirit of giving is both impressive and noble, and it is what separates them from the pack.”

Camporosso’s philanthropic efforts are well-documented, with the pizzeria engaging in numerous initiatives to support local causes. Notably, the restaurant recently hosted a charity event dedicated to cancer research, raising significant funds and awareness for the cause. This event is just one example of how Camporosso integrates social responsibility into its business model, enriching the community it serves.

This recognition as the 2024 Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today reflects Camporosso’s holistic approach to business that combines food quality measures, employee satisfaction initiatives and community involvement as pillars of success.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award from Pizza Today,” says Eric Redfield, co-owner of Camporosso. “It is a testament to the hard work and passion of our entire team, and it motivates us to continue striving for excellence in every aspect of our business.”

For media inquiries, contact:

Eric Redfield
Camporosso
eric@camporosso.com

About Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria

Camporosso is a renowned wood-fired pizzeria located in Ft. Mitchell, KY. Established by Eric and Amy Redfield, the pizzeria is celebrated for its Neapolitan-style pizzas, high culinary standards and strong community involvement. Featured in Food & Wine magazine’s “The Best Pizza in Every State” edition, Camporosso continues to set the bar for quality and innovation in the pizza industry.

The post Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria Named 2024 Pizzeria of the Year by Pizza Today appeared first on Pizza Today.

Our 2024 Pizzeria of the Year is Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria. Based in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, Camporosso is a one-unit juggernaut that well exceeds $3 million in revenue. As impressive as that is, the people behind it and their spirit of giving are what make this place truly special.

I first met owner Eric Redfield (his wife, Amy, is his business partner but she prefers to stay out of the limelight and let Eric handle interviews) at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas several years ago. He had just sat in on an educational session, following a keynote, and introduced himself to me. Of course, I asked him all about his pizzeria, which had just gotten off the ground. He explained how it was a labor of love after being in a corporate job for many years. Eric was thoughtful, intelligent, inquisitive and, probably most importantly, determined. In short, he was impressive. I had no doubt his pizzeria was going to succeed.

Jeremy White, Editor in Chief, Pizza Today Magazine

I watched it from afar for a couple of years and then myself, Denise Greer and Josh Keown took the 90-minute drive from Louisville to Camporosso to check the place out. It was booming. Eric and Amy clearly had figured out the restaurant industry.

The food was outstanding, no doubt. But what captivated me even more was the staff and how Eric and Amy interacted with them. I remember Denise and I talking about how obvious it was that this couple CARED about their employees. I don’t mean in the token sense, either. They really cared and they showed it in numerous ways. In turn, the staff was as friendly, efficient and excellent as I’d ever seen.

Denise wrote a great article on Camporosso Pizzeria that we published in our April 2019 issue. At the time, the store was humming along with over $1.4 million in annual sales.

It has nearly doubled that in the past five years. Again, impressive … but what struck me even more is just how invested Eric and Amy are when it comes to their crew and community.

In the article beginning, we talk about their philanthropy. What did not make the article due to the information being embargoed until a later date when some plans that are currently in the works get finalized, is this: it’s only the beginning. In the future, Eric and Amy intend to give back to their local community in a BIG way. That’s all I can say for now, but we’ll cover it down the road when it happens.

Go to the feature and take a look at a pizza business that is not just on the top its game, but at restaurateurs that epitomize what it means to be selfless.

Congratulations to Eric and Amy Redfield and to Camporosso — our 2024 Pizzeria of the Year.

Best,

Jeremy White
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com

The post Commentary: Pizzeria of the Year appeared first on Pizza Today.

Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria is Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Spirit of Giving

Our 2024 Pizzeria of the Year has impressive record of philanthropy

Eric Redfield sat inside the dining room of his pizzeria as our staff buzzed around snapping photos and taking video. A bit emotional from the big news Pizza Today had just bestowed upon his shop, he reflected on what our editors told him about being impressed by his record of giving back to his community in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. The night before, he and his wife, Amy — along with their staff — hosted a charity event to raise funding for cancer research. This is commonplace for the couple. Since the inception of their pizza-fueled labor of love, the Redfields have used their business profits to do extensive and lasting good in their community. It’s become more than a passion — it’s a mandate.

And that’s but one reason Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria has been named Pizza Today’s 2024 Pizzeria of the Year.

Three popular pizzas — Sopressata Hot Honey, Margherita and the Prosciutto and Fig — at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photo by Josh Keown.

The spirit of giving began on day one.

After a successful corporate career that spanned three decades, Eric and Amy decided to go all-in on this passion project and open their pizzeria. (Their origin story, as well as menu offerings, were detailed well by our very own Denise Greer when she visited Camporosso and wrote about the business back in 2019, so we’ll skip that here). The couple opened shop in an old building that had previously housed a garage for years and went to work building their dream. From the start, the focus was on making their restaurant the best place to work in Ft. Mitchell.

“Employee satisfaction is number one,” says Eric. “Everything else will follow after that. So, we were determined to create a great work environment with a dynamic culture. It’s fun.”

The Redfields knew they wanted to generate employee satisfaction through generosity. It’s hardwired into their ethos.

“It started when we first opened,” Eric recalls. “We offered group health and dental. We offer a matching 401K. We offer 100 percent of the first six percent that these employees contribute. I have 10 employees that are in the 401K program. Six of them, it’s the first time they’ve ever invested a dollar. And I have four people on our group health. It’s the first time two of them have ever had insurance. So that matters. That means something.

“We started with 15 employees. We have six that are still with us eight years later. Our running average since we’ve been open is 10-percent turnover per year. That’s unheard of. This doesn’t happen if I don’t have employees that stay and have a sense of purpose that they can grow here.”

During the COVID shutdown in 2020, the couple took things to new heights.

“For a period of time, Amy and I decided that we were going to give 100 percent of our profits to our employees. So that’s what we did: we gave 100 percent of our profits to our employees. We distributed about $60,000 to our employees over that period between what we gave and then, when the community found out, they started donating to it, too. It was really amazing to see.”

Photo Collage includes owners Eric and Amy Redfield, along with staff making pizzas at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photos by Josh Keown.

On our first visit to Camporosso, the dining room

— outfitted with a wood-burning oven to churn out Neapolitan pies — was responsible for the lion’s share of sales. While patrons may take leftovers home or sporadically call in a to-go order at that time, the focus was entirely on the dine-in experience.

“We didn’t even have a contract for pizza boxes,” Eric quips.

The pandemic changed that overnight, forcing the Redfields to navigate an unexpected new business landscape. That’s when a night-long planning session led to a migration to takeout. While the restaurant has since returned to its roots by focusing on providing a stellar dine-in experience, to-go orders have remained a permanent fixture that has helped grow revenue.

“I don’t think Neapolitan pizza travels well, but the community embraced it,” Eric says of the necessary buildout of to-go systems Camporosso put into place.

“I remember Amy and I saying, ‘We’re going to have to go to a takeout model.’ And we were dine-in only, so we didn’t have that model. We said, ‘How do we do this? How do we transition to takeout only and survive?’ We didn’t know what we were up against. Nobody did.

“But we figured it out and we reopened takeout only the very next day and never skipped a beat. And during the time that we were takeout only, I made a commitment as the owner to meet every customer that came and picked up food from us. I gave them a fist bump and I met every customer. And that really resonated with the community. And, in turn, we did not lay off one employee during the Covid shutdown.”

That dedication to literally meet every customer comes as no surprise once you get to know the Redfields a bit. It is who they are. And the result has been a tide of community support because people like supporting good people.

Camporosso’s Carryout Catapults the Business

The additional carryout revenue ultimately helped catapult Camporosso to a new level. Sales last year were well over $3 million out of one unit. Meanwhile, Eric and Amy astutely kept the momentum going once dine-in reopened by doubling down on staffing. They brought in a dedicated phone person to take carryout orders. They briefly — very briefly — added online ordering. But as orders poured in and taxed the kitchen staff, it was time to step back and focus on quality.

“We tried it for two hours,” Eric laughs. “It overwhelmed us and so we turned it off. My pizza chef came to me and said, ‘If I just fill the orders we have from online, and we base it on our turn time, we’ll be filling these orders until 2:30 in the morning.’

“They just kept coming. Plus, people were calling as well, so it was just too much. We’ll never go back to that. We get some negative social media comments about stepping into 2010 since it’s now 2024, but we’ll never do online ordering again. There’s only so much capacity we can do and keep the quality we want. And quality is very important to me.”

The open kitchen with views of the ovens is a showpiece of the dining experience at Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. Photo by Josh Keown.

That mindset is also why Camporosso won’t grow to a second unit and beyond.

At this point in the Redfields’ careers, it’s not about ballooning the bank account. It’s about building up others around them.

“I hear it every day,” says Eric. “Venture capital approaches me all the time and says ‘You should add a store in Newport. You should put one in Louisville. You should franchise.’

“I will never, ever, ever be complacent and will continue to grow this business. We’re satisfied, but not complacent. But we love what we’re doing here in these four walls. It keeps me smiling and it keeps Amy smiling. We have a dynamic business that is rooted in our employees, in the customer experience, in the community and in our food. We are able to stay laser-focused on these four tenets. If we became too ambitious and looked to grow, we’d lose focus on that because I’m not there or Amy’s not there. We are happy with what we have and don’t need more.”

With 12 full-time employees and 50 total staff members, Camporosso clearly has become a foodservice employer of choice in Northern Kentucky. The business’ 2023 payroll exceeded $1 million.

“We didn’t do $1 million in revenue in our first year, and now our payroll is that,” says Eric. “We haven’t lost a full-time employee in four years, and we’re proud of that. We employ single moms, single dads, 20-year-olds. It’s so gratifying to see young people who have never heard of 401Ks tracking their investments on their phones and planning for their futures. I had a corporate job for 30 years and I can sit here and say I’ve never had a bad day in the restaurant. Never one bad day.”

Jeremy White is Editor-in-Chief of Pizza Today.

Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria Pizzeria of the Year honor receives national media attention

Since we announced Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky as our Pizza Today 2024 Pizzeria of the year, the designation has received a number of national media stories. Check out a few of the media outlets spotlighting 2024 Pizzeria of the Year Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky:

Cincinnati Enquirer: Pizza Today magazine names NKY spot Pizzeria of the Year

LINK NKY: Ft. Mitchell’s Camporosso named 2024 Pizzeria of the Year

Who are past recipients of Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year?

Pizza Today, a leading B2B pizza industry publication, began the prestigious award many years ago go. Let’s look at the most recent recipients of Pizza Today’s Pizzeria of the Year:

2023 Pizzeria of the Year: Modern Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

2022 Pizzeria of the Year: Tony’s Pizzeria Napoletana, San Francisco, CA

2021 Pizzeria of the Year: Razza, Jersey City, NJ

The post 2024 Pizzeria of the Year: Camporosso Wood Fired Pizzeria, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky appeared first on Pizza Today.

Hot Pizza Spots in the U.S.: Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, NY; Pizzeria Sei Los Angeles, CA; Oak Oven Harahan, LA

This month we look at hot pizza places in New York, California and Louisiana. Each month in Destinations, we highlight great pizzerias that have hit our pizza radar. These pizza places may have just opened to rave reviews, hit best pizza lists or have exciting news. If you’re a pizzeria that would like to be featured, reach out to Executive Editor Denise Greer at dgreer@pizzatoday.com.

Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, New York

Photo courtesy of Bflo Pizza Bistro

Bflo Pizza Bistro was born out of the COVID-19 Pandemic. “My pizza journey started during the pandemic when I bought an Ooni, created an Instagram food page, and persuasion of family and friends to start selling pies out of my apartment,” says owner Chris Flynn. “I started doing popups around town before I was lucky enough to find a brick and mortar location.” The couple longed to bring the French bistros they traveled to into their restaurant. “Our restaurant stands out because our pizza is different from the standard Buffalo style pizza, the dough is focaccia like but also has a chewy crust,” he says. “I call my style of pizza a Detroit/Sicilian hybrid. We have 5 staple pizzas on our menu with a specialty one that changes monthly. We have 3 different salads and my wife makes homemade Italian desserts weekly (cannolis, tiramisu, Italian cookies). We also have a beer and wine list with assorted local beers and our favorite wines. I wanted to make my styles of the standard pepperoni and Margherita pizza stand out differently from the rest. My Margheritas are finished with dollops of a peppery whipped ricotta and my pepperoni are finished with a drizzle of homemade hot chili honey that I make batches of weekly. My white pizza consists of a homemade roasted garlic bechamel sauce, portabella mushrooms and topped with a porcini sea salt. The pepperoni and margherita are definitely the fan favorites, although our monthly specials have really taken off. This past month was a homemade vodka sauce, a local stuffed banana pepper sausage, banana peppers and whipped ricotta to top it off.”

Pizzeria Sei, Los Angeles, California

Pizzeria Sei has been rated among the best pizza in Los Angeles, with high marks nationally and internationally and a Michelin recommendation. Though the spot is small, the pizzeria focuses on its dine-in service. Pickup is available by preordering until it is sold out. The in demand shop works with local farms and farmers markets. Its pizza is Tokyo style neo-Neapolitan. The pizza menu is filled with Neapolitan classics and a few surprises, like the Bismarck with fior di latte, prosciutto cotto, egg, Pecorino, basil, truffle oil and sea salt. Special creations are introduced like a pizza topped with a Kendal farm crème fraiche, gold round potato, chives, fior di latte, shaved garlic, oregano, shallot cream, provolone, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, extra virgin olive oil and Kaluga caviar.

Oak Oven, Harahan, Louisiana

The neighborhood restaurant blends Sicilian, Italian and New Orleans culture. The wood-fired pizza menu features unique offerings, like the Shrimp and Crab with artichoke, red chili, oregano, garlic and white wine-butter. Lamb Meatball pizza is topped with sweet peppers, basil, tomato, red chili and ricotta. Made in house pastas are a highlight. Handmade Pappardelle features gulf shrimp and artichoke. The Handmade Frattura features grilled mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts, feta, olive, tomato, lemon and herbs. Oak Oven also highlights entrees like Veal, gulf shrimp and filet mignon.

==>> Check out more featured pizzerias in People & Pizzerias.

The post Pizza Destinations: Bflo Pizza Bistro, Buffalo, NY; Pizzeria Sei Los Angeles, CA; Oak Oven Harahan, LA appeared first on Pizza Today.

When is a pizza dough overproofed and how do you fix it

When you knead to rise above over-proofed dough.

t has happened to all of us. You’re working in your busy pizzeria, the line in the lobby snakes to the door, all your ovens are full, increasing the internal temperature of your kitchen to 103 degrees. The dough that you brought out an hour ago has been proofing in the boxes for way too long and you promise yourself to get right to it, but that hour turns into 90 minutes in the frenzy.

Once the rush is over, you cautiously look in the dough box and you see dough balls that are flat, wrinkled and spent. You know there are two avenues to take; either throw the dough away or correct this over-proofed dough. You must first find out how old the dough is because this over proofed dough you’re looking at could be on its last rise. Or you could have a dough ball that has just become proofed too much and has a second rise in it.

Role of Yeast in Overproofed Dough: Feeding Frenzy

We all make a living using dough recipes that rely upon time and temperature. Time affords a period for these small natural and human-made yeast enzymes and bacteria to interact with natural sugars to create a rise in our dough. This is also regulated by the temperature at which this dough is subjected. When everything in your dough schedule goes swimmingly, you can pat yourself on the back, stand back and gaze upon the finished pizza product with pride. When you over-proof your dough, there is that sinking feeling that all that time making, resting, balling, storing and proofing your dough is wasted. There are certain ways you can tell how far along your proofing has gotten.

One way is to use your finger. Note: these examples are for dough that is not cold. Refrigerated dough may act differently.

• If the dough ball bounces back right away when pressed with your finger, it is not ready for prime time and needs to proof longer.
• If the ball is poked and the dent answers back in a slow, even fashion, it is ready to bake.
• If the dough ball has puffed up tremendously and your finger dent stays in the dough with no bounce back, the dough is borderline over-proofed.
• If the dough looks completely deflated like a wrinkly beach ball and deflates when poked with your finger, it is over-proofed.
  

Dough Management: Dough Nuts

As a pizza manager, your dough schedule is calculated to use the limitations of your refrigeration space, oven type and knowledge of your dough personnel. Your physical plant reflects and intermingles with the way you want your pizzas to look, taste and feel like. Dough is the platform that holds and melds with all the other flavors on your proprietary pizza and therefore is the spine of your operation. To gain more control over the way your dough is mixed and aged, you can set up a plan to make sure everyone in your pizzeria is on board. This can be a dough schedule printed and attached to a clipboard near the mixer and proofing tables. It should contain times, temperatures, mixing speeds, weights and proofing times for each batch. In a perfect world, this detailed dough production works well, but some of us with high volume pizzerias opt for a simpler dough production with small date and time stickers on the dough. These also have the names spelt, thin crust, regular, Detroit, Roman, sourdough, etc. on them. This also frees the dough people to keep a flow of dough rolling and if they have questions, they can match the type of dough to signs and recipes kept near the dough station.

What to do with an overproofed pizza dough? The Proof is in the Pudding

When you are staring at an over-proofed dough ball, you must not despair because there is a way to rehabilitate an over-proofed dough ball besides making mediocre focaccia or breadsticks out of it.

This is a secret that many great pizzaioli and bakers hold tight to their chests, ‘The Re-knead.’  It is used extensively in the airy, Roman style Pizza in Teglia, as well as high-hydration sourdough bakers. The re-knead is a dough resurrection that stretches already mixed and relaxed dough. This procedure strengthens the gluten matrix and introduces new feeding opportunities to the yeast. Most re-kneads are part of a calculated dough schedule which takes highly hydrated, cold fermented dough, brings it to room temperature for a short period of time, and re-forms a new, stronger dough ball. This technique can also be used for dough that has become over-proofed. It gives you a chance to use that secondary rise that a rehabbed gluten matrix and new yeast activity affords you.

To begin the re-knead, make sure there is no oil or hard crust on your dough ball. Take the over proofed dough ball by two opposing horizontal edges with the bottom of the dough ball toward you. Pull your hands away from one another stretching the dough until taut. Then close the dough like a book. Turn the dough ball 90 degrees and use this stretch/fold method again. Now start tucking the dough under the dough ball with your fingers and tighten the dough ball using a table if necessary. This dough ball can be sent back to the refrigerator to relax for later use or covered at room temperature to use in 20 to 30 minutes.

John Gutekanst owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

>> Explore answers to more common pizza dough questions in Troubleshooting your Pizza Dough: What’s wrong with my pizza dough? <<

The post Overproofed Pizza Dough: Deflate Gate appeared first on Pizza Today.

“You’re either growing or you’re dying.” 
— Anonymous

Everyone always asks me if I envisioned as many locations as we have now. In fact, the answer is a yes and a no! I always wanted to go as far as possible in the pizza industry and I never do anything small. With that being said, it is not like I had an exact plan. A lot of the expansion I have done has been necessary expansion — meaning that I needed more locations to help pay for the current locations I had.

When I opened the second store everyone talked about the second store being the kiss of death. It was not — it added to the cash flow and made everything easier. However, I knew if I wanted to open more locations I would need to build out my infrastructure — meaning I would need to build out my team. I brought on a full-time administrative assistant, and I brought on a full-time person on the operations side who could help with my growth and overall broad lining of our systems. With that being said, the money had to come from somewhere.

I could have probably had two stores forever and reached all of my personal financial goals and felt successful. I had three main goals when I opened our pizzeria. Goal number one was to put my kids through college, because at that time I had no money saved. Goal number two was I wanted a little bigger house than what we had. Finally, goal number three was to have a car in this century because I was the king of $500 cars. I quickly realized all of those goals would be accomplished, but that is not how I would measure my success. I would measure my success when the people who work for me can reach their personal financial goals through working at Caliente Pizza & Draft House.

The third store was crucial in the cash flow plan because it helped fund the ongoing efforts to bring in great talent to expand. At this point I was still paying General Managers an hourly rate. Now I could start to pay them a more than competitive salary. I brought on a full-time marketing director knowing her salary would come from the fourth store. I created a new position in all locations: a front of the house manager. These were all progressions because of cash flow and knowing I would need these positions for future growth.

Fast forward from the fourth store to our current 13 (going on 14) locations and we now have 12 regional positions, and we keep adding to our team and we keep adding assets to our company. Every stream of revenue that comes in, a portion of it goes back into the company to fund future growth. This is the model that has worked for me. In next month’s column we will talk about adding the assets you need to move your growth forward.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Back to Basics, Part II — Growth and Expansion appeared first on Pizza Today.

Seeking Paired Interests

Everyone wants to be good at their job. Really, they do, but employees easily become complacent when they get used to their hourly wage and have no opportunity for growth. In their eyes, they’ve reached their ceiling. The days are the same no matter how hard they try or don’t. Rather than focusing on maximizing their output, they’re main focus is avoiding getting in trouble. Even if an employee was to go above and beyond, there are no systems in place that reward or recognize this. With no vested interest in maximizing their output, your staff can and will become stagnant. When employees have a paired interest—when they win when you win and lose when you lose—they start to take ownership of their actions and their output.

Here are some incentive plans to ensure you have mutually beneficial interests:

Knowledge Employee Incentives

Rank or Certification Programs: Developing certification training where staff can earn a rank, badge or new chef coat or hat can create motivation to strive for more, especially when it’s tied to a pay raise. When an employee earns this recognition it gives them distinction among their peers. Those who are consistently moving up in rank or certification are more likely to assume leadership roles in your restaurant, this way they’ll stimulate other staff to level up simply by comparison.

In our restaurant, we’ve modeled ours after the military rank structure, where achieving a certain rank results in higher pay. This system is very clean and simple to understand for back-of-house staff who want to advance.

Efficiency Incentives

Efficiency is key in the kitchen, not just knowledge. Setting time trials for prep or executing menu items to show who is the best at doing it correctly and quickly creates a healthy and competitive environment. Giving immediate bonuses or pay increases to those who perform exceptionally well, especially during peak times, will pay for itself in increased productivity and efficiency. If they are seen as awesome, and rewarded as such, that behavior starts to permeate the rest of the crew.

Front of House

If your staff is becoming complacent it’s often because they don’t see opportunities for growth and get accustomed to the average tips they get. When you hear “advancement” it’s easy to assume that means a pay raise, but there are other ways to encourage outstanding staff that doesn’t come with a dollar amount.

Servers have a built-in incentive with tips, but even that can become routine. Introducing an incentive for not just having more tables but achieving a higher ticket average can greatly influence the overall health of the restaurant. Implementing a profit-sharing program for servers who consistently exceed the average ticket value can set a new standard of excellence. Many servers will strive to meet this standard, seeking to win the “gold star” and perform at their best.

Depending on the age of your workforce, you can gamify the day with challenges, like who can sell a particular item last, akin to a game of hot potato. The winner could get a prize from a treasure chest filled with fun items from the dollar store or gift cards for older teams.

Communication and Evaluation

This means tight but ever-flowing communication. All employees need to know where they stand through proper evaluations so they can set goals and take on projects with the belief that their accomplishments will be recognized and rewarded. Transparency through CONSISTENT QUARTERLY EVALS will build a sense of shared purpose for paired incentives.

I’m not saying this as a theory, I’ve seen it happen. When staff know they get more when you get more, they act the part.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch

The post Mike’s Monthly Tip: Paired Employee Incentive appeared first on Pizza Today.

Southern Style Tomato Pie from East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to East End Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its Southern Style Tomato Pie. The gorgeous shot of this pizza caught our eye on Instagram for its brilliant use of those summer tomato slices. It’s the simplicity of pairing the right ingredients that makes this one a winner. Photo credit can go to Andrew Marcus @actuallyandymo on Instagram

East End Brewing Company opened their own kitchen operation at its Larimer Brewpub location in 2020 serving up Sicilian style pizza with a focus on dietary inclusion. The Southern Style Tomato Pie is the creation of Larimer Brewpub Kitchen Manager Sheryl Johnston (@alienspice on INstagram. She answered our questions about this amazing pizza.

What’s on the pizza? 

SJ: Mayo or vegan Mayo sauce, Grateful Ched cheddar cheese, mozzarella, sliced tomato, scallion, basil.

Why is it special/geek out on it: 

SJ: This pizza is a recreation of a summertime treat popular in the Southern United States. Featuring vine ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, and spring onions. It highlights peak July produce! In addition to highlighting July produce and following the traditional ingredients, this pizza is special thanks to the use of “Grateful Ched”, a sharp cheddar marinated in our Gratitiude Barleywine and produced by Clover Creek Cheese (@clovercreekcheese on IG) in Williamsburg, PA. We utilize a thick, focaccia crust for our pies, made by Prohibition Pastries. Vegetarian by default, we also offer a vegan version of this pizza, and can make it with gluten free crust baked by Wild Rise Bakery (@wildrisebakery on IG), located nearby in Pittsburgh.

What’s been the customer response?

SJ: Customers are loving the amazing combination of fresh juicy tomatoes and basil with the decadent mayo and sharp cheese base, even those who were a little skeptical of mayo on pizza. These simple ingredients have combined to create bold flavors that have left customers very impressed. It’s definitely a contender for our 2024 Pizza of the Week Poll, destined to come back again as a featured pie.

Learn more about East End Brewing Company at https://www.eastendbrewing.com/  and follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eastendbrewing.

The brewpub also shared this note with us: (At our Larimer Brewpub, we have been featuring a Pizza of the Week for over 3 years. Each year, we run a poll, allowing customers to vote for top 12 favorite pizzas to come back. If a pizza places on the poll two years in a row, we add it to our Pizza Hall of Fame. This pies can be viewed HERE

These pies are NOT available at our Mount Lebanon Taproom, which follows a slightly different pizza based menu)

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: East End Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Look at Pizza Sauce Differentiation

My first job in the pizza business was when I was 12 years old. My family had just moved back from Italy and was going through rough times. As the eldest of five I wanted to help out and do my part.

In 1998, my father opened his first pizzeria, which was 45 minutes away from home. He would leave in the mornings and not come home till night. My mother had four other children to tend to and was not able to drive me there when I got out of school. This was pre-Uber, pre-cell phone and pre-debit card era. On weekends, my father would take me with him on Saturdays and on Sundays, drop me off in the morning and pick me up at night.

But I didn’t feel like I was doing enough so I went out to all the businesses that were walking distance from home and sought employment for weeknights. I know what you are thinking. Present day it would be crazy to imagine a 12-year-old kid walking in a store asking for work. But I assure you, where I’m from, 25 years ago this was common in my blue collar Italian American neighborhood. All of my closest friends in the 7th grade had jobs. Angelo swept up hair at Albert’s Barbershop, Antonio was a dishwasher at Danny’s Deli, Francesco (Known as Cicc) was a detailer at Jimmy’s Body Shop and Nikki cut potatoes at Auggies Hot Dog Stand.

It didn’t take me long to get hired as a busboy at Teodori’s Ristorante and Pizzeria.

The owner, Lefty, was a widow and used to come have dinner every night. He quickly took a liking to me and would sometimes ask me to join him. He loved asking me questions about Italy. He was born there, but came over when he was five and had never been back. He also starting trusting me, so I would do stuff like mow his lawn and shovel the snow. At the restaurant, too, I quickly gained more responsibilities like helping with prep, working the salad line, and even working the pizza oven when we were understaffed and busy.

Lefty was a very successful businessman, not only respected in our community but also the surrounding areas. He was exceptionally competitive. When he was not at his restaurant, he frequented his competitors’ establishments, sampling their food and trying to gather information about their recipes and products from the staff.

There was a period he was not happy with his pizza sauce, and he would make me go with him to scour through competitors’ dumpsters to see what tomato products they were using. I would take out trash bags and see which different type of canned tomato products they were using, then count how many of each different product so Lefty and I could try to figure out what ratio of each they were using. This actually helped me a few years later when I helped my family further develop their recipe.

Last year I had the honor of studying with three of the top Pizza instructors in the World:

Enzo Coccia, Massimiliano Savia and Tony Gemignani. Enzo is regarded the top Neapolitan Pizza Instructor, Massimiliano the top Roman Pizza Instructor, and Tony the top American Style Instructor. Regarding their respective pizza sauces, Enzo’s Neapolitan has to be a San Marzano DOP tomato, hand crushed (not milled) and he only adds sea salt. Massimo’s Roman does not have to be a San Marzano (Roman Pizza does not have a strict code like Neapolitan) but must be an Italian tomato, hand crushed, with the addition of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and fresh basil. Tony’s New York-style sauce is three parts California ground tomato, one part premium California Pizza sauce, with sea salt, fresh basil and dried oregano.

Both Enzo and Massimo are firm believers in hand crushing their tomatoes. Enzo says that it’s something most pizzerias in Naples do not do anymore, but to honor and carry on the tradition of authentic Neapolitan pizza, he will always do it in his restaurants.

Massimo believes that if you take out the hand crushing, you are taking out the craftsmenship and artistic traits of the pizza as a whole, and your masterpiece will not be complete.

Tony was very hard pressed about never adding water or sugar to your sauce. He suggests if you want more sweetness, use more puree or pizza sauce. If you want to loosen your sauce up, he suggests more ground tomato.

Where I’m from in Chicago, we tend to like more earthy, deep and robust flavors.

Think of our Italian Beef Sandwiches, our Chicken Vesuvio and Deep Dish Pizza. Most Chicago pizza sauces, whether tavern or deep dish, feature a good amount of thick tomato puree and a lot more seasoning than you see in styles mentioned above.

Tomato purees and pizza sauces that you find on the commercial market are tomatoes that have been milled or grounded, then cooked to reduce water content and intensify the tomato flavor. This also gives your pizza sauce less of a fresh tomato flavor and more umami and depth. Another reason is that our dough is built very
different.

Tony’s New York and Enzo’s Neopolitan are both in mid 60-percent hydration, while Massimo’s Roman can be in the 80s percentage range. And because of the higher hydration, different types of flour are also used. Ceresota Flour is the most used in our market, and the hydration is typically in the 50-percent range, and always a fat added (oil, butter or lard). The results are a dryer, stiffer dough that can hold more.

My Chicago style sauce that I use on Taverns and Deep Dish is a two part California puree, one part California ground tomato. And here is the biggest difference: we add Romano cheese, dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, granulated garlic and EVOO. We also like to blend this and refrigerate at least 24 hours so that the flavors combine and really seep in.

My first lessons in pizza sauce came from jumping through dumpsters counting empty cans. My most recent lessons in pizza sauce came from three of the top pizzaioli in the world. Reflecting on this incredible journey I sometimes feel like I’m in a dream. Twenty Five years flies by my dear pizza friends. Dream more, learn more, do more, become more.

Pasquale DiDiana is owner/operator of Bacci Pizzerias in Chicago, Illinois and a frequent speaker at International Pizza Expo.

The post Lessons in Pizza Sauce appeared first on Pizza Today.

Fun Math: Adding Dollars to Your Weekly Sales with Additional Revenue Streams

When I began my journey in the pizza business, the phrase ‘revenue stream’ was not in my vocabulary. If asked, I imagine I would have described it as follows: “I make the pizza, you buy the pizza, and that’s my revenue stream.”

Yes, it used to be that simple.

Not today.  Here’s a list of the revenue streams we will explore:

• Dine-in
• Drive-Through
• Arcade
• Self-Delivery
• Take-out
• Loyalty Programs
• Apps
• Online Ordering
• Party Rooms
• Gift Cards
• Third Party
• Catering

These revenue streams may be placed in three categories: Facility, Customer Centric and Delivery. Let’s apply some FUN MATH to each revenue stream.

Facility Revenue Streams

Take-out: Take-out is the bread-and-butter of your pizzeria. The facility must have enough parking to accommodate the take-out customer. If the facility has no parking, is the foot traffic sufficient to sustain this revenue stream? Take-out pizza sales represent $20B per year in the US alone, compared to total pizza sales of $47B. The average take-out annual sales of a pizzeria are $275K.

Sales Goal: Take-Out Sales of $5000 per week.

Dine-in & Party Rooms: Offering tables to customers has costs associated with it. These costs include the cost per square foot for rent of the seating and restroom area (which is applied even if you own the property) along with maintenance and heating/cooling costs of that space. A target number is $200 in annual sales per square foot of this space. In other words, if the dining and restroom area comprise 1,000 square feet, you would need $200,000 in annual dine-in sales, or a weekly average of roughly $3846. Party Rooms are part of this consideration. Taking on an additional 1,000 square feet of space (or more) that will only be used heavily on weekends, and may stand empty during the week, is a tough call to make. Apply the formula to the added space to see if the sales numbers are achievable.

Sales Goal: (Square Feet x 200)/52 = Weekly Sales expected.

Drive-Through: Pizzerias are the last segment of the fast-casual business to incorporate drive-throughs as a revenue stream. Consider this: 70 percent of all fast-food sales come through the drive-through. Drive-through sales are rising at the astounding rate of 10 percent per year. It is time for pizzerias to turn on this revenue stream. Some studies have take-out sales increasing by 20 percent almost immediately after adding a drive-through to an existing restaurant.

Sales Goal: Increase in Take-out sales of $1,000 per week.

Arcade: Often, pizzerias miss out on much of this revenue stream because they allow an outside amusement company to provide and service the equipment. Capsule dispensers, crane & self-redemption machines, video games, virtual reality games, and pub games all provide an additional revenue stream, especially when self-managed and not sharing the income with an amusement company. Investment in this area can easily go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but starting small is a great way to add revenue without major expense. The expected ROI (return on investment) can be as little as one year. A capsule dispenser, three self-redemption games, and two video games can be purchased for less than $25K.

Sales Goal: Revenue of $500 per week.

Customer-Centric Revenue Streams

Tapping into your existing customers to create additional revenue streams is often the most cost-effective strategy. To take advantage of these revenue streams, you must have a POS system (Point-of-Sale) that accommodates each strategy.

Gift Cards: Gift cards may be physical (like a credit card) or digital (using a code or tied to a customer account). Gift cards provide your customer with the opportunity to spend more money buying gift cards which they then use to convince other people in their lives to order pizza from you. What better way to obtain new customers! An estimated 70 percent of restaurant customers surveyed say they would purchase a gift card. A pizzeria doing $500K, applying standard average ticket and # of regular customers, gives us some inspiring results.

Sales Goal: 70 percent of customers buy 1 gift card = sales increase of $400 per week.

Loyalty Programs: A high-frequency customer orders once per week. On the other end of the spectrum, a low-frequency customer orders once every two months. What is the expected result of the implementation of a Loyalty Program? A minimum of one extra order per month, with a 50 percent participation rate. If that is true, and countless statistics indicate it is, this is some crazy math. Using the same base of a pizzeria with $500K in annual sales, here are the expected results.

Sales Goal: 500 customers ordering an extra $30 per month = sales increase of $3750/week.

Delivery & Catering Revenue Streams

Online Ordering and Apps: Your POS company will help you set up a website with online ordering and an app that your customers may load on their cell phone from either Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Even if you do not deliver, adding this service for your customers to place pick-up orders will give you instant sales results.

Sales Goal: 10 percent increase of to-go sales $500 per week.

Self-Delivery & Third-Party Delivery: Whether you hire your own drivers, sign up for Third Party Delivery, or do a combination of both, sales increases due to adding delivery are proven out at 25 percent or more time and again.

Sales Goal: Increased sales of $2500 per week.

Catering: Catering may be dropped off or may be done as full-service. Adding a catering menu adds an additional revenue stream, even if you don’t expect to go the route of full catering. A drop-off catering menu is a simple way to add catering as a revenue stream.

Sales Goal: Increased sales of $500 per week.

I promised Fun Math. Your weekly sales with these added Revenue Streams:

$5,000 take-out sales

$3,850 dine-in sales @ 1000 sq ft

$1,000 drive-through sales

$500 arcade sales

$400 gift card sales

$3750 loyalty sales

$500 online and app sales

$2,500 delivery sales

$500 catering sales

Total Weekly Sales = $18,000

That’s some Fun Math!

The post Revenue Streams for Your Pizzeria appeared first on Pizza Today.

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — After a year of planning and preparation, Innisfree Hotels has opened the first-of-its-kind grab-and-go market in Pensacola Beach, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega.

With a new location in the Soundside Market across the street from the Hampton Inn Pensacola Beach, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega is the perfect fast-casual spot. The market brings together traditional Italian deli vibes with beach influences, meeting the area’s growing demand for convenient, grab-and-go offerings.

The shop that serves the best pizza in Pensacola Beach will now offer made-to-order Italian subs and paninis featuring Boar’s Head meats and cheeses alongside curated market items like gourmet cheeses, unique snacks, fresh salads, wines, craft beer and soda, and homemade desserts. The market will also carry pantry staples, kid-friendly grocery items, beach essentials, and bespoke gifts and keepsakes.

“We’re thrilled to introduce this innovative market to Pensacola Beach,” said Manuel Rodriguez, Director of Food and Beverage for Innisfree Hotels, which operates five Pensacola Beach hotel properties in addition to Bonsai, Fish Heads, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega, Red Fish Blue Fish, Riptides Sports Grill & Tiki Bar, Sal de Mar, Salt, and Water Pig BBQ. “Our goal is to bring elevated convenience to guests and area residents and build on the success of the original Piazza Pizza location.”

Fans of Piazza Pizza’s New York style thin-crust pies can rest easy knowing the restaurant’s traditional Italian brick oven will continue turning out signature dishes, like the Sabrosa, the Supreme and the classic Margherita. Guests can also build their own pizzas by choosing from more than 20 topping options.

“It has been a labor of love to source the highest-quality products for Innisfree’s new market and bring something fun and unexpected to Pensacola Beach,” explained Rodriguez. “Guests will find something new to discover with each visit.”

Whether you’re in the mood for a casual dine-in experience, a snack or a meal to go, a quick shop for grocery staples or food delivery to your hotel via DoorDash, Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega can accommodate your needs.

Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega is located at 5 Via De Luna Dr., Suite G, Pensacola Beach and is open daily. Call 850-565-1980 or visit piazzapizzaandbeachbodega.com for more information.

ABOUT INNISFREE HOTELS

For more than three decades, Innisfree Hotels has expertly developed and managed dozens of hotels in partnership with many of the world’s most-recognized hospitality brands. Today, the company owns or manages more than 44 entities — about 3,600 rooms — and employs approximately 2,000 people. Innisfree is the largest beachfront hotel owner-operator on the Gulf Coast. As a triple-bottom-line company, Innisfree measures success through People, Planet and Prosperity. Innisfree, which has about $1.1 billion of assets under management and $250 million in annual hotel revenue, was named one of Hotel Business’ top management companies and top owners & developers in 2022. For more information, visit innisfreehotels.com.

The post New Location, Expanded Offerings: Piazza Pizza & Beach Bodega Has Something for Everyone on Pensacola Beach appeared first on Pizza Today.

The Stella Amatriciana Pizza from Pizzata Pizzeria in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Pizzata Pizzeria in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pizzata Birreria in South Philly. The two-unit operation is constantly putting out spectacular pizza specials. We love following them on Instagram. We selected the Stella Amatriciana Pizza because it is a stunner every time and their customers went crazy for it.

Also known as the star pizza, this pizza isn’t what many think of when hear stuffed crust. They think of round pies with a ballooned crust edge. But instead, the star pizza presents as a beautifully crafted work of art. Great work, Pizzata!

Let’s explore more about the pizza from co-owner Davide Lubrano.

Why: “100-percent sourdough, it’s a star shaped pizza representing the amatriciana pasta in Italy, and you can enjoy both a soft crust filled with ricotta as well as a crispy under carriage bottom.”

Process: “Its 100-percent sourdough with a blend of 4 different flours, with a 4-5 days slow fermentation and maturation process with zero commercial yeast and all naturally leavened, which makes the gluten easier to digest, lowers glycemic index, and improves the mineral absorption of grains.”

It was created by @obsession_pizza co-owner and baker of both location

How: “Creativity is what I love the most, and it’s very important to being able to express your self recreating certain flavors you love into a pizza and being able to bring that vision to life Feedback from costumers it’s been amazing so we decided to add to it to both location at @pizzata_pizzeria and @pizzata_birreria.”

Learn more about Pizzata Pizzeria at https://www.pizzatapizzeria.com/ and follow both locations on Instagram at @pizzata_pizzeria and @pizzata_birreria.

You can also check out A Conversation with Davide Lubrano and Vinny Gallagher, Pizzata Pizzeria, Philadelphia in Pizza Today.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week? Tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Pizzata Pizzeria, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania appeared first on Pizza Today.

SAN FRANCISCO, JULY 22, 2024—Square Pie Guys, a modern pizza restaurant popularizing Detroit-style square pan pizzas in the Bay Area and beyond, is celebrating its Fifth Anniversary. Since opening its first brick-and-mortar in 2019, Square Pie Guys has sold over 1.2 million pies, which is almost 250,000 a year! Celebrations for this milestone anniversary include special promotions and the return of two highly popular Square Pie Guys collaboration pizzas. 

The first Square Pie Guys location was established in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco in the Summer of 2019, after a year of standout pop-ups. Now, there are three brick-and-mortar locations (two in San Francisco and one in Oakland), ghost kitchens across the Bay Area, and a partnership with Good Eggs for people nationwide to get their Detroit-style pizza.

What started as an experiential pop-up has now become an award-winning restaurant group. With their creative pursuits and dedication to quality, Schechter has crafted fan favorites such as  ‘The Big Von’ and ‘6×8 Pepperoni’. Their success story is a testament to their passion and commitment to delivering the best pizza experience. To date, Square Pie Guys has donated over $100,000 since their opening through their collaboration pies where every purchase has a percentage donated to the collaborators’ organization of choice.

“We’re super grateful to the community and our supporters over the years and are very lucky to have a loyal fanbase that has grown exponentially since our pop-ups. Our guests are why we push so hard to provide innovative, fun, and high-quality pies daily,” says Marc Schechter, founder and owner of Square Pie Guys. “Our team is thrilled to celebrate half a decade of bringing people together over delicious meals and creative pizza experiences that leave a lasting impression on every Guest. Looking forward to continuing to celebrate being square.” 

As Square Pie Guys celebrates its fifth business anniversary, it is more committed than ever to redefining the pizza experience. Square Pie Guys believes that pizza is not just a delicious meal but a symbol of sharing something wonderful with those around you, emphasizing the word ‘share’ because life is better when we share it, and so is pizza. 

About Square Pie Guys: 

Square Pie Guys, a pizzeria born from a shared passion for perfecting pizza, stands out by offering unique Detroit-style pizza. This style, which can be enjoyed in the Bay Area and beyond, is a testament to our commitment to bringing people together over delicious meals. Being a Square is about embracing diverse tastes, fostering connections, creating lasting memories, and striving to make the best pizza possible. Pizza has the unique power to bring people together through sharing, and this spirit of inclusivity permeates every aspect of Square Pie Guys. We welcome you to join our community and share our love for pizza. At Square Pie Guys, we are not just about pizza. We are about community. We support local organizations, sponsor community events, and share meals with those in need. Our commitment to making a meaningful difference in every city we serve sets us apart. Connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to stay updated on Square Pie Guys. 

The post Square Pie Guys Reaches Quinquennial Anniversary With Over 1.2 Million Detroit-Style Pizzas Sold appeared first on Pizza Today.

A classic Mortadella Pizza is experiencing a newfound popularity

I’ve never tasted Bologna, a.k.a. “Baloney”. As a child of vegetarians, I was spared that American childhood staple. Today, I am no traditionalist. I may be guilty, in the eyes of some Italians, of pushing innovation and interpretation into the territory of bastardization, but I have never tried Bologna and I don’t intend to. I’m open to breaking rules, but naming an American hyper-processed lunch meat after a city that many consider the culinary capital of one of the most food obsessed countries in the world is a pretty egregious move. Sorry Italy, there is no excuse for that behavior. So please, everyone, let’s sever any connections between Baloney and Mortadella, and hopefully it will fade away into obscurity.

We can make amends by celebrating the true meat treat of the ancient and great city of Bologna: Mortadella! This delicious salumi, or something like it, has been made in Italy since at least the time of the Romans — and the current form has a documented history going back to the 14th century. Lean pork meat is pulverized into a smooth paste, spiced with salt, myrtle berries, and sometimes studded with black pepper or more recently pistachio, and cubes of fat are folded in … then the whole thing goes into a natural casing. Smaller ones use pig bungs (look it up), and behemoths weighing as much as 200 pounds are packed into beef casings. The secret to its aroma and flavor comes from the cooking process; it’s cooked very low and slow at 180 F for 20 hours or more. The final product is sweet, smooth, and mildly spiced with a firm texture that creates a delicious bite even when sliced paper thin. Imported mortadella can be found at Italian delis or from importers of Italian products here in the United States. Of course, the United States is not alone in its love of this lunch meat.

It’s well known that Argentina and Brazil have huge Italian diaspora communities and their pizzeria scenes are massive, historical, and very popular. Buenos Aires and São Paulo love mortadella as much as they love pizza. In São Paulo there is a famous mortadella sandwich; a massive pile of thinly sliced mortadella is grilled on a plancha, then topped with Queijo Prato (literally translated as plate cheese and similar to Swiss), then the giant pile of mortadella and cheese is placed on a Portuguese roll and served as a knock-you-out, need-a nap-after, sandwich.

Anthony Bourdain loved it so much when he visited São Paulo that he put it in his book, Appetites: A Cookbook. In Buenos Aires bakeries, you can find something called Sándwich de miga; white bread with the crust taken off, filled simply with a slice of meat or cheese, mortadella being a popular choice, and possibly mayonnaise or mustard. Sándwich de miga is very similar to the tramezzino found in Turin and Venice. It’s a very out of place looking sandwich for Italy with its angular pale white squares of bread filled with salumi and mayonnaise. A sort of cognitive dissonance occurs when viewing these in the land of the amber hued crusty panini. But mortadella is not content to be contained in sandwiches alone —pizza is where it really shines!

The first time I remember mortadella being the star of a pizza was when Alan Richman named the mortadella pizza at Great Lake in Chicago the “No. 1 Pizza in America” in his 2009 GQ article. I had been watching Great Lake pizza from afar and sadly I never got to go before it closed, but from the photos, I was amazed at the look of the charred pizza hidden under a thin layer of mortadella lazily draped on top. Since then, I have tried many versions of mortadella pizza all over the world. At Atte Pizzeria in Buenos Aires I added my take on the most classic mortadella pizza to the menu. On a 12-inch Neapolitan dough, pistachio pesto (pistachio, garlic, Parmigiano, olive oil and a little salt which is blitzed to an almost smooth puree) is drizzled on the base, on top of that are chunks of fior di latte mozzarella and some funky taleggio cheese. The pizza is cooked in the wood fired oven. When the charred blistery crusted pizza comes out, we put little piles of very thinly sliced domestic mortadella on the pizza, and finish with finely grated Parmigiano and a sprinkling of crushed pistachio. The vibrant green pesto and lush pink mortadella bundles make this pizza as beautiful as it is delicious.

So, how should you incorporate mortadella into pizza? If you have a slicer, slice it super thin and drape it on after it comes out of the oven. You can lay it flat right onto the cooked pizza or stack it high by folding and twisting it to make small piles. You can create a mortazza, a viral sandwich at the moment, by taking a pizza dough flattened into a circle, covering it with only a thin layer of olive oil, folding it in half and baking it. When it comes out, unfold the dough and stuff it with thinly sliced mortadella. If you don’t have a slicer, cutting it into small cubes or sticks helps preserve the integrity and makes sure it doesn’t burn. Cooking mortadella in the oven is perfectly acceptable, despite what some people say. You could channel Argentina and put cubes on a pizza with mozzarella, then sprinkle some oregano and drizzle spicy chimichurri on it when it comes out of the oven. I’m a huge fan of muffulettas, so recently I made a muffuletta pizza. I start with mozzarella, provolone, chopped black and green olives, sliced red onions, and strips of mortadella. When it comes out of the oven, I sprinkle on some finely chopped giardiniera, Parmigiano and sesame seeds.

The brutal honest truth is that mortadella doesn’t need us, it doesn’t need pizza, and it doesn’t even need bread! It is perfect on its own, sliced wafer thin and lifted with bare fingers into open mouths. I salute all the mortadella purists out there, but feel free to innovate. I have included a recipe featuring this superior lunch meat that is versatile and global, and you can find Mortadella Muffuletta Pizza recipe.

Anthony Falco is an international pizza consultant.

The post Mortadella Pizza with Anthony Falco appeared first on Pizza Today.

TOLEDO, Ohio, July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, has been recognized in Entrepreneur’s second annual ranking of the Top Brands for Multi-Unit Owners. The ranking identifies the brands with the most appeal for prospective franchisees interested in multi-unit ownership, as well as existing franchisees looking to expand their portfolios. Marco’s Pizza jumped two spots this year, ranking No. 8 and claiming the title as the only pizza brand in the Top 10 list.

To determine the top brands for multi-unit ownership, Entrepreneur asked franchisors a few relevant questions: Do they offer discounts to franchisees purchasing multiple units? What percentage of their franchisees own multiple units? What percentage of their brand’s total units are owned by multi-unit franchisees? What is the average number of units owned by each franchisee? And finally, do they only sell multiple units or master licenses? Entrepreneur also factored in each company’s Franchise 500 score, which is based on an analysis of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial stability.

“Franchising is about fulfilling ambitions. For some franchisees, their ambition is to simply be their own boss—and for others, it’s to own an ever-expanding collection of businesses as a multi-unit franchisee,” says Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “We created this list for people with big vision, to help them find the brands that most support growth at all stages.”

Nearly half of Marco’s current franchise network is comprised of multi-unit operators.

The brand’s development strategy prioritizes franchisee relations and a development support system, including technology and tools to help identify territories for expansion, plus support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and information related to financing.

FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, reports Marco’s 2023 FUND Score of 895 is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. These impressive rankings are a testament to the brand’s commitment to financing guidance as a core focus of its franchise development strategy which has led the 1,200-unit brand on the path to continued growth.

Prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports the Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated average net royalty sales of AUV $1,208,653 during the 2023 fiscal year*.

“We are incredibly honored to be recognized by Entrepreneur as one of the top brands for multi-unit ownership,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “This ranking fuels our continued commitment to supporting our franchisees with the resources, tools, and guidance they need to expand their portfolios. At Marco’s, we are dedicated to not only growing our brand, but also empowering our franchisees to achieve their ambitious business goals – this recognition underscores that.”

For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Jamie Cecil at jcecil@marcos.com or 866-731-8209.

To view Marco’s Pizza in the 2024 Top Brands for Multi-Unit Owners list, pick up the July/August issue of Entrepreneur magazine, on newsstands now, or find the list online at https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/directory/top-multiunit-ranking.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

*Based on the Average Sales Volume of the top 50% of U.S. Franchised Stores for our fiscal year 2023. Based on our fiscal year 2023, 185 of 447 Franchised Stores in the category (or 41%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of Marco’s Franchising’s 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE Marco’s Pizza

The post Marco’s Pizza Ranked in Top 10 on Entrepreneur’s List of Top Franchise Brands for Multi-Unit Owners appeared first on Pizza Today.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Pizza Guys, the Sacramento-founded pizza restaurant renowned for its commitment to fresh, high-quality food, is excited to announce a new partnership with professional basketball player Malik Monk. Having just completed two successful seasons in Sacramento, Monk will join the brand as the latest “Pizza Guy,” promoting its delicious offerings and community-focused initiatives.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Malik Monk to the Pizza Guys family,” said Shahpour Nejad, CEO and Founder of Pizza Guys. “Pizza Guys was born and bred right here in Sacramento, and Malik, continuing on to his third season with Sacramento, makes him the ideal partner for our brand. His ambition on the court and genuine approach to community involvement align perfectly with our values. We look forward to working together to reach even more people and continue supporting our local communities.”

Monk was chosen as the new “Pizza Guy” not only for his impressive athletic achievements but also because he embodies the spirit of Sacramento, where Pizza Guys was founded. His dedication to community engagement and his authentic efforts to make a positive impact reflect the core values of Pizza Guys. This connection to Sacramento and his commitment to giving back make him the ideal partner for the brand.

Monk, a standout shooting guard, has made a significant impact in the league since being drafted in the first round in 2017. Known for his scoring prowess and dynamic playmaking, Monk has earned accolades such as SEC Freshman of the Year during his college career at the University of Kentucky and has continued to impress with his performances at the professional level. His dedication and hard work, both on and off the court, embody the values of excellence and commitment that Pizza Guys seeks in a partner, making him an ideal choice for this collaboration.

“I’m excited to partner with Pizza Guys and be a part of their commitment to quality food and community engagement,” said Monk. “It’s great to join a brand that shares my passion for giving back, and I’m looking forward to our efforts in making a difference.”

The partnership with Malik Monk comes on the heels of a year of remarkable success for Pizza Guys. In 2024, the brand has opened seven new locations in Riverside, Escondido, Murrieta, and Brea, California, and is projected to open three more stores by the end of the year. Additionally, Pizza Guys was recognized by Eat This, Not That as the fastest-growing pizza chain, underscoring their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. This rapid expansion and industry recognition highlight the brand’s dedication to excellence and community-focused growth.

For 38 years, Pizza Guys has continued to serve up their unique and crowd-pleasing specialty pizzas to their loyal customers. All locations make their dough from scratch daily and top it with their secret blend of herbs, spices, and vine-ripened tomatoes grown in Central California. All ingredients are high-quality and always fresh. The brand prides itself on delivering great service through their innovative technology along with their pizzas.

For more information about Pizza Guys visit https://www.pizzaguys.com/.

About Pizza Guys 
Founded in 1986 and franchising since 1994, Pizza Guys offers high-quality and delicious gourmet pizzas at a price point that can meet every budget. Each Pizza Guys pizza is handcrafted using fresh-made dough, 100% whole milk mozzarella cheese, and a sauce made with fresh-packed, California-grown tomatoes. All topped with high quality toppings from trusted brands. The brand currently has 90+ stores open and operating across two states. For more information about Pizza Guys, please visit: https://www.pizzaguys.com/

The post Pizza Guys Announces Sacramento Basketball Star Malik Monk as their new “Pizza Guy” appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Q&A with Mario LaPosta, da LaPosta, Newton, Massachusetts

Concept:

da LaPosta is an authentic wood-fired pizzeria and restaurant with Italian roots and New England flair. da LaPosta honors chef Mario LaPosta’s dedication to tradition and innovation, with a menu that showcases the best ingredients that regional purveyors have to offer. Naturally leavened, artisanal pizza is at the center of the seasonal menu, along with street food inspired starters, and handmade pasta. The wine list boasts the best of Campania and Southern Italy. Specialty crafted cocktails emphasize seasonality and Italian Spirits along with a Negroni and Spritz menu.

Pizza Style & Dough:

We’re an artisan pizzeria serving Neapolitan inspired pizza cooked in a 900-degree wood fired oven. Our pizza is naturally leavened, made with proprietary whole wheat flour from central milling, so our dough is very unique. It’s crisp, soft, light and airy all at the same time. Not as soft as Neapolitan and not as crisp as Roman, somewhere in between. The starter for our sourdough is almost 8 years old. I spent a year developing the flour blend, Farina da LaPosta, so no one else in the world is using it. Our dough method is very old school, with the sourdough, high hydration and a low salt content, it then rises in wooden dough trays at an ambient temperature. It’s similar to what a lot of great bread bakers do. Lots of structure, very flavorful very easy to digest. You don’t feel heavy after eating the pizza.

With a rich background in pizza making, what went into getting Da LaPosta off the ground?

Well let’s just say I feel like my entire life has been geared towards getting da LaPosta off the ground. I’ve always been overly passionate about food and pizza. Growing up in a very Italian household, food, family and big dinners were always important. My mom made the best pizza, and I always said mom, I’m going to have a Pizzeria one day. Professionally I worked as hard as I could, learned as much as I could, and worked my way up the ladder to become a chef. I was lucky enough to work with some amazing chefs along the way that not only taught how to cook, but how be a leader and run a restaurant. Once I put roots down in Boston, I spent 2 years developing the da LaPosta concept, and sought out business partners who believed in me and my vision. It was an incredible amount of hard work to get where I am today and took a lot of support from a lot of people, especially my wife.

You have a talent for interesting ingredient pairing. Tell us about your process of coming up with those combinations.

I like to take inspiration from lots of different things. Childhood memories, great meals I’ve had whether it be street food, a great restaurant, or one family or friends cooked. I love specifically Roman style pizza al taglio, the toppings are usually unique and abundant because the sturdier pan pizza can hold it. So, I think about different creations I’ve had and how that can translate to my pizza. In the summer and fall every ingredient we buy is local, so I let the bounty of local farms do the speaking, I’m just lucky enough to get to use the beautiful produce. I’m inspired by great chefs I’ve worked for like Andy Nusser, Corey Cannon, and Chefs like Marc Vetri & Chris Bianco, you know you take what they’ve done and try to give it a spin of your own. But the overall approach is simple, simplicity is the key, don’t overdo it. Doesn’t have to be Italian either. For example, my wife lived in Baltimore for 5 years, so I came to love Maryland style crab cakes, I bought some local Maine crab, made a homemade old bay seasoning, a light aioli, a little arugula, and put that on top of a pizza Bianca with some really good olive oil, woah.

What is a perfect pizza to you?

That’s a loaded question, haha. There’s so many different variations of pizza and I truly love all of them. My perfect pizza is a dough that’s definitely naturally leavened, a sourdough, that is crisp, light and airy. Lots of structure! That is balanced, not overly saturated with ingredients, and lets the ingredients shine. That would either be a Margherita or a perfectly balanced Formaggi, with Gorgonzola Piccante, Mozzarella, Smoked Mozzarella, & Parmigiano.

What’s next for you and Da LaPosta?

What’s next for us is we want to continue making da LaPosta in Newton better and better, where we are now food and service wise, we only need to continue to raise the standard and I think we’ll do that. We have an incredible team in place, I’m so lucky to have the team I do. And we’re looking forward to growing as a company, opening more da LaPosta’s and showcasing different styles of pizza such as a Roman pan pizza or a really elevated NY style slice.

The post Conversation: Mario LaPosta, Da LaPosta Newton, Massachusetts appeared first on Pizza Today.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 9, 2024 /CNW/ — Princess Cruises today announced another exclusive celebrity culinary collaboration, with Pizza Chef Tony Gemignani, the 13-time World Pizza Champion and undisputed greatest pizza maker in modern history. Chef Gemignani has created five unique pizzas for Princess, each with an exciting blend of savory flavors and premium ingredients from Soppressata sausage and hot honey to Gorgonzola and sweet fig preserve, further enhancing the line’s position as offering the Best Pizza at Sea.

Chef Gemignani’s artisan, hand-crafted pizzas will initially debut at Alfredo’s onboard the new Sun Princess, adding to the greatest assembly of culinary experiences at sea, with plans to extend to the rest of the fleet this summer. Princess chefs received specialized training under the guidance of Chef Gemignani from his acclaimed Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco ensuring they can masterfully replicate his original, hand-crafted pizzas at sea.

To mark the exciting, new collaboration, Princess Cruises will attempt to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title on July 12 for Largest Pizza Party at multiple venues with fresh-from-the-oven pizza prepared by the line’s master chefs, including new selections from Chef Gemignani.

Chef Gemignani is the most decorated pizzaiolo in American history, an award-winning chef, restaurateur, master instructor, philanthropist, founder of Slice House by Tony Gemignani, and author of PIZZA, The Pizza Bible, and The Pursuit of Pizza. Born and raised in Northern California, he opened his first restaurant in San Francisco in 2009 – Tony’s Pizza Napoletana – offering several styles of pizzas including Classic American, Italian, Sicilian and Neapolitan pizzas artfully made with artisan flours, an array of authentic sauces, and seasonal ingredients and finished in seven different, regionally-specific ovens. The restaurant was met with immediate success upon opening and was named the best pizzeria by USA Today and top pizza restaurant by the Travel Channel.

“Princess is about delivering great experiences and there is no more important element than Pizza.  While Princess has long been known for having the best pizza at sea, we decided to take it up an entirely new level with legendary Tony Gemignani,” said John Padgett, Princess President. “Tony is the ‘GOAT’ with unparalleled world championships, expertise and passion for crafting the perfect pizza.”

Over the course of his career, Chef Gemignani has achieved 13 World Pizza Champions, two-time Food Network Gold Medalist, four GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles, and opened more than 30 restaurants. He’s appeared on multiple reality television series including “Food Network Challenge,” “Bar Rescue,” and appeared on the Master Class GOAT series, The Travel Channel and CNN. https://tonygemignani.com/

“Princess is the original Love Boat and its magnificent ships are known to all the world,” said Gemignani. “Bringing my original recipe hand-crafted pizzas inspired by the destinations Princess visits to the world-class line up of culinary offerings onboard its ships is not only exciting but an honor.”

The new Chef Gemignani-designed pizzas will take center stage at Alfredo’s and Gigi’s specialty pizzerias, charming, sit-down venues offering an enticing menu of freshly prepared, individual-size pizzas, salads, wine and beer and more, and voted “Best Pizza at Sea” by USA Today, as well as the complimentary Slice locations found on the Lido Deck of Princess ships.

The new partnership adds to an impressive roster of celebrity collaborations that Princess Cruises has cultivated, showcasing its commitment to providing unparalleled culinary experiences. Other recent collaborations include:

• Dario Cecchini, the world’s most famous butcher
• Makoto Okuwa, renowned sushi master
• Rob Floyd, celebrity mixologist
• Romero Britto, world-renowned artist
• Gerard Bertrand, Master Winemaker
• Darren McGrady, former Royal Chef
• Tyra Banks, supermodel and businesswoman
• Rudi Sodamin, internationally-respected chef

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-Princess (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting www.princess.com.

About Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is The Love Boat, the world’s most iconic cruise brand that delivers dream vacations to millions of guests every year in the most sought-after destinations on the largest ships that offer elite service personalization and simplicity customary of small, yacht-class ships. Well-appointed staterooms, world class dining, grand performances, award-winning casinos and entertainment, luxurious spas, imaginative experiences and boundless activities blend with exclusive Princess MedallionClass service to create meaningful connections and unforgettable moments in the most incredible settings in the world – the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE:CUK).

SOURCE Princess Cruises

The post Best Pizza at Sea About to Get Better as Princess Announces New Partnership with 13-Time World Pizza Champion Chef Tony Gemignani appeared first on Pizza Today.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Stoner’s Pizza Joint, a quick-service pizza franchise, announced today that it has signed 4 new franchisees. Two franchisees will be in Texas and two in Florida. The Texas franchisees anticipate opening locations in Killeen, San Marco, and San Antonio. The Florida franchisees will be opening locations in Bradenton, Fleming Island, Orange Park, and Jacksonville Beach. The 9 new locations are all expected to open in the next 12 months beginning in August 2024.

“We are thrilled to add 4 new franchisees to the Stoner’s family in our growing Texas and Florida markets,” said CEO and Owner, John Stetson. “We are getting interest from all over the country and look forward to adding new states and partners this year!”

Stoner’s Pizza Joint is a delivery and takeout focused concept featuring fresh, high-quality food prepared in-house daily with minimal production time, including proprietary recipes for the pizza dough, sauce, and cheese blend. Menu items include a variety of specialty pizzas, calzones, strombolis, hickory-smoked chicken wings made daily in-house, freshly prepared salads, and freshly baked desserts.

Stoner’s currently has 40 locations open in 6 states. The company has 15 locations in near term development and anticipates reaching 100 locations in the next 18 months.

About Stoner’s Pizza Joint
Founded in 2013, Stoner’s Pizza Joint launched its franchising program in late 2018 along with fresh new branding and a business model that has proven resilient to massive changes sweeping the food industry. For more information, visit https://www.stonerspizzajoint.com, or email us at info@stonerspizzajoint.com.

Stoner’s Pizza Joint is currently seeking qualified franchisees to help the brand grow nationwide in college town markets, with a focus on the Southeast region. Prospective franchisees should have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The ideal candidate is a proven, multi-unit operator in the restaurant industry and has a strong knowledge of their market. Stoner’s Pizza Joint’s Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) reveals an estimated initial investment range of $90,000 to $206,000 for the first location, including a franchise fee of $25,000.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Stoner’s Pizza Joint, contact the Stoner’s Pizza Joint Franchise Development team, at scott@stonerspizzajoint.com.

The post Stoner’s Pizza Joint Announces 4 New Franchisees in 2 States appeared first on Pizza Today.

What makes a “rising star?” To us, eager independent pizzeria owners who display a true dedication to their craft, are trending upward with sales and rapidly growing their business — while dutifully serving their community — fit the mold. There are many rising stars in this great industry from coast to coast. Here, we highlight a few that have really impressed us.

Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler, Owners & Chefs
at Miller Butler in San Pedro, CA

Jillana Miller and Ahmad Butler

Ages: 37 and 47

Titles: Owners & Chefs

Pizza Concept name: Miller Butler

Location: San Pedro, CA

Instagram handle(s):
@millerbutler_sp
@chefjillananadine
@mrbutler_aka_doughboi

PT: What has been key to building up steam as a caterer and pop-up pizzeria, especially in the LA market?

JM: There are several key elements. The driving forces that come to mind are consistency, authenticity and a reverence for quality. Building a business from scratch on a shoestring budget definitely requires unwavering commitment. You have to keep going, no matter what, and that’s not always easy. As a mobile business, circumstances affecting our operations can change in the blink of an eye; it’s an unfixed variable. Therefore, our consistency becomes the stabilizing fixed variable. Weather is a significant factor—on many occasions, we have worked through windstorms that blew away even weighted tents, not to mention pizza boxes, signs, and literally whole pizzas. Rain presents another challenge. It’s tough, exhausting, but it cannot be defeating. Honoring the grit as part of the process is a helpful mindset.

Consistency is imperative, not just in showing up, but also in how you show up. We aim to create a welcoming space at every event, where both our customers and our team feel comfortable. This authenticity is important to us, and we believe people can feel that.

Being a mobile business also demands a certain level of DIY marketing and self-promotion. We’re not in a static location where people can just drive by. If we don’t actively share our location and activities, people won’t find us. Social media, especially Instagram, has been invaluable in communicating with our followers and sharing our journey.

Besides just showing up, the quality of our pizza is paramount. We strive to deliver our best work, which should continually evolve. We enjoy creating unique pizzas with unexpected flavor profiles, but our dough, especially with high-quality flour like Le 5 Stagioni, is probably the star of the show.

PT: You’ve gained notoriety for your culinary creativity. What are you aiming for with your pizza?

JM: First and foremost, quality and attention to detail are crucial, whether it’s a simple classic pepperoni or one of our latest inventive creations—it must be top shelf and memorable. Expressing culture through our food is important to us. The tradition of Italian pizza serves as a great vehicle for celebrating various cultures. We’ve created Jamaican jerk pizza, a variety of Mexican pizzas, Japanese-inspired pizzas, Vietnamese-inspired pizzas, and classic French concepts. Our goal is to create pizzas that are intriguing and exciting for the palate without compromising the integrity of classic techniques.

PT: Tell us about how the power of community has helped you grow your vision?

JM: Community is vital for all small businesses. We have both an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute positively to our surroundings. For us, the community has been not only important but also a fundamental part of our growth. We started by selling pizzas in front of our house in our neighborhood, which allowed us to really connect with the fabric of our community. In those early days, when few people knew about us, it was our customers who spread the word to friends and family. It was like a domino effect; the more traffic we got, the more reasons we had to show up powerfully, and the more new customers we met. The power of community really became undeniable last year when we did an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for a catering van. Not only did our community help us raise $25,000, but they also became very active in the fundraising process. Many other small businesses donated their time and resources, which is a testament to the collective strength of a strong small business network.

The positive response that we’ve had from our community continues to inspire us to give back. We make it a point to pour back into our surrounding neighborhoods and organizations. Last year we raised over $4,000 for the Boys and Girls Club with a pasta-making class that we donated to their fundraising raffle. At this time we are not able to donate in a monetary way, however donating our time and services to these types of raffles and auctions has been a great way to support important entities around us. We’ve been able to do such for our local skatepark, a local nature preserve, a local arts organization, etc

PT: What’s next for Miller Butler?

JM: Our next big goal is to establish an official production kitchen and a small storefront of our own. We’ve worked with a combination of temporary ghost kitchens and a cottage license. As the business grows, these arrangements are becoming more challenging. We’re doing a lot with limited resources and space. Succeeding despite these limitations requires intense sacrifices. It has gotten us this far; however, our growth isn’t sustainable without a home base. Establishing this space will allow us to expand our services, continue our pop-ups and catering, and create a consistent gathering place for our community to enjoy. We look forward to the opportunity to teach more workshops, run fun new menus, produce unique dining events, and, of course, make pizza.

Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola at Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi

Marisol Doyle

Age: 40

Title: Co-owner/Pizzaiola

Pizzeria name: Leña – Pizza + Bagels

Location: Cleveland, Mississippi

Instagram handle:
@lenapizzabagels @marisoldo

PT: What sparked your passion for pizza and bagels?

MD: I started with bagels back in 2016 when a friend of mine and I decided to make them for fun at the farmers market here in Cleveland, MS. It was a big success from the beginning, and we sold bagels every summer for five years. We even opened our own shop that lasted for a year, called Big River Bagels. It was a great introduction for me in terms of working with dough. I moved on to pizza in the summer of 2022. My husband and I went to Naples, Italy to take classes at Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and Scuola di Pizzaiolo. I fell in love with the process, and I really appreciated my instructors’ passion for teaching Neapolitan-style pizza with simple ingredients. This education was the deciding factor in opening up a small pizzeria and bagel shop in the Mississippi Delta.

PT: With 20 years in the restaurant industry, why now and why the Mississippi Delta to open your first restaurant?

MD: I’ve been in Cleveland since 2009, and through working in the restaurant business, I’ve met a lot of people and made great friends. We bought our first home here. Both my husband and I have a special connection with Cleveland and the Mississippi Delta because we have grown here personally and professionally. I never thought I would own a restaurant, but I believe Cleveland is the perfect place to try.

PT: Your menu changes weekly? What goes into your creativity? 

MD: We introduce a unique pizza special every week, a veggie option that changes from time to time, and five pizzas that always stay on the menu. Additionally, we offer a couple of salads, appetizers and desserts. Our customers really appreciate that we offer something different every week and that we try to make everything in-house. We draw inspiration from our travels, ingredients we enjoy and creative ideas on social media. My Mexican heritage also plays a big role in the specials. I often like to incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients to our pizzas. It usually takes us a day or two to come up with the perfect combination of ingredients. We test out the flavor combos to ensure our customers will like variety — and of course, we always want the end product to taste and look delicious.

PT: What’s something that you’ve learned in your first year of operation that has been indispensable to the business?

MD: The main thing is to be flexible. I started with a list of plans and learned that it’s okay to be open to different ideas and solutions. For example, I had a menu planned, but it just didn’t work out with how the flow of the dinner service panned out. We were able to make changes throughout the year to better fit our customers and improve our efficiency. I had to learn to be okay with changing plans on the fly to better the restaurant.

Carlos Estarita, Chef/Owner at Vice City Pizza in West Kendall (Miami, FL)

Carlos Estarita

Age: 31

Title: Chef/Owner

Pizzeria Name: Vice City Pizza

Location: West Kendall (Miami, FL)

Instagram Handle: Vice.city.pizza

PT: What makes a great pizza?

CE: What makes a great a pizza, to me at least, are the obvious things: the quality of the tomato, cheese and other ingredients. But when you really get into it, it’s all about the dough flavor and texture.

PT: What is the pizza scene like in Miami?

CE: Miami has grown an immense amount! It’s almost unreal to see the changes in the past decade. I’m not necessarily worried about making a name for myself, per se, since I’m more of a reserved family man. But more for the pizzeria, I think we’re doing that by just trying to make the best possible pizza that we’re capable of and becoming a neighborhood staple.

PT: What took you from fine dining to pizza?

CE: When the pandemic started, I was living in DC opening two restaurants with Zuma Group. Everything came to a stop, and I randomly wanted to start learning about dough, like most of the country, oddly enough. Eventually I came back home to Miami and didn’t really want to work in fine dining any longer — or work for anyone else — so I started my pop up and eventually partnered up with an old friend/local restaurateur, Jorgie Ramos.

PT: What else would you like to add?

CE: The pizza scene in Miami is insane right now! You have some amazing pizzerias here, places like Miami Slice, Square Pie City and Stanzione. I was fortunate enough to join this local “pizza movement” at the right time. My pizza experience is still fairly green, but I feel a lot of my overall fine dining experience and discipline has made the transition a bit easier. But Vice City Pizza has honestly been a dream come true. Getting to open my first restaurant in my old neighborhood where I grew up is amazing. Something we do a little different from most, or I guess other local pizzerias, is we have your classic pizzas, but we definitely push the edge with toppings. Sometimes it can definitely get “gimmicky,” but I don’t mind it as long as the guests enjoy them, and it also allows us to truly represent the Latin American flavors present in Miami. We do things like a Cuban Mojo Pork Pizza, the Colombiana, Birria, Al Pastor and thankfully Detroit style lends itself extremely well to pretty much anything you throw at it.

Thomas Gian Ardito, CEO at Brooklyn DOP in Brooklyn, NY

Thomas Gian Ardito

Age: 35

Title: CEO

Pizzeria name: Brooklyn DOP

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Instagram handle: @brooklyndop

PT: We hear you began as a pop-up. Tell us about that experience?

TA: As a gym owner during the pandemic, I essentially had three choices after we were forced to go into remote training (which cut revenue into one-fourth of what it had previously been): pay myself, pay my landlord, or pay my employees. I chose to pay my employees. After all, they were with me from the beginning and stuck with me through the pandemic. But I then had to figure out how I would pay my own bills. I always had been baking bread at home and was very much into the science of dough and used to even make pizza from 2004-2008 when I was 18-22. I had been experimenting since 2017 on applying bread techniques to pizza and discovered that basically this is what all the bleeding-edge places were doing, more or less, as well. In April 2020, I started putting pies for sale on my personal Instagram after constantly sharing pics of my experiments for months. It went from 12 pizzas on Friday from 5-9 p.m., to over 35 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Brooklyn DOP was born on 19th Street in Brooklyn and I had to upgrade my home oven with a custom made, ½-inch thick, 85-pound steel plate to adequately retain the heat to go pie after pie.

My cumpa, and now partner, Jason D’Amelio — who is also a passionate home cook and Financial Advisor by trade — decided he could use a pandemic distraction and joined me. We sat people on the porch and served wine, blasted Italian Hip Hop or Freestyle and expressed ourselves as people. I discovered something that really allowed me to be myself, connect with my roots and become an artistic expression while satisfying the scientific aspect that I always crave.

PT: What made you want to enter the pizza realm in Brooklyn, where there is no shortage of iconic pizzerias?

TA: I think a unique selling proposition is something every business needs. And, in Brooklyn, one would think pizza is not so unique. The proposition here becomes quality, reason, dedication and connecting people to what they love or remember about pizza. I always strove to make pizza as good as the pizza people remembered as kids. We remember things in an ideal way, and the strongest characteristics stick out in our minds.

The challenge becomes bringing those things into the present, and topping what we remember them as. The melty cheese and crispy, pleasantly chewy crust that crackles under your teeth … a bright tomato sauce with enough tang and sweetness to make you crave the next bite… I am confident I can compete based on that. Making pizza the old-fashioned way, with your heart.

PT: You’ve made a name for yourself and are standing out in the most competitive pizza crowd possible. How?

TA: When Brooklyn DOP began, I knew that even based on our name, we were declaring ourselves the NWO of the pizza game. Making a statement and consistently backing it up with a great product has allowed us to always be in the conversation. The hype was actually real. That being said, it is standing on the shoulders of giants that has given me the confidence to see that I can innovate and deliver. Mentors like Andrew Scudera, John Arena and many others who authored books I have read, have made this vision seem very possible to me from the beginning. The trick is in the “sprezzatura”, the art of making something very complicated look effortless. Behind the scenes, it is a very small staff of passionate and hard-working counter people, pizza makers and prep cooks who make Brooklyn DOP a competitor in this tough market.

Our customer base has followed us from an apartment doing sidewalk pickups week after week, telling their friends and family. These people now do the same for our pizzeria, and have stood with us through every experiment, mistake and success. This is a pandemic story of two native New Yorkers investing in this city and putting it on the line when other people had abandoned it. An outright refusal to succumb to circumstance and always keeping your eye open for an opportunity is something that our relatives instilled in us by emigrating to this country from Italy. They gave us an unfair advantage in that they showed us that all we need to do is remain prepared to act on our dreams. When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable. That is why their pictures adorn our walls. That is the essence of Brooklyn DOP and why we will continue to be in the Brooklyn Pizza Playoffs year after year, with the best of the best, proudly and gratefully.

Joseph Charles, Owner at Rock City Pizza in Boston, MA

Joseph Charles

Age: 35

Title: Owner

Pizzeria Name: Rock City Pizza

Location: Boston, Ma | Randolph, Ma

Instagram Handle: @Rockcitypizzza

PT: How did you survive the pandemic as you were a young pizzeria at the time?

JC: The pandemic was very hard for my business because we are located in a neighborhood that is surrounded by universities, and college students make up the majority of our population. That was only the beginning, though. A lot of catering went out the window and hasn’t come back with a lot of corporate employees not coming into the office anymore. We had to raise awareness that we were still open and that it was safe to come in. So, we began bringing pizzas to local hospitals and anywhere we could get access to people. We had a takeout window, so we gave customers the option to physically come in or just get takeout from the window. As far as inflation goes, just like everyone else we had to raise our prices. We did, however, switch up the menu slightly and offer smaller portions so it could reflect a less expensive price point.

PT: Tell us about your affiliation with the Boston Celtics? We found that very interesting.

JC: I received the Power Forward Grant from the Boston Celtics in 2022 and we have been working together on small things here and there. Through their partnership with VistaPrint a lot of opportunities have presented themselves, and it has done wonders for my business. I recently have been in a commercial with VistaPrint that ran throughout the NBA Playoffs, and it absolutely blew my business up!

PT: What other factors have led to your success in the pizza business?

JC: Advertising and marketing your authentic self are key. People know who I am and what to expect when they come into my places. (We serve) good quality, top-of-the-line products and dishes. Putting yourself out there so that people know you have something different to offer is important. Once your customers know, they will spread the word. You also have to be present. Whether that’s in the community, or in your store, people have to see that you’re involved.

PT: What can you tell us about your experience running a black-owned business?

JC: My experience leading a black-owned business has been one of many ups and downs. I don’t really like the classification of black owned. I own and run a pizza restaurant like everyone else. Yes, I happen to be black. 10 years ago, when I started Rock City Pizza no one knew it was black owned and no one called it a black-owned pizza shop. They just came to Rock City Pizza. There have been times when vendors or people would come looking for the owner and I would come out from my office and they would say: ‘We are looking for the owner, not the manager” and that’s the part I dislike. People don’t expect a black person like myself to own a pizza restaurant, and I ask why? I know the business is dominated by Europeans, but anyone can do anything they put their mind to. Rock City Pizza is on the rise, so ready or not here we come!

The post Rising Stars of the Pizzeria Industry 2024 appeared first on Pizza Today.

Getting the fundamentals down inside your pizzeria

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day. But if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” 
— Michael Jordan

In the last couple articles, I talked about how sports translate into the restaurant world and, more specifically, the pizza industry and your pizzeria. That’s why this Michael Jordan quote rings true. The one thing that might not ring true is we never have practice … For us, it is always game time. The way we do something is the way we do everything. Consistency breeds success, and getting the fundamentals down inside your pizzeria is most important.

Nick Bogacz, founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh

I have talked a lot about training your staff correctly from the moment they join your team. One other key point to mention is that they are always watching you. Everything you do becomes the standard. You can have as many signs as you want on the walls and talk until you are blue in the face, but your actions have the most consequences. You need to be the one who sets the standard and the one who holds others accountable. I have seen many good operators in my time, ones who have very successful pizzerias. What separates the good ones from the great ones? The little, mundane everyday tasks.

As many of you know I started in the pizza industry as a driver, and I am very proud of that. The beginning of my career I drove for the big chain pizzerias. When I finally got my first delivery job for an independent operator it was a lot different (to say the least). Mainly at that time the technology of the big guys was the biggest advantage the independents didn’t have. Still this particular independent was very busy. I quickly found the reason for their success: There was a manager working named Paul, and Paul was all of 20 years old. As I was working the oven, every pizza needed a parchment paper under the pizza.  Every time I cut a pizza I forgot the paper. I had never done that before. Paul was furious and reminded me every single time. He even threatened that he would send me home if I did it again. I also observed that a customer would never call back about the toppings being wrong or about a salad missing the dressing. Paul made sure that every single detail was followed to the letter.

I ended up loving to work for Paul because my tips were great because the food was always right. Fast forward 20 years and Paul is a great friend, and he has had his own pizzeria going on 14 years and he has become very successful. His operations are great, and they have stood the test of time. In fact, he recently expanded into a full-service model, and he is doing amazing. Speaking of expansion, that’s what we will delve into in the next installment of Building Blocks.

Nick Bogacz is the founder and president of Caliente Pizza & Draft House in Pittsburgh.  Instagram: @caliente_pizza

The post Building Blocks: Back to Basics appeared first on Pizza Today.

Optimize your Online Ordering Menu

When everything is on the line, every detail matters. This diligent approach is typical for recipes and
occasionally the ambiance, but for whatever reason the online menu gets a backseat. Meanwhile, this is how most customers initially interact with our businesses. Yet the modifications, or lack thereof, can be confusing/problematic, causing customers to go elsewhere. Here is how you avoid that, and better yet maximize their behavior.

Everything’s moving at a breakneck pace. I get it. There’s no master guide on how to set up online ordering other than attempting to mimic other successful owners, the typical way this goes down. You send off your menu to the POS company that builds your menu and you assume they know what’s best. That is categorically untrue, they know how to load the menu you provide. They don’t know how to maximize the sales potential of your items and they are not incentivized to do so. You are, so you have to do the heavy lifting here.

It’s crucial to consider how the menu will be structured for modifications and add-ons to maximize the customer’s experience.

The Power of Customization

Customers love options. Whether they can choose a ton of extra pizza toppings on just one half of the pie, swap out one type of pasta for another, or add extra cheese, customization is key. It makes customers feel in control of what they are about to drop dough on. More importantly, it can significantly boost your sales.

Extra toppings, substitutions, and special requests all add up to a higher ticket average. But if these options aren’t clearly displayed, customers may leave disappointed (or, worse, leave the website with three things in the checkout that never get purchased).

Avoiding Assumptions and Frustrations

One of restaurant owners’ biggest mistakes is assuming customers will understand how to modify their orders. If your customer can’t easily find the option to make a half-size pizza or have their hand held to the special requests section, they either abandon their order or settle for something they don’t really want.

By clearly listing all available options and modifications on your menu, you make it easy for customers to get exactly what they want without the hassle. This reduces errors, increases customer satisfaction, and ultimately drives repeat business.

Mike Bausch, owner, Andolini’s Pizzeria

Forced modifiers are your best friend. It’s a perfectly scripted server but on autopilot.

An effective online menu enhances the customer experience and streamlines your operations. When customers can make all their choices and modifications upfront, it reduces the back-and-forth with staff and minimizes errors in the kitchen.

If your menu doesn’t offer the flexibility and customization that customers seek, there is someone else out there who does. You can differentiate your restaurant from the competition and build a loyal customer base by going in on every option and pre-loading the scenarios into your POS. Additionally, if you don’t know what to do, go to other websites. Check out similar menus and mimic their ordering. If an issue comes up frequently, like a sauce on the side, build that option into the forced modifiers.

When someone uses the special request note section, you can safely assume 50 other people have had that same issue or request but never said anything. If the request happens three or more times, not making a change is pure laziness on your part. Don’t put the responsibility of maximizing an order experience on the customer — that’s our responsibility. By providing clear and easy-to-use options, especially online, you can enhance the customer experience, increase sales and stand out as a dependable experience. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-structured menu, because it’s no longer just a best practice, it’s a mandate.

The post Mike’s Monthly Tip: Maximizing Online Menus appeared first on Pizza Today.

I am thrilled to announce that the opening keynote speakers for the inaugural PizzaCon 2024 will be pizza luminaries Tony Gemignani and John Arena. This will be your only chance to hear these industry superstars and thought leaders who will have a lasting impact on the pizza industry throughout the world.

Tony Gemignani is a Master Pizzaioli, acclaimed chef, and owner of more than 30 restaurants and the fast-growing Slice House franchise. The 13-time World Pizza Champion has become a household name in the world of pizza, and he is considered by many as the Michael Jordan of our industry. He’s authored or co-authored three books — including his most recent book The Pizza Bible, which is a consumer guide to making pizza — covering nine different regional styles. His pizzeria, Tony’s Pizzeria Napoletana has been named America’s best pizzeria by USA Today, the Travel Channel and Forbes, and it was recently ranked number two in the United States and number 10 in the world by Italy’s “50 Top Pizzas”. Tony was the first American to win the title of World Champion Pizza Maker at the World Cup in Naples, Italy. He also holds two Guinness Book of World Records, one for creating the largest pizza and another for performing the most consecutive rolls of pizza dough across the back of his shoulders. If these weren’t enough accolades, the city of Naples named Tony as their official U.S. Ambassador for Neapolitan Pizza.

After 32 successful years, he’s now focusing most of his time and energy on growing his Slice House franchise. He’s had multi-units with Pizza Rock and concepts in North Beach, California, along with licenses in football and baseball stadiums, casinos and basketball arenas. Development, training, culture, philosophy and growing are going to be at the forefront of his next chapter in his life. His Slice House offers more than 20 pizza combinations that can come on any style of pizza, including Detroit, Grandma, New York, Sicilian and Gluten-free.

John Arena is a third-generation pizza chef that’s been pushing out pizza dough for more than 48 years, and is the co-owner and co-founder of Metro Pizza, along with his cousin Sam Facchini, with seven locations in Las Vegas. Metro Pizza has won countless local and national awards and acclaim, including being named one of the Top 10 pizzerias in the U.S. by Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby in their book “Everybody Loves Pizza.” Metro Pizza has been featured on “Entertainment Tonight” and “Live with Regis and Kathy Lee,” and listed as one of the 10 best pizzerias in America by USA Today. John Arena has been called the Don of Dough, the Sultan of Sauce, and the Prince of Pizza by the Las Vegas Review Journal. He’s also a worldwide ambassador and elder statesman for the pizza industry.

John has traveled extensively throughout Italy and the world and has mastered many styles of pizza along the way. He also knows the history of pizza and has taught pizza making at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as trained pizza makers throughout the United States and the world. John has a great saying that is a testament to who he is and what he stands for: collaborators, not competitors, enough said.

For more information on attending PizzaCon 2024, please visit PizzaCon.com.

It’s all pizza and it’s all for YOU!

Kind regards,

Bill Oakley

Group Show Director

The post Tony Gemignani and John Arena Are Coming to PizzaCon 2024! appeared first on Pizza Today.

Story of Chicken Wings History — No Thing But a Chicken Wing

Once upon a time, chicken wings were inexpensive due to the nature of supply and demand in American restaurants. According to legend, this part of the chicken was “undesirable” — and when restaurants did use wings it was mostly to create stock for soup.

Can you believe people used to discard them? Talk about fowl!

Then a light bulb went off in Buffalo, New York. The “aha” moment reportedly was had by Teresa Bellissimo, co-owner of an establishment called the Anchor Bar. Rumor has it she needed to come up with some late-night food quickly on the spot and had plenty of wings sitting around in the kitchen because, you know, no one cared for them in 1964. She deep-fried them, tossed them in a spicy cayenne pepper sauce and the rest is history.

If you believe that version of history. There are several other claims as well. At the end of the day, in your pizzeria in 2024, does it matter who created the Buffalo wing? Not really. What does matter, however, is that they remain wildly popular as an appetizer or entrée. And if you were in business before and during COVID, then you know a thing or two about the price fluctuations and supply chain issues the pandemic brought to an item that once was no more than an afterthought.

(For what it’s worth, in 1977 the City of Buffalo recognized Bellissimo and the Anchor Bar for putting Buffalo wings on the map nationally).

What happened over the next 60 years with wings?

An impressive explosion of popularity. They’ve become a de facto official food of parties and sporting events, right along with pizza. Can you imagine a Super Bowl viewing without both pizza and wings?

Using my family of four as not-so-scientific proof on the micro level, Friday night is “Pizza and Wings Night” in the White House. We call our favorite local indie pizzeria (actually, we order online if you’re keeping track at home) and our order rarely changes: wings, breadsticks and two large pizzas (the toppings do vary based on mood). The pizzeria can count on that order from me like clockwork every Friday around 6:45 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. pickup.

Obviously, I’m not the only consumer infatuated with wings. In fact, Americans consume nearly 1.5 billion pounds of wings during the Super Bowl weekend alone, according to the National Chicken Council.

That’s just one weekend of the year!

According to Datassential, 76 percent of all restaurants in the United States offer chicken wings on their menu. And the National Chicken Council says 37 percent of Americans say wings, not pizza, is their favorite game-day food.

With demand surging and supply getting cramped during the pandemic, restaurateurs and diners alike felt the sting. From 2011 to 2021, wholesale wing prices spiked from $1.50 per pound to over $3 per pound. That’s according to the National Chicken Council, which also says demand for the product hasn’t just risen domestically, but globally.

Thankfully, the shortage is over. On February 10, 2023, the Buffalo News published a piece where the headline said it all: “The Great Chicken Wing Shortage has ended. The Great Chicken Wing price spike has not.”

Rising prices are here to stay, which is why operators must constantly evaluate costs and price their menus accordingly. What should not change, however, is your dedication to having wings on the menu — because consumers want them in a big way.

Wings are a dual-threat menu item — they can be a starter or the main course.

And there are many ways to prepare and serve them. Don’t have a fryer? No problem! Baked, grilled, smoked … you get the point. Serve them with a dry rub, a classic Buffalo sauce or with a BBQ sauce to keep it simple. Don’t limit your creativity, however. Over the years a wide array of flavors and sauces ranging from Thai Peanut to Garlic Parmesan to Raspberry Habanero have become popular. Much like an open pizza skin waiting to be dressed, think of the humble wing as a blank canvas and do with it as you wish.

2 of the Best Chicken Wing Recipes

If you need a little inspiration to get started, here are two of my favorites.

Bluegrass Bourbon Wings

Get the Bluegrass Bourbon Wings Recipe.

Raspberry Habanero Wings

Get the Raspberry Habanero Wings recipe.

JEREMY WHITE is Editor-In-Chief at Pizza Today.

The post Chicken Wings Remain One of the Hottest Appetizers in your Portfolio appeared first on Pizza Today.

A Look at Summer Tomato Varieties, Prep and Recipes

Harvesting fruitful tomato rewards from a seedy past

In 1521, Hernan Cortez looked upon the smoldering destruction of Tenochtitlan. His 1400 Spanish troops reinforced by 200,000 native tribes had finally succeeded in conquering these fierce Aztec enemies who had also been decimated by months of a smallpox epidemic. Before the battle, conquistador Bernal Diaz noted that he warned that the Aztec warriors “… wished to kill us and eat our flesh and had already prepared the pots with salt, peppers, and xitomatl,” the Aztec term for tomatoes. Nearby, the Franciscan Friar Bernardo di Sahagun noted that as the sacking of the city continued into the market, he remembered seeing an amazing number of tomatoes there. “Some xitomatl were small like cherries, others elongated, round or large with colors ranging from the deepest red to yellow.”  The Aztecs, he noted later, used tomatoes in juices and sauces, or mixed with chilies, avocados, beans, squash and even bird excrement. Cortez and his conquistadors were not captured or eaten but they did bring to Spain new foods like potatoes, turkey, squash and beans, as well as the fruit and seed of the tomato.

Summer Tomato Varieties — Pulp Friction

Hernan Cortez, despite his genocidal tendencies, never knew the breadth of the positive culinary impact his actions brought to the world. Yet even today many chefs and pizza makers do not realize the impact that tomatoes have on their business and for their customers. In some pizzerias, tomatoes are on every pizza and still these pizza makers’ only relationship to the tomato seems to be their use of a #1 can opener to crack open a #10 can of tomato sauce. Others try to save by buying the cheapest sauces and topping pizzas with waxy, unflavored, corporate Romas even in the summer. We all must know that customers today are more knowledgeable than ever and that fresh, local and in-season means flavor. Here are three tomato categories that can be found from mid-summer to fall to wow your customers with.

Heirloom tomatoes:

These are tomatoes that have been handed down from generation to generation and, as a rule, date back more than 50 years. Heirloom doesn’t mean they have better flavor. Mr. Stipey, on the other hand, is a tasty large yellow with red stripes and is sweet and juicy. Cherokee Purple is packed with umami and a deep, smokey and complex flavor. German Pinks are huge and meaty and, if sliced thin atop a pizza, the outcome is dramatic. Black Krims are from Russia with wonderfully dark, smokey flavor.

Cherry Tomatoes:

These come on in abundance in mid-summer and are closer to their wild ancestors than any other. Cherries pack all the intense sweet flavor from a large tomato and compact it into a tomato the size of large marble. Many people consider the Sungold the best tasting variety with its great balance of acidity and sweetness. The Yellow Pear tomato is one of the oldest varieties and only an inch long, but its tapered top has a pleasant look, and a mild sweetness. The Italian Piennolo del Vesuvio is an amazing variety with low water content and thick skin perfect for hanging. This aging transforms this tomatoes’ sweet and tart flesh into a greater concentrated flavor bomb.

Toybox Tomatoes:

These range up to 3 inches. Perfect for stuffing or wedge cutting. I love the Green Zebra for its mildly acidic citrus flavor, but the larger Evergreen has more firm flesh and is sweeter. The Black Zebra has a complex flavor and a high flesh to seed ratio with cool greenish skin but deep red interior. The most popular toybox in France these days is the Cosmonaut Volkov, an unbelievably delicious toybox perfect for topping pizzas with.

There are many other tomatoes in the Plum tomato family like the San Marzano, Olivade, and Roma families. The Beefsteak family has the massive pink. Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, and Yellow Brandywine, the deeply ribbed Costoluto Genovese is known for its concentrated flavor perfect for sauces.

How to Prepare your Summer Tomatoes — Gimme Some Skin

Preparing in-season tomatoes in your pizzeria produces epic flavors and is a shocking presentation when you know how to match your platform, cheeses and toppings with this lovely fruit. Here are many ways to make fresh tomatoes in your restaurant.

Slicing:

Because tomatoes are very juicy, you will sometimes need to tilt your cutting board with a wet, folded kitchen towel on a large sheet pan after you have sliced them. This will enable the juices to escape and thus ensure that the top of any pizza will not be too watery. Sprinkling a small amount of salt on the fruit will leach more tomato water out also.

Skinning:

Some tomatoes have very thick skins that can burn on pizzas or curl into a leathery annoyance. It is easy to cut an X in the bottom of tomatoes and plunge them into boiling water for just five seconds or less for smaller ones, then plunge them into an ice bath. Most skins come right off this way. Once the skin is off, it is fair game for smoking, coring and making tomato concasse (the French term for small dice).

Oven Drying:

A wonderful way to increase the intensity of flavor is to quarter tomatoes and toss with extra-virgin olive oil and dried herbs. Do not use salt because it will draw too much juice out. Place on parchment in a 200 F to 250 F oven for up to two hours depending upon the type of tomato and how you wish to use them. Sometimes the tomatoes can become too leathery to use on any pizza, so a half-drying bake is preferable.

A Summer Tomato Pizza Recipe — Big Red Triple Tomato Pizza with Pancetta and Brie

I have always loved tomatoes and cured pork, the fresh sweet acidity is a great foil to the salty, crisp and oily pancetta. The cream sauce and just enough mozzarella for a good pull lies under the pancetta. The fig leaf and lemon in the tomato honey imparts a bright vanilla and coconut nuance which embraces the brie slice perfectly and the tomato crisps add an exciting finale to each bite. This pizza is all in the prep. Once that is done, it is incredibly fast to make. Just make sure the pizza cools or the brie will melt into butter.

Get the Big Red Triple Tomato Pizza with Pancetta and Brie Recipe.

JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza in Athens, Ohio.

The post Killer Summer Tomatoes — Varieties and Ways to Make Them appeared first on Pizza Today.

Learn effective tools to navigate conflicts

Many pizzerias are owned in partnership. Whether it’s a multi-generational family operation, friends pursuing their pizza passion together, or a purely business relationship, having multiple owners has many advantages. It allows you to share the responsibility, workload and financial burden while expanding your business’s pool of expertise.

However, conflicts will eventually arise.

Richard Birke, a dispute resolution service provider and law professor, reminds us that it’s “very important for people to be mindful that not all conflict is bad.” Birke is senior vice president at JAMS Dispute Resolution and executive director at the JAMS Institute, the teaching division of JAMS. When disagreements “generate a lot of different ideas and people are defending their ideas, that’s good.” He observes these “thoughtful debates are going to create better options and it leads to better outcomes.”

If you want to your business to thrive, dealing productively with conflict is essential. It’s important to accept that clashes are inevitable and not an inherent problem. Plan ahead to avoid them and bring your best self to the negotiating table when addressing them.

PREVENTING BUSINESS OWNER CONFLICT

Here’s how to minimize conflict in the first place, and strategies to deal with it when it does come up.

Set Clear Expectations

Ideally, you made clear agreements on dividing responsibilities when launching your partnership. If you didn’t, do it ASAP. Consider each party’s experience, expertise and passion, and lay out individual responsibilities in detail. In addition to averting conflict, this should also help prevent important issues from falling through the cracks.

Put It in Writing

Put your agreements in writing. From a purely operational perspective, having everything written down improves clarity, avoids confusion and doesn’t rely on anyone’s imperfect memory. “Written communication is very effective,” says Dionne M. King, CEO and strategic consultant of DMK Consults, where she provides alternative dispute resolution, diversity and equity training and executive coaching. “It allows us to go back and refresh our memory – this is what we agreed on, this is why we agreed on it.”

From a legal perspective, having an attorney ensure that you’ve covered everything is a good idea. Even the smallest pizzeria is a huge financial undertaking, and setting up a legal partnership protects all partners and their families.

Respect Your Partners

You entered into partnership because you valued and respected the other person’s contributions. Show your respect by listening to their input and resist micromanaging them. The flip side: understand and respect their limitations. If their main skill is financial, don’t expect them to run the kitchen.

In addition, “people need to feel psychologically safe,” emphasizes Birke. “In order to prevent disputes, you need free-flowing conversations. If somebody feels like they can’t hear or bring up something negative or raise a new idea without it being shot down, that’s a problem.”

ADDRESSING CONFLICT WITH BUSINESS PARTNERS

Be Proactive

It’s important to be proactive and address conflict early. Don’t let a small problem grow into a big one by avoiding the discomfort of addressing it. According to King, common problems include “they don’t have the words, they don’t have the skill set, they may be fearful, they are avoiding conflict, and so they just don’t communicate.”

However, always take a cooling-down period if needed before starting a dialogue. Don’t “approach someone in anger and high emotions,” says King. “Take some time to calm down, think through your words, maybe write down what you want to say, and then meet in a neutral place.”

Communicate Effectively

Birke advises that “it helps to start with separating our productive disagreement from unproductive disagreement. I think about that as task conflict versus relationship conflict.” When you are deciding on concrete matters that have several different and legitimate perspectives, such as pricing or expanding, “and people are defending their ideas, that’s good.” However, “if people aren’t listening to each other well, are taking things personally, that’s an unproductive kind of conflict,” explains Birke.

King suggests these communication tips:

• Tone down your volume.
• Choose your words carefully.
• Repeat what you’ve heard to make sure you’ve got it and to reassure the other party.
• Listen actively.
• Consider cultural differences in how people express themselves.

Before you start the conversation, King says you should know what outcome you want. “It could be something like I really want to resolve this because I love working with you. I know we share the same desire for this to be successful. Let’s put our heads together and come up with something.”

Identify Everyone’s Motivation

When you’re communicating about disagreements, identify everyone’s motivation. If one partner is motivated by cost cutting and another by customer satisfaction, negotiate about that higher-level difference of opinion, not about the nuts-and-bolts of implementation. “Identify interests, yours and theirs,” says Birke. “Create options to meet those interests and compare them to the alternative if you don’t resolve the issue. Focus hard on the problem and be easy on the people.”

FORMAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES

If you and your partners can’t discuss your way out of your conflict, you may need to take formal steps. According to Birke, there are four primary strategies: mediation, arbitration, litigation and dissolving your partnership.

Mediation:

In mediation, a neutral third party helps the quarreling partners communicate and come to an equitable solution on their own. A professional mediator has the skills to help people share their perspectives constructively and come to a mutually agreeable, non-binding agreement. In Birke’s experience, “most people wait until they’re in litigation and their lawyers or a judge recommends mediation. It’s often by that time become very expensive, so I say pursue mediation as early as possible.”

Arbitration:

Arbitration is the next level of formal negotiation. Arbitration involves a neutral third party serving as a judge who resolves the dispute by listening to both sides and rendering a binding decision. Arbitration can involve lawyers and evidence, as decided by the parties in dispute. Both parties enter into arbitration recognizing that the decision cannot be appealed. The resulting evidence, negotiations and agreement remain private.

Litigation:

Both mediation and arbitration are much more economical than the next option: litigation. Litigation entails lawyers and a courtroom, with a judge or a judge and jury. Lawyers argue on behalf of each party and the judge (and jury, if applicable) will make a ruling. This takes place in court and the trial is entered in the public record. On the one hand, Birke says that “lawsuits are often the only way to get people’s attention.” However, he also says that 99.4 percent of all lawsuits are resolved by negotiation, mediation or arbitration, so escalating to the legal system should be a very last resort.

Parting Ways:

If mediation, arbitration, and litigation leave you unsatisfied, it may be time to dissolve your partnership. Birke observes that sometimes litigation is “going to be so expensive relative to the cost of the dispute that walking away may be your best alternative. And that has costs as well.” This is an extreme response to an extreme situation, and it’s likely to still require some legal assistance. Ideally, your initial negotiations with your partner(s) included an exit strategy to help streamline this process.

While friction is inevitable between partners, you can help ensure the best possible outcome by anticipating conflict, communicating in the calmest and most skillful way you can, and enlisting an experienced mediator as soon as the need arises. Overcoming your disputes promptly and effectively will improve your business while also increasing peace of mind for all partners.

Annelise Kelly is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer.

The post How to Avoid Disputes Between Owners appeared first on Pizza Today.

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI. – Since 1978, Jet’s Pizza has been crafting Detroit-Style Pizza. Now, nearly 46 years later, they are still using the same core ingredients and refusing to compromise on quality.

To celebrate National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, on Sunday, June 23, Jet’s Pizza is offering 20% off all menu-priced pizzas for online orders. Use code DSP24. This offer is available for both pick-up and delivery.

Photo Credit: Pizza Hut

Jet’s Pizza is proud to make our dough fresh in store every single morning, hand grate our cheese, and hand chop our veggies. Jet’s Detroit-Style Pizza has a light airy center, loaded with toppings, surrounded by caramelized cheese and a crispy, golden crust that is baked to perfection.

“We’ve always had a passion for our Detroit-Style Pizza and in recent years it’s been exciting to see areas outside of Michigan craving our style of pizza,” said John Jetts, President and CEO of Jet’s America, Inc. “We love a reason to celebrate Detroit and Detroit-Style Pizza, so we look forward to offering a special deal for customers to join in on that celebration.”

For a menu and store hours, go to jetspizza.com.

About Jet’s Pizza

Jet’s Pizza® is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It was founded as Jetts Party Shoppe and Pizzeria in 1978 by brothers, John and Eugene Jetts. Since then, it has now grown to over 430 stores in 22 states. Jet’s Pizza® is known for its Detroit-style, deep-dish pizzas, and fresh, high-quality ingredients. Every morning the dough is prepared by hand, premium mozzarella is grated, vegetables are hand-cut, and sauce is made with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes mixed with Jet’s proprietary spice and herb blend.

The post Jet’s Pizza® Celebrating National Detroit-Style Pizza Day appeared first on Pizza Today.

PLANO, Texas, June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today Pizza Hut® announces its latest modern menu innovation, Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza, alongside a toppings transformation, marking the biggest toppings menu overhaul in over a decade. Pizza Hut is the first global pizza chain to offer a Tavern Pizza, in addition to being the first global QSR pizza brand to offer Chicken Sausage, Pesto Swirl and Spicy Sauce as permanent topping offerings. With Rachel Antalek, Pizza Hut’s new Chief Food Innovation Officer, at the helm, the brand is ushering in a fresh era at Pizza Hut with the addition of this new thin-crust style and pizza toppings, which all debut on menus nationwide today. *

The origins of the tavern-style pizza¹ date back to Chicago in the 1930’s and became a staple within taverns with bartenders serving up the thin-crust pizza style cut into squares, often for free, in an enticing effort to keep patrons staying longer. In recent years, the style has grown in popularity as a favorite amongst pizza enthusiasts of all generations who gravitate towards its square-cut, crispy thin-crust style that makes it a shareable and snackable pizza offering. What’s more, the cracker-thin crust is then loaded from edge to edge with delicious toppings, so a burst of abundant flavor is enjoyed in every single bite of the pizza. Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors available in four recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage, and Double Pepperoni.

“These menu additions represent a bold step forward as part of our culinary mission to bring our guests modern innovation that embraces what we know our customers are loving and looking for in a pizza. Tavern is not just a pizza; it is a culinary trend that reflects the excitement of today’s pizza scene,” says Rachel Antalek, Chief Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut. “We perfected these recipes to truly pay homage to Chicago and the hundred-year-old style in a modern way while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a pizza with fresh new toppings and flavors.”

As part of this launch, the brand unveils its biggest toppings transformation in over a decade with 8 new bold, fresh toppings and sauces joining menus nationwide as permanent additions. These 8 additions include Spicy Marinara Sauce, Pesto Sauce Swirl, Chicken Sausage, Fresh Diced Garlic, Grape Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Fire Roasted Peppers and Crispy Cupped Pepperoni. Customers can enjoy these new additions found on the four new Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza recipes or select them as toppings on custom Pizza Hut pizza orders. **

• Pesto Margherita Tavern Pizza: A combo of sweet marinara, grape tomatoes, garlic and basil pesto topped to the edge and served square-cut on Thin ‘N Crispy crust & sprinkled with parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• The Ultimate Tavern Pizza: A square-cut Thin ‘N Crispy crust topped to the edge with sausage, pepperoni, fire roasted peppers, onions, grape tomatoes & parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• Spicy Chicken Sausage Tavern Pizza: A square-cut Thin ‘N Crispy crust topped to the edge with spicy marinara, chicken sausage, fire roasted peppers, caramelized onions & parmesan-oregano seasoning.
• Double Pepperoni Tavern Pizza: A combo of sweet marinara, classic pepperoni & crispy cupped pepperoni topped to the edge and comes square-cut on Thin ‘N Crispy crust & sprinkled with parmesan-oregano seasoning.

The 4 new Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza recipes or a create your own 1-topping Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza can be ordered at participating Pizza Hut restaurants nationwide starting at $12.00* for a large pizza. For more information and to find your closest Pizza Hut location, visit www.pizzahut.com.

* Pricing, Participation, & Availability Varies. Additional charge for extra toppings and cheese. Priced higher in some locations, including California.

** New recipes not available on Big New Yorker or Gluten Free Crusts.

About Pizza Hut^®
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original® Pan and Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 18+. See applicable terms at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/.  A global leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team members and communities around the world.

For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

¹ Historians.org: https:/www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/november-2018/deeper-than-deep-dish-the-case-for-chicago-as-americas-pizza-capital

The post Pizza Hut® Unveils New Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza and Toppings Transformation with Biggest Toppings Menu Overhaul in Over a Decade appeared first on Pizza Today.

The Smokehouse Pizza from Arizona-based Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew House is our pick for Pizza of the Week

This week’s Pizza Today Featured Pizza of the Week goes out to Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub with two locations in Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona and its Smokehouse Pizza. We selected this pizza for its great combination of smoked sausage, onions and mushrooms. We like that Craft 64 didn’t just use the basic topping by themselves. They were house smoked or wine braised. It’s the little extra that really makes this pizza stand out.

A little more Craft 64 from the pizzeria: This is our Smokehouse Pizza, made with house smoked sausage and onions as well as our own mozzarella and dough plus Parmigiano Reggiano, wine braised crimini mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil and rosemary.

We are Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub in Arizona and have two locations in Scottsdale and Chandler AZ.  We make everything from scratch including our own mozzarella, dough, sauces etc. and do not own a freezer or microwave.  We have been honored in winning a 50 Top Pizzeria award three years running now, last year placing #30 in the country!

Learn more at https://www.craft64.com/.

Follow Craft on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/craft64scottsdale/ and https://www.instagram.com/craft64chandler/.

What is Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week?

Pizza Today’s Pizza of the Week is a new web and social series where we recognized the creativity and outstanding pizzas that are hitting pizza menus across the country. We’re exploring what’s on the pizza, how it got its name, who created it and how they came up with it. We are scouring Instagram each week and saving pizzas that are contenders for our Pizza of the Week. Then our team will select a winner each Thursday, then we’ll reach out to the winner to answer a few questions and the winner will be posted the following Tuesday in People & Pizzerias on our website.

Want to be considered for Pizza of the Week, tag us @PizzaToday and use the hashtag #ptpizzaoftheweek. We can’t wait to drool over your amazing pizzas!

The post Pizza of the Week: Craft 64 Pizzeria and Brew Pub, Scottsdale, Chandler, Arizona appeared first on Pizza Today.

Quick Service Italian Restaurant Franchise to Launch Locations in Four States

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (June 13, 2024) – Cannoli Kitchen Pizza™, the growing pizzeria brand known for fresh Italian favorites made with authentic recipes, announces its first eight franchise developments which includes several locations throughout Florida in Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, as well as locations in Alabama, Michigan and Georgia.

“Cannoli Kitchen Pizza has been serving families in Florida for 28 years, and we are eager to bring this concept to other states in the U.S. as we are confident new guests will make visiting our restaurants a weekly family tradition,” said Austin Titus, President of Cannoli Kitchen Pizza. “As we scale the brand, we will remain committed to sourcing the freshest ingredients to create a craveable and efficient dining experience. It’s rare to cultivate a restaurant brand with a mom-and-pop vibe that’s consistent across multiple locations, but that’s exactly what we are doing with this pizza franchise.”

Cannoli Kitchen Pizza operates four locations in South Florida – Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach – and plans to seal 30 new franchise deals and open five locations by the close of this year. During the expansion, the pizza franchise remains focused on maintaining its reputation for serving guests authentic Italian dishes at reasonable prices from friendly and knowledgeable staff.

“We’re executing a growth strategy designed to expand the brand and encourage anyone who is interested in owning a pizza franchise to reach out and set up a discovery day with our team to learn more about the perks of franchise ownership,” added Titus. “We’re here to help aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of restaurant ownership with a brand that people take great pride in being a part of – a brand that has a family-feel and is backed by a powerful support team with years of experience.”