EVENTS & PROMOTIONS SPRING 2023

World Pizza Championship: April 18-20

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the biggest event in the world of pizza takes place at the Palaverdi of the Parma Exhibition Center in Parma, Italy. Pizza makers and dough spinning acrobats, including the U.S. Pizza Team, will come from all over the world for three days of competitions, cooking shows and seminars.

Learn more at campionatomondialedellapizza.it

RMDA Conference: April 24-27

Restaurant delivery service companies from around the U.S., Mexico and Canada will descend on Salt Lake City for this event, hosted by the Restaurant Marketing Delivery Association. It’s your chance to learn about new opportunities and technologies that can increase efficiency, decrease costs, and improve your pizza delivery game.

Learn more at thermda.org

Food On Demand Conference: May 3-5

Taking place at The Mirage in Las Vegas, this event brings together key restaurant and foodservice players in mobile ordering, native and third-party delivery, ghost kitchens, virtual restaurants, catering, AI, robotics and restaurant technology. They’ll share strategies for increasing off-premise efficiency and adding incremental sales.

Learn more at foodondemand.com

National Restaurant Association Show: May 20-23

Join your peers from across the foodservice industry at McCormick Place in Chicago.

You’ll discover exciting new products and innovative new equipment, create business connections with key suppliers, access expert-led education sessions on today’s biggest topics, and make invaluable peer-to-peer networking connections.

Learn more at nationalrestaurantshow.com

Every Kid Healthy Week: April 24-28

Promote your healthiest kid-friendly menu items on social media. This week also affords an opportunity to host pizza making classes for local schools and to educate children on the nutritional value of pizza. Create a kids-eat-free promotion to help families shake off the winter doldrums at your pizzeria!

DON’T FORGET THESE NATIONAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE DAYS IN APRIL 2023!

National Deep Dish Pizza Day

Wednesday, April 5

New Beer’s Eve

Thursday, April 6

National Beer Day

Friday, April 7

Day of the Mushroom

Sunday, April 16

Earth Day

Saturday, April 22

Stop Food Waste Day / Arbor Day

Friday, April 28

Lenny’s Pizza, the Brooklyn, New York, pizza joint famously showcased in Saturday Night Fever, closed its doors after 70 years in business on February 19, and a horde of customers turned out for one last slice. “I made all my life in this place,” owner Frank Giordano, 77, told CBS New York. “I’ve been here 40 years, and now I wanna retire.” Josephine Giordano, Frank’s daughter, announced the closure on social media on February 17. “We thankfully have done very well and felt it was best to close once my dad was ready,” she wrote. “It’s time for him and I to enjoy our families.” For an old-school pizza store, Lenny’s never missed a step in the social media age. Josephine, a self-described “sarcastic storyteller from good ol’ Brooklyn,” became the face of the brand on Instagram, where she posted laugh-out-loud—and often profane—Reels in which she spouted off about whatever popped into her head, especially irritating customers. In one recent Reel, Josephine complained of a woman who wanted to pay for a gluten-free pizza with a jaunty tap dance. “So what did I do?” she said. “I just ignored the s--- out of her.” Giordano told PMQ she’s moving to Florida soon. “It’s not over for me,” she said. “I’m just getting started. I’ll be around complaining about someone on [Instagram].”

Folks in Washington, D.C., don’t agree on much nowadays, but they can set aside their differences for a while when they grab a drink at Pizzeria Paradiso. Who feels like bickering when The Joy of Painting is playing on the bar TV? Bob Ross died in 1995, but he lives on at chef Ruth Gresser’s Spring Valley and Hyattsville stores. Customers can sit and watch him painting pretty trees and snow scenes day in and day out, courtesy of a YouTube channel that features the complete series. General manager Tony Hamilton said it started as a joke, but customers, including couples and kids, were entranced by the show’s serene vibe and started showing up just to watch it over pizza and beers. In late February, Hamilton introduced a new collaboration series, called “The Joy of Drinking,” which showcases craft beers from local brewers. The first promotion, called “The Happy Little Pale Ale,” spotlighted a beer from Right Proper Brewing Company. And on February 26, the Hyattsville store began hosting a “paint and sip” series with neighboring business Art Works Now on the last Sunday of each month. “The past many years now have been very stressful and exhausting,” Hamilton told DCist.com. “Having something that brings so much joy with zero baggage is just lovely.”