PMQ Pizza Magazine September 2018

PIZZA MAGAZINE THE WORLD'S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA | PMQ.COM | PIZZATV.COM

September 2018

Celebrate in style with these has partnered with Our Town America for the past 5 years.

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Dough Management 30

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Demystifying Facebook Chatbots 58

Time to Sell Your Store? 66

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September 2018

PIZZA MAGAZINE THE WORLD'S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA | PMQ.COM | PIZZATV.COM

PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | Volume 22, Issue 7

September 2018

Celebrate in style with these 12 creative promotional ideas.

PAGE 40

The Pizza Industry’s Business Monthly | PMQ.com

Dough Management 30

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Demystifying Facebook Chatbots 58

Time to Sell Your Store? 66

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AS SEEN ON PIZZATV.COM RECIPE VIDEO: THE DEGREZIA Looking for a new flavor-packed item for your New York-style pizza menu? PMQ’s Brian Hernandez convinced Tom DeGrezia, co-owner of Sophia Pizza Shoppe in the Sutton Place community of Manhattan, to share his recipe for a pie Brian has dubbed The DeGrezia. This instant classic features fennel sausage, sweet onions and red, yellow and orange peppers sautéed in olive oil and white wine. The perfect addition to any menu, it packs a sweet and savory punch that customers won’t soon forget.

P I Z Z AT V. CO M /0 918 A

EXCLUSIVELY ON PMQ.COM

THE SECRETS OF TOKYO NEAPOLITAN PIZZA

FROM PIZZA FAN TO PIZZERIA OWNER

Susumu Kakinuma couldn’t find anyone in Naples willing to teach him to make Neapolitan-style pizza, so he taught himself.

Now hailed as Tokyo’s “prime minister of pizza,” he ended up developing his own style and has influenced a new generation of Japanese pizzaioli.

He’s an ex-Marine, a former pastor and the retired police commissioner for Kauai County in Hawaii. Now Tom Iannucci has launched another career with his own AVPN-certified store, Pietro’s Pizza, named the Best New Restaurant on Kauai by Hawaii Magazine.

P M Q . CO M / P I E T R O S P I Z Z A

P M Q . CO M / T O K YO N E A P O L I TA N

BUILDING AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

HOW TO ATTRACT WOMEN’S GROUP LUNCHEONS

Long-term success in the pizza business is about more than simply making great pizza, says Ken Martin, co-owner of the Colony Grill chain in Connecticut and New York. Martin shares five tips for forging a deeper emotional connection with your customers.

Your pizzeria can be the perfect venue for meetings of women’s group luncheons.

From informal get-togethers to nonprofits and social clubs, Linda “the Marketing Maven” Duke offers eight ideas for attracting these organizations to your restaurant.

P M Q . CO M / B U I L D I N G CO N N E C T I O N S

P M Q . CO M / LU N C H E O N S

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IN THIS ISSUE

SEPTEMBER FEATURES ON T COV HE ER

40

National Pizza Month is coming up fast! PMQ’s staff has 12 smoking-hot promotional ideas that you can implement for the entire month of October.

Your Story?

26 What’s Vets2Success

50 Outside the Box

to Manage Your 30 How Dough Effectively

Facebook 58 Making Chatbots Work for You

Greek to Me: 34 It’s Greek-Style Pizza

to Sell 66 Time Your Store?

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IN THIS ISSUE

16

Think Tank: How to Develop a Successful Text Blast Program

Moneymakers

Chef’s Corner: The Quack Attack

18

22

Recipe of the Month

24

PMQ.COM/0918C

Pizza Without Borders: Italians Leaving Neapolitan Pizza?

76

Pizza Hall of Fame: Pizza John’s

98

P I Z Z AT V. C O M / V I D E O / P I Z Z A J O H N S

IN EVERY ISSUE 6

Online @ PMQ.com

72

Idea Zones

12

From the Editor

80

Product Spotlight

14

From the Inbox

82

The Pizza Exchange

Check out our digital and tablet editions for bonus video and multimedia content.

Visit PMQ.com/digital to view the digital edition, or download our tablet app at iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.com.

10 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR

Bill DeJournett Managing Editor

HELLO, PIZZA NATION! I’m Bill DeJournett, and I’m the new managing editor at PMQ. Although new to the magazine, I’m not a stranger, having known the PMQ folks for more than 10 years. I am thrilled to be a part of the talented team here!

Our editor at large, Liz Barrett Foster, often asks, “What is your first pizza memory?” While I don’t remember a specific meal, I do remember that when I was growing up, my family would always eat at Pizza Inn on Tuesday evenings. The local paper ran ads for two-for-one pizzas on Tuesdays, so we’d get two thin-crust pies—the first one was always a Supreme, the second pepperoni. I looked forward to Tuesday evenings there, not just for the pizza, but the cool atmosphere of the place. I loved watching the pizza guys toss the dough. The restaurant was a popular hangout for high school kids, so there was a jukebox constantly playing in the background. I remember hearing the music of Queen there for the very first time, and playing my first video game—Pong. That’s my first pizza memory.

One thing we are always looking for at PMQ is a great story.

So let me ask, what’s your pizza story? Drop us a line and tell us!

Meanwhile, in this issue, we give you tips to gear up for October—National Pizza Month. Now that I’ve joined PMQ, I’ve been amazed at some of the stats that show just how much we love pizza. Consider this—94% of Americans have had pizza at least once in the past month. The average American will

wolf down 45 slices of pizza in a year. There are approximately 65,000 pizzerias in the United States—that’s one pizzeria for every 52 Americans. U.S. residents gobble up 350 slices per second. Pizza is a $44-billion industry in the United States.

Every day, one in eight Americans eat pizza. With National Pizza Month and my favorite holiday—Halloween—October is definitely my favorite month of the year.

The editorial staff here put our heads together to come up with helpful tips you can use to plan for National Pizza Month (page 40). But there’s plenty more in this issue: Liz Barrett Foster gives us insight into the characteristics and history of Greek-style pizza in the United States. Tracy Morin tells us how to make the most of your pizza boxes, and “The Dough Doctor,” Tom Lehmann, offers tips on effective dough management. Elsewhere, Heather Cray fills us in on Facebook chatbots, and Steve Hitchcock covers how to determine the value of your pizzeria.

Finally, calling all artists: Check out our cover art contest from Heather Cray, our social media maven, on our Facebook and Twitter pages. If we select your image for our October cover, you will win $500, and 40,000 of our subscribers will see your work.

Have a pizza day!

PIZZA MAGAZINE THE WOR LD'S AU THOR ITY ON P IZ Z A | P MQ.COM | P IZ Z ATV.COM

September 2018

ON THE COVER: Celebrate in style with these 12 creative promotional ideas.

October is National Pizza Month, and it’s coming up fast! PMQ delivers 12 hot ideas to draw in customers. Photo illustration by Eric Summers.

PAGE 40

Dough Management 30

A Publication of PMQ, Inc. 662-234-5481 Volume 22, Issue 7 September 2018 ISSN 1937-5263 Publisher Steve Green, sg@pmq.com ext. 123 Co-Publisher Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail com ext. 121 Managing Editor Bill DeJournett, bill@pmq.com ext. 130 Editor at Large Liz Barrett, liz@pmq.com Senior Copy Editor Tracy Morin, tracy@pmq.com Editorial Consultant Rick Hynum, rick@pmq.com

International Correspondent Missy Green, missy@pmq.com Art Director Eric Summers, eric@pmq.com ext. 134 Creative Director Sarah Beth Wiley, sarahbeth@pmq.com ext. 135 Senior Media Producer Daniel Lee Perea, dperea@pmq.com ext. 139 Social Media Manager Heather Cray, heather@pmq.com ext. 137 Video Editor Blake Harris, blake@pmq.com ext. 136 Chief Financial Officer Shawn Brown, shawn@pmq.com Circulation Manager Sherlyn Clark, sherlyn@pmq.com ext. 120

Demystifying Facebook Chatbots 58

Time to Sell Your Store? 66

Test Chef/USPT Coordinator Brian Hernandez, brian@pmq.com ext. 129

Sales Assistant Brandy Pinion, brandy@pmq.com ext. 127

ADVERTISING

PMQ INTERNATIONAL

Sales Director Linda Green, linda.pmq@gmail com ext. 121

PMQ China Yvonne Liu, yvonne@pmq.com

Senior Account Executive Tom Boyles, tom@pmq.com ext. 122

PMQ Russia Vladimir Davydov, vladimir@pmq.com

Account Executive Aaron Harris, aaron@pmq.com ext. 138

PMQ Pizza Magazine 605 Edison St. • Oxford, MS 38655 662.234.5481 • 662.234.0665 Fax

Account Executive Chris Green, chris@pmq.com ext. 125

PMQ Pizza Magazine (ISSN #1937-5263) is published 10 times per year.

Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. Periodical postage pricing paid at Oxford, MS. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: PMQ Pizza Magazine, PO Box 9, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-9953.

Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own, and are not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

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For the past 150 years, bakers of all sizes have chosen Fleischmann’s® Yeast.

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FROM THE INBOX

TOY STORY We are located in Cape Canaveral, Florida. We have owned our place since 2001. Our restaurant has grown to be world-famous, and a lot of that had to do with our community. Nine years ago, we wanted to say thank you to all of the local hotel front desk employees for all of the business they sent us, so we threw them a free party. All they had to do was bring a toy, and they got to eat and drink for free for three hours. Once word got out, it grew each year, because all of our regular customers wanted to attend, too—and this year’s event was the largest ever. This has helped my wife form a nonprofit organization called Papa’s Toy Box. Each year, our staff raises and donates more than $25,000 back to our community. Our business continues to grow because of how hard our staff works to give back locally. We just wanted to share this, because we are so blessed to have such a great staff!

P IETR O ’ S PIZZA KAUAI

Billy and Shiloh Graham Papa Vito’s Italian Restaurant and Pizza Cape Canaveral, FL That’s fantastic, Billy and Shiloh! It’s always great to hear stories of pizzerias giving back to their local communities!

Pietro’s Pizza Kauai, run by Tommy Ianucci (above), boasted an impressive $1.1 million in sales during its first year.

PIZZA IN PARADISE Aloha from Kauai! PMQ needs to come to Hawaii and do a story on pizza in paradise, because it is now a truly growing market, with a least a few serious players scattered about.

I started my quest 30 years ago, learning how to make traditional New York pizza in my home. I built a brick oven in my driveway, popped up a little tent and started having parties. But, at 54 years old, I made the jump in 2015, and in our first full year operating a New York-style walk-up window and an indoor Neapolitan wood-fired pizzeria, we did $1.1 million in sales. We are the furthest-west Neapolitan pizzeria in America, and our goal is to be the go-to pizzeria in Hawaii. If you come over to do a story on pizza in paradise, I will be your tour guide when you’re ready!

Tommy Iannucci Pietro’s Pizza Kauai Kauai, HI Great work, Tommy! We will certainly take you up on your offer the next time we visit paradise!

A framed version of their April 2018 PMQ Pizza Magazine cover story greets Crust’s guests at the entrance to their Miami restaurant.

THE PERFECT CRUST Thank you to Tracy Morin and Rick Hynum for the cover story on us (“Upper Crust,” April 2018). The article was perfect! And, for the first time ever, we decided to frame the article, alongside some others we had. Now there will be thousands of people who see it, as it’s positioned right next to the entrance door.

Crust is doing better than ever and working as hard as ever, but that’s just the way it is!

Klime and Anita Kovaceski Crust Miami, FL Wow, that looks great, Klime and Anita! We’re honored and wish you continued success in all your future endeavors.

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THE THINK TANK

HOW TO DEVELOP A SUCCESSFUL TEXT BLAST PROGRAM Think Tankers swap ideas for using SMS marketing to expand your customer base.

Padrones Pizza East: I’ve been using a text blast company for a year and feel like it’s almost a lost cause. I did a blast tonight and had a redemption rate of only 2.4%. What rate should I expect to get? royster13: Even at 2.4%, it may still be worthwhile. Some questions to consider: What does the service cost you vs. the sales generated? Are you gaining new clients for your database?

Sometimes things don’t look good in the short term, but over the long run it might work out OK. Patriot’sPizza: Text blasts are akin to generic direct mail. Just

because someone received your text doesn’t mean they need a pizza at that time. New customers should get a thank-you text the next day after their first visit. It becomes a whole new ball game when you thank them for their business. Next, go through your database and thank all of your past customers for their support, too. Finally, look at those customers who haven’t placed an order in the past 90 days and send them a free cheesy bread deal—no purchase required. That’s a good start.

bodegahwy: We’ve been working on launching a text program.

I’m hoping to build our list to 1,000 members as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we can’t migrate the customers we already have on our POS and email program into the SMS program, so we will use a pretty aggressive special offer to get people to try the system for the first time. That first order will not be a moneymaker, as my focus will be on getting customers onto the list. We’ve set up an initial opt-in campaign that will offer 30% off a single order. The offer implies that it must be used within 24 hours, but it can actually be used any time— only once per customer. Once we have a list of VIP members, we will send more typical offers regularly, along with specialevent messages tied to Denver Broncos games, etc. I will send emails to our list promoting the VIP text program, which will direct people to our online ordering, where we capture emails.

We will also promote it with 1,500 box toppers, in-store signs and ads in our local newspaper.

Get answers to your most perplexing problems and swap tips and ideas with the experts in PMQ’s Think Tank, the pizza industry’s oldest and most popular online forum. Register for free at thinktank.pmq.com. (Member posts have been edited here for clarity.)

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MONEYMAKERS

IF PIZZA BOXES COULD TALK PIZ Z A PATRÓN

A pizza box that talks—how do you like the sound of that? It was music to the ears of one Pizza Patrón customer in July. The popular chain, which caters largely to the Hispanic market, made Friday, July 13, a lucky day for its fans by offering 50% off its entire menu at all 100-plus locations. But the real kicker was a giveaway of free lunch pizza for a year in the brand’s hometown, San Antonio. The winning order was announced by the pizza box itself. When opened, a tiny sound chip in the box (similar to those in audio greeting cards) shouted, “You are the winner, winner, winner!” Pizza Patrón advertised the unique giveaway with a video on Instagram that earned nearly 6,000 views in a single day.

The winner of Pizza Patrón’s pizza-for-a-year giveaway was the customer who received his order in a talking pizza box equipped with a miniaturized sound chip.

QUICK TIP 1

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? Football season is a high-volume time of year for pizzerias, so it’s also the perfect opportunity to build up your email list, loyalty program and social media fan base. Offer special game-day bundles and giveaways all season long to customers who follow you on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for your rewards program.

BEGGING FOR A WEDGIE

PI ZZA J OE ’S

Getting a wedgie is no insult at Big Joe’s, with more than 40 locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. It’s actually a good way to get new underwear. For this year’s Big Joe Wedgie Food Challenge, held throughout July, the chain dared customers to gobble down the 4½ pound Big Joe Wedgie, a pizza crust baked and folded into a colossal wedge-shaped sandwich, in 20 minutes for a $20 entry fee. Winners received a $10 refund, plus a T-shirt and a pair of logoed Pizza Joe’s boxer shorts. Contestants who failed to eat the entire sandwich were potentially “subject to a wedgie from PizzaSaurus,” the chain’s dinosaur-like mascot.

Pizza Joe’s touted its Big Joe Wedgie Food Challenge on social media with a promotional video and the hashtag, #eatwedgiesdontgivethem.

The contests also raised money for various local organizations and charities.

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MONEYMAKERS Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria started out as a home economics project for founder Salvatore Fantauzzo when he was just 17. He opened the shop a month after graduating high school in 1978 and has grown the business to 28 locations.

Known for his flashy sunglasses and colorful wardrobe, Salvatore “Soccer Sam” Fantauzzo celebrated the 40th anniversary of his pizza chain, Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria, in July with his usual flair, plus an extra heaping helping of generosity. Salvatore’s, which has 28 locations around Rochester, New York, handed over two checks for $40,000 each to the Breast Cancer Coalition and Camp Good Days and Special Times during a Rochester Lancers soccer match, with WROC-TV providing news coverage of the presentation. The money for the Breast Cancer Coalition came from Salvatore’s ongoing pink pizza box campaign, while the check for the camp was an outright donation in honor of Fantauzzo’s fond memories of his past visits there.

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QUICK TIP 2

TREAT YOURSELF TO A PROFITABLE HALLOWEEN Make plans now to celebrate Halloween in style this year. You can start by creating some fall- and Halloween-themed pizzas, entrees and desserts, but don’t stop there. Partner with a local haunted house or hayride to raise funds for a good cause, host costume contests, and don’t be afraid to spook up your pizzeria early in the month with Halloween decor.

“THE WORLD’S NICEST PIZZERIA” When you bill your store as “the world’s nicest pizzeria and family restaurant,” you’d better live up to the hype. That’s no problem for Sasa and Frank Georgalos, owners of Grecian Pizzeria in Spring Hill, Tennessee, for whom giving back to the community is a way of life. In addition to sponsoring hometown basketball, baseball and cheerleader teams, Grecian Pizzeria has raised funds for a ballet company, the Tennessee Children’s Home and other worthy causes. Their most recent crusade: supporting a beloved local educator with stage 5 kidney failure. While Independence High School teacher and soccer coach Josh Phillips awaits a kidney transplant, the Georgaloses dedicated an entire day in July to help him pay for his treatment. Grecian Pizzeria donated 10% of all sales for the day, from breakfast through dinner, to Phillips’ medical fund and garnered advance press coverage in the Columbia Daily Herald for its good work.

Grecian Pizzeria owners Frank and Sasa Georgalos (far right) pose with local teacher Josh Phillips and his family after a daylong fundraiser for Phillips, who’s awaiting a kidney transplant.

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GB 2017 Ad Concepts_Inspirazione Prova_PMQ_7.875x10.875_WITH PIZZA PASTA BURST_FIN mech.pdf

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Visit us at Galbani Booth #338

What's my Italian Inspiration? Creating luscious

bites that people feel good eating. A great pizza is all about three things: the dough, the sauce, and the cheese. I chose the cheese for my famous Chicken Piccata Pizza in a blind taste test.

When I found out it was Galbani®, I wasn’t surprised. It tasted like the summers I spent at my grandfather’s olive farm in Italy. Prova Pizzabar is a success because of the choices I make. And I’m proud to choose Italy’s favorite cheese.

—DONATELLA ARPAIA, CHEF/FOUNDER, PROVA PIZZABAR

©2018 Lactalis American Group, Inc., Buffalo, NY 14220. Galbani is a ® of Egidio Galbani S.r.l. All Rights Reserved.

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THE CHEF’S CORNER

ez’s rnand ian He view r B h c er Wat th int t in-dep k and Eric a B ic N h /0918 wit m o .c .pmq www

NICK BOGACZ, ERIC VON HANSEN |

CALIENTE’S

Caliente’s Pizza & Draft House turns game fowl into a game changer with the award-winning Quack Attack Pizza. | By Brian Hernandez When you think of Pittsburgh, you think of Penguins, Pirates, and, of course, steel. Now you can add ducks to that list. No, not The Mighty Ducks, but the succulent game bird that melts in your mouth—all thanks to Caliente’s Pizza & Draft House, which created an award-winning pizza featuring seared duck breast with a housemade mushroom ragú and garlic butter. It’ll have you looking for fertile hunting grounds to bag your own bird for a specialty pie.

Started by delivery driver turned entrepreneur Nick Bogacz, Caliente’s jumped onto the scene in September 2012 and is now a go-to establishment for great pizza and tasty craft beers in the Pittsburgh area. In the six years since, Caliente’s has grown to four locations, with no signs of stopping.

In 2015, Bogacz brought his longtime friend and pizza consigliere, Eric Von Hansen, on board to be his regional chief, and propelled Caliente’s to one of the hottest pizza spots in Pittsburgh.

After a trade show visit that year, Bogacz returned to his home base and informed Von Hansen of the new mission for

Caliente’s: to start competing in culinary contests—and win.

Von Hansen took this mission to heart. With his 25 years of experience in fine dining, working with master chefs, and traveling the world sampling regional cuisines, he was raring to go.

However, in 2016, the only competition slot available was in the pan division. Having never crafted pan pizzas at Caliente’s, Von Hansen got to work by finding an old pan, seasoning it up and testing pies.

The rest is history. Testing pan dough recipes, ingredient combinations and cooking styles, Von Hansen felt they were ready for the Las Vegas competition. After winning best in category, then advancing to the finals, the pizzeria won top honors in the Pan Division, and Caliente’s was solidified as a pizza powerhouse.

Check out the award-winning recipe from Caliente’s Pizza & Draft House, The Quack Attack.

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THE QUACK ATTACK INGREDIENTS 6-8 oz. seared duck breast (recipe below) Mushroom ragú (recipe below) Garlic butter (recipe below) 18 oz. dough ball 6 oz. Fontinella cheese, grated 2 oz. baby arugula 3 oz. cherry tomatoes, quartered

DIRECTIONS

1 tsp. fresh thyme (leaves only) 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. white truffle oil In a medium stock pot, add the oil, garlic, and shallots and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until the garlic is lightly browned.

Add all of the mushrooms and stir. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms’ liquid reduces, then add the fresh herbs, salt, pepper and truffle oil. Cook for 5 more minutes, then let the mixture sit in the pan for 30 minutes.

Seared Duck Breast

Garlic Butter

Sear the duck in a pan over medium heat, fat side down, moving the duck around on all sides until it reaches a 130°F temperature.

Remove the duck from the pan and let rest for 30 minutes. Slice it ¼” thick, leaving the skin on.

1 lb. unsalted butter 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. granulated garlic 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 oz. grated Romano cheese 2 oz. vegetable oil Cut the butter into small cubes and place in bowl. Let the butter come to room temperature. Add granulated garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce. In a pan, add oil and garlic and cook on medium heat until garlic is golden brown.

When the garlic is cooked, add the oil-garlic mixture to the butter and mix it together

Mushroom Ragú 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms sliced, stems removed 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 fresh garlic clove, minced 1 shallot, minced 3 oz. vegetable oil 1 oz. fresh chives, finely chopped

until you achieve a creamy consistency. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Brush the garlic butter on the dough with a pastry brush, coating it evenly. Add the mushroom ragu’ over the garlic butter. Place the sliced duck breast over the mushroom ragú, then top with Fontinella cheese. Bake the pizza in the oven at 550° for 7 to 10 minutes. Cut into slices and top with the baby arugula and cherry tomatoes.

This pizza will take time, but once you have the ingredients prepped, they fly right out the door, like a duck in hunting season!

Brian Hernandez, a longtime pizzaiolo, is PMQ’s test chef, U.S. Pizza Team event coordinator and a host on PizzaTV.

R E L AT E D V I D E O LEA R N H OW TO MA KE T H E Q UAC K ATTAC K IN O UR EXCLUSIV E R ECIPE V IDEO AT WWW. PMQ . CO M/0 918 C

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH

R E L AT E D V I D E O WATCH T HE RECI P E V I D EO W I T H P M Q T ES T CHEF BRI AN HERN ANDE Z AT P M Q.CO M / DEI O RI O GLU T EN F REE!

SEPTEMBER RECIPE

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Fresh Prosciutto Gluten-Free Pizza

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INGREDIENTS: 14” gluten-free shell 1½ tsp. olive oil 1½ tsp. crushed garlic 5½ oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded 1½ oz. fresh baby spinach 3 oz. ricotta cheese 7 black olives, broken 4 slices prosciutto 6-8 roasted sweet peppers

DIRECTIONS: Brush the gluten-free shell with olive oil and crushed garlic. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 550° for 6 minutes (or until cheese bubbles and begins to brown). Remove from the oven and top with spinach, dollops of ricotta cheese, black olives and slices of prosciutto. Garnish with the roasted peppers. Enjoy!

GET THE GLUTEN OUT As more restaurants offer gluten-free options, the competition for these customers is getting stiffer. Here’s how to earn their business: Create a foolproof system. Enroll in a reputable gluten-free certification program to ensure strict standards in your kitchen.

When it comes to cross-contamination, you can never let your guard down.

Show that you care. Besides gluten-free pizza, create a glutenfree dish for each part of your menu, from appetizers to desserts.

Communication is key. Make sure your waitstaff, phone staff and kitchen crew understand the needs of the gluten-free community.

Train them to answer questions about your kitchen and how you prevent cross-contamination to provide a safe product.

Reach out to the community. Work with gluten-free bloggers and local celiac support groups. Invite them to a special gluten-free tasting or host a celiac awareness night.

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WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Veteran Casey Cocozello (left) went through Vets2Success and became CPK’s Pizza Chef of the Year after only 90 days with the company.

VETS2SUCCESS | B R A D E N T O N ,

FL

An Iraq War veteran is using the culinary arts to transform the lives of fellow vets seeking a new start in life. By Liz Barrett Foster For Bryan Jacobs, pizza has become a perfect analogy for life—one that he refers to often as the founder and president of Vets2Success, a nonprofit in Bradenton, Florida. “Everything on a pizza comes from somewhere,” he says. “When you relate that to your own life, you can imagine that there’s a pizza you’ve created in your life, and you may think, ‘I don’t like these ingredients,’ but you have to realize that you have the ability to change those ingredients and make your pizza any way you want to make it. You have control. Every ingredient on a pizza has a process it has to go through before it ends up on a perfect pie, and every veteran has to go through a process before they find out who they are in life.”

Jacobs changed his own mix of ingredients when he chose the path toward a culinary career after returning from deployments to Iraq in 2003 and 2005 as a Navy corpsman

in the U.S. Marine Corps. Unfortunately, not all veterans are able to find a path that suits their abilities when they leave the service. Far too many veterans end up homeless, incarcerated, or, like Jacobs’ younger brother, a former Marine who served alongside his brother in 2003, a victim of suicide.

“After losing my brother, I was left in a state of wondering, ‘What do we do? How do we fix this? How do we change lives?’

The only thing I knew how to do was cook,” Jacobs recalls. “I told my mentor, Skip Sack, that I wanted to train veterans [in the culinary arts].”

Within the span of six weeks, Jacobs had written a curriculum and started offering the first Vets2Success class.

It was a five-day crash course, jam-packed with everything to get the first-time culinary student ready to work in the industry. “We just wanted to make an impact,” Jacobs says. “We

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Military veterans looking for new careers have found unexpected opportunities in the food and beverage business with Vets2Success.

didn’t really know what it would turn into. We got different perspectives from every veteran who walked through the door, which really helped to shape the program.”

Now, Vets2Success, which Jacobs first began in 2014 and expanded to include Vet2Chef and Vet2Baker in 2017, is quickly becoming a place where veterans are getting a second chance to learn new skills and become successful in their communities again. The program now counts 35 trained and graduated chefs among its ranks.

International pizza chain California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) recently reached out to Vets2Success when it heard about the program through the media. The company has hired five veterans through the program, and one veteran, Casey Cocozello, was awarded Pizza Chef of the Year after only 90 days at the company.

Jacobs sat down with PMQ to tell us more about how the Vets2Success program works and its growth plans.

PMQ: What is the Vets2Success program?

Jacobs: Vets2Success is a 12-week reintegration program

that focuses on teaching veterans about identity, passion and purpose, using food as an outlet. They receive servicecredentialed hours through the American Culinary Foundation. The purpose is to help them find a career that can carry them through the rest of their lives. We have the chef program, Vet2Chef; a baking program called Vet2Baker; a catering program; and a program that teaches you how to grow food. Not everyone wants to be a chef, so we have several different programs to choose from. We’ll even have a Vet2Brew program starting soon, hopefully by September. We like to get the vets hired as prep cooks and then, after their first week of work, they come back to me for additional intensive training.

PMQ: How has working with food helped you and others?

Jacobs: The program is taught around how food found me. It

better myself outside of the military. I struggled when I left the military but found my calling in food. I have a double master’s degree from the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, and have worked for culinary masters like Peter Timmins. I have a love and passion for ingredients and the classical approach to cooking, which is what we teach to veterans.

Some people paint, draw, paddleboard or do yoga. There are all kinds of ways to find harmony in your life, but at the end of the day, we all like to eat and drink. When you break bread with your brothers and sisters, it means something. In the military, everyone wears different colors. The Marines wear green. The Navy wears blue. The Army wears brown.

But, as veterans, everyone wears the same color again. We all understand each other. Being in a place where you can feel confident and start to trust people again changes everything.

PMQ: How do you feel veterans are uniquely qualified for working in the food industry?

Jacobs: Our industry needs attention to detail, teamwork,

organization and leadership in an environment of functional chaos. These are things that veterans understand. In the military, you see one, do one, and you’re done. There are so many synergistic pieces that exist, yet those in the veteran or active-duty community don’t necessarily recognize the food industry as an opportunity. We work with organizations that work with second-chance veterans who are looking for something to bring them back. The food industry can do that.

PMQ: How many veterans are placed in jobs after completing the program?

Jacobs: We have a 100% placement rate for jobs. We work with

great community partners who are very community impactbased. They all want to make a difference in their own way.

They’re giving these veterans jobs and changing their lives, which includes paying a living wage.

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Vets2Success has placed five pizza makers with the California Pizza Kitchen chain and hopes to partner with other large companies in the future.

PMQ: How many veterans have gone on to work at CPK? Jacobs: Five veterans from the Vet2Chef program currently

work at CPK. CPK reached out to me after seeing the Vets2Success program in the news. We’ve been trying to get more involved with bigger organizations like CPK, because they have opportunities for our veterans to move up a corporate ladder, which is very important to us. It’s all about being successful and having a vision and plan of action.

PMQ: What does the future hold for Vets2Success?

Jacobs: We’re moving to Nashville next, and Atlanta, Dallas,

Las Vegas and California are all on our radar. We’ve got a great relationship with CPK; they really believe in what we’re doing. I could see us creating a co-training program with more opportunities for integration of one to two veterans at every CPK. This is still in the conception phase, but we’re hopeful.

We’re also working with the USO Pathfinder program, which has the potential to put us in 15 military bases. And I’m working on my own restaurant group, where I’m planning to

hire and train veterans for my restaurant and others. I’m hoping it will serve as a hub where the community can find its veterans and the veterans can find their community. It’s super exciting.

PMQ: What is your long-term goal for Vets2Success?

Jacobs: I hope that we create a national model for reintegration

so that each veteran and their spouse can find a sense of passion, purpose and identity. I want to create a new opportunity for people to find themselves in a new industry.

Liz Barrett Foster is PMQ’s editor at large and author of Pizza: A Slice of American History.

Got a story to tell our readers?

What makes your pizzeria different?

Email Bill at editor@pmq.com and brag about yourself!

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EFFECTIVE MANAGE Dough management is an all-inclusive term used to encompass everything we do to the dough, from the time we begin mixing the ingredients until it is finally opened into pizza skins or formed into another product (breadsticks, garlic knots, calzones, etc.). Effective dough management means identifying the parameters necessary for managing the dough for a specific purpose. For example, effective dough management could identify the parameters or actions necessary to be taken to achieve a consistent quality dough after five days of refrigerated storage.

To understand dough management, we have to understand the factors responsible for dough formation. Fortunately, there are only two major factors for us to be concerned with when managing our dough: time and temperature. I’ve said it many times before: You cannot have effective dough management without time and temperature controls.

Managing your dough effectively begins with controlling the temperature of the dough immediately after mixing, scaling and balling, getting it into the cooler in a timely manner, then maintaining a consistent temperature and allowing the dough to warm/temper to a specific predetermined temperature prior to opening the dough balls into skins for making pizzas. Here’s what an effective dough management plan looks like:

1.

Use water at the correct, predetermined temperature, to create the desired finished dough temperature.

2. Add water to the mixing bowl first, then add the flour; this will result in a more consistent and shorter mixing time.

3. Use the delayed oil addition mixing method. The oil is added to the dough immediately after all the flour has been hydrated (no dry flour is seen at the bottom of the mixing bowl).

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E DOUGH GEMENT If your pizzas aren’t coming out right, here’s how to put your finger on the problem. By Tom Lehmann

4. Measure and record the finished dough temperature as soon as the dough is finished mixing.

5. Immediately after mixing, scale, ball and box the dough, oil the tops of the dough balls and cross-stack in the cooler within 20 minutes.

6. Allow the dough boxes to remain cross-stacked until the dough reaches a predetermined internal temperature (usually about 50º to 55ºF), then down-stack the boxes or cover them to prevent drying.

7. Always store the dough boxes in a location within the cooler where temperature fluctuations are minimal (center or back, not near the door).

8. After the cold fermentation (cold storage) period, remove dough boxes from the cooler, keeping them covered, and allow to warm to 50º to 55ºF before beginning to open the dough into skins.

While this appears straightforward, a lot of mistakes are common in dough management:

1.

Not using the delayed oil addition mixing method results in a portion of the flour absorbing oil rather than water. The oil-soaked flour will not develop gluten, resulting in a different dough consistency (further aggravated when additional flour or water is added to correct the consistency).

2. Cold or cool water is used to make the dough, rather than using water at a specific measured temperature. Water at a specific temperature will significantly increase your ability to achieve a finished dough temperature within your targeted range.

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TRIM LIVE

Blistering and bubbling, as well as difficulty in opening the dough into a skin, are common problems when the dough balls are not allowed to temper, or warm slightly after they have been removed from the cooler. the dough heats up during mixing (a result of friction between the dough and the inside of the bowl).

For this reason, the dough should always be mixed for a specific time.

4. When making a yeast-leavened dough, the yeast goes through what is called a “lag phase,” meaning that it’s relatively slow-acting for a period of time. The goal is to get the dough processed (scaled, balled, boxed, oiled and in the cooler) within 20 minutes after the dough has completed mixing. Why? Dough becomes less dense as it ferments, so it becomes a better insulator, and it will be more difficult to cool at a consistent rate—leading to greater variety in both dough and pizza consistency when the dough is finally used.

5. Cross-stacking of the dough boxes is critical to dough success. I’ve often seen operators complaining that their dough was always sticky and bubbling, and that’s due to the boxes not being cross-stacked long enough for the internal temperature of the dough balls to reach the target temperature (typically 50° to 55°F). The dough balls, being warm, will give up moisture, which will condense on the inside of the box if not cross-stacked, resulting in wet dough balls. Additionally, the box will retain heat from the dough balls, allowing for faster fermentation.

This usually manifests itself as blown dough. In the worst case I’ve seen, the overfermented dough balls actually lifted the boxes above them, resulting in leaning, then toppling, stacks of dough boxes (to this day I refer to this as the “leaning tower of pizza”).

Some operators address the problem by reducing the yeast level. While this does address the blown dough issue,

it creates another issue: the development of the dreaded “gum line,” that wet, pasta-like layer of dough just beneath the sauce that creates a gummy, chewy consistency in the finished pizza. This results when the yeast is reduced to such a low level that there is insufficient leavening pressure to support the weight of the toppings on the dough during baking, causing the dough to collapse upon itself. Properly cross-stacking the dough boxes prevents this problem.

6. For pizzerias with a reach-in, not a walk-in, cooler, offset the ends of the dough boxes as they are placed into the cooler. Since reach-in coolers are not as efficient when filled with dough boxes, it’s a good idea to reduce the target finished dough temperature after mixing by another 5° to 10°F from what might be recommended when using a walk-in cooler.

7. Different dough formulations, pizza types and in-store conditions will dictate the best temperature at which to begin opening your dough balls. For most pizzerias, this will be in the 50° to 55°F range. In most cases, you will have a useful dough life of about three hours once you begin opening it into skins.

Ultimately, good dough management practices are not difficult to develop and implement. And, once you have them in place, you’re far less likely to see dough issues cropping up at inopportune moments!

Tom Lehmann was the longtime director of bakery assistance for the American Institute of Baking (AIB) and is now a pizza industry consultant.

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The sauce-free Spanakopita Supreme at Newton Corner House of Pizza in Watertown, Massachusetts, is topped with mozzarella, cheddar, feta, and baby spinach that’s been tossed in olive oil and seasoning.

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PMQ explores Greek-style pizza’s characteristics and history in the United States.

By Liz Barrett Foster

R E L AT E D V I D E O G R EEK-ST YL E P I ZZA R EC I P E — WATCH T H E V I DEO W I T H P M Q T EST CH EF B R I A N HE R N A N DE Z.

N E W TO N CO R N E R H O U S E O F P I Z Z A

PMQ . CO M/0 9 1 8D

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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In Joel Denker’s book, The World On a Plate, which explores how immigrants have influenced American food over the years, Denker talks about how Greek immigrants were attracted to running delis, coffee shops, and eventually pizzerias when they arrived in New York and New England.

Denker explains that the Italians dominated the pizza trade in New England between the 1920s and 1950s, but when the Italian pizzeria owners in the area retired, their children wanted full-service restaurants, not pizzerias, which opened the door for the entrepreneurial Greeks to take over the abandoned pizzerias. By the late 1970s, 76% of Greek families living in Connecticut were in the pizza business.

And what did the Greeks overwhelmingly call their pizzerias?

You guessed it—Pizza Houses and Houses of Pizza. Which is why we see so many of these establishments throughout the northeast today. Over the years, Greek owners integrated traditional foods, such as gyros and spanakopita, into the menus at their Houses of Pizza, which made it easy to differentiate the Greek pizzerias from the Italian ones.

EATING AND MAKING GREEK-STYLE PIZZA

Greek-style pizza is similar to St. Louis-style pizza in the way that most people either love it or hate it. Over the years, Greekstyle pizza has earned a bad rap from those who label it as being too oily, too tangy, or too heavy on the seasonings. However, there are many long-standing Greek pizzerias with raving fans.

A few fan favorites include Tilton House of Pizza in Tilton, New Hampshire; Family House of Pizza in Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Yanni’s Pizza Restaurant in Newington, Connecticut (not all Greek pizzerias are called House of Pizza).

If you’ve been tinkering with the idea of testing a Greek-style pizza out in your own pizzeria, there’s no shortage of online advice from pizza forums and online recipe creators.

The basic Greek-style pizza starts with a no-knead dough (often with a pinch of sugar added) that’s left to proof overnight.

The sauce is heavy on tomato paste and oregano. And most Greek pizza is topped with a 50/50 mix of mozzarella and white cheddar (some also add a bit of provolone). Pizzas are baked at around 500˚ in thick, round, well-oiled pans (most

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N E W TO N CO R N E R H O U S E O F P I Z Z A

pizza makers use olive oil, but others speculate that Crisco may be used to ensure that signature Greek pizza crunch).

Toppings range from cheese only to veggie and meat lovers.

Typically, this style of pizza tastes best when it sticks to its Mediterranean roots and keeps the toppings light.

Taso Dres, a first-generation Greek-American and owner of Newton Corner House of Pizza in Watertown, Massachusetts, since the early ‘80s, says that there are several factors that set Greek pizza apart from other styles.

“ Greek pizza dough is generally hand pressed into a seasoned pan,” says Dres. “The dough is very simple, using only salt, sugar, water, oil, flour and yeast.” For the signature Greek-style sauce, Dres says, “I blend two kinds of sauce together and add seasoning.” And for those who may wonder why Greek pizza uses a cheese blend instead of straight mozzarella, Dres explains, “Italian pizza takes less time to cook than Greek pizza, so we use a blend of mozzarella and cheddar so that the cheese doesn’t burn.”

MARKETING GREEK-STYLE PIZZA

Fall is a fun time to market a Greek-style pizza, since eating one in the right environment can conjure up thoughts of vacationing in a far-off land.

• Create Greek-style flyers and marketing materials to announce a Greek-style pizza and Greek wine pairing event on the patio of your pizzeria. Set each table with olives, feta, olive oil and bread to set the mood.

• Invite a speaker in from the local university or high school to discuss Greek history and how it relates to pizza. Of course, serve pizza afterward!

• Host a cooking class covering how to make Greek-style pizza. Greek-style pizza is one of the easier styles to make at home, since it can be made using bread flour and a castiron skillet.

Liz Barrett Foster is PMQ’s editor at large and author of Pizza: A Slice of American History.

— TASO DRES, NEWTON CORNER HOUSE OF PIZZA

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Bellissimo offers a full line of pan-fried and fullycooked chicken items. Visit bellissimofoods.com to contact a representative and request samples and pricing.

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GET READY FOR

NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH October is National Pizza Month.

Here are a few promotional ideas to make it a success.

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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ONE

Tasha Satter of Davanni’s teaches local TV personalities how to make pies and spin dough.

Get the word out! Contact local TV stations and offer to come to the station, or invite them to the pizzeria for a pizza making class with the anchors or for a “celebrity cook-off ” to celebrate National Pizza Month.

Mick Stinson, owner of a Davanni’s Pizza & Hot Hoagies location in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and general manager Tasha Satter gave an on-air pizza demo to NBC affiliate KARE 11 viewers in October 2016. Bob Stupka, president and CFO of Davanni’s, joined Satter to teach another master class on CBS affiliate WCCO that same year. Getting featured on local TV news is easier than you think. Start by simply reaching out to the station and pitching an offer. Make sure to show up for the shoot fully prepared, with all the ingredients you’ll need to make your pizza and a brief but memorable spiel about why your pies are the best in town.

Get the word out! Contact local TV stations and offer to come to the station, or invite them to the pizzeria for a pizza making class with the anchors or for a “celebrity cook-off.”

Fans of Pizza Pizza competed for a $150 gift card in a hugely successful National Pizza Month promotion last October.

TWO Announce in September that you’ll be randomly giving away a pizza per day or week in October to someone who has ordered at least three pizzas during the last three months (a great way to bring in more orders and gather customer info in September). Large pizza chains will typically sponsor special promos or giveaways for the month of October, such as two-for-one pies or pizza-related swag. Or advertise a pizza party giveaway on social media. Pizza Pizza, a leading chain in Canada, celebrated its 50th anniversary last October with a gonzo Facebook contest that generated 635 reactions, 709 comments and 202 shares. To win a $150 gift card for a pizza party, fans tagged five friends they would invite to the blowout and described the pizzas they would order. For your giveaway contest, create a hashtag to boost your exposure and choose a high-quality photo—including both pizzas and appetizers—to draw eyeballs to your post.

THREE Arrange school field trips to the pizzeria for the month of October. This is a great educational opportunity for younger students. Have them design their own menus, make their own pizzas or learn about how pizza ingredients are grown.

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While They Eat Your Pizza, We’ll Promote Your Brand Today’s pizza boxes not only protect your food, but they’re also brand ambassadors. Why not leverage these roving billboards with high-impact graphics and messages? Use your logo, menus, seasonal promotions, contests, coupons, games and more to advertise new offers and promote your brand.

Now you can make sure your messages go everywhere your customers do.

To learn more, go to westrock.com/pizza.

©2018 WestRock Company. All rights reserved. WESTROCK and the WestRock logo are trademarks of WestRock Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

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Offer a different specialty pizza every day of the month for October.

According to PMQ’s 2017 Pizza Power Report, spicy flavors particularly resonate with today’s palates, as evidenced by the spicy red sauce option offered by Blaze Pizza, and Pieology Pizzeria’s LTO offerings: the Spicy Southwest (red enchilada sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, roasted red peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and chicken) and the Chicken Chile Verde (green enchilada sauce, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, diced mild green chilies, cilantro and chicken). Create new specialty pizzas and LTOs featuring locally grown, in-season toppings, and explore new flavor profiles and ingredients, such as chorizo, chipotle or Jamaican jerk chicken.

FIVE For the last week of National Pizza Month, consider offering a Halloweenthemed pizza. Halloween is one of the top five pizza delivery days of the year, so why not capitalize? Arrange your toppings as you would a carving on a jack-o-lantern—think spooky designs such as spiders, mummies and ghosts.

Or try garlic knots in the shape of bones or mummies, perfect for dipping in “blood” (marinara sauce).

MUNCHIES

P I E O LO G Y

FOUR

SIX

Share a short pizza-related video each day on social media, focusing on fun pizza facts, recipes, dough making, or a behind-the-scenes look at your business.

YouTube is an outstanding source for a plethora of pizza-related videos and, in most cases, is free to share!

National Pizza Month offers a plethora of opportunities to connect with customers and boost sales.

Create an “Instagramable area” (with props) in the pizzeria for customers to snap selfies and post on social media.

C A L I F O R N I A P I Z Z A K I TC H E N

SEVEN

California Pizza Kitchen announced its weekly Pizza Memories 2017 Sweepstakes winners in Facebook posts throughout National Pizza Month.

Hold a contest! You can ask customers how they celebrate Pizza Month, with a special pizzeria-created hashtag for them to post on social media. The entrant with the best response (the most likes or shares) can win a free pizza per week for the rest of 2018.

Or tap into customers’ memory banks, as California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) did last year for the Pizza Memories 2017 Sweepstakes. CPK invited members of its Pizza Dough Rewards Program to reminisce about their favorite pizza experience for a chance to win free pizza for a year. To qualify, customers posted their pizza memories on Twitter with the hashtag #CPKPizzaMemories or emailed their stories to the company. CPK picked a different winner every day, making October unforgettable for 31 pizza lovers. Create your own pizza memories contest on social media and start promoting it in advance. Look for heartwarming stories or funny anecdotes, and award extra points for originality and vivid writing!

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NINE Ask customers to create their dream specialty pie, then narrow down the entries to the top three or five finalists and offer them for Pizza Month. Whichever gets the most orders that month makes the permanent menu, or can run as a special limited-time offer for the rest of the year.

EIGHT Create an “Instagramable area” (with props) in the pizzeria for customers to snap selfies and post on social media. The most creative pic of the month (or one chosen each week) can win a prize. Make sure customers tag your pizzeria in their posts to gain entry into the contest!

If you use locally grown ingredients on your pizzas, look for memorable—and, if possible, newsworthy—ways to partner with your suppliers during National Pizza Month.

TEN For pizzerias with full bars, introduce pizza-themed cocktails, with ingredients like basil, tomato, or mozzarella-and-olive skewers. Enzo Cangemi of New York’s Ovest Pizzoteca & Bar offers the La Margherita cocktail, meant to imitate the flavor profile of the classic pie, with tomato, basil and even mozzarella. In a 2009 Las Vegas-based contest, bartenders were invited to create their finest pizza-themed cocktails. The winning drink, a collaboration by bartender Steve Dorsey, mixologist Bobby Gleason and chef Randy Sanderson, was the Wood-Fired Black Margarita Pizza Cocktail. Its outside-the-box ingredients—Italian sausage-infused Jim Beam Black Label whiskey, pizza sauce, fresh basil, garlic, buffalo mozzarella and red pepper flakes, to name a few—were served in a hollowed-out green pepper.

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G R OT TO P I Z Z A

S M O K Y M O U N TA I N P I Z Z E R I A & G R I L L

ELEVEN Use National Pizza Month to showcase locally obtained ingredients. The marketing masterminds at Smoky Mountain Pizzeria & Grill, with locations in Idaho and Utah, milked October by celebrating local dairy farmers last year. For select pizza deliveries on October 6, dairy farmer Clint Jackson showed up on customers’ doorsteps in Eagle, Idaho, with a 500-pound jersey heifer named Josie. Since Smoky Mountain uses only Idaho cheese on its pies, it was a headline-grabbing way to honor local suppliers while also generating incredible word-of-mouth. If you use locally grown ingredients on your pizzas, look for memorable—and, if possible, newsworthy— ways to partner with your suppliers during National Pizza Month. Promote your local growers’ produce in social media posts, create pizzas that spotlight their ingredients, and feature suppliers in videos to raise their profile in the community.

Josie the milk cow (above) tagged along with dairy farmer Clint Jackson on deliveries for Smoky Mountain Pizzeria & Grill in October 2017.

TWELVE Build up your email list and loyalty program in October by offering bonus points, special giveaways or discounts exclusively to members in honor of National Pizza Month.

Grotto Pizza, with locations in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania, boosted its Swirl Rewards Club membership last year by awarding 50 bonus points to every customer who signed up and downloaded the company’s loyalty app in October. To sweeten the deal for your fans, you can also provide instant gratification by automatically giving away a free pizza to every person who signs up for your loyalty program and entering them into a contest to win free pies for a year.

Grotto Pizza, which touts the “legendary taste” of its pies, used National Pizza Month to attract new customers to its Swirl Rewards Club loyalty program.

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YO U R P I E

OUTSIDE THE

BOX Pizza boxes offer up prime marketing space for operators—but are you using yours to its full potential?

By Tracy Morin When operators don’t bother making a statement with their boxes (other than “Pizza”), they miss out on a bevy of potential benefits that a smartly designed box can provide: connecting customers with the brand, boosting social media engagement, promoting return visits, and offering a point of differentiation for the pizzeria.

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YO U R P I E

Colorful, eye-catching pizza box designs help Your Pie (above) and Picasso’s Pizza (below) stand out from the crowd.

1

PICASSO’S PIZZA

The big brands, unsurprisingly, have tapped into this tool.

A Domino’s box presents a feast for the eyes—fun stats and facts, subtle advertising and games all jostle for space in a dynamic, visually appealing design. Papa John’s uses its box to drive customers to its website and tell the story of its “better ingredients.” Pizza Hut’s boxes have solicited charitable contributions to help end world hunger, or promoted online ordering and its rewards program.

How are your boxes serving you? If they’re little more than a cardboard vehicle for your pizzas, look no further than these expert-approved five ways you can boost their appeal—and your bottom line.

CHANGE IT UP.

At Picasso’s Pizza, based in Buffalo, New York, with five locations, each box struts its own personality. Though the company logo features prominently on all of them, different colors and designs are utilized for the party box, each pie size, slices, subs and wings. “The large box is so beautifully designed—a local artist drew the picture—you could frame it, while the party box is more fun-looking,” explains Larry Santora, who owns Picasso’s with his three brothers. “It’s something a little different that sets us apart, and with the volume we do, there isn’t any additional cost to have a different style for each box.” In the near future, Santora is looking to add a perforated component to the pizza and sub boxes so that a free dip can be slotted in—with the hopes that customers will order extras once they taste the pizzeria’s delectable homemade dressings.

Similarly, San Diego-based Woodstock’s Pizza seeks to target its audience of college students and create an element of surprise with one-of-a-kind box art by talented staff members. From time to time, pie slingers choose a box at random to adorn with pizza-related puns and artwork, then Woodstock’s posts a photo of the box on its Instagram account, encouraging the receiver to post his own photo with the box on social media. Then, each holiday season, Woodstock’s Pizza holds an annual Secret Santa Delivery program, where one box each week is illustrated with festive artwork and sent with a $25 gift card to the lucky winner, encouraging a return visit from the receiver.

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PIE FIVE

Pie Five Pizza Company adds fun elements to its boxes through creative images, games and lighthearted text.

2

START A CONVERSATION.

The 75-location Pie Five Pizza Company, based in The Colony, Texas, uses its boxes to subtly market its business in a lighthearted way. “We try to keep marketing elements, including our pizza boxes, conversational versus just stating facts, so, for example, we’ll highlight how our staff gets up in the morning to make fresh pizzas,” explains Christina Coy, VP of marketing for Pie Five. “That makes customers feel not marketed to, but tied to the business, making them want to be a part of it.” By telling your story— how you use fresh or seasonal ingredients, the history behind your secret sauce recipe, or why community involvement or eco-consciousness is important to you—customers get a close-up look into the human beings behind the brand, allowing them to forge a stronger connection.

Pie Five also uses its boxes to continue that conversation, soliciting customer comments so people feel engaged with the brand. Every side of the box sports its logo, name and contact info, including social media, website and email address. “We always try to tie it back to social media or our website, making the content relatable and giving them a reason to contact us, such as for promos or inside info,” McCoy says. “It’s a win for you and your brand.”

3

BOOST THE FUN FACTOR.

Adding some humor, fun facts or games to your pizza box further encourages customers to engage with this oftuntapped marketing tool. “One of the prime targets of any marketing effort is to keep the brand’s name in the mind of the audience for a long time and keep the audience viewing the brand for longer periods,” says Andrei Vasilescu, CEO and digital marketing expert at DontPayFull in Bucharest, Romania. “A fun board game on the pizza box; different, interesting and amusing facts; or pizza-related quotes from popular personalities ensure your customers spend more time viewing your pizza boxes.”

Pie Five recently amped up the fun factor when it created smaller boxes for leftovers, now also used for breadsticks and kid-size pies. To please its younger guests, the box offers a maze while retaining key branding elements. And Pie Five’s sense of humor on regular-size boxes once even landed the brand a key social media mention: When Ellen DeGeneres was filming in Dallas, she posted a pic of the brand’s box featuring the tonguein-cheek instructions, “Open box before eating pizza.”

Which would you rather open—plain, boring boxes like the ones at right? Or fun, colorful, engaging boxes with visual appeal?

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4

DISCOUNT WISELY.

You can use your pizza boxes to offer discounts—but it’s wise to have a plan of attack for gauging their success. Louisa McGrath, content manager at Dublin-based Rebrandly, recommends including a branded link on the pizza box to drive traffic online, keeping the links short, memorable, visually appealing and, most importantly, trackable. “You can create a different link for each pizza box design to track the number of people coming to your site from each one, or even add UTM parameters (tags added to a URL) so that the traffic your pizza boxes drive will show up in Google Analytics,” McGrath explains. “Using branded links lets you know if your pizza box marketing is working, and you can always edit the destination URL. So, if you include a branded link like GiannisPizza.com/ Deals, you can redirect this link to your latest weekly deal without needing to reprint boxes.”

Picasso’s uses a more traditional method, taping a menu to every box or bag that leaves the pizzeria, often with bounce-back offers via discount coupons.

Alternatively, Lexi Montgomery, a brand marketing expert and owner of Darling Miami in Miami Beach, Florida, advocates creating an “email funnel that loops the user into a never-ending spider web of task/reward or a positive feedback loop,” she says. For example, your box can call for customers to sign up online for your email list or loyalty program to receive a discount or freebie with their next order, or you can invite them to post hashtagged pics of their pizza on social media to enter into a prize drawing.

5

TAP INTO PROMO POWER.

Now with 56 locations, Your Pie, a fast-casual pizza brand based in Athens, Georgia, celebrated its 10th anniversary this summer with a savvy pizza box-centered promotion. The company released six artfully decorated boxes illustrating how the Your Pie story has unfolded over the last decade. Throughout the summer, customers were invited to share photos of their boxes on social media using the hashtag #expressyourinnerpizza to enter to win fun prizes, culminating in a $5,000 grand-prize trip to Ischia, the Italian island that inspired founder Drew French to start Your Pie 10 years ago. Other prizes included a trip to Florida for a one-of-a-kind tasting experience with GS Gelato, Your Pie’s Italian gelato purveyor; a Dine and Donate event benefiting the winner’s favorite local charity; and a custom, handmade outdoor table from Your Pie’s artisanal table vendor, Made in Monroe. Customers were also invited to learn more about the meaning behind each unique box at a special page on its website.

“To pull off this type of marketing campaign, I’d share a few tips,” French says. “First, incorporate a promotion to incentivize customer involvement; use the opportunity to showcase your brand through colorful, meaningful artwork; and incorporate social media to build an online presence.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

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When you visit some Facebook Business Pages, an automatic greeting pops up in the corner to welcome and assist you. These customizable Facebook Messenger bots are offered only to Facebook Business Pages as a way to build a relationship and communicate with your customers.

“Our goal is to make personalization available at scale for businesses,” said Seth Rosenberg, Facebook Messenger’s product manager, in an interview with Reuters. “It’s giving them ways to deeply engage with their consumers as everything becomes more competitive.”

Chatbots have begun flourishing the past year and, like all social media innovations, we can expect to see changes and improvements daily. This free tool allows you to give directions, answer questions, point people to your website, offer promotions, and choose from many other call-to-actions, making it easier for you and your customer to connect. Here’s how to get started.

Tip: Use a natural, friendly tone in your greeting to avoid sounding robotic.

1 STEP

TURN ON MESSENGER GREETING As a page admin on your business’ Facebook account, you can use the Messenger Chatbot only if it is turned on. To turn on Messenger for your page, go to Messaging under General Settings and then click Edit.

Under “Prompt People to Send Messages,” click “On” and then click “Save Changes.”

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CREATE A GREETING The greeting on your Facebook page’s chatbot is your first opportunity to approach your customer and establish a friendly, personal tone.

Your brief tagline should welcome the visitor and provide any information you want them to have. Your greeting can be personalized to include the customer’s name, your website URL, your phone number, email, and other options.

2 STEP

Tip: When creating saved replies, look through your Facebook Business’ inbox for the most frequently asked questions or topics on which you can provide information.

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CREATE SAVED REPLIES

3 STEP

Save time answering common questions by writing a few canned replies ahead of time. Even if you are really busy, you can click to send a message quickly. Saved replies can include your business’ address information, phone number for reservations, email address or restaurant hours.

To create a saved reply, open the message you want to reply to and click on the dialog bubble at the bottom right. Then click “Manage Replies” and “Create New Reply.”

Craft your new message, save it and use it to reply to the current message and/or save it for future queries.

4 STEP

CREATE AN INSTANT REPLY When a visitor messages your page, a prewritten reply can automatically be sent. This instant reply will assure the customer that you are aware of their message and will respond soon. Like the greeting, you can also personalize your reply.

For example: “Hello! Our team is working hard on responding to you as soon as possible. While you wait, check out our website for specials this week! [insert URL]”

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Sample Away Message: “Hi _______, thanks for your message. We are not available right now, but we’ll get back to you soon! Please visit _________ to view our online ordering menu.”

You can continue to hone your new chatbot skills by updating your customers with promotions or any other changes in your business. In an upcoming social media tutorial for PMQ, Bruce Irving will share how he collects new email subscribers and engages with customers using chatbots. If you have questions as you take your chatbot from beginner to advanced, message PMQ’s Facebook page. Will you be able to tell if the response is a bot…or not?

Heather Cray is PMQ’s social media director.

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TIME T SELL? An experienced pizzeria operator and business broker explains how to determine the real value of your restaurant and sell it for what it’s worth.

By Steve Hitchcock

Every pizzeria owner should know the

value of his or her store. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, going through a divorce, selling to a key employee, talking to a bank about financing equipment, or planning your estate, you need to be able to define and leverage your shop’s value and sell it for what it’s worth when you’re ready to walk away.

You may have heard various rules of thumb about determining Fair Market Value. Most of these so-called rules are pretty far off the mark—they often just tell you what the seller hopes the business is worth. This article will shed some light on what real pizza businesses sell for, based on actual completed sales of pizza stores over a number of years across many regions.

Knowing your pizzeria’s value is a must for any operator-even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon.

KNOW YOUR MULTIPLES

It’s important to take into account customary industry practices for valuing businesses. When an appraiser looks at a business, he will take into account the way that particular industry typically values itself, since that will be important to a

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buyer. How does the pizza industry typically value these kinds of businesses? What are the common practices of business brokers and the legitimate rules of thumb that are used?

The approach of using a multiple has value. We often hear that a pizza store sold for 2X earnings or that “my store is worth 3X cash flow.” In the pizza industry, most business brokers are referring to Price divided by Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE) when talking about a business selling for 2X or 3X earnings.

Knowing what you are multiplying is crucial! For example, 5X Net Income Before Taxes might be a realistic price (depending on many things), while 5X SDE is just a daydream.

To understand the multiples I will use later on, it is important to be clear on what they multiply. I’ll be using these two: 1. Multiple of Sales: Sales after all discounts, not including sales tax.

2. Multiple of Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE): The cash and economic benefits that one owner takes from the business, such as W-2 wages, S-Corp dividends or paying your kid’s smartphone bills, plus noncash expenses and interest.

For example:

$40K + $50K + $10K + $10K + $10K = $120K

W-2 wages Profit Interest Depreciation Personal benefits SDE

If the business sold for $240,000, that would value the business at a Price/SDE multiple of 200% (240/120 = 200%). If the gross sales were $800,000 and the selling price was $240,000, the Price/Sales multiple would be 30% (240/800=30%).

If there is a spouse or partner in the business, you would count what they make, too, but then you must add back what it would cost to hire someone to perform the duties that spouse or partner performs, whether the amount you have to add back is greater or lesser than what that spouse or partner earns.

DETERMINING A REALISTIC VALUE

So what is a realistic way to determine how much a pizzeria actually sells for? What are the median and range of values? What are the key variables that can be shown to move the multiples?

For more information about determining a company’s Fair Market Value and calculating Seller’s Discretionary Earnings, read an expanded version of this story at PMQ.com/ sellingyourpizzeria.

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PRICE/SDE MULTIPLE

SAMPLE OF 100 SALES

Median Sales Median SDE

$409K $63K (17%)

Using the actual selling prices for these businesses (not including inventory, prepaid deposits, etc.), the median values for the multiples of the selling prices were: Median Price/SDE Median Price/Sales

176% (1.76X) 30% (.3X)

The “median” means that half of these 100 stores sold for more than 1.76X SDE, and half sold for less than 1.76X SDE. Now perhaps we know the “typical” price, but what is the variation in the statistics, and what factors might influence what a business sells for? For the sample I used, here is a breakdown of the number of transactions in various brackets of value for Price/SDE:

3.0X-4.5X 12% 2.5X-3.0X 9% 2.0X-2.5X 17% 1.5X-2.0X 30% 1.0X-1.5% 22% < 1X 10% PRICE

Most people are comfortable with what an “average” is.

Fewer are ready to use the “median,” but it’s important in statistics. In a sample of values, the median is the middle point of a data set, where there are as many greater reported values as lesser ones. It is less impacted by values at the extremes than an average. In this case, the “median” multiple will be the one where as many stores sold for a multiple higher than the median as sold for a lower multiple.

Using a database I subscribe to, I pulled a sample of 100 completed sales of profitable pizza stores with gross revenue between $200,000 and $1,000,000. For that sample of stores, the median values were pretty typical of independent operators:

SDE

BUSINESS REVENUE (X 1,000)

Many factors, including perceived lower risk, influence what a buyer is willing to pay for a pizzeria.

What does this mean? First of all, among these brackets, the single most likely range for a sale is between 1.5X and 2.0X SDE. Yes, some pizzerias sell for 3X SDE or more, but only some, while about as many sell for less than 1X SDE. The trend line in the Sample Sales chart above shows that the prices paid for pizzerias—as described by the Price/SDE multiple on the left—did not change as a function of the size of the business revenue (shown on the bottom) within this range. In other words, it’s not necessarily the size of the business that causes one business to sell for more than another (higher multiple, not higher price). So what is the reason?

For a business to sell for more than the median value or more than some other businesses, one might look for reasons why the opportunity was better than average. For example, the company’s capacity to grow, a steady growth rate, an advantageous lease, newer equipment, or a location where there’s no competition—all of these factors might lower risk for a buyer and increase what the buyer might be willing to pay.

When appraising a specific business, I look at these multiples and others, but I also consider additional approaches to valuation, such as discounted future earnings or liquidation value, and then apply variables. In the end, though, appraisals do not wander out of the statistical range. For pizza stores, as shown in the stats in the sample above, two-thirds of all sales

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are made between 1X and 2.5X SDE, and very few go above 3.5X SDE. (In a separate review of sales of larger stores, none of the $1 million-plus stores I looked at were sold above 3X SDE.) PREPARING TO SELL

Why don’t businesses sell? What can or should a business owner do to make the most of a contemplated sale in the future? The data tells us that a large majority of small businesses listed for sale never actually get purchased, often because the asking price is simply too high. Misleading rules of thumb may make some sellers unwilling to take offers that are, in fact, good offers. In other cases, business information is incomplete or less than transparent.

If you’re looking to sell your pizzeria, you should spend several years preparing for the sale. Recognize that a buyer will be looking over your books and will likely be at least considering a multiple of sales and multiple of SDE as a way of evaluating price. And they will get this information from your tax returns. Anything else is just hot air. So you’ll need to do the following:

Steve Hitchcock is a broker licensed in Colorado since 2007 who works in business brokerage with Touchstone Business Advisors. In 2010, he earned the CBA (Certified Business Appraiser) designation with the Institute of Business Appraisers and is currently active as a business broker and performing appraisals of small businesses for various purposes. He has owned pizza restaurants in Steamboat Springs since 1999. He can be reached at steve-hitchcock@comcast.net or 970-819-9789.

1. Declare your sales.

2. Clean up your expenses—for example, stop deducting

questionable stuff. Bite the bullet and show the highest taxable income you can for at least a couple of years before the sale.

3. Make sure your lease is in good order, with some time still to run or a solid option in place.

4. Maintain your equipment.

5. Show a rising sales trend. Buyers do not want to “catch a

falling knife.” It would be better to get 2.4X $70K based on rising sales than to cut marketing and show $80K on falling or flat sales but only receive 1.4X SDE. For the record, nothing in this article should be viewed as an appraisal of any one specific pizza business. But I hope you find it interesting and useful as you prepare to sell your own pizza shop.

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IDEA ZONE

SPONSORED CONTENT

Pizza Peel to Printing Press “I want to help out pizzerias. I know what it was like getting marketing dollars together. I know what the pizza guys are looking for.” Wise words from Chris Walters, a proven winner in the pizza industry.

Walters now takes his 25-year pizza experience and “do anything for you” attitude to the printing business.

Sometimes it takes a pizza guy, stung by high printing and mailing costs, to flip the script.

Walters has run several of the highest-volume pizza shops in New England for the last 11 years, and it was his high-volume, low-price approach that got him to the top. The right to run a pizzeria is a privilege for many across our great nation, but the cost of marketing—while essential—can cause mom-and-pops to close shop before they’ve ever reached their full potential. They know that the pizza industry is in dire need of printed menus and services for less. Way less. How does Walters do it? The same way he found success in the pizza business.

When you have an ingrained, genuine interest in helping people, and you have a means to do it, everyone wins. Walters and Sofi Print are out to do some good. A 25-year veteran of the pizza industry with 30 years

of printing experience by his side gives Walters a leg up on knowing how to serve your needs. Along with an experienced printer, Walters is ready to bring you an easy way to get your own marketing material prepared, printed and mailed to your customers for a low price.

Sofi Print prides itself on speaking the pizza guys’ language—that’s why you’ll only speak directly to a pizza guy when you call Sofi Print.

Unlike other printing companies, Sofi Print won’t charge customers extra to mail out pieces via direct mail. In fact, on average, other companies charge $220 per week to print and mail 500 menus. Sofi Print does it for $179, which adds up to a $440 savings over a 10-week campaign. Walters knows that pizza people have little time to spare, especially when it comes to navigating complicated websites. Sofi Print’s website, SofiPrint.com, is engineered for the pizza guy who’s got no time to waste. You’ll get your printing services done faster, with the same quality you’ve come to expect, and all for less. From one pizza guy to the next, save money on your printing at SofiPrint.com.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

IDEA ZONE

Custom Cheese Shakers Make for a Fun & Exciting Functional Promotional Item Customcheeseshakers.com continues to help brand your pizzeria by changing ordinary cheese shakers into bold, exciting advocates of your brand. Customcheeseshakers can produce a one-color, full-color or frosted (etched look) cheese shaker featuring your pizzeria’s logo.

These eight-ounce glass shakers come with standard chrome-plated, perforated tops, packed one dozen each per box. These smooth-surface cheese shakers are easier to clean and keep clean compared to the traditional swirl-designed shakers. They are available in quantities as low as 48 pieces.

Custom Cheese Shakers are functional and promotional. Custom Cheese Shakers have a variety of uses called ‘cheesy ideas,’ which happen to be not so cheesy! Visit customcheesemakers.com for a complete list of promotional possibilities.

Customcheeseshakers.com is currently offering discounted pricing on our one-color printed shakers. Better yet, this one-color print promotion also includes second-side printing at no additional charge, allowing you to print your logo on both sides, or a message on the opposite side.

Second-side printing allows for brand statement or information for a promotional giveaway such as a grand opening, an anniversary, or a happy holidays/new year message. Custom Cheese Shakers make for a perfect customer gift that will be warmly received and kept in

their kitchen for years to come. Best of all, we work with your supplied artwork, guaranteeing your branding satisfaction. Get creative and think about the possibilities of your custom message. Call us today to discuss.

Here are a few possibilities when considering Custom Cheese Shakers for your pizzeria: • The Obvious—Replace your ordinary cheese shakers with Custom Cheese Shakers and make a statement on each of your tables or counters.

• The Perk—Give away a custom shaker with a qualifying purchase. For example, purchase two large two-topping pizzas and receive a free cheese shaker.

• The Catering Statement—Place your Custom Cheese Shaker at your catering event next to your product, so everyone will know exactly who catered the event.

• The Retail—Do you have a famous or soon-to-be famous pizzeria?

Display your custom cheese shakers for sale to your customers. It makes for a really cool display, and you will be surprised by how fast they shake out the door!

For more ideas and details about the product, visit customcheeseshakers.com today and take advantage of their special PMQ Idea Zone pricing and bonus two-sided printing.

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Crispier Crusts. Quicker Times.

Fash Asvadi, President of Italforni USA,

Location: SoCalGas Food Service Equipment Center in Downey, California

The BEST finish you can imagine.

Perfect crust, no more dried-out pizza | Cut your cook time in half Perfect pizza every time.

424-364-0075 | ItalforniUSA.com See the amazing three-minute demo video at italforniusa.com/media

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PIZZA WITHOUT BORDERS

Never forgetting its roots, Contemporary Neapolitan pizza uses tradition as a springboard for innovation. One of the more common deviations from the classic recipe includes a light, air-filled crust. In Italy, the new style has been dubbed the pizza canotto.

© GIUSEPPE BOVE - IL SEGRETO DI PULCINELLA @ MONTESARCHIO (BN)

SOME ITALIANS JUMPING SHIP ON TRUE NEAPOLITAN PIZZA Creating a true Neapolitan pizza is no easy task. The list of approved ingredients is short, and the procedures involved in mixing, proofing and baking the pizza are stringent and exact.

But as technology, education and focus on health advance, some Italian pizza chefs are finding the required protocols for vera pizza Napoletana too limiting. Restrictions to a single type of highly refined white flour, a short maturation time and a bake in a wood-burning oven are some of the characteristics pizzaioli today find outdated. Their deviations are heralding in a new movement in pizza, inspired by the tradition of Naples with a twist, which they call Contemporary Neapolitan pizza.

SEEKING AN EVEN OLDER TRADITION

Italian consumers today demand a healthier product, which has pizzaioli experimenting with different kinds of flour and reviving ancient techniques. Some argue that the traditional “00” flour, which is specified for a Neapolitan Pizza TSG (Traditional Specialty Guaranteed), isn’t that traditional at all and really wasn’t put into common use until the 20th century.

Ancient grains, stone-milled flour and various types of glutenfree flours are now supplementing dough recipes to give added health benefits along with a rustic appeal.

Another old tradition coming back is the use of starters like biga and poolish. Unlike the simple brewer’s yeast

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FRANCESCA GANDOLFO

CIRO SASSO

CIRO SASSO

Top left: Ciro Sasso, manager at Pizzeria Le Monde, outside of Naples, says, “Neapolitan pizza is an exceptional product. It is tradition and history and will remain undisputed. This is the kind of pizza I started with. After traveling Italy and Europe, I created my own dough, looking to satisfy the customer as much as possible.”

Bottom left: Giuseppe Bove, owner at Il Segreto di Pulcinella, shows off his own take on Neapolitan pizza.

© GIUSEPPE BOVE - IL SEGRETO DI PULCINELLA @ MONTESARCHIO (BN)

HI O (BN)

prescribed for a Neapolitan TSG, starters require a longer, slower maturation time and result in a more digestible product.

Whereas Neapolitan TSG dough must be made that same day, the Contemporary product may proof for 48 or 72 hours to achieve an enhanced aroma and airy crumb structure, similar to that of square Roman-style pizza.

Neapolitan pizza in 2012. “I made a mistake while making dough and discovered a new step, which later became the secret to my dough,” Bove says. “About 90% of clients love the structure and lightness of the crust. Only a few are suspicious of pizza which doesn’t follow the TSG recipe.”

HEADING TO THE RAFTS

The pizza world has changed since the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) and the APN (Associazione Pizzaioli Napoletani) were founded in 1984 and 1998, respectively. Advances in technology and know-how have created a boom in new quality products on the market. This year, Moretti Forni introduced an electric oven as the first of its kind to make a genuine pizza Napoletana. Officially, only wood-burning ovens are allowed, but they come with a host of challenges, like sourcing clean wood and keeping a consistent temperature. This kind of oven is especially useful for the American pizza maker, since electricity comes at a much lower cost than in Italy.

Perhaps the most ubiquitous offshoot of pizza Napoletana is the pizza canotto. Canotto is the Italian word for a round inflatable raft with a large raised edge. At first glance, a pizza canotto looks like a traditional Neapolitan pizza in every way, except that the crust is noticeably larger and puffier. And just like an actual canotto, the edge is almost entirely made out of air. A quick search for the hashtag #pizzacanotto will pull up hundreds of images and videos of this new hybrid pizza type.

Giuseppe Bove of pizzeria Il Segreto di Pulcinella in Montesarchio discovered his unique way of creating a more digestible and airy crust when he first strayed from traditional

THE WORLD EVOLVES

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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CIRO SASSO

THE DEBATE NEVER ENDS

“Pizza is innovative by tradition,” says Clemente Valentino, Neapolitan pizzaiolo and advocate of the Contemporary Neapolitan movement. That is, “the tradition of pizza is ever-changing, and it continues to evolve creatively.” Even in the modern day, it wasn’t easy to define Neapolitan pizza.

It took the European Union six years to come out with the commission regulation protecting Neapolitan pizza, whose characteristics and recipe are now set in stone. Of course, not everyone agrees with bending the rules, even if the moment in time the rules were set was arbitrary. In the words of pizza icon Tony Gemignani, “To me, it’s very important to keep Neapolitan pizza authentic and traditional. Sure, you can make it Neo-Neapolitan using different ingredients, ovens and even oven temperatures, and the pizza can be great. But for me, when I want a true Verace Neapolitan pizza, I want it the way it was made over 100 years ago. If you have ever gone to Naples and had pizza, you would understand what I mean.”

FRA NC ESC A GA ND OLFO

High-quality fior di latte, burrata and stracchino no longer have to be flown in from Italy. These types of cheeses degrade quickly with time, so freshness and proximity is a huge factor for quality. With the use of Italian know-how and techniques, the art of Italian cheese making is flourishing in America.

This pizza canotto was created by self-taught pizzaiola Francesca Gandolfo. “I don’t have a pizzeria yet,” says Gandolfo. “I am a passionate researcher.” Books, experiments at home and social media have helped her craft the perfect pizza canotto. See her Instagram (@lievitomania_) for more of her creations.

Missy Green is a pizza spinning gold medalist and PMQ’s international correspondent. She currently resides in the Netherlands.

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“One of the finest flours in our industry.”

Tony Gemignani, 12 Time World Pizza Champion and loyal Ceresota Flour user.

SINCE 1843

THE UHLMANN COMPANY 4801 Main St, Suite 550

u

Kansas City, MO 64112

u

1-866-866-8627

u

HeckersCeresota.com

1-888-400-9185

See what’s next in POS.

Technology is driving pizza sales. Are you keeping up? speedlinedemo.com pizzawithoutborders-sept18.indd 79

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

INNOVATIVE CONSUMER SOLUTIONS Innovative Consumer Solutions has developed a patent-pending disposable pizza spatula and cutter, which can be integrated into a corrugated box and used as a serving and cutting tool. The spatula sits flat on any pizza box and has perforations around the device allowing the consumer to easily remove the flat-based spatula from the box cover. The indentations on the handle create folds for the consumer to construct a 3-dimensional and functional serving utensil. The spatula also has a serrated edge feature developed to safely cut the cheese, which often remains attached to an adjacent pizza slice or is stuck to the bottom of the box. This innovative product adds utility to a traditional pizza box without adding any material cost.

415-596-9092, info@icsventures.com

BEFORE THE BUTCHER Vegans, vegetarians and those seeking a meat-free meal can rejoice—and fall in love again with their favorite traditional Italian dishes. Before the Butcher plant-based meatless products allow operators to simply swap out animal-based proteins for B4 Burger Plant Meat or B4 Sausage Plant Meat. The products are gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and cholesterol-free—and, most importantly, taste amazing, just like the real thing!

866-375-6459, btbfoods.com

VAMPAROSSA GAS BURNERS Vamparossa gas burners fit all sizes of wood-fired pizza ovens, providing heat with the same great taste as wood. Vamparossa offers a choice of sizes and mode of operation (fully automatic for ease of use or manual for economy). The simple installation procedure requires a hole in the floor at the back of the oven, and the height of the burner can be adjusted to suit the floor thickness.

888-902-9387, vamparossa.com

SPEED DEMON PANS Allied is introducing a newpan to speed the baking of your pizza pie. Developed for all ovens, these pans will reduce the baking time of your crust by 40%. Manufactured especially for high-volume pizza chains, these pans allow thin, crispy or cracker crusts to completely bake in less than seven minutes. Choose the perfect pan for your operation: solid or perforated, in a variety of sizes and shapes.

718-893-3300, alliedpans.com

CUSTOM CHEESE SHAKERS Customcheeseshakers.com offers a functional & promotional, fully customizable cheese shaker for any occasion! Shown here, Custom Cheese Shakers can even make a fun and exciting wedding favor for pizza lovers! Custom Cheese Shakers offer endless promotional possibilities using your logo or company slogan. Boasting endless possibilities such as tabletop use, customer gifts, event takeaways, gift card purchase perks, and catering branding, Custom Cheese Shakers are the perfect accent for any pizzeria.

Customcheeseshakers.com is currently offering a discount on our one color shakers, with a bonus second side printing, which can be the same logo or a custom message at no additional charge!

844-424-5646, customcheeseshakers.com 80 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

THE FUTURE IS VENTLESS NOW SERVING: VENTLESS GRILLS, FRYERS & OVENS

products.com Motion Technology, Inc. - Your Source For Ventless Kitchen Solutions

VentaGrill™ Ventless Griddle

AutoFry Mini-C ™ Single Serve Fryer

MultiChef XL ™ High Speed Oven

From bacon and eggs, to burgers and steaks, VentaGrill is the perfect solution for any business looking to expand their menu with grilled food options. With a built in ventilation and ANSUL ® Fire Suppression System, VentaGrill allows for tremendous flexibility when determining cooking and service points within your foodservice facility.

Our NEW singleserve, double basket countertop model of AutoFry is compact and perfect for businesses looking to promote a made-toorder concept. Just like its counterparts, the AutoFry Mini-C is fully automated and fully enclosed. Equipped with its own ANSUL ® fire suppression system, AutoFry is the safest commercial fryer on the market.

Our new and improved, MultiChef XL uses a combination of convection, rapid air impingement, bottom infrared, and precision microwave to reduce cook times by up to 80%. Using MultiChef XL is simple, regardless of kitchen knowledge level. In just two steps, select one of 80 presets or enter in a manual time, and press start!

MultiChef XL will take care of the rest.

VENTAGRILL.COM

A U T O F R Y. C O M

M U L T I C H E F. C O M

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PIZZA INDUSTRY BULLETIN BOARD

The evolution continues...

HERE ARE MORE SAMPLES:

6” Stackable Pan w/ Hardcoat $6.00 Double Handle Cheese Knife 13” $11.00

14” Bake Disk w/ Release Coating NSF Approved $6.38

11”x16” Heavy Duty Rectangle Pizza Screen $6.36

CALL FOR PRICE QUOTE ON OTHER SIZES “American Made”

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www.messageonholdservice.com SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

Now available, from the creator of the

BEST PIZZA LINER in the World, our

Bakeable Trays & Delivery Bags!

PIZ Z A IS W O R T H R U I T! Pizza Liner YO • Allows you to handle pizza with ease.

• Eliminates the cardboard taste.

• Absorbs grease and allows moisture to escape.

• Ensures a crisper crust every time.

• Keeps pizza 12-15 degrees warmer upon delivery.

Pizza Bags Bakeable Tray • With Revolutionary ADVANCED BAKE TECHNOLOGY! • Prevents oven drips & spills.

• Patented bi-directional bumps allow for air flow & moisture release resulting in even baking.

• Eliminates “soggy crust” centers.

• Unsurpassed quality, durability, workmanship & performance!

• 3 wide Velcro strips for secure closure everytime.

• 600 denier heavy duty stain resistant imitation nylon.

• 210 PU coated lining ~ won’t crack or peel!

800.783.5343 • PerfectCrust.com 84 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA 3.3x4.875_PMQ_Ad_QtPg_4.4.14.indd 1

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

APPS

BOX TOP MARKETING

DO YOU WANT FREE PIZZA BOX TOPPERS & MAGNETS? CONTACT BTA TO FIND OUT HOW

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BAKING STONES

FIBRAMENT-D and FIBRAMENT PLUS BAKING STONES . www.bakingstone.com 708-478-6032....................NSF approved baking stones for all ovens by AWMCO B E V E R AG E S O N TA P

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New Paddle Board Award!

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X High Quality, Laser Engraved X Perfect award for anyone that deserves recognition in the pizza industry.

Call us today at 302-378-7895 or e-mail us at products@boxtopinc.com to place your order!

MID-AMERICA

restaurant innovation, technology & trends presented by the Ohio Restaurant Association

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CALL (800) 824-3373 OR VISIT SAPUTOUSAFOODSERVICE.COM Mozzarella I Provolone I Blue Cheese I Gorgonzola I Asiago I Romano

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Early bird pricing through Dec. 1, 2018

CELEBRITIES RETURN TO THE EXPO Chef Michael Symon keynotes for his second year.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

MICHAEL SYMON

MIDAMERICARESTAURANTEXPO.COM

Mario Rizzotti runs a cooking demo and emcees Pizza Pizzazz once again at the Expo.

Expo University

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live demos, talks and breakouts

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IF YOU NEED IT FOR YOUR FOODSERVICE BUSINESS, YOU'LL FIND IT ON OUR SHOW FLOOR. SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

CHEESE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

Easier, smarter and built for restaurants.

Learn more at veea.com/nra

CHEESE SHAKERS

* * * * * * * * * *

Kiosks iPad POS Printers Cash Box Card Swiper Website Mobile Apps Fast Deposit Gift Cards Email

OrderSnapp.com

more than a POS, more than online ordering ( 888-402-6863 )

Choosing a POS: right the first time speedlinesolutions.com/PizzaPOS CHEESE SHAKER LIDS

1-888-400-9185

The BEST Pizza POS OS OS CHICKEN

The Fastest POS on the Planet The Easiest to Learn & Operate Online Ordering / Rewards & Loyalty Mobile Reporting/Enterprise Complete EMV & PCI Compliance

877-968-6430 PDQpos.com

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS: POINT OF SALE

DESSERTS

Dessert is the last impression you’ll make on a customer.

Make it count.

Taste It Presents

908-241-9191 * www. tasteitpresents.com

COFFEE EQUIPMENT

D I G I TA L S C A L E S

Booth #7110 DOUGH

C O N S U LT I N G

DeIorio Foods

@DeIorios

blog.DeIorios.com

DeIorios.com

CUTTING BOARDS - EQUAL SLICE

DOUGH

DELICIOUS MADE-TO-ORDER BREAD AND PIZZA DOUGH Old World Tradition with New World Convenience.

www.mamalarosafoods.com

To locate a distributor near you, call 734-946-7878.

DESSERTS

Be Inspired. Be Creative. Be Original.

ALWAYS WITH YOU.

Red, White, and Blue Pizza with Nutella®

Fried Pizza Dough with Nutella®

Breakfast Pizza with Nutella®

Come follow us, like us, and engage with us on these social media platforms!

For more exciting recipes and tips about Nutella®, visit www.ferrerofoodservice.com or call (800) 408-1505 for more information.

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

DOUGH BOWLS

FLOUR, GLUTEN-FREE Scan for Demo

Premium Flours Make Gluten-Free Tasty & Easy!

Tel: 310-366-7612 E-mail: sales@authenticfoods.com Web: www.authenticfoods.com

FLOUR

Exceptional pizza starts with exceptional flour.

Traditional Pizza Flours, Whole Grain Flours, Pizza Crust Mixes, Private Label Packaging, Proprietary Blending, Custom Development For more information call 1-800-553-5687 or visit www.baystatemilling.com

DOUGH DIVIDERS/ROUNDERS

A revolutionary ingredient changing the way people enjoy Italian cuisine Carlo F. Pedone • 414.301.4245 • carlo@pinsaromana.us

Learn more about Pinsa Romana or attending the academy: pinsaromana.us • pinsaschool.com

DOUGH PRESSES, ROLLERS

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Bringing Italian Back to Pizza Exclusive North American Importer of Ciao Tomatoes and Caputo Flour 201-368-9197 | orlandofoods.com 00 FLOUR

• Dough Trays – extremely durable and airtight!

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Buy direct from the manufacturer with over 25 years manufacturing in dough trays.

Call 800-501-2458 ........... www.doughmate.com ......... fax: 908-276-9483

Molino Pasini s.p.a. - Italy

Full line flours for Pizza, Fresh Pasta, Ready Mix for gnocchi Phone: 1-973-454-8534 +39 0376 969015 www.molinopasini.com - info@molinopasini.com

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

FRANCHISING

FRYERS

Should You Franchise Your Restaurant?

Contact us today to receive your free video on “How to Franchise Your Business” and learn ® about one of the most dynamic methods of expanding your business in today’s marketplace.

F R A N C H I S E C O N S U LTA N T S 708-957-2300 • www.ifranchisegroup.com • info@ifranchisegroup.com

BE THE

KING OF

CHICKEN WINGS With AutoFry and MultiChef ventless technology you can serve hot delicious appetizers without the need for costly renovations.

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FURNITURE/FIXTURES

Heat your Restaurant with SUNPAK® Outdoor Patio Heaters Wall or ceiling mounted, nothing on the floor

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Natural Gas or Propane Models M A C H I N E R Y/ E Q U I P M E N T

Made in the U.S.A.

www.infradyne.com

888.317.5255

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS

MAILING LISTS Scan for Demo

Reach More Hungry Customers with an Occupant List

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Tel: 310-366-7612 E-mail: sales@authenticfoods.com Web: www.authenticfoods.com

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MARKETING IDEAS

M A C H I N E R Y/ E Q U I P M E N T

1-800-426-0323

www.northernpizza.com

Ovens Mixers Prep Tables Walk-ins Parts Smallwares

MAGNETS

FOR MORE CHEFWARE, VISIT WWW.TASTEOFITALY.ORG (CLICK PGS. 22 & 23)

TASTE OF ITALY | 805-473-8494 | 1-800-760-8662

Pizza’s Great Storyteller

Radio-style stories to bring customers in.

Let pizza’s greatest storyteller make you a local pizza hero!

• Fully-produced 1-minute pizza stories

Hear samples at PizzaTV.com/Rix

Rix Quinn

pmq.com/Recipe-Bank/ 90 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

MARKETING IDEAS

MIXERS

The Original Variable Speed Mixer

Varimixer Strong as a Bear.

800-222-1138

www.varimixer.com www.varimixerusa.com V6OP

mixer@varimixer.com • 14240 South Lakes Dr • Charlotte, NC

M E AT TO P P I N G S

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Low Closeout Pricing! Call for this week’s special. For Deals That Go To Your Bottom Line.

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OLIVES THE WORLD`S LARGEST OLIVE AND OLIVE OIL PRODUCER ACORSA USA 2200 FLETCHER AVE. SUITE # 702, FORT LEE, NJ 07024 Tel. 201-944-0474 ...... Fax # 201-944-1279 enrique.escudero@dcoop.es ... www.dcoop.es

MIXERS

Precision HD-60 Pizza Mixer 7-Year Unconditional Parts Warranty on all gears and shafts in the planetary and transmission!

We offer a full line of Green Olives, Ripe Olives and Olive Oil from Spain for private label or branded. OU Kosher and BRC Certified. Inventory stored at 11 warehouses throughout the U.S.

Holdsbowl! art 80-qundles a Ha . bag 50 lb our! of fl

ON HOLD MARKETING/PHONE SERVICES

www.pizzamixers.com • 1-877-R-MIXERS

Pizza Package Includes: CL50 Ultra Veg Prep Machine, 2mm and 4mm slicing disc, 7mm grating disc, 10mm dicing kit disc holders, and dice cleaning kit

800/824-1646 www.robotcoupeusa.com Heavy Duty MIXeRS RS

2-Year Warranty

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60 qt. Pizza Mixer handles 50 lb. bag of flour Direct gear drive transmission • Rigid cast iron construction

Globe Food Equipment Co. | www.globefoodequip.com SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

ONLINE ORDERING

PIZZA BOXES

Your food. Our custom-printed boxes.

A winning combination.

Ten case minimums. Pizza, sub, slice, kids and other boxes available.

800-626-0828 | starpizzabox.com PIZZA BOX LINERS

POS Integration with: Dinerware

Custom App $99 Monthly + 0% Commission imenutogo.com Online Mobile Ordering Solution (718) 554-0524

Grow Your Business with the power of online ordering More Orders. Starting Now.

SliceLife.com/JoinNow or (844) 880-2346

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS

PIZZA BOXES

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PIZZA BOX Doing It The American Way! TAKE YOUR IMAGE TO THE NEXT LEVEL 7” to 36” Custom Boxes and Odd Sizes Available

UP TO 4-COLORS | NO PLATE FEES*

Rectangular Flat Bread Boxes Available

888.400.3455 ext.107 | wpackaging.net 2001 East Cooley Drive, Colton, CA 92324

www.pizzatv.com 92 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

PIZZA DELIVERY THERMAL BAGS

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS

High Qua lit y Pizza Tools

Made in Italy Since 1986

Phone 630-553-9135 sales@gimetalusa.com www.gimetalusa.com SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

PIZZA OVENS

PIZZA OVENS

Stone Deck, Pizza Dome, and Bakery

www.univexcorp.com Tel. 800-258-6358 Fax. 603-893-1249

WWW.XLTOVENS.COM TO ORDER CALL (316) 943-2751 | TOLL-FREE: (888) 443-2751 | FAX: (316) 943-2769

WOOD STONE CORPORATION ...............Stone Hearth & Specialty Commercial Cooking Equipment .1801 W. Bakerview Rd ..................... Bellingham, WA 98226 TOLL Free 800-988-8103Fax: 360-650-1166.............. woodstone-corp.com PIZZA PANS

TRADITIONAL, FAST CASUAL, ARTISAN...

WE’VE GOT PIZZA COVERED VENTLESS IMPINGEMENT CONVEYORS, BATCH, AND ARTISAN BATCH OVENS 1-800-90TURBO | www.turbochef.com

94 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

PIZZA PANS

PIZZA SUPPLIES

Introducing

THE

PIZZA BUTLER!

Space-saving footprintEasy storage | Versatile Function Sturdy Contruction | Customizable

Call Manny at 718-894-1212 ext. 218 Order online at www.thepizzabutler.com PIZZA PEELS

PRINTING

PIZZA SUPPLIES

• Pizza Preparation and Delivery Products •

National Marketing, Inc.

www.nminc.com 800-994-4664

734-266-2222

ALWAYS WITH YOU.

Come talk with us on these platforms!

Fax: 734-266-2121

Manufacturers’ Direct Pricing • Call or order online • We export SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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THE PIZZA EXCHANGE

ROOM KEY ADVERTISING

SAUCE

HOTEL ROOM KEY ADVERTISING DIAL #600 from your room for In-Room SPEED DIAL Papa John’s ROOM DELIVERY to Your Business

PIZZAROOMKEYS.COM • 866-912-3539 SCALES

SAUCE

Booth #7110 T E L E P H O N E E Q U I P M E N T/ S U P P L I E S / S E R V I C E Since 1915, The Neil Jones Food Company has been producing premium quality tomato and custom blend sauces. A family owned and operated corporation, we only pack from the freshest and finest vine-ripened California tomatoes. So whether you prefer classic #10 cans or new shelf-stable pouches, you will always get the very best in fresh packed tomato products from Neil Jones Food.

ALWAYS WITH YOU.

Come talk with us on these platforms!

TA B L EC LOT H S

. ed!

S e E E HE ou n R F TC as y A any W S m

r de Or

as

You Top the Pizza, We’ll Top the Tables!

Updating your dining room is easy with our easy-care vinyl table covers … always made to your specs. Fabrics are also available by the roll.

• 372 colors and 65 mix-and-match patterns • Covers are custom made within 2-3 weeks • Available with velcro, umbrella holes or elastic for a perfect fit.

• No minimums required

View and order patterns online at Americo-Inc.com Call 1-800-626-2350

601 East Barton | West Memphis, AR 72301 96 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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PIZZA INDUSTRY RESOURCE GUIDE

T E L E P H O N E E Q U I P M E N T/ S U P P L I E S / S E R V I C E

YEAST

Specializing in voice and data communications service, repair, installation, sequencers and on-hold messaging.

GUARANTEED LOWEST INDUSTRY PRICE!

www.fidelitycom.com.........................800-683-5600

TO M ATO P RO D U C T S

The Best Tomatoes Italy has to Offer

WEB OFFSET PRINTING

Imported to North America exclusively

by Orlando Foods.

201-368-9197 | orlandofoods.com

WINGS

YEAST

SEPTEMBER 2018 | PMQ.COM

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PIZZA HALL OF FAME

(Clockwise from top left) Peter, Anthony, Rosa and John Coruzzi break ground for the current Pizza John’s location in 1976; Anthony portions out dough balls; the original Pizza John’s focused on carryout; Peter mans the oven; Peter, Rosa, John and Anthony pose in the pizzeria in the early ‘70s.

Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 years or longer? If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.

Watch of Fam Pizza Hall PizzaT e videos on V.c NEW P om and th e izzaTV chann Roku el!

PIZZA JOHN’S Focusing on a single location since 1966, three brothers from Abbruzzo, Italy, grew a 600-square-foot carryout joint into a massive Baltimore-area pizza mecca. By Tracy Morin When John Coruzzi landed Stateside from Abruzzo, Italy, at 16, he was soon prepping for the pizza life. After honing his skills over a decade while working in a bakery, then a pizzeria, he opened his own carryout location, Pizza John’s, in the summer of ’66. Months later, his brother Peter joined the Essex, Maryland, operation—then a mere 600 square feet, but already a hit with locals—and, a year later, a third brother, Anthony, also jumped on board. “In 11 years at that original location, we worked 16-, 18-hour days to build the business,” recalls Peter, who now owns Pizza John’s with his son-in-law partner, Bret Steall (John and Anthony retired around the turn of the millennium). “We started with one employee, and after 11 years, we had 18. But the place had no A/C, ventilation or storage; we knew we’d have to improve things or get out of the business!”

That move, to a new 2,000-square-foot building, was only the beginning of what would become a string of constant upgrades and expansions in the decades to come. By 1981, its first dining room opened, a greenhouse was added in 1985, and the ’90s ushered in regular improvements. But in 2003, the building was completely renovated and expanded with 100 extra seats and an ice cream bar;

in 2012, another 100 seats were tacked on. Today, the mega-pizzeria clocks in at 12,000 square feet, with seating for 320, 200-plus parking spaces and 106 employees (40% of whom, Peter estimates, have been with the company 15 years or more). “Our philosophy never changed from day one,” Peter notes. “We always wanted to focus on one location, with consistent product and a good staff, giving value to our customers. With one location, we reach the whole Baltimore area, building our reputation over the years, and by now we’ve become an institution. Everyone knows us!”

Of course, that philosophy dictates a do-it-yourself, hands-on approach. Peter says that the pizzeria hasn’t gone unsupervised by an owner since opening day, and everything, from butchering meats to making dough and sauce from scratch, is done in the old-school tradition. But that doesn’t mean the owners aren’t constantly seeking improvements. “We try to do better every day,” Peter says. “I’m 71 years old, and every day I learn something new and see something we can make better. We always try to innovate and bring in new ideas. I’m a worker, with the staff every day—not an owner with a suit and tie.”

Tracy Morin is PMQ’s senior copy editor.

98 PMQ PIZZA MAGAZINE | THE WORLD’S AUTHORITY ON PIZZA

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Join 10,000 pizzerias growing their business on Slice.

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• Get your pizzeria online. We make sure customers can find your pizzeria anywhere they are searching – across web, mobile and social media.

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Get the Power of Big Pizza for your pizzeria for only $1.95 per order.

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Hot N’ Spicy Wings

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