PMQ Pizza November 2026 by Arrowfly

E L E VAT I N G

THE

NOVEMBER 2026

PIZZA

PMQ.COM

INSIDE:

The Magic of Mushrooms PAGE 28

Nontraditional Locations PAGE 32

The Loyalty Gold Mine PAGE 39

The

BUSINESS

PAGE 18

Main Event At the New York State Fair, Nick Sanford’s Toss & Fire sells 20,000 pizzas in 13 days—and creates buzz that lasts all year long.

Crafted with integrity, because excellence deserves nothing less.

Grande Grade Milk Simple Ingredients

Traditional Cheesemaking Principles

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PEEL: A PMQ PODCAST

BILL ZIONOS

No Third Parties Allowed Bill Zonios has built Glenside Pizza into a $2 millionplus single-unit operation without taking a single order through DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats. The 25-year-old, Greek-style pan pizza shop in Glenside, Pennsylvania, has always delivered its own pies and, as far as Zonios is concerned, it always will. In episode 62 of Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast, he explained how he uses his POS system, his own branded app and an AI-powered service called Shipday to provide online ordering, saved payment information and delivery tracking, all while employing his own drivers. He also digs into customer data, email marketing, loyalty, SEO and why operators should treat their websites like a second storefront. But most importantly, Zonios shares how he gives his customers the convenience they expect from third-party apps without handing over the order—or the customer relationship—to aggregators. He even offers advice for operators who use third-party delivery and don’t want to give it up. But, for his part, he says, “I’m holding my ground, man. I’m not doing it because I know that the second I [give in], I have to raise my prices a lot, and I care about my customers too much to do that.” Listen to Peel: A PMQ Pizza Podcast on Apple, Spotify and SoundCloud.

ELEVATING THE BUSINESS OF PIZZA

An Arrowfly Publication Volume 30, Issue 9 | November 2026 888-543-2447 ISSN 1940-2007 | Permit #5040

Arrowfly

Content Studio

CEO Matt Logan mlogan@arrowfly.com

Vice President Peggy Carouthers pcarouthers@arrowfly.com

Content

Writer Drew Filipski dfilipski@arrowfly.com

Editor in Chief Rick Hynum rhynum@arrowfly.com Associate Editor Tracy Morin tmorin@arrowfly.com Associate Editor/ USPT Coordinator Brian Hernandez bhernandez@arrowfly.com VP, Editorial Director Danny Klein dklein@arrowfly.com Art & Production

Writer Ya’el McCloud ymccloud@arrowfly.com Writer Davina van Buren dvanburen@arrowfly.com Sales & Business Development Senior Vice President, Food, Retail, Hospitality Sales and Account Management Matt Waddell mwaddell@arrowfly.com

Art Director Eric Summers esummers@arrowfly.com

National Sales Manager Tom Boyles tboyles@arrowfly.com

Senior Art Director Tory Bartelt tbartelt@arrowfly.com

Customer Service Representative Brandy Pinion bpinion@arrowfly.com Customer Service Representative Tracy Willingham twillingham@arrowfly.com Founder Steve Green

PMQ PIZZA Issue 9 November 2026 (ISSN 1940-2007, Permit #5040) is published monthly in January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November and December by Arrowfly, 1111 Superior Ave #1120, Cleveland, OH 44114-2560. Periodical postage pricing paid at Cleveland, OH. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PMQ PIZZA, 1111 Superior Ave #1120, Cleveland, OH 44114-2560. Opinions expressed by the editors and contributing writers are strictly their own and not necessarily those of the advertisers. All rights reserved. No portion of PMQ PIZZA may be reproduced in whole or part without written consent.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2026 16

What Are KPIs, and Which Ones Should You Use? Setting key performance indicators (KPIs) for your restaurant and your team can have a positive impact on your shop’s profitability. Here’s where to start. U LY P I Z Z A

Magic Mushrooms They may be humble fungi, but mushrooms provide the kind of umami that makes a pizza feel more complex and satisfying—and can even win global awards.

Outside Opportunities

The Loyalty Gold Mine The most important audience you have isn’t scrolling through Facebook. They’re sitting at table 12 in your restaurant. And they’re key to growth in 2027.

The Main Event After scoring a prime vendor location at the New York State Fair in 2023, Toss & Fire Pizza owner Nick Sanford amplified his good luck with an over-the-top menu and a marketing/PR strategy that sells 20,000 pizzas in just 13 days.

The Aguilas: Everyone’s Favorite Uncle and Aunt Growth for Uncle Rico’s Pizza rocketed after recognition from The Washington Post in 2023. But success hasn’t changed the down-to-earth family that runs it. L I T T L E C A ES A R S

BY RICK HYNUM CO V E R P H OTO BY A L E X D ’A N TO N I O

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 10 Pizza Pulse 13 Moneymakers 46 Resource Guide 50 Pizza Hall of Fame 8

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

A L E X D ’A N TO N I O

Are you ready to think outside the brick-andmortar pizza box? Three operators share their experiences with nontraditional locations and how to make them work.

THE SIGNATURE OF ITALIAN QUALITY

SCAN TO REQUEST YOUR FREE SAMPLE CIAOTOMATOES

PIZZA PULSE

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH THE PIZZA COMMUNITY Subscribe to Pizza Pulse for free at PMQ.com/pizza-pulse!

F R A N K ’ S R I STO R A N T E & P I Z Z E R I A

AUDREY JANE’S PIZ Z A GARAGE

PMQ Pizza’s best pizzeria profiles often come directly from subscribers to our free e-newsletter, Pizza Pulse. So if you want to get your story told, sign up at PMQ.com/pizza-pulse to get our attention! Behind every print issue is a growing digital universe, and Pizza Pulse is the gateway. Print can only hold so much, but we can go bigger online: deep-dive profiles, videos, podcasts, social posts, webinars, reader surveys and more. Here’s a look at the latest:

Audrey Kelly: “Don’t Be Afraid to Get Dirty”

In a Q&A following PMQ’s webinar, “Pizza Women On the Rise: Claiming Your Space in the Pizza Community,” the owner of Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives favorite talks about nurturing creativity and leading by example.

Detroit-Style Pizza Boosts Frank’s Business by 20%

Giuseppe Carollo started with 10 Detroit pies one weeknight at Frank’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, a traditional New York-style eatery, just to see what would happen. Now customers make every Thursday a night at Frank’s.

Read at PMQ.com/audrey-kelly-qa

Read at PMQ.com/uno-pizza-pass

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Four Major Build-Out Mistakes to Avoid

Veteran contractor Rob Reid looks at the most common build-out issues that cost operators time and delay a new pizzeria’s opening day. “All are avoidable,” he says, “if Want to Get PMQ’s you know to ask about them before the first Attention? Try this! wall comes down.”

Create a Reel on Instagram, tag @pmqpizzamag and tell us why we should feature your pizzeria.

Read at PMQ.com/four-buildout-mistakes

R E B E L L I O N O F F R E D E R I C KS B U R G

UNO PIZZERIA & GRILL

The Pizza Pass Promo That Crashed UNO’s Website

UNO Pizzeria & Grill called it “a creative value play”: a $99 “Pizza Pass” that let customers eat unlimited pizza every day for five weeks. Here, UNO’s marketing director offers a peek behind the scenes of this wildly successful promo.

Read at PMQ.com/franks-ristorante-detroit-nights

CELEBRATE THE SEASON

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MONEYMAKERS

Katie Lee wrote Unemployable to honor her late father, but it also pays homage to restaurant servers, dishwashers and anyone who’s had to work their way up from the bottom. K AT I E L E E

KATIE LEE: UNEMPLOYABLE AND UNSTOPPABLE

HEN SHE WAS GROWING UP, Katie Lee’s father told her she was “unemployable”—too wild, too undisciplined, too headstrong, just like her dear old dad. Lee proved him right for years, dropping out of high school at 15, getting fired from 20 restaurant jobs, and coping with drug and alcohol addiction. But it turns out she makes one heck of a good boss. Today, Lee employs 500 people as the founder and sole owner of Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, with four restaurants in St. Louis, and the exploding Katie’s line of Italian foods (frozen pizzas, pasta bakes, sauces and olive oil) sold in Target stores nationwide. Now she has penned a memoir, Unemployable: The Katie Lee Story, relating her remarkable

life’s journey so far. From her turbulent childhood with her colorful but troubled father—a hard-living hustler, junk dealer and epileptic with severe brain damage—to failed rehab stints to becoming one of the industry’s most successful independent pizza restaurateurs, Unemployable is a riveting and unforgettable read, both a love letter to her late dad and to the restaurant industry itself. Target executives loved it so much, they featured it prominently on end-aisle displays, along with her packaged foods, in every store nationwide from September 27 to October 31. Now you can buy it at Katies.com and in bookstores around the country. It will stick with you for a long, long time. NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

MONEYMAKERS

UNO Pizzeria & Grill’s Pizza Pass offering sold out in hours, delivering “a great value in these tight times.”

Response to a limited-edition Pizza Pass from UNO Pizzeria & Grill was so strong, it sold out within hours and even crashed the brand’s website in August. The $99 dine-in offer let pass holders enjoy unlimited servings of all eight deep-dish pizza varieties, plus salad and soft drinks, once per day at UNO restaurants between September 5 and November 13. No wonder UNO experienced a brief website outage and sold its entire inventory of 1,000 passes overnight—the deal comes to less than $1.50 per day for all-you-can-eat pizza (pass holders and their guests still pay regular price for extras). Chris Dellamarggio, UNO’s director of marketing, calls it a “creative value play,” noting, “The intent was to bring in new customers and increase visit frequency.” Will the Pizza Pass become a recurring offer? It was, above all, a promotional campaign, Dellamarggio says. “But it was also about offering a great value in these tight times. We need to assess the program in its entirety to know for sure that we will repeat, but early indicators are that we’ll offer variations in the future.”

THE BOSS WITH A BIG HEART

With a pie called The Boss, San Francisco 49er Nick Bosa (left) and Tony Gemignani scored a big win for a beloved Bay Area nonprofit. TO N Y ’ S P I Z Z A N A P O L E TA N A

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Nick Bosa makes his living chasing down quarterbacks. But this fall the San Francisco 49ers defensive end tackled pizza, with an assist from acclaimed pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani. They partnered on The Boss, a limited-edition pizza that debuted on September 10 at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana and Capo’s in San Francisco and will remain available through the end of the NFL season. It’s built around Bosa’s favorite ingredients, including charred fennel, sliced hot-honey sausage and pinched Italian sausage. The $38 pie also features shaved Parmigiano, garlic, oil, oregano and fennel fronds. Best of all, half of the proceeds from every pizza sold will benefit Family House, a Bay Area nonprofit that supports the families of children who are undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Gemignani says Family House “has meant a lot to me over the years,” adding that he and Bosa “had a blast creating this pizza together, and knowing the impact it will have on the Family House families makes it even more meaningful.”

UNO PIZZERIA

UNO’S PIZZA PASS GOES FAST

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My managers and I chose Galbani® Premio Mozzarella in a triple blind taste test. The tang is just right, the salt level is perfect, and the look is superior to other cheeses. We pride ourselves on offering three styles of pizza, with three different doughs—but there’s only one cheese we reach for again and again. —Derrick Tung, Owner, Paulie Gee’s Chicago

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A D O B E STO C K / P E T R O

BEYOND THE BOX: BUILDING YOUR PIZZA BUSINESS

What Are KPIs, and Which Ones Should You Use? For a small independent pizza restaurateur, there are five key performance indicators that can lead the way to greater profitability. BY MICHAEL P. LaMARCA

NE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS I have learned over time has been that if you are not tracking it, you cannot improve it. This does not just mean that you need to pay attention to your pizza restaurant’s numbers— you need to pay attention to the most crucial numbers! I was sitting in a meeting many years ago with several very experienced and successful restaurant owners, and they were discussing the information they were deriving from their KPIs. I sat there listening and nodding my head, all the while trying to figure out what they were talking about. 16

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Eventually, I started to put together that these KPIs, whatever they were, must be pretty important to the operation of their individual companies. I continued sitting there, quietly lost, and trying to piece together all the information being discussed. Finally, under the table I surreptitiously Googled the letters “KPI” on my phone, and the words “Key Performance Indicators” popped up. At last, it all came together! Key performance indicators are quantifiable measurements used to evaluate how effectively a business or individual

BEYOND THE BOX: BUILDING YOUR PIZZA BUSINESS

on your profitability, so what could be more important to get you started? The other side of this equation—and it’s just as important as tracking your KPIs—is communicating the results to your team. Numbers are just numbers on a page unless you and everyone else knows how to use them. You must commit to holding regular meetings at which you go over the numbers and hold everyone accountable. I recommend getting your team together weekly or biweekly to look over your KPI results and make sure your team stays on track. On the other hand, overanalysis can lead to paralysis. So start with a few KPIs and add new ones slowly over time. Always choose new KPIs that reflect pressing issues in your restaurant’s business. Over time, you will see your business tighten up and become more streamlined and profitable. You cannot improve what you don’t know! Michael LaMarca is a veteran pizzeria owner/operator and owner/CEO of Master Pizza Franchise Group in Cleveland. To engage with him directly, follow him at @michaelplamarca on Instagram and Facebook.

A D O B E STO C K / R A W P I X E L .CO M

achieves strategic and operational goals. In simpler terms, KPIs are measurable guardrails that show how your current performance—or the team’s performance—compares to their past performances. KPIs are typically used to evaluate a person’s or the business’s financial, operational, customer-related and team/staff/employee performances. Businesses can use KPIs to measure and evaluate revenue growth, profit margins and/or net profit. Some of them can be used by the company’s leadership to make sure the company is operating at a healthy level. These KPIs can also be translated to the rest of the company to give the entire team directions regarding what to focus on in the future. Some other important categories that KPIs can measure include customer retention, customer satisfaction and customer acquisition costs. These KPIs can focus on the financial aspect of acquiring and retaining customers, but for me the most important aspect is the company’s customer satisfaction rating. Now more than ever, customers have the ability to let you and everyone else know what they think about your product and service, for better or worse. This can be a unifying goal for the entire team to work on together. Operational KPIs are great for measuring efficiency and productivity, which tie directly into customer service and can massively improve a restaurant’s profitability. Your operations are the lifeblood of your business. Solid operations will cascade into great customer satisfaction and help increase overall profitability. None of this matters, however, unless you can make it practical to your pizza business. Some of the KPIs aren’t particularly relevant if you own a small business. In that case, you are often just looking to survive and build your business. So I would recommend starting off with some simple things to track—KPIs that you and your team can work toward improving on and/or building. These would include • Sales • Labor percentage • COGS (cost of goods sold) • Customer count • Prime Focusing on these five KPIs is a great way to get your team all rowing in the same direction. Each one will have a direct impact

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

The

Main Event Wild pizzas and savvy marketing make Toss & Fire, a brick-and-mortar and food truck brand, a can’t-miss destination at the Great New York State Fair every year. STORY BY RICK HYNUM PHOTOS BY ALEX D’ANTONIO

ATE SUMMER CAN BE a frustratingly slow period for restaurant traffic, but that’s not a problem for Toss & Fire Pizza, with three restaurants and three food trucks in Central New York (CNY). If anything, it’s owner Nick Sanford’s busiest time of the year. From late August through Labor Day, he parks one of his trucks in a prime vendor spot at the Great New York State Fair, which draws more than 1 million people, and the crowds flock to him. We’re talking more than 20,000 pizzas sold in just 13 days in both 2025 and 2026.

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

Granted, a little bit of that success is due to dumb luck. Dinosaur Bar-BQue occupied the coveted location— near the main stage, where featured musical acts perform—for decades but gave it up after the pandemic. “We were awarded the space [in 2023], and it’s turned into its own thing,” Sanford says. “I applied for it, but I told everybody, ‘There’s no chance they’re going to pick us.’ But they said we have a good brand that’s well-known in the community, and we do a lot of marketing [to advertise our presence] at the fair.” Many operators would be content to bask in such good fortune and leave well enough alone. But Sanford took his lucky break and shrewdly 20

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

“A lot of pizza places start with brick-and-mortars and then add a food truck. We needed the brick-and-mortar to support the food trucks.” Nick Sanford, Toss & Fire Pizza

amplified it with a strategy that makes Toss & Fire’s presence at the fair a main event in its own right every year. Looking back on Toss & Fire’s steady growth since he started the company with a single food trailer in 2015, Sanford notes, “A lot of opportunities have come my way. And I think I said yes to some of the right things, even when I didn’t necessarily have a plan.”

Fortunately, Sanford did have a plan for the state fair. And it was fire.

A Business Built On Mobile

Sanford was a Panera Bread manager when he launched Toss & Fire as a side gig. He saw a need for a mobile pizzeria in the CNY region, bought his first trailer with a credit card and taught himself the wood-fired pizza craft. “I quickly realized that

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Nick Sanford opened his first brick-and-mortar because he needed a facility to support his food trucks. The trucks remain his favorite part of the business.

I had something going there,” he says. Within weeks, he quit Panera and made that trailer his new career. “We were doing farmers markets and breweries—pretty much anyone who would answer my call about setting up events. I didn’t say no to anything.” He soon bought a second trailer, then opened his first brick-andmortar location in October 2016 in North Syracuse. He purchased his first food truck in 2019 and followed that up with a second brick-andmortar shop in Camillus in 2020. By 2021, he had switched entirely from trailers to trucks, rolling out his third mobile unit in 2022. Finally, 2023 saw

the opening of a third Toss & Fire pizzeria, this one a satellite location inside Harvey’s Garden, a food truck park in Syracuse. Interestingly, Sanford admits that he opened his first Toss & Fire brickand-mortar shop to support his food trucks. “We were renting a shared space, using this tiny little mixer to make our dough—I’d have to split one bag of flour into three batches of dough—and that just wasn’t viable over the long term. Opening the brick-and-mortar made sense, because we needed a commissary kitchen for the trucks. A lot of pizza places start with brick-and-mortars and then add

“Fair pizzas are supposed to be over the top. I like to say that at least one of them should be something your grandmother would be offended by if she saw it on the menu.” Nick Sanford, Toss & Fire Pizza

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

a food truck. We needed the brickand-mortar to support the food trucks.” That first standalone Toss & Fire restaurant proved so successful, Sanford later expanded it to occupy the entire building, added a dining room, plus beer and wine, and eventually built out a full commissary in a different space, also in Syracuse. That commissary now serves the food trucks and the restaurants. But food trucks remain Sanford’s true love. “The business was built on mobile,” he says. “As much as I love our brick-and-mortars, there’s something special about the mobile business. No day is ever the same as the day before. One day, I’m working a concert with 20,000 country music fans. The next day, I’m at a wedding with 150 people, and the next day, it’s a graduation party or a corporate event. It keeps you on your toes….I think the mobile pizza business is a blast.”

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No idea, like the Girl Dinner pizza (top), is too wacky, but Sanford balances the fair menu with more traditional pies and, of course, cold draft beer.

“[Reporters] interview me, show the pies, talk about the menu. It’s a bunch of free publicity that gets people excited about both the fair and specifically about Toss & Fire at the fair.” Nick Sanford, Toss & Fire Pizza

Over the Top

And there’s no bigger blast than the Great New York State Fair, an event that opened on August 26 this year with The All-American Rejects and also featured Third Eye Blind, ZZ Top, Ashanti and other musical acts. In 2023, Toss & Fire’s first year in its current prime location at the fair,

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

country star Lainey Wilson drew a record crowd of 53,200 fans. Still, Toss & Fire is just one of hundreds of food vendors at the fair. “It’s massive,” Sanford says. “You don’t want to get lost in this sea of vendors. I quickly realized that we needed to stand out, to have something different.” Which brings us back to that aforementioned plan. Sanford and his

team don’t just fire up tasty pies for the fair. They create a showstopping experience of their own within the overall fair experience, one that makes headline news before the fair even kicks off. It starts with the fair menu. The fair “gives us room to have a little more fun and push things further than we normally would in the restaurants,” Sanford says. “Guests come to the fair every year looking for those over-thetop items, so we definitely lean into that. We try to balance the menu with things that are just really good and approachable while also having a few items that make people stop, look at it and say, ‘That’s crazy,’ and then order it because they have to try it.”

But a great deal of thought—and months of planning—goes into those over-the-top items. “For us to pull off these 13 days, it’s like a full-year operation,” Sanford says. “I have planning meetings every month. We’re dealing with various moving parts to make it happen. There are five or six of us involved specifically for the menu.” Sanford invites his team members to write down their wildest ideas for new signature pizzas, and everyone gets a vote. “We vote on what we think could actually work,” he explains, “and we all try to agree before we go on to test the pies. We might have a list of, like, 50 items, then we narrow that list down to eight or 10 that we’re actually going to make and see how they work.” The group tests each pizza or appetizer at the commissary. “We all give it a score—zero to five. We add up the numbers and choose the ones

“[The Deep-Fried Garlic Knots] just blew up overnight to the point that we sold 1,100 orders in one day. It was unbelievable.” Nick Sanford, Toss & Fire Pizza

with the highest score. There’s no idea that’s too wacky, especially for the fair. The whole idea is that the fair pizzas are supposed to be over the top. I like to say that at least one of them should be something your grandmother would be offended by if she saw it on the menu.” For 2026, that potentially “offensive” pie was the Girl Dinner Pizza, piled with a Caesar salad and garlic Parmesan fries. “It was a little ridiculous, but it tasted really great. And we always balance that kind of item with something that’s just a really good combo, so this year it was the Fair Deli Gambino.” That grandmafriendly pie featured an olive oil base, fresh garlic, mozz and meatballs, finished with whipped ricotta, hot honey, fresh basil and shaved Romano. Then there was the Buzzer Beater Mac & Cheese Pizza, featuring fried chicken, spicy mac and cheese, roasted orange bell peppers and caramelized onions. Other new items included

Zab’s Sweet Heat Chicken Wings, flavored with Zab’s St. Augustine wing sauce and Zab’s Hot Honey, and the Parmesan Bacon Garlic Chicken Wings, deep-fried and tossed in garlic butter with Romano cheese and candied bacon. Sanford and his squad also served up the new Deep-Fried Garlic Knots, tossed in garlic butter, topped with Pecorino Romano and served on a stick with housemade vodka sauce for dipping. That item “went viral,” Sanford says. “It just blew up overnight to the point that we sold 1,100 orders in one day. It was unbelievable. And we can serve them quicker than a pizza, because the pizza needs to be assembled, cooked, cut and boxed. So there’s a growth opportunity with that item.”

An Event Around the Event

Once the fair menu is settled, the team holds a press event prior to the fair. Sanford sends out a press release

Pre-fair media events often feature boxes created exclusively for Toss & Fire by Pizza Bib, enhancing the vibe that makes Toss & Fire a CNY standout.

to local, regional and national media and invites journalists and influencers to a tasting event at one of his brickand-mortar pizzerias. “Everybody knows the fair is happening, obviously, but to get people excited about what we’re doing specifically at the fair, we create an event around the event,” Sanford says. The result: Area TV stations and newspapers promote the fair menu for Toss & Fire every year shortly before the fair opens. “They’ll interview me, show the pies, talk about the menu,” Sanford says. “It’s a bunch of free publicity that gets people excited about both the fair and specifically about Toss & Fire at the fair.” 26

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Of course, the pizzas have to be both delicious and intriguing, and Toss & Fire’s team never disappoints. The 2024 fair menu, for example, featured a pizza inspired by The Bear that came loaded with thinly sliced sirloin, four cheeses, mild giardiniera and semi-spicy banana peppers, plus the Bold Coast Lobster Mac Pizza and the Chicken Potsticker. It’s a “ton of work,” Sanford says, but those 13 days translate to huge sales as well as unparalleled brand awareness for Toss & Fire. And that means more business for both the food trucks and the restaurants. Sanford takes pride in the team that helps him stay on top of his sprawling mini-empire and points to his wife, Lauren, as the linchpin of his family, which includes three children between the ages of six and 11. In fact, Melissa, the 11-year-old, “is begging me to let her work” for him,

he says. What could be cooler, after all, than a dad with three pizza trucks? And what could be more rewarding than to take part in life’s special moments for thousands of people— and to feed them delicious pizza while you’re there? “Part of the reason I love my work is because I’m a kid at heart,” Sanford says. “I like going to all these different places and meeting different people and seeing all these different things. When you’ve got a mobile food business, you can’t be anything but involved in the community, because you’re part of so many big events and fundraisers. You’re part of people’s wedding days and graduations and retirements. The list goes on and on. It’s just cool to be there for all these events and celebrations in people’s lives.” Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

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MAGIC

MUSHROOMS Two pizza masterminds share how their mushroom pies have gone far beyond mere menu basics, reaching international-award and bestseller-of-the-year status. BY TRACY MORIN

A D O B E STO C K / E XC LU S I V E- D ES I G N

USHROOMS MAY BE HUMBLE FUNGI, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make a serious splash on pizzeria menus. Here, two pizza masterminds share the secrets behind their most successful shroom specialties. Whether earning international awards or year-high sales stats, these pizzas prove that mushrooms can indeed be magic. NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

Truly Pizza’s focus on flavors, textures and eye appeal make for memorable pizzas—and its award-winning mushroom pie nails all three. T R U LY P I Z Z A

Arena praises mushrooms’ umamibuilding powers, noting that their deep, savory flavors make a pizza feel more complex and satisfying. “They also add texture, which is just as important,” he adds. “Depending on the variety and preparation, mushrooms can be meaty, tender, crisp around the edges, or almost buttery. The key is to think of mushrooms as an ingredient with their own character, not just a topping “Depending on the variety and preparation, mushrooms to add at the end.” To attract more interest—even among can be meaty, tender, crisp around the edges, or almost customers who don’t usually order buttery. Think of mushrooms as an ingredient with their mushroom pizzas—Arena recommends own character, not just a topping to add at the end.” focusing on the flavor and experience rather than simply slapping a “mushroom pizza” on the menu. Descriptions that John Arena, Truly Pizza emphasize savory depth, crisp edges or meaty texture sound more inviting, while International Acclaim pairing mushrooms with familiar ingredients helps ensure At Truly Pizza, with two locations in California, the Umami they’re approachable. Mushroom Pizza reflects the team’s approach to pizza “We like to pair our mushrooms with garlic to add another as a whole: taking a familiar ingredient and giving it the layer of depth and savoriness,” says Michael Vakneen, attention it deserves. True to its name, the pie ramps up the co-partner and pizzaiolo at Truly Pizza. “We’ve also created umami factor with a creamy onion and garlic sauce, smoked pizzas featuring charred green onions or caramelized onions mozzarella, marinated roasted mushrooms, toasted sesame as an accent to the mushrooms. Both work particularly well oil, sesame seeds, green onion and bonito flakes. “What because they enhance the mushrooms’ naturally rich, meaty makes the pizza memorable is the way the flavors and character—similar to adding caramelized or grilled onions textures come together,” says co-founder John Arena. “The to a hamburger. The sweetness and char from the onions mushrooms bring depth and savoriness, while our dough complement the earthiness of the mushrooms and create a provides the light, airy foundation and crispness. It feels deeper, more developed flavor.” comforting but still has enough character to stand out.” When it comes to sourcing, selection and food costs, Stand out it did—the Umami Mushroom Pizza received Arena points out that some specialty mushrooms can be the Latteria Sorrentina Award for Pizza of the Year 2026 expensive or harder to source consistently, so it’s important from 50 Top Pizza, and the pizzeria smartly capitalized on to choose varieties that make sense for your menu and the moment. “We put a lot of care into developing the pizza, market. “But mushrooms can also be a great way to create so to see that work recognized on such a respected platform a distinctive pizza without relying on expensive proteins,” was incredibly meaningful,” Arena says. “We shared the he says. news across our social channels, highlighted the award in our “We like porcini for braising—they give a great earthiness,” restaurant communications, and encouraged guests to come Vakneen adds. “Portobellos are really meaty when roasted in and try the winning pie for themselves. We wanted the to a nice golden brown. We love to pickle small shimeji and celebration to feel less like a trophy moment and more like enoki mushrooms. There’s an application for all of them— an invitation to experience the pizza.” that’s what makes them so fun to work with.” 30

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The mixed-mushroom pie offered on Thanksgiving Eve at Cheeseboard Collective is the year’s biggest hit, with about 2,200 sold on a single day.

A Holiday Bestseller

C H E ES E B OA R D CO L L ECT I V E

The day before Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year at the worker-owned Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley, California—and the only menu item sold is one mushroom pie. “It’s the day we do our largest number of pizza sales, both par-bakes and hot pizzas,” says Vanessa Vichit-Vadakan, worker-owner. “We offer this particular pizza only once a year, with a bunch of mixed mushrooms: cremini, baby shiitake, king trumpet, maitake, hon-shimeji, oyster—and the star, chanterelle mushrooms. It’s paired with onion, goat cheese and mozzarella, finished with a brush of garlic olive oil, plus oregano and parsley. Every year, the number sold keeps going up.” The team orders about 850 pounds of mushrooms to pump out these pizzas—roughly 2,200 of them on Thanksgiving Eve 2025, about half of which were par-baked pies. “People really come out for it and buy them in bulk,” Vichit-Vadakan says. “It’s become sort of a tradition; they’ll buy five or six pizzas and stash them in their freezers. We do extended production hours that day. It’s an ‘all hands on deck’ day, when everybody is required to work, and it’s really fun.” On New Year’s Eve, Cheeseboard closes out the year with a similar mushroom pie—but instead of goat cheese, it’s topped with a truffle Pecorino, and the team might change up the mushroom mix. One key addition to both of these holiday pizzas is a porcini mushroom powder imported from Italy. “As we’re building, we’ll sprinkle into the mix of mushrooms some porcini powder, which adds a whole other layer of richness to the pie,” Vichit-Vadakan says. Clearly, mushroom pizzas shine on major holidays. But the Cheeseboard’s unique business model—one pizza per day, always vegetarian—means that pizzas are rotated from a master list, and several are mushroom-based. “It’s usually cremini mushroom with onion and some other cheese: goat cheese, Montalban, Parmesan,” Vichit-Vadakan explains. “We have different combinations—with kale added in, or leeks or other baby greens. In the spring, we do a combination of asparagus and baby shiitake mushrooms. A really popular one is mushrooms with baby spinach and caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, and a mix of fresh Asiago and mozzarella, with a finish of garlic olive oil and parsley. And for one version of a mushroom pizza, we top it with specialty cheese (Parmesan, Montalban or truffled Pecorino), and then we dress arugula with a lemon dressing and put that on top right before it’s served. That’s always popular.” While it’s challenging to support smaller mushroom producers due to Cheeseboard’s immense volume, the

“As we’re building, we’ll sprinkle into the mix of mushrooms some porcini powder, which adds a whole other layer of richness to the pie.” Vanessa Vichit-Vadakan, Cheeseboard Collective

team has found that cremini mushrooms are a solid go-to variety—and can be easily repurposed. “They’re tasty, familiar to people and easy to prep, which is a big thing for us, dealing with our volume,” Vichit-Vadakan says. “And, of course, flavor is important. If we have some leftover shiitake mushrooms, we might roll those over into a different mix, like with cremini mushrooms, a couple days later.” For prep, the team cuts the mushrooms the day before, usually on a 4-millimeter slicer. This thin cut helps reduce excess moisture—a key factor when making mushroom pies. “A pizza that’s built too heavily will get sloppy,” VichitVadakan warns. “The worst combination is too much cheese and too much mushroom—it can become a mess. So just be judicious about how you’re using them and aim for that balance.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

OUTSIDE OPP Pizzerias in nontraditional locations offer unique benefits—and require plenty of compromises. Three operators discuss how they make them successful. BY TRACY MORIN

A D O B E STO C K / K A STO

ROM AIRPORTS TO MILITARY BASES, college campuses to sports arenas, you may have pondered how you can land your pizzeria in locations that fall outside the traditional brick-andmortar box. Depending on the venue, it could be a simple transition—or a veritable minefield. Here, in their own words, three operators share their experiences with opening in nontraditional locations and how to make them work for you.

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PORTUNITIES NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

VA R A S A N O ’ S P I Z Z E R I A

The Airport Outlet

Jeff Varasano, owner, Varasano’s Pizzeria, Atlanta, GA Airport retail shops, including restaurants, are generally run through large corporations that operate many units at the same time. It would be virtually impossible to do it any other way, because the security issues alone require a tremendous amount of infrastructure. Each employee has to be cleared by Homeland Security to get a badge to get through security and show up to work every day. That process takes weeks and must be renewed annually. You cannot have an employee quit and hope to replace them right away, unless you already have a pipeline of staff at various stages of the approval process. These larger companies have entire departments dedicated to security issues, which involve recruiting, vendor approval and ongoing training. All of this is wildly outside of the scope of an individual operator. Therefore, for an airport, I believe you must have an experienced partner. The benefits are obviously volume: Terminal A of Atlanta airport is the busiest terminal in the country, and the entire operation runs from morning through evening. Retail outlets pay a percentage for rent. There is no specific dollar amount, but the airport is cut in on a fraction of each sale. We are responsible for training and for selecting and approving ingredients. Due to security rules, all suppliers must have a very expensive security bond, and even the delivery drivers from our suppliers need to have security background checks. Some of the smaller boutique suppliers we use for our regular operation simply could not qualify. We still have a lot of specialty imported products, but we had to funnel them through the largest importers that we use. However, we were not able to get 100% of what we want. 34

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“Go with your moneymakers—put practicality above other considerations. No matter how you slice it, airports are very difficult operating environments, and there are compromises.” Jeff Varasano, Varasano’s Pizzeria

On the operations side, it’s like operating any franchise or license agreement: Our partner deals with the day-to-day operations. If we have a quality or other concern, we bring it to them. Training is handled in concert with our operating partner. They do the bulk of it, but we occasionally have their personnel come out to our main shop for training and review. The actual airport unit is tiny, and there’s a back-of-thehouse kitchen on another floor that is shared by multiple concepts. So working out a production schedule can be quite difficult, especially with sourdough that requires a multi-day process. Obviously, most restaurants try to stock ingredients that will be used in multiple dishes. Conversely, they don’t have too many menu items with nonreusable ingredients. But we all have exceptions—a few recipes that we keep, even though they are less practical and don’t efficiently share ingredients or steps with other higher-volume products. When running a concession, you basically have to give that up. Go with your moneymakers—put practicality above other considerations. No matter how you slice it, airports are a very difficult operating environment, and there are compromises.

L I T T L E C A ES A R S

The Shape Shifter

Sally Rampersad, director of nontraditional and development services, Little Caesars, Detroit, MI Nontraditional development can be a great opportunity for established brands and experienced operators that have a strong understanding of their operating model and the flexibility to adapt it to different environments. The biggest opportunity is meeting guests where they already live, work, travel and spend their time. Whether that’s a military installation, university or sports venue, you’re creating additional access to the brand without relying solely on traditional restaurant real estate. The benefits can include built-in traffic, strong brand visibility and access to new audiences, but these locations also come with different real estate, operational and logistical considerations. You can’t simply take a traditional restaurant model and assume it will translate perfectly to every nontraditional environment.

“You can’t simply take a traditional restaurant model and assume it will translate perfectly to every nontraditional environment.” Sally Rampersad, Little Caesars

Site selection starts with understanding how people use the space. Foot traffic is important, but it’s equally important to understand who those guests are, when they’re there and how their needs change throughout the day. There may be very concentrated periods of demand, so you need to think about whether the location and operating model can efficiently accommodate those peaks. We also consider how accessible the location is within the venue, how the 36

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restaurant complements the existing food and beverage mix, and whether the format allows our franchisee to deliver the convenience guests expect. Flexibility is key. The strongest nontraditional relationships start with alignment between the brand, operator and host venue. Both sides need to understand expectations and what each party is bringing to the relationship. From the brand and operator perspective, you want clarity around everything, from access and operating hours to infrastructure, signage, deliveries and the overall guest experience. Expectations need to be established early. Identify what is essential to delivering the brand experience, then design the restaurant around those priorities. Every square foot matters in a smaller footprint, so equipment placement, storage, production flow and pickup all need to work together efficiently. Where possible, we also look to utilize existing equipment available within the venue, which can help manage costs while maximizing the space. Training is just as important. Team members need to understand both the operational expectations and the brand standards, particularly when they’re serving a high volume of guests in a condensed period of time. Have clear processes, the right equipment and layout, strong training and a menu that the team can execute efficiently. Maintaining consistency is what protects the strength of the brand as you expand into new channels. One of the most exciting things about nontraditional development is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It challenges brands to think differently about where and how they can serve their guests. Whether we’re looking at military installations, universities, sports venues or another nontraditional setting, the goal is the same: find the right opportunity, the right franchisee and the right format to bring the brand closer to where our guests already are—and continue to deliver the value proposition our guests expect.

The Stadium Star

Sean Dempsey, owner, Dempsey’s Pub, Brewery & Restaurant and Danger Von Dempsey’s, Watertown, SD These opportunities are for anyone who can think outside their brick and mortar—someone who is looking for some extra scratch but doesn’t want to commit to a second or third location full-time. Or anyone facing a slower season. I have a little shop at the Watertown Prairie Lakes Ice Arena, on the second floor. Besides the added revenue, it’s good name recognition. Sellout games mean 1,500-plus people see us, smell the pizzas or see someone enjoying one. We also get great views of the rink! Another big benefit is just creating more options for your staff, a break from the normal. In terms of challenges, you need more staffing and must create a smaller operation with less ROI. I’m not going to retire on this, but if we can average $1,000 per game, about 40 games a year, that’s a solid addition. Looking at another site, we’d need to know how many people we could potentially serve, and what other vendors are there. In the past, we’ve done some revenue sharing (10% of total sales over $X made) or paid a flat $100 fee per game to the city. We have our main store less than five miles away, so we needed a small fridge, a couple of steel prep tables, a keg dispenser and some signage. Toss in two electric ovens and a small place to make pizzas, and you’ve got it sorted. Having people constantly move large things is a pain, so a small setup with some above and below racking and tables can really solve most issues. That way, at the end of the shift, you can just clean up and walk away. We focus on quick-fire pizzas, mostly single-toppings, with a specialty every night: cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and usually

“Besides the added revenue, it’s good name recognition. Sellout games mean 1,500plus people see us, smell the pizzas or see someone enjoying one.” Sean Dempsey, Dempsey’s Pub, Brewery & Restaurant

a Chicken Bacon Ranch or Chicken Spinach Alfredo, along with Dempsey Brews and root beer. We make about 100 to 150 pizza skins ahead of time, bag them up and bring them out, then sauce, cheese and top. We cook them about threequarters of the way, so when a customer orders, we can just toss the whole pizza in for about two minutes to finish, cut and serve—no slices, just whole 10” pies. Most people want something quick and easy. We are cashless to help reduce the time. It’s a two-person operation: someone to take your order and someone to finish the pie, cut and hand off. It’s fast, and the customer gets a solid hot pie—important in an ice arena. The bottom line: Don’t be overcomplicated; simple is better. Learn your demographic. Make sure you get a few events under your belt before you sign any deal. Break out an oven, learn how to use it, and see if it’s applicable in your new venture. Our operation, from setup to close, lasts only about three to four hours, so make sure your revenue makes it worth the cost. Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

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THE

LOYALTY

GOLD MINE Want to grow sales in 2027 and beyond? It starts with the customers sitting at table 12. BY MATT PLAPP

A D O B E STO C K / S H I

ET ME ASK YOU a blunt question: Why are you spending so much time trying to reach strangers online while completely ignoring the people standing inside your restaurant? Don’t get me wrong—I want you running daily Facebook ads and being crazy-active on social media. But that’s not your foundation. Your foundation is the people who walk through your pizzeria’s front door every day. If you want to grow your sales in 2027 and beyond, the most important audience you have isn’t scrolling through Facebook; it’s sitting at table 12.

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

The most common in-store script in restaurants is, “How are you doing?” But you don’t really care how they’re doing. And they know it. What you should be asking is: • “Have you been here before?” • “Are you in our VIP program?” • “Want a free pizza on your next visit?” This is the kind of conversation that builds a database.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

A D O B E STO C K /Z A M R Z N U T I TO N O V I

Most owners believe social media is the most powerful tool in their marketing arsenal. It’s not. Inside your four walls is. If you’re failing to take advantage of the most overlooked sales strategy in your pizzeria, you’re not alone. In this article, I’ll explain why building your database inside your four walls is the key to 2027 growth—and exactly how to pull it off.

The Harsh Reality: Competition Is Everywhere

Thirty years ago, a neighborhood might have had five restaurants in a five-mile radius. Today? You’ve got 20-plus on one corner, and most of them are chains with deeper pockets and massive brand awareness. And thanks to thirdparty aggregators, they deliver, too. You’re not going to outspend them. You’re not going to out-footprint them. But you can out-execute them where it matters most: inside your four walls. When someone walks into your pizzeria, they’ve already: • Chosen your restaurant over competitors • Driven to your location • Walked through your doors • Ordered food • Handed you their credit card That’s trust. That’s intent. That’s an opportunity. And yet, I would estimate that eight out of 10 restaurants are completely wasting this opportunity. 40

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One pizzeria we work with had a loyalty program for years. But they were only adding 60 to 80 new members per month. Why? Because no one was consistently asking the right questions. And, by the way, 60 to 80 is not good! Think about it. Likely, 20 customers per month move away or die. Another 20 customers find a new pizzeria by accident or because you messed up an order. So that means your net win each month might be only 20 to 40 new loyalty members. And, of those 20 to 40, only 10 will become hardcore customers. So, in one year’s time, you’ve added 120 hardcore loyalty customers. That doesn’t move the needle! You need way more than that. In my opinion, most of you should be adding 200 to 250 loyalty members per month. So, this one pizzeria, after 10-plus years of using the same loyalty program and seeing the same results, decided it was time to make a change: Every employee would ask the right questions to every customer, every time. Their database growth skyrocketed—but then something even more important happened. Their loyalty sales jumped from about $23,000 in one month to more than $31,000 a year later from the same segment of customers. Sales grew 17% year-over-year. Not because of a price increase or because of new menu items, but because they systematically built and marketed to their database.

In-Store Is More Powerful Than Digital

Here’s what most owners get wrong: They believe social media is the most powerful tool in their marketing arsenal. It’s not. Inside your four walls is. Why? Because even if you have a finely tuned Facebook VIP program, you’ll be lucky to see opt-ins convert at 20% to 25%. But in-store opt-ins will always be around 50%. Why? Because the customer is already there. They already know who you are, where you are, and you’ve earned their trust. The warmest lead you will ever have is standing at your counter.

If you want to dominate in 2027, you need two things working together: 1. Better Conversations. Train your team to stop asking generic questions and start asking strategic ones. Make it mandatory for every employee: “Are you in our loyalty program?” If yes, confirm the guest’s info. If not, offer something compelling for the next visit. Script it. Rehearse it. Incentivize it. Your employees don’t forget to wear their gloves. They don’t forget to wash their hands. They shouldn’t forget database building. 2. Technology That Captures the Data. Conversations mean nothing without the right tech behind them. Whether it’s POS-integrated loyalty or a digital VIP program, you must have a piece of tech that captures data and puts these customers on a journey. You should also have other means for customers to join your loyalty program—employees should not be your only recruiting tactic. Try these strategies: • QR codes on tables • A Facebook comment contest • Facebook Messenger automation • Weekly in-store giveaways You must have a system that captures names, emails and phone numbers and then markets to guests consistently. One of my favorite in-store hacks? A weekly $100 giveaway promoted via Facebook. Customers scan a QR code in-store to enter. They comment on a post. That triggers an automated process that collects their data. Now your Facebook engagement improves. Your database grows. And you can predictably market to them.

The 4 Ways to Increase Sales

There are only four ways to grow your revenue: 1. Get new customers. 2. Increase the average ticket. 3. Get customers to come back more often. 4. Win back lost customers. Three out of those four are possible by simply engaging your customers in-store and gaining their marketing opt-in.

Stop Ignoring the Gold Mine

You don’t have a traffic problem. You have a capture problem. If your dining room sees 1,000 guests this week and you capture 20 emails, you just let 980 opportunities walk out the door.

A D O B E STO C K / N E N E T U S

If your dining room sees 1,000 guests this week and you capture 20 emails, you just let 980 opportunities walk out the door.

Inside your four walls is the highest-converting marketing opportunity you will ever have. Treat it like that. You may not have Chipotle’s budget. You may not have their national advertising. But you have an advantage they don’t: As an independent pizzeria owner, you can make sure conversations at the point of sale actually happen. If you turn those conversations into a system and that system into a database and that database into predictable marketing, you won’t need to hope and pray for better sales anymore. Instead, you’ll have a system of “aim and expect.” And that’s how you grow 10% to 20% in 2027. Matt Plapp is the CEO of America’s Best Restaurants and a regular contributor to PMQ.com.

NOVEMBER 2026 | PMQ.COM

U.S. PIZZA TEAM NEWS

U N C L E R I CO ’ S P I Z Z A (2)

Whether working amid stacks of pizza boxes or competing before a crowd of hundreds, Enrico and Cira are the faces, brains and, above all, the heart of this Fort Myers pizza powerhouse.

The Aguilas: Everyone’s Favorite Uncle and Aunt The rapid rise of Uncle Rico’s Pizza has depended on a family partnership built on mutual respect, trust and a lot of hard work. BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ

NRICO AGUILA MAY BE THE FACE and namesake of Uncle Rico’s Pizza, but the Fort Myers pizzeria is really a story about two people moving in the same direction. Opening the restaurant was Enrico’s vision, but his wife, Cira, was there from the beginning. As the business grew, so did Cira’s responsibilities, making her an essential part of the operation. “My name might be on the sign, but Cira is the true brain behind Uncle Rico’s,” Enrico says. “While I’m out front or at the oven bringing the passion and vision, she’s the one running the engine.”

From Local Favorite to Destination

Growth rocketed in 2023 after The Washington Post named Uncle Rico’s cheese pizza the third best in Florida. “It transformed us from a local favorite into a destination spot,” 42

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Enrico says. “Sales spiked dramatically, our daily customer lines started stretching out the door, and demand blew up to levels we had never seen before.” The surge also exposed the limits of the restaurant’s systems, particularly in the back of the house. Cira had been managing much of the operation herself, but the increased volume required a different approach. The couple hired and trained more staff, invested in equipment and are now expanding into the adjacent space for additional seating. For Cira, growth has meant more than pushing additional orders through the kitchen. She has worked diligently to build an operation that can handle the demand without sacrificing the standards that made Uncle Rico’s successful. From food safety and order accuracy to kitchen flow, she watches the details most customers never see.

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11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities. If none, check box. None Full Name

September 2026

Average No. Copies No. Copies of Single Each Issue During Issue Published Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

10 / 01 / 2026 6. Annual Subscription Price (if any) Contact Person

Arrowfly LLC 1111 Superior Ave E, Suite 1120, Cleveland, OH 44114

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

PMQ Pizza

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

N/A

7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not printer) (Street, city, county, state, and ZIP+4 ®)

13. Publication Title

Complete Mailing Address

d. Nonrequested (2) Distribution (By mail and outside the mail) (3)

(4)

Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources)

25,408

25,475

14,436

5,348

14,436

5,348

10,564

19,652

In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g., First-Class Mail, nonrequestor copies mailed in excess of 10% limit mailed at Standard Mail ® or Package Services rates) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include pickup stands, trade shows, showrooms, and other sources)

Total Nonrequested Distribution [Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)]

10,564

19,652

Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e)

25,000

Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4, (page #3))

h. i.

408

475

Total (Sum of 15f and g)

25,408

25,475

Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)

57.7%

21.4%

* If you are claiming electronic copies, go to line 16 on page 3. If you are not claiming electronic copies, skip to line 17 on page 3.

12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months Has Changed During Preceding 12 Months (Publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement.) PS Form 3526-R, July 2014 [Page 1 of 4 (See instructions page 4)] PSN: 7530-09-000-8855

PRIVACY NOTICE: See our privacy policy on www.usps.com.

PS Form 3526-R, July 2014 (Page 2 of 4)

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only) 16. Electronic Copy Circulation

Average No. Copies Each Issue During Previous 12 Months

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies

b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

14,436

5,348

c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

25,500

25,000

d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c Í 100)

57.7%

21.4%

I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies.

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the issue of this publication. 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner

November 2026 Date

September 29, 2026 Ken Gradman, CFO

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

U.S. PIZZA TEAM NEWS

Enrico Aguila shows off some swag at the REAL California Pizza Challenge in Anaheim, where he and Cira volunteered to help run the event instead of competing.

While Enrico and Cira are away managing competitions or claiming their share of pizza glory, a steadfast team of family and employees keeps Uncle Rico’s running smoothly back home.

“What makes me happiest is seeing how much we’ve grown, not just as a business, but as a family,” Cira says. “We’ve worked hard to build something together, and I’m proud that we’ve been able to grow the restaurant without losing that family connection. At the end of the day, that means more to me than any one process or accomplishment.”

Family First

The entire Aguila family has become a foundational part of the structure at Uncle Rico’s. Their children grew up with the business and understand its operations and values, giving Enrico and Cira people they can trust when they step away. Cira establishes clear priorities and gives them the authority to make day-to-day decisions. That ability—and willingness—to rely on others has also changed Enrico’s perspective. Competing alongside his son Antonio in a Pizza a Due event challenged his assumption that his approach was the only way to do things. “Working side by side with my son under that level of competition pressure proved to me that he doesn’t just know how to do it, he excels at it,” Enrico says. The Aguilas have also made community service integral to their business. During the TSA shutdown earlier this year, they gave free pizzas to frontline security employees who were working without pay. “Our priority was simply helping people in need and doing good for our community,” he says. His advice to other operators is simple: “Don’t let the fear hold you back. Start small and give what you can.” That same willingness to put others first came into play when the Aguilas set aside their competition plans to help manage the REAL California Pizza Challenge event in Anaheim, California, last August. They saw it as an 44

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

opportunity to show support for their friends and fellow team members. “It was an easy decision for us because, at the end of the day, a friend in need is a friend indeed,” Enrico says. The experience also gave him a glimpse into the organizational effort that goes into these events—something most competitors rarely see. “It taught me just how much grueling hard work goes on behind the scenes to make a competition successful.”

Keeping Perspective

Enrico has continued learning from fellow U.S. Pizza Team members, working new ideas into his dough process and pizza creations. Cira takes the same approach to new opportunities, making sure the family doesn’t take on more than they can do well. For both of them, it comes down to communication, honesty and mutual respect—and making sure each other’s goals are heard, valued and supported. Since opening Uncle Rico’s, the Aguilas have faced new responsibilities and opportunities. Cira says they make a point of thanking God for their blessings every day, which helps keep everything in perspective. Customers may come to Uncle Rico’s for Enrico’s pizza, but behind that smiling tío is a tía keeping the family and the business moving in the right direction. Brian Hernandez is PMQ’s associate editor and director of the U.S. Pizza Team.

For more information about the U.S. Pizza Team, its members and sponsors, visit USPizzaTeam.com.

Meet the U.S. Pizza Team’s Newest Bronze Sponsors: Festa Pizza Co. + Bee Dolce Hot Honey

WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

The U.S. Pizza Team is proud to welcome Festa Pizza Co. and Bee Dolce Hot Honey as its newest Bronze Sponsors.

Both companies joined the team with more than sponsorship in mind. They’re looking to build relationships, become more involved in the pizza industry and grow alongside the people who make this industry what it is. They’re starting at Bronze but reaching for the Gold!

FESTA PIZZA CO.

BEE DOLCE HOT HONEY

Built around pizza. Built to grow.

Sweet heat with Italian roots

Festa Pizza Co. began in founder Jesse Pricer’s backyard after years of making pizza and running into the limitations of existing portable ovens. Its 16” oven features dual-zone heat, an independently controlled bottom burner and a rotating stone for more consistent baking.

Founded by two Italian-American moms with a love of spicy food, Bee Dolce Hot Honey brings Italian roots and Calabrian chilis together in a balanced hot honey made for pizza.

“We wanted to make a long-term commitment rather than a one-off sponsorship.”

“You get the sweetness of the honey, followed by a really nice, balanced heat with that Italian influence from the Calabrian chili. It complements the pizza instead of overpowering it.”

Festa begins its five-year journey with the U.S. Pizza Team starting at Bronze, with plans to grow to Silver and eventually Gold, while putting its ovens in the hands of working pizzaioli and using their feedback to make better products.

Bee Dolce joins the U.S. Pizza Team as a Bronze sponsor with plans to build relationships, work with pizza makers and grow its presence in the industry.

Festa Pizza Co. Pizza for the people, by the people.

Bee Dolce Hot Honey Sweet heat. Italian roots. Pizza made better.

Bronze

Silver

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By Tracy Morin

From a 30-seat tavern (bottom left), Nick Perrino (top left and right) and his son Joe Perrino (bottom right, kneeling) helped grow Home Run Inn to six locations, a commissary and a frozen pizza empire.

S TA T E O F I L L

IS grew over the years, so did our production. Today, we’re producing and selling 23 million frozen pizzas a year.” The family still believes in the power of grassroots marketing, but now it generates word-of-mouth through in-person demos and social media influencers. Recently, HRI signed with a full-service marketing agency to spread the word further as the brand juggles its restaurant locations and growing frozen pizza empire. “The restaurants are the soul of our brand, and the frozen pizzas are the engine,” Nick explains. “The restaurants help keep us on trend and help us stay close to the consumer. We’re able to test things in the restaurants, and if they work, we try to scale that pizza recipe for mass production.” The goal? Sell 50 million pizzas annually within the next 10 years. “We continue to focus on doing the little things well,” Nick says. “We believe if we can build momentum on trial and awareness across the country on our brand, then the sky will be the limit!”

S TA

The humble roots of Home Run Inn (HRI), inducted into PMQ’s Pizza Hall of Fame in October 2010, stretch back to a 30-seat tavern opened by Mary and Vincent Grittani. Their son-in-law, Nick Perrino, had served overseas in World War II and inspired them to start selling pizza in 1947. Named after an errant baseball that flew through the window from a nearby ballpark, HRI eventually grew to seat 500 people. Nick’s son, Joe Perrino, kicked off HRI’s expansion in 1987, when he convinced his father to open a second tavern-style pizzeria in Darien, Illinois. Today, six HRIs are scattered across the Chicagoland area, with its Woodridge, Illinois, commissary making all of HRI’s dough and sausage daily to maintain consistency. The company is still owned and operated by the founding couple’s great grandchildren. Five family members actively work in the business today, including Nick Perrino, Joe’s son and chief revenue officer, and a fourth-generation family member as CEO, Dan Costello. But HRI pizzas have spread far beyond their Chicagoland home— into all 50 states, thanks to the company’s frozen pizza line, pioneered decades ago. “We started making 50 frozen pizzas a day in the early 1960s for people to put in their iceboxes,” Nick says. “As demand

Home Run Inn

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

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Learn more about how HRI is evolving to meet modern-day demands in our full interview with Nick Perrino at PMQ.com/nick-perrino. Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.

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