PMQ Pizza December 2023 by WTWH Media LLC

E L E VAT I N G

THE

BUSINESS

DECEMBER 2023

PIZZA

PMQ.COM

INSIDE:

Shred & Save PAGE 38

Chicken Out PAGE 44

The Nut-torious F.I.G. PAGE 50

Pizza Power 2024 Pizza chains are using AI technology to drive sales and marketing into 2024. Are you ready to join the revolution? PA G E 1 4

Try a drizzle and taste the magic. Request a sample today:

mikeshothoney.com/sample

THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELLING EVERYTHING YOU MAKE. AND SELLING OUT.

You Just Know.

MEET THE MASTERS

ELEVATING THE BUSINESS OF PIZZA

CONTENT EDITOR IN CHIEF Rick Hynum rhynum@wtwhmedia.com SENIOR EDITOR Charlie Pogacar cpogacar@wtwhmedia.com COPY EDITOR Tracy Morin tmorin@wtwhmedia.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR/USPT COORDINATOR Brian Hernandez bhernandez@wtwhmedia.com BRIAN HERNANDEZ

VP, ASSOCIATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Allison Dean adean@wtwhmedia.com

THE UNLIKELY PIZZA MASTER “When I come to competitions like this, even if I don’t win, I still feel like a winner,” says Niles Peacock, owner of Niles Peacock Kitchen & Bar in Edmonds, Washington. But, at the Galbani Professionale Pizza Cup, held last month during the Pizza Tomorrow Summit in Orlando, Florida, Peacock came out on top, winning a trip to the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. A bartender by trade, he wanted to open a bar but knew he’d also need to serve food. He taught himself the pizza making craft, using Ken Forking’s Flour Water Salt Yeast and a sourdough starter gifted to him by master pizzaiolo Will Grant. Reflecting on his winning entry, he says, “I thought my pizza was beautiful, but I thought everyone else’s pizza was even more beautiful.” The judges disagreed, awarding him his first pizza making title.

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A Publication of WTWH Media, LLC 662-234-5481 Volume 27, Issue 10 December 2023 ISSN 1937-5263

BRANDED CONTENT STUDIO DIRECTOR, BRANDED CONTENT Peggy Carouthers pcarouthers@wtwhmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR, BRANDED CONTENT Ya’el McCloud ymccloud@wtwhmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR, BRANDED CONTENT Olivia Schuster oschuster@wtwhmedia.com

SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHER Steve Green sgreen@wtwhmedia.com

VP, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Greg Sanders gsanders@wtwhmedia.com

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Linda Green lgreen@wtwhmedia.com

ART & PRODUCTION

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Tom Boyles tboyles@wtwhmedia.com

ART DIRECTOR Eric Summers esummers@wtwhmedia.com SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Tory Bartelt tbartelt@wtwhmedia.com DIGITAL PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Blake Harris bharris@wtwhmedia.com

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Ashley Cyprien acyprien@wtwhmedia.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jerry Moschella jmoschella@wtwhmedia.com NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eugene Drezner edrezner@wtwhmedia.com CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Brandy Pinion bpinion@wtwhmedia.com

PMQ PIZZA Issue 10 December 2023 (ISSN 1937-5263) is published monthly in January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November, and December by WTWH Media, LLC, 1111 Superior Ave #2600, Cleveland, OH 44114-2560. Periodical postage pricing paid at Cleveland, OH. Additional mailing offices at Bolingbrook, IL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PMQ PIZZA, PO Box 9, Cedar Rapids, IA 54406-9953. Cost of U.S. subscription is $25 per year. International $35. 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

December 2023 38

Shred and Save By adding a cheese shredder to your operation, you can save money and improve your pizza quality at the same time.

44 Chicken Out

Wings are perennial bestsellers, but creative chefs are finding more and more ways to make chicken fly as a pizza topping.

50 Leah Scurto’s Nut-torious

F.I.G. Takes Home the Loot

The owner of PIZZALEAH spun cheese into gold to win the Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions.

54 Vittoria Trupiano: A Pizza

She’s still in her early 20s, but the youngest member of the U.S. Pizza Team is already a culinary force to be reckoned with.

David Jacobson: Acre Kitchen & Bar

Pizza Power Report 2024

Star Rises at Mangia e Bevi

We might not have asked for AI, but it’s here, and it will change everything. So let’s figure out how to use it to sell more pizza.

This U.S. Pizza Team member’s pie making prowess prevailed in the California Milk Advisory Board’s Three-Cheese Pizza Bake-Off. BRIA N HERNANDEZ

BY RICK HYNUM AND KEVIN MCINTYRE COVER IMAGES: BACKGROUND BY GETTY IMAGES/KANAWATTH; PIZZA ICON BY GETTY IMAGES/NADIINKO; COMPOSITE BY ERIC SUMMERS

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 11 Moneymakers 57 Product Spotlight 58 Pizza Industry Bulletin Board 60 PMQ Resource Guide 66 Pizza Hall of Fame

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MONEYMAKERS

Brandon Holcomb was teary-eyed after the Fiery Punishment eating contest—and not just because he only finished in third place. MIKEY’S LATE NIGHT SLICE

GOING DOWN IN FLAMES WHY DOES MIKEY’S LATE NIGHT SLICE (LNS) KEEP MURDERING CUSTOMERS’ TASTE BUDS with “the hottest pizza in the world”? “Part of it is because I must be some kind of sadist,” says Jason Biundo, co-owner of LNS, with five restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, and one in Cincinnati. “But I’m also proud of how [the Fiery Death pizza] has gained a life of its own in the 10-plus years since we started it. Folks ask about it all year long. When it finally comes around, people travel from all over to feel the burn.” The pizza comes laden with ghost, scorpion and reaper peppers and a Puree Scorpion Pepper Pizza Sauce. LNS revived it in October for an eating contest in which competitors raced to finish three slices and a raw Carolina reaper pepper. But the pie’s not quite as awful as it sounds. “I made sure that, underneath the flames, it was as tasty as anything else we put out there,” Biundo says.

Chad Springs won the Fiery Punishment contest with a record time of two minutes and 41 seconds, earning a $200 LNS gift certificate, concert tickets and swag. MIKEY’S LATE NIGHT SLICE

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

MONEYMAKERS

GUY FIERI, ARE YOU READING THIS? Paul Rizas might own the smallest pizza shop in Baltimore, but slices don’t get much larger than his One Pound Maryland Crab Dip slice. “We make a 20” pizza that weighs about 10 pounds,” says the owner of Slice On the Avenue, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in October. “Once cut into eight slices, each slice weighs well over one pound.” The pie is topped exactly as you’d expect: a whole lot of Maryland crab dip, made with a mix of lump and backfin crab, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Old Bay Seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Since it’s his dream to be featured on the Food Network, Rizas, who calls himself Pauly Slice, pitched the pie to Guy Fieri at a Barnes & Noble book signing in Paramus, New Jersey, several years ago. “I put a generator on my pickup truck, purchased an electric oven and took a few one-pound slices with me,” he recalls. “I was first in line…I gave $50 to the person behind me to hold my spot while I went to heat up the pizza before the book signing began. I handed them to Guy Fieri…[and] he was very surprised—I’m sure he wasn’t expecting it. We had a good laugh. I took my shot! And I’ve been waiting to hear from them ever since!” Guy, are you reading this?

Paul “Pauly Slice” Rizas (left) presented a One Pound Maryland Crab Dip slice to Guy Fieri at a book signing but still hasn’t gotten an offer from the Food Network.

(Right) A customer at Slice On the Avenue gets ready to dig into Paul Rizas’ famous One Pound Maryland Crab Dip slice. PAUL RIZAS

THE CREEPIEST CALZONE EVER

FRA NK SABATINO

Frank Sabatino started out at Dunwoodie Pizzeria as a kid scooping Italian ices. In 2009, he bought the Yonkers, New York, landmark, which opened in 1970, and has kept its standards as high as ever. Dave Portnoy reviewed Sabatino’s cheese pie in 2022 and gave it a score of 8.2, noting, “This is as good as you can make a pizza [without] the coal-fired ovens I like. You can’t make it better than this.” Sabatino is also known for his fried calzones, but he has another trick (or treat) up his sleeve during Halloween season: the Skullzone, the creepiest calzone ever to claw its way out of the crypt. Available in cheese, pepperoni, meatball, veggie and Nutella varieties, the Skullzones make for attentiongrabbing social media content and must be ordered in advance. “I’m always looking for new ideas and different ways to market my business toward a new clientele,” Sabatino says. “You never want to go stale, because, like bread, this industry will turn you into breadcrumbs!”

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BACKGROUND BY GETTY IMAGES/KANAWATTH; PIZZA ICON BY GETTY IMAGES /ARTEM SOKOL; COMPOSITE BY ERIC SUMMERS

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Pizza Power 2024 With AI on the rise and robots powering up in the pizza kitchen, the future of the industry looks very (artificially) bright. BY RICK HYNUM AND KEVIN McINTYRE

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

LOS /JU GES IMA TY GET

THERE WAS

A STEVEN SPIELBERG FILM MANY YEARS AGO CALLED A.I., all about a little android boy uniquely programmed to love. Sadly, the humans in his life didn’t love him back. When it comes to new technologies, we are like that sometimes: skeptical, suspicious, maybe a little afraid. And in 2023, there was a lot for technophobes to worry about. For starters, it was generative AI’s “breakout year,” according to the annual McKinsey Global Survey, released in August. Onethird of the survey’s respondents in the business world said their organizations “are using generative AI regularly in at least one business function.” The report noted that “experimentation with the tools is already relatively common, and respondents expect the new capabilities to transform their industries.”

›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› Obviously, that includes the restaurant biz. While the AI overlords haven’t taken over our kitchens yet, generative AI and natural language processing (NLP)—which, for example, powers chatbots and enables computers to understand and process orders at a drive-thru—are on the verge of becoming indispensable for many quickservice restaurant chains. But these technologies aren’t infallible. In a TikTok video posted earlier this year, two young women at a McDonald’s drive-thru watched in amazement as the AI system kept adding more and more McNuggets orders to their total—tallying at least 26, for a 16

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

cost of more than $325, before the video cut off. Fortunately, they thought the whole thing was funny, but not everyone is amused by these little glitches: Another TikTok user complained about a McDonald’s bot that inexplicably turned her order for one Coke into nine sweet teas. “I did not ask for this!” she wailed. We might not have asked for AI, but here it is. And it will change everything, so we might as well figure out how to use it to sell more pizza. Looking back at the past year gives us a pretty good idea as to what 2024 holds for pizzeria operators—and the future looks very (artificially) bright indeed.

High On AI ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› JE T 'S PI Z Z A

You might assume Domino’s is leading the way in bringing AI to the pizza industry. After all, the chain’s executives have proclaimed that it is, first and foremost, a technology company. But, while Domino’s isn’t exactly lagging behind—it has been using DOM, an AI-powered ordering assistant bot, for years—other smaller brands have also been AI-based ordering has running point in this AI revolution. generated $6 million Foremost among them: Jet’s Pizza, the Detroitper month in sales for Jet’s Pizza, the brand style chain headquartered in Sterling Heights, said in July. Michigan, with about 440 locations in 23 states. Jet’s says it has fulfilled more than 5 million orders with the OrderAI Text and OrderAI Talk systems goal: develop a generative AI assistant that will from HungerRush. The text-to-order option streamline day-to-day managerial tasks, like began in 2019, and, as of July 2023, 4 million inventory management, ingredient ordering orders had gone through. Moreover, in December and staff scheduling. It will also help with pizza 2021, the brand started piloting Order AI Talk, an preparation and quality control and could free up AI-powered chatbot. It’s now available at 240 stores store managers to spend more time with customers in 20 states and has already surpassed 1 million and team members. orders. In July, the company said it was earning $6 “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence… million per month using AI tech. will revolutionize not just the tech industry but Aaron Nilsson, Jet’s chief information officer, the restaurant industry as well, and pizzerias are noted at the time that AI has made employees’ no exception,” says Bobby Lawson, publisher and jobs easier, too. “One of the biggest concerns we technology editor at Earthweb, an online business, were hearing from franchisees was getting enough technology and lifestyle publication and resource applications in the door, so we addressed this with discovery platform. technology,” he said. “OrderAI can take infinite So what are AI’s potential applications for phone calls, which is instrumental in getting pizzeria operators? “For marketing, AI can be used employees off the phones and back into the fun for personalized customer engagement,” Lawson part of the job—making delicious pizzas.” says. “They can use artificial intelligence to collect Nilsson added that Jet’s has “seen less turnover data about customer feedback, order history and as work stress has been reduced. Technology has preferences. They can then use this to create created a better work environment and, let’s be a more personalized marketing campaign and honest, it’s really fun for our customers to use.” send emails with recommendations based on the But Domino’s is very much in the AI game, too. customer’s order history and preferences.” In October, the brand announced a new five-year Additionally, Lawson says, partnership with Microsoft “AI can make operations “to create the next generation “OrderAI can take infinite a smoother process if it’s of pizza ordering and store phone calls, which is used to optimize inventory operations with generative instrumental in getting management. With all the AI technology and cloud employees off the phones data that AI can collect, computing power.” Domino’s it will be able to track revealed that it had been and back into the fun inventory levels. The AI experimenting with data part of the job—making system can then be trained and AI capabilities to “make delicious pizzas.” to generate reorder points, store operations smarter, assisting pizzerias in simpler and more robust.” reducing food waste and The Microsoft partnership’s Aaron Nilsson, Jet’s Pizza DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

“[AI is] a tool we’re employing to help drive efficiency and assist with brainstorming. But unless we’re creating something wildly imaginative, like a mac and cheese robot, it will be used day to day as needed.”

NICE GUYS PIZZA

ensuring they have the right stock on hand to create their customers’ favorite pizzas.” Kat Campbell, a data scientist and author of a Substack newsletter called Data Science and Machine Learning 101, notes that AI can drill down to uncover and employ data in surprising ways, such as “analyzing past consumption patterns and factoring in variables like local Maria Trujillo, Cicis Pizza events, weather forecasts and seasonal trends” to optimize inventory and control food costs. She times higher than the industry average,” she also recommends using AI-driven analytics “to explains. “For us, these results are in line with our understand customer preferences better, tailoring typical social engagement, so, while not a huge the menu based on popular choices and even boost from a metrics standpoint, it successfully predicting future culinary trends.” opened up new creative possibilities, allowing Coppell, Texas-based Cicis Pizza found a more us to try new things without any additional novel use for the technology this past summer: investment—like reimagining our brand mascot as leveraging AI as a social media “intern.” Over the an anime character.” summer, Cicis’ marketing team used ChatGPT and Moving forward, Trujillo adds, “[AI is] a tool Midjourney to create social media posts, including we’re employing to help drive efficiency and assist graphics and captions, across all platforms. The with brainstorming. But unless we’re creating first post created by the “AI intern” went live on something wildly imaginative, like a mac and Instagram on July 17. It depicted an AI-generated cheese robot, it will be used day to day as needed. robot bearing pizzas and a simple caption: “Meet Our food means everything to us, so even if AI our AI intern slicing up pizza posts this month could replicate our pizza’s appearance perfectly at Cicis!” [in a social media graphic], we wouldn’t want to do As a copywriter, AI leans a bit too hard into that. Authenticity matters, and we often went back clichés, but it generates some splendidly weird in and incorporated our actual product shots into graphics; after all, it lacks the artistic and design the AI images so that it better reflected the food sensibilities that humans possess and often doesn’t our customers could find on the buffet.” understand or prioritize esthetic principles. That’s Regardless, Nilsson believes AI tools should no just part of the fun. Case in point: Cicis’ July 19 longer be thought of as optional for restaurant post, depicting a football player leaping above chains. “We see them as key competitive a crowd of fans, mouth open wide to bite into a differentiators that position us as a market leader,” floating pizza—even though he’s still wearing his he says. “With this type of technology, we’ve been helmet. (And a couple of fans have caveman-like able to significantly elevate eyebrows, but is that really our brand.” so off-base?) Cicis’ marketing team will All in all, the Cicis initiative continue to incorporate AI was successful, but it won’t into social media “when it replace real, live social makes sense,” Trujillo says. media managers anytime “However, like in all industries, soon, says Maria Trujillo, I’m sure AI will find its way the brand’s senior vice into every little corner of our president of marketing. operations at some point. “When it comes to our in-feed But there are no grand plans content for Facebook and just yet.” Instagram, posts featuring our AI intern’s creations Jovana Batkovic and Greg Gebhard, owners of Nice ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› yielded average engagement Guys Pizza in Cape Coral, Florida, picked an AI tool’s rates that were at least 15 “brain” for a recipe that proved a hit with guests. 18

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Marco’s Pizza is gearing up to test self-driving electric delivery vehicles that can reach 20 miles an hour.

MARCO’S PIZZA

Making Peace With Robots ››››››››› Lee Kindell, on the other hand, has a grand plan: incorporating robots into his operations at Moto Pizza, with four stores in Seattle. He’s starting with just one—the Picnic Pizza Station—at the newest Moto location in the city’s Belltown neighborhood. But he has his sights set much higher. Drone delivery? He’s working on it. Barista bots? Ditto. Star Trek-style food replicators? Well, not yet, but Kindell is hopeful. He and his partner, Nancy Gambin, sell out of pizza—a lot. Eater Seattle says Moto’s pies “might be the best in all of Seattle,” but they’re not easy to get. Moto just stays too busy, and pre-ordering is a must. A traditionalist in many respects, Kindell works with a sourdough starter (called “Betty”) that’s more than 100 years old. The art and craft of making pizza by hand are important to him. But after he injured his arm, he changed his perspective. “I thought I’d be a one-man shop forever,” Kindell tells PMQ. “When I realized I can scale a highquality pizza that matches the best of ’em [with a robot], it was game on.” As he sees it, a robot can do what he does, but faster and more efficiently— at least as far as prepping a pie is concerned. “Whether you like it or not, robotics is a positive certainty in our food future,” Kindell says. “I truly 20

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

believe we can still attain a superior artisan food product using this new technology.” So has 2023 seen an explosion of pizza robotics? Not really. But there have been a few interesting— and even surprising—developments, such as DiGiorno, the frozen pizza brand, testing a pizza vending machine at a Walmart in Colorado, and BRIX Holdings, which owns the RedBrick Pizza

The Reviews Are In

he charts on the opposite page reflect food critics’ and the general public’s reviews of their favorite pizzerias nationwide. Using a simple algorithm, we based the Critically Acclaimed ranking on 2023 “best-of” lists from 50 Top Pizza, the Washington Post, Food & Wine, Infatuation.com and Gayot.com as well as the Michelin Guide. For the People’s Choice ranking, we averaged out ratings for highly reviewed pizzerias (1,000 reviews or more) on Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook.

Critically Acclaimed Pizzerias RANK

Pizzeria

People’s Choice Pizzerias LOCATION

RANK

Pizzeria

LOCATION

Pizzeria Bianco

Phoenix

Mister O1

Grapevine

Ken's Artisan Pizza

Portland

Simon's

Des Moines

Una Pizza Napoletana

New York

Vito's

Bountiful

Del Popolo

San Francisco

Zeneli Pizzeria

New Haven

Don Antonio

New York

Crust

Miami

L’Industrie Pizzeria

Philadelphia

Orsi's Italian Bakery & Pizzeria

Omaha

A16

Oakland

Ciao! Pizza & Pasta

Chelsea

Razza Pizza Artigianale

Jersey City

Massapequa

Milo & Olive

Santa Monica

Saverio's Authentic Pizza Napoletana

Pizzeria Sei

Los Angeles

A Little Pizza Heaven

Scranton

Nouvelle Kitchen & Brewery*

Pizza e Birra

San Diego

Robbinsdale

Horst Sub & Deli

New Waterford

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

San Francisco

Sapori di 786 Degrees

Pasadena

Ribalta

New York

Steve's Pizza

Battle Creek

0' Munaciello

Miami

Di Pasquale's Marketplace

Baltimore

800 Degrees

Los Angeles

Smiling With Hope Pizza

Reno

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

New Haven

Domenick & Pia Downtown Pizzeria

Waterbury

Al Forno

Providence

Nolita Pizza

New York

Jay's Artisan Pizzeria

Kenmore

Song' E Napule

New York

Riccardo's Pizza Restaurant

Browns Mills

Casey's Pizza

San Francisco

Pizzeria Lui

Lakewood

Kesté

New York

Terita's Pizza

Columbus

La Leggenda Pizzeria

Miami

Fatto a Mano

Redondo Beach

Pasquale's Pizzeria Napoletana

South Kingstown

Tasty Pizza

Omaha

L'Industrie Pizzeria

Brooklyn

Ops

Brooklyn

Golden Valley

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria

Chicago

Great American Pizza and Subs

GoodFellas Pizzeria of L.I.C.

Long Island City

* Originally reviewed as 'Pig Ate My Pizza at Nouvelle Brewing'

chain, undertaking a similar initiative with its new Pizza Jukebox concept at a Walmart in Frisco, Texas. Not so surprisingly, Columbus, Ohiobased Donatos Pizza—a longtime tech innovator under founder Jim Grote—also plans to open a “fully autonomous pizzeria” (i.e., a vending machine) in its hometown at some point in the not-so-distant future. On the independent side, Alessio Lacco and Sofia Arango, owners of Atlanta Pizza Truck, unveiled a pair of Quickza vending machines that could grow into an empire, as PMQ reported in last October’s issue. “We’re establishing relationships in Atlanta, and we want to franchise our model by partnering with other pizzerias in the United States and in other countries,” Lacco told PMQ. “We can work with them to create their own recipe for the vending machines, or they can use our recipe.” Making peace with robots will pay off for visionary pizzeria operators, Kindell believes. “It’s gonna take the outliers and risk-takers to get first to market, with a few flops along the way,” he says. “Those who hold on and get to the finish line win. I hope to be one of them. Being early requires a lot of patience and tenacity to fine-tune these technologies to work to scale—and what a ride!”

›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

Domino’s hopes to attract more drivers with its fleet of new Chevy Bolt electric delivery cars. DOMINO’S

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Watch Your Back, Papa Johns ›››››››››› Of course, the quick-service pizza chains won’t likely give a lot of ground in the tech race. As previously mentioned, Domino’s and Jet’s Pizza have already taken the AI plunge, along with Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut’s parent company. But, all in all, 2023 was a mixed year for the industry’s leading quick-service brands. For one thing, while Domino’s hasn’t surrendered its spot as the world’s largest pizza chain—not by a long shot—its executive leadership had to make some tough decisions to stay on top this year. Most notably, Domino’s finally yielded to the seemingly inevitable: third-party delivery. For years, the company had shunned aggregators even as its rivals embraced them. That changed this summer when Domino’s entered into a global agreement with Uber Eats that included stores in four pilot markets in the U.S. “Now that aggregators are at scale, the next logical marketplace for us to enter is order aggregation,” Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner said in a July 12 announcement. Since then, Weiner told investors in an October earnings call, “Our integration into the Uber Eats platform is proceeding as planned. We’ll achieve our goal of Uber Eats providing delivery orders to all our U.S. stores by the end of the year. We expect this initiative will drive incremental delivery volume from new customers, increase our share of the pizza delivery market and create stronger economics for our company and franchisees.” Competitors like Papa John’s and Little Caesars obviously felt the aggregators had reached scale in 2022 or earlier, but never mind that. The fact is, Domino’s has been struggling to hire drivers since the pandemic. In 2021, then-CEO Ritch Allison said the company had been “experiencing one of the most difficult staffing environments in a long time,” adding, “The real pinch point is the drivers.” But the company might have found at least a partial solution to that problem this year: Since many potential drivers don’t have their own cars,

the chain plans to put more than 1,100 Chevy Bolt electric vehicles on the road for select franchise and corporate stores by the end of 2023. The combination of more in-house drivers and third-party delivery could ease Domino’s samestore sales woes—Weiner thinks so, anyway. Although the brand logged an impressive 3.6% growth in U.S. same-store sales in the first quarter of 2023 compared to Q1 2022, the second quarter saw growth of just 0.1%, followed by a decline of 0.6% in the third quarter. To boost sales again, the chain unveiled a “new and improved” Domino’s Rewards program that makes it easier for customers to earn free food. Then, in a headlinegenerating move in October, Domino’s promised free “emergency pizza” to customers who joined the loyalty program and placed a digital carryout order of at least $7.99. They followed up that same month with a promise of free “emergency pizza” for anyone with student loans to pay off. Papa Johns, the No. 4 pizza chain, prefers menu updates to pizza giveaways; the company hailed

its Cool Ranch Doritos Papadia, launched in May with a star-studded marketing campaign, as its “biggest innovation ever.” And in March, the brand announced it was expanding its use of OptiPrice, a pricing gap analytics platform, “to ensure that our products remain price-competitive and that our customers are receiving great value from each of our restaurants.” But Papa Johns had better watch its back: Marco’s Pizza has made no secret of its goal to claim that No. 4 spot, and it could turn into a dogfight. Already this year, Marco’s has opened more than 50 stores and announced the signing of 50-plus franchise agreements. Over the last six years, the brand has doubled its store footprint and shows no signs of slowing down. In late October, Gerardo Flores, Marco’s chief development officer, said the company has identified more than 4,200 locations where it could open new stores over the next five to 10 years. “We have a five-year development plan in place that we’re trying to hit,” Flores told Restaurant Dive.

Top 10 Pizza Brands by units, sales (plus 5 to watch) Chain Name

2022 U.S. Sales (Millions)

2022 U.S. Units

2021 U.S. Sales

2021 U.S. Units

Total Change in Units YoY

Domino’s Pizza Hut Papa Johns Little Caesars Marco’s Pizza Papa Murphy’s MOD Pizza California Pizza Kitchen Hungry Howie’s Round Table Pizza

$8,752 $5,500 $3,698 $3,520 $968 $753 $605* $569** $479 $422*

6,686 6,561 3,376 4,173 1,067 1,168 531 159 536 417*

$8,641 $5,500 $3,486 $4,185 $899 $809 $590 $571** $478 $421

6,560 6,548 3,339 4,187 1,002 1,230 506 166 534 416

126 13 37 -14 65 -72 25 -7 2 1

175 279 265 351 73

$401 $286 $254 $196 $78

173 291 246 315 70

2 -12 19 36 3

5 “Contending” Brands To Watch Mellow Mushroom* Cicis Pizza Mountain Mike’s Sbarro Toppers Pizza

$419 $340 $279 $226 $82 Data courtesy of QSR magazine.

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

*Estimate.

**Data courtesy of FSR magazine.

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Marco’s Pizza expects to open its 1,200th location in 2023 and is on track to add 150 new stores next year. MARCO’S PIZZA

MOD PIZZA

Are Handhelds Getting Hotter?

fter offering individually sized, handheld Pocket Pies as an LTO from mid-March through early June, MOD Pizza added them to the menu permanently in September, thanks to “overwhelming demand.” Customers can choose between the Italiano, Four-Cheese and the Chicken Bacon Ranch. In October, Marco’s Pizza rolled out its own handheld, the Pizzoli. It’s a combination of pizza and stromboli and is available in four varieties: Pepperoni, Buffalo Chicken, Pepperoni & Sausage, and Chicken Bacon Ranch. Papa Johns scored a handheld hit with its Papadias flatbread sandwiches back in February 2020. It’s starting to seem like portable is preferable when possible!

“We are going to hit our 1,200th location this year. We are on track to do 150 stores next year and then increase it thereafter, year after year. The goal is, over the next couple of years, to get to 300 store openings per year.” On the fast-casual side, Blaze Pizza won’t pose a threat to Papa Johns or Marco’s anytime soon. But the brand did score a huge coup with a Pi Day promotion on March 14, adding 500,000 new members to its Blaze Rewards program and raising total membership to an astonishing 3.5 million. Not bad for a chain with about 330 stores in 38 states and six countries. How did they do it? On March 1, Blaze announced the return of its $3.14 deal for Pi Day. Customers who downloaded the Blaze Pizza app were automatically enrolled as Blaze Rewards members, which qualified them to purchase any 11” pizza with unlimited toppings for $3.14 on March 14 only. That pizza usually sells for $11.25. Customers were required to visit a Blaze location to take advantage of the offer. Thanks to that move, the Blaze Pizza app was the fourth most downloaded app on March 14, even edging out TikTok. Like Domino’s, Seattle-based MOD Pizza also jazzed up its loyalty program, MOD Rewards, to allow members to earn rewards faster. With more than 540 stores in 29 states and Canada, MOD says it’s now the largest fast-casual pizza concept. It’s certainly one of the most socially conscious. In April 2023, the brand announced it was partnering with nonprofits across the country to create the MOD Opportunity Network (MOD O.N.), dedicated to hiring and supporting people with barriers to employment, specifically justiceinvolved individuals and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Back in 2021, Scott Svenson told PMQ that he and his wife, Ally, founded MOD Pizza as “a crazy social experiment,” aiming to “combine the best of a for-profit business with the heart of a nonprofit, whereby the more successful we were, the better and bigger social impact we would make.” So far, so good.

››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› 26

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

ET TY

AG ES/A

MIN AMIRUL

Source: Datassential

LAH

▲

2024’s Fastest-Growing Pizza Ingredients

Plant-Based Meats Peak

he market for plant-based meat alternatives peaked in 2020, according to an August 2023 report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, and “the initial period of exceptional sales growth appears to be over.” Mintel reported that fewer than half of Americans who tried those products at the time purchased them again. “Whatever their reason for purchase, plantbased offerings appear to have fallen short of consumers’ expectations in terms of either cost or performance,” said Billy Roberts, senior food and beverage economist for CoBank. “Market participants should be able to address the cost issues with greater economies of scale and minimized supply chain expenses. However, innovation around taste, texture and mouthfeel will be essential to capture more mass-market consumers.”

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

Domino’s offered free “emergency pizzas” to Domino’s Rewards members this year. But independent pizzerias can also use their loyalty programs to build a sense of community. DOMINO’S

Loyalty and Community ›››››››››› Are you starting to notice a pattern with the pizza chains? Many have been continually fine-tuning their loyalty programs to drive sales and attract new customers, who will, ideally, stick around for more deals and, ultimately, free food. According to an August 2023 report, “The Evolution of Loyalty Programmes in Foodservice,” from Euromonitor International, the Domino’s loyalty program ranks in the top 20 worldwide—specifically, No. 11, sandwiched (so to speak) between Chick-fil-A and Sonic Drive-In. But is the points-based approach taken by these big brands (and most other restaurant loyalty programs) the only way to go? The Euromonitor report notes that 23% of digital consumers have three to five apps for ordering directly from restaurants, not counting third-party delivery apps. These apps take up a lot of space on the phone. And Rocio Franco, who authored the Euromonitor report, says they’re all strikingly similar, because they “primarily revolve around transactional benefits.” To meet evolving consumer preferences, she wrote, restaurateurs need to introduce “nextgeneration” features to their loyalty programs that 28

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

will “add substantial value and adapt to consumers who actively seek an emotional connection to the brands they love.” What, exactly, does that mean? “Next-gen features, such as gamification, experiential rewards, hyper-personalization, decentralized structures and community-driven programs, go beyond the transactional aspect of loyalty programs,” Rocio tells PMQ. “For independent pizzeria owners, I personally would focus on the community-driven program feature.” Food, including pizza, makes for “captivating fandom topics,” she says. “Consumers seek communities around their passions, and loyalty programs catalyze fandoms and brand connections….Brands can leverage this connection to shift toward a more customer-centric innovation process.” Franco points to Taco Bell as an example. “The brand is interacting with its loyalty program members, offering a chance to co-create a product. Members can vote on fresh hot-sauce slogans through a fan poll for each packet type, contributing to the redesign rollout process and feeling part of the Taco Bell community.” Granted, there’s a big difference between Taco Bell and an independent pizza shop. But any pizzeria can create a poll and ask for customer input on, say, a new specialty pizza or appetizer

Most popular ingredients by market saturation % Source: Datassential

12+ 57+ 31+ 18+ 66+ 12+ 23+ 18+ 39+ 31+ 73+ 17+ 26+ 73+ 15+ proteins ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

Anchovy Bacon Beef Canadian Bacon Chicken Chicken Breast Grilled Chicken Ground Beef Ham Italian Sausage Pepperoni Prosciutto Salami Sausage Steak

“Companies with engaged workforces experience higher profitability—21% higher, in fact. Which means prioritizing company culture can have a significant impact on your organization’s financial returns.” Belle Wong, Forbes.com

to be added to the menu. “Another type of community-driven program is from La Cage, a sports bar in Canada, which cultivates a community centered around sports, specifically [the Montreal Canadiens] hockey team,” Franco says. “Members of their loyalty program receive discounts whenever the Montreal Canadiens score five goals.” Pizzeria operators understand community building better than most. Your rewards program offers another way to do it, while showing your customers that their opinions matter. And you don’t need a hometown pro sports team for that. Virtually every pizzeria has customers who love their local high school football or basketball team. Give them a reason to sign up for your loyalty program, and then show them that you share that passion.

1619+ 2827+ 4286+ 1721+ 5027+ 259+ 728+ 2658+ 1277+ 1064+ 4274+ 3940+ 2122+ 3645+ 1474+ Cheeses

Blue Cheese Cheddar Mixed Cheese Cheese Blend Feta Fontina Four Cheese Fresh Mozzarella Goat Cheese Gorgonzola Mozzarella Parmesan Provolone Ricotta Romano

›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

19+ 6427+ 42+ 3921+ 5072+ 2521+ 7250+ 2758+ 5877+ 4564+ 4277+ 3925+ 4222+ 7445+ 2274+

Pizzeria operators can boost their loyalty programs—and community spirit—by tying rewards to local kids’ sports. GETTY IM AG ES/THEPA LMER

1617+ 2810+ 5686+ 1745+ 1427+ 599+ 128+ 2624+ 1230+ 1019+ 3074+ 2740+ 2152+ 3613+ 1428+ ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

sauces/flavors

Alfredo Bacon Ranch Basil Barbecue Cilantro Garlic Honey Marinara Olive Oil Oregano Pesto Ranch Red Sauce Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

Arugula Artichoke Black Olive Broccoli Green Pepper Jalapeño Mushroom Olive Onion Pepper Pineapple Red Onion Red Pepper Spinach Tomato

veggies/fruits ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

Casey’s, a leading C-store chain, sells 30 million pizzas a year, including specialty items like breakfast pizzas for customers on the move. CASEY’S

Changing the Narrative on Gas Station Pizza ›››››››› Large chains aren’t the only competition independents and smaller chains have to worry about these days. As convenience store (C-store) operators continue to build up their own foodservice programs, the pizza parlor and the gas station are beginning to share more and more similarities. C-stores are expanding their foodservice menus and devoting more time to crafting offerings that customers will enjoy. And, when it comes to a crowd-pleasing meal, there’s no better option than pizza. C-store pizza is changing, however, and it may surprise the unaware consumer. Gas station pizza is no longer the “last resort”; rather, it’s something many consumers seek out and plan their meals around. Pizza-focused C-store operators have made it a point in recent years to compete with traditional quick-service restaurants by offering many of the same foodservice options, including seating for 30

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

guests and active customer service. 7-Eleven, for example, aims to compete through authenticity and innovation. “At 7-Eleven, our pizza was inspired by the classics—New York City’s Brooklyn pizza, pizzeria pizza and all the greats,” says Kiara McKinney, who leads the 7-Eleven public relations account at Edible Inc. In addition to a take-andbake option, she says, “We offer fresh pizza both whole and by the slice.” 7-Eleven features staples like cheese and pepperoni pies but also has introduced specialties like Extreme Meat and a Breakfast Pizza, as well as a variety of LTOs. “We love to experiment with new flavors for our customers to try. Over the last year, we have introduced Spicy Meat Pizza, Breakfast Pizza and Veggie pizza, to name a few,” McKinney says. “We also do a number of pizza-related promotions.” And get this: 7-Eleven even offers third-party delivery and online ordering via the 7NOW app. And while Marco’s Pizza aims to move from the No. 5 spot among top pizza chains to No. 4 by dislodging Papa Johns, Casey’s, with its 2,500plus locations, claims that it’s the fifth largest pizza chain in the country. Casey’s goes through 30 million pies in a year, a staggering number for a brand that offers a full array of foodservice

What is an “A.I.” or virtual call center?

In the simplest form, think of it as a high end thirdͲparty web ordering service, but your customer is speaking to it instead of on a web page. The phone system itself answers the phone and interacts with the customer—a “digital assistant” taking orders and pushing them into the POS system, as well as answering questions.

How is the PizzaCloud solution different?

After talking to every A.I. ordering company, PizzaCloud chose to partner with Voicify.com. Voicify has the best conversational A.I. technology available and partnered with PizzaCloud to build a voice ordering system engineered for the complexity of pizza restaurant menus. PizzaCloud knows...you, and your needs as a pizza restaurant owner. Serving thousands of pizza restaurants with cloud phone service, cellular backup Internet and text messaging since 2014, we know this industry.

Voicify knows conversational A.I. Not the stilted, crude systems you have tested and rejected, but systems you can speak to “like a real person”. Together, we have built the best platform available, and are working directly with POS vendors to tightly integrate to the POS systems.

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options. The chain even recently secured the copyright for the phrase, “The Official Pizza and Beer Headquarters.” To make its pizzas broadly appealing, Casey’s brings in field trainers to its lab to connect with store operators and determine the product’s direction. Then the product is finely tuned, tested with at least 150 guests, and, after any needed tweaks, rolled out to Casey’s stores. To change perceptions about C-store pizza, Casey’s wants more people to try its food, which is easier said than done. So Casey’s introduces unique LTOs and new menu items to drive

customer engagement and loyalty. Additionally, it leverages a unique advantage it has over some other QSRs: the ability to sell alcohol with pizza. At Break Time C-stores, management decided that a co-branded partnership was the best way to launch its pizza program, providing instant brand recognition and brand support. For example, MFA Oil Co. operates more than 70 Break Time stores across Missouri, with the majority of stores offering Hunt Brothers Pizza for customers. Oh, and that reminds us: Hunt Brothers Pizza currently operates 9,000 locations across 30 states. C-store pizza, it seems, is everywhere!

›››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››

A Part of Something Bigger ›››››››››››››››››› So, yes, pizza remains a crowded—and mature— market. No big surprise there. But here’s one last tip for staying in the game next year: If you’re one of those operators who complains that “young people don’t want to work anymore,” take a good, hard look at your company’s culture. Why would they want to work for you? “They should just want to work, period,” is no longer the right answer, according to Giuliana Calascibetta, district manager of Cam’s Pizzeria in Rochester, New York. “A lot of businesses are, like, ‘It’s all about how you take care of your employees.’ That’s what they always say, but then they don’t walk the walk. They read it in an article or a book. OK, well, apply it!” Giuliana and her sister, Bianca Calascibetta, now run the small chain their father founded in 1980. Both women are young, inventive and smart—and they’re realists who also hold dearly certain ideals typical of their generation. They know most Gen X-ers won’t work for the wage a pizzeria can afford to pay. That leaves Millennials and Gen Z. And they’re, well, a little different. Personal development and growth opportunities mean as much to them as a fat paycheck. “They don’t want to feel like a number,” Bianca says. “They don’t want to feel like a cog in the wheel. They’re not motivated by money. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but they want to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.” Alex Koons, owner of Hot Tongue Pizza and co-owner of Purgatory Pizza, both in Los Angeles, defines “culture” as “a living set of values.” As 32

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

he wrote in a May 2023 article for PMQ, “If values aren’t intentionally put in place, the staff will naturally create their own culture, and it could be one of laziness, resentment and disdain.” Koons’ key values are honesty, hard work, courage, perseverance and empathy. But just as importantly, Koons creates an environment where his employees want to come to work every

At Cam’s Pizzeria in upstate New York, district manager Giuliana Calascibetta is building a culture that stresses employees’ personal development and growth. BIANCA CALASCIBETTA

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Owner Alex Koons engages employees at Hot Tongue Pizza in part by showcasing their comedic talents in his Instagram Reels.

them feel as valuable as that day—in part because they regular who comes in every never know what crazy Thursday for a meat lovers idea their boss hatched pie. Get to know them, find the night before. He might out what makes them tick plop a wig on their head, and what they want to do tell them to wiggle their with their lives, Giuliana says. bottoms and spotlight them “I tell my employees, ‘I in his comedic Instagram hope you don’t come into Reels. At the same time, he work just thinking you’re holds monthly companygoing to get a paycheck and wide meetings to hash out leave,’” she says. “The most problems and “make sure everyone is happy,” he says. valuable thing everybody “These meetings provide great has is their time, right? So I Bianca Calascibetta, Cam’s Pizzeria opportunities to get feedback, say to my employees, ‘You’re course-correct, and hear working 40 hours a week and out any employee who needs to get something off making money, and, of course, it’s great. But what their chest.” about the value of you working on yourself and In other words, engage your Millennial and Gen your personal goals while you’re at work? Maybe Z employees, and they will, in turn, become more you’re not confident. So let’s work on speaking engaged and productive employees. And they’re to customers more and learning their name and less likely to skip out on you for a job that pays an having them learn your name.’ There’s so much value in that. Money’s replaceable. Your time is not extra one buck an hour. “Companies with engaged replaceable. And I think that’s the most important workforces experience higher profitability—21% thing. I believe that. And my employees know I higher, in fact,” Belle Wong noted in an August 15 article on Forbes.com. “Which means prioritizing believe that. So they apply that to themselves.” company culture can have a significant impact on your organization’s financial returns.” Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief. Kevin McIntyre is Your pizzeria’s success largely depends on the online editor for C-Store Decisions, PMQ’s sister brand. today’s younger workers, so you need to make

“[Gen Z is] not motivated by money. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but they want to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.”

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

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Top pizza websites (by total traffic) Estimates of web traffic and website rankings have always been dicey at best. For years, we’ve noticed that PMQ.com’s traffic was underreported by some public sources. Nevertheless, trends in web traffic reporting can help us better understand how the pizza industry is moving forward in the digital space. We reviewed web traffic estimates from multiple third-party sources to arrive at our own estimates and provide a snapshot of leading pizza chains’ digital presence and power. Maybe this is the kind of traffic you can expect when you take over the industry in 2024!

Pizzeria

WEBSITE

AVG. MONTHLY TRAFFIC

Domino's Pizza

dominos.com

21M

Pizza Hut

pizzahut.com

14M

Papa John's

papajohns.com

11M

Little Caesars

littlecaesars.com

Marco's Pizza

marcos.com

2.6M

Chuck E. Cheese's

chuckecheese.com

1.4M

Hungry Howie's Pizza

hungryhowies.com

1.3M

Papa Murphy's Pizza

papamurphys.com

1.2M

Jet's Pizza

jetspizza.com

1.1M

MOD Pizza

modpizza.com

Cicis

cicis.com

830K

California Pizza Kitchen

cpk.com

720K

Mellow Mushroom

mellowmushroom.com

650K

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

loumalnatis.com

640K

Round Table Pizza

roundtablepizza.com

630K

Giordano's

giordanos.com

580K

Pizza Ranch

pizzaranch.com

470K

Buca di Beppo

bucadibeppo.com

460K

Mountain Mike's Pizza

mountainmikespizza.com

450K

Donatos Pizza

donatos.com

410K

Blaze Pizza

blazepizza.com

390K

Peter Piper Pizza

peterpiperpizza.com

380K

North Italia

northitalia.com

360K

Imo's Pizza

imospizza.com

350K

Godfather's Pizza

godfathers.com

300K

RANK

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

Digital Dominance (by per-unit web traffic) Obviously, an independent pizzeria or small chain—even those that have found their niche or are poised to grow—can’t hope to match the digital reach of a major chain. When we look at web traffic for smaller operations on a per-unit basis, we get a very different picture of what it takes to get your business to the next level in an increasingly data-driven economy. There are many factors involved in the digital success of these pizza companies, but it’s worth checking out their sites to discover what they’re doing right—and to use their best practices to bolster your own digital presence.

Pizzeria

WEBSITE

UNITS

EST. AVG MONTHLY TRAFFIC

EST. MONTHLY TRAFFIC/UNIT

Joe's Pizza (NY)

joespizzanyc.com

200K

29K

John's Incredible Pizza Co.

johnspizza.com

150K

16K

Mario's Pizzeria

mariospizzaonline.com

110K

16K

Toppers Pizza Place

topperspizzaplace.com

170K

15K

Pizza Luce

pizzaluce.com

130K

15K

Incredible Pizza Company

incrediblepizza.com

86K

14K

Goodfellas Pizzeria

goodfellaspizzeria.com

140K

14K

New York New York Pizza

nynypizzeria.com

100K

13K

Frank's Pizzeria

frankspizzeriaomaha.com

38K

13K

Joe's Pizza (CA)

joespizza.it

68K

11K

Buddy's Pizza

buddyspizza.com

180K

11K

Bertucci's

bertuccis.com

240K

10K

Zachary's Chicago Pizza

zacharys.com

50K

10K

Jules Thin Crust

julesthincrust.com

69K

10K

Frankie's Pizza

frankies-pizza.com

59K

10K

Mamma Mia's

mammamias.net

56K

9.3K

Giordano's

giordanos.com

590K

9.2K

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

pepespizzeria.com

140K

8.8K

Gallagher's Pizza

gallagherspizza.com

35K

8.6K

Ian’s Pizza

ianspizza.com

77K

8.6K

Pie Pizzeria

thepie.com

51K

8.5K

Franco's Pizza

francospizza.com

41K

8.2K

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

loumalnatis.com

640K

7.9K

Maria's Italian Kitchen

mariasitaliankitchen.com

61K

7.6K

Green Lantern Pizza

greenlanternpizza.com

81K

7.4K

RANK

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

GETTY IMAGES/ANDRII LYSENKO

Shred &SAVE Marcus Medina of Hella Pie Pizza Co. found a way to control food costs without raising prices: shredding his own cheese. BY CHARLIE POGACAR

ARCUS MEDINA, OWNER AND OPERATOR OF HELLA PIE PIZZA CO. IN TRACY, CALIFORNIA, was recently facing a two-pronged challenge plaguing so many pizzerias across the country: His labor costs were going up, and so were his food costs. While many operators have raised prices multiple times over the past couple of years—and understandably so— Medina is built a bit differently than that. He saw it as an opportunity to be introspective and begin examining things he’d so long taken for granted about his pizza operation. “At the time, I was married to using pre-shredded cheese,” Medina says. “But as everything started going up in price, instead of just raising prices, I was looking at ways to save.”

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

During his usual slate of trade shows last year, Cutting Cheese Costs Medina came upon a booth promoting a cheese Scott Fahey, owner of Palazzolo Cheese Hog, a shredder. He listened to the sales pitch, watched cheese shredder vendor that’s been in business the machine do its thing, and, a few short weeks since 1989, said Medina is the exact type of later, decided to add a cheese shredder to the kitchen operator he meets at trade shows. “When we’re of Hella Pie Pizza Co. on the floor, we let people take a block of He worried that the transition would be cheese and run it through,” Fahey says. “And complicated. He knew it would require a new foodthey see it disappear in seconds and you see prep pattern for the members of his kitchen, and it on their faces—they say, ‘This is what that he would need to find new ways of storing I need.’” tubs of cheese in walk-in coolers. He reached Fahey says there are multiple advantages out to some fellow operators to ask how they’d to using a cheese shredding machine—with gone about integrating a cheese shredding very little downside. First and foremost, it’s machine and took some notes. When the machine an up-front investment that will help save a arrived, he was amazed by how simple the lot of money in the long run. Fahey estimates pivot proved to be. that a pizzaiolo who shreds 1,000 pounds “It so quickly became a part of our daily of cheese per week will end up saving routine,” Medina says. “In the past, I had about $10,000 over the course of a given tried to shred cheese with an attachment year, when compared to using a preon our dough mixer, but that was super-messy shredded mix. and led to a lot of waste. In this case, we were going “I always tell operators that you’re already from not shredding cheese to using a topspending money to have that cheese Using a cheese shredder has notch shredder, which meant it only takes pre-shredded—you just don’t know become part of the daily routine us a couple of minutes per day, and that it yet,” Fahey says. He notes that at Hella Pie Pizza Co. includes cleaning the machine, too.” Palazzolo’s website has a calculator that SCOTT FAHEY

PMQ’s Brian Hernandez (left) and other attendees gave the Cheese Hog shredder a try at a recent industry trade show. SCOTT FAHEY

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California Dreamin’

MARCUS M EDIN A

arcus Medina of Hella Pie Pizza Co., located in Tracy, California, got a little extra value out of his cheese when he competed in the 2023 Real California Pizza Contest (RCPC), sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board and spotlighting cow’s milk cheeses from the Golden State. Medina made it all the way to the contest finals, held in Napa, California, on August 2, in the CalMex category with his Cali Camino pizza. He topped a cracker-thin crust with Oaxaca and Monterey Jack cheeses, ground beef-based picadillo, chorizo, potatoes, carrots and raisins, then finished it with pickled radish, jalapeños, micro cilantro and cotija cheese. Although that pizza didn’t turn out to be a grand-prize winner, Marcus wasn’t too disappointed— after all, he’d already won the same category in the 2022 RCPC event with his Cali Craft Chicken Enchilazza. It showcased Mexican crema, Oaxaca and cotija, plus braised chicken, spicy enchilada sauce and red cabbage. Medina was invited back for the RCPC Tournament of Champions held this past October, but, in the end, Leah Scurto, owner of PizzaLeah in Windsor, California, took top honors in that competition. Read our coverage of the RCPC on page 50.

lets an operator input numbers to see how much a cheese shredder would save them in the long run. “A cheese shredder gives you the opportunity to get some money back by shifting the model.” Shredding cheese in-house can also bring your pies up a level when it comes to quality. Pre-shredded cheeses taste less fresh, Medina says, and they are often packaged with an anti-caking agent to ensure the pieces of cheese don’t stick together. “An anti-caking agent is basically like a fine sawdust they coat the cheese with,” Medina says. “When you cook it on pizza, that’s the part that browns first. I think that was one of the ultimate deciding factors for me: Usually, when you make a decision that will lead to saving on costs, you have to compromise on quality. This is one where you’re not only saving money but you’re also actually improving your quality, in my opinion.” Paying for Itself Medina recently found a new way to use his cheese shredder: as a marketing tool. In October, he dedicated a post on social media to his pizzeria’s relatively new process of shredding cheese. The post was a way to communicate to Hella Pie’s loyal following: “We know other pizzerias are jacking up their prices, but we’re more creative than that.” “All cheese is not created equal,” Hella Pie Pizza Co. posted on Instagram. “All cheese shredders are not created equal. We do our best to buy the best because YOU deserve the best. Instead of [crying] about food costs rising…or swapping out for a [sub-standard] product…we had to look within and make long-term decisions to keep a quality and competitively priced product [for] our customers. Investing in expensive equipment is hard to do, because it can eat all your profits, but the results of keeping pricing down for you all and making a superior product is [definitely] worth it.” Posts like this probably bring a smile to Fahey’s face. In fact, Fahey said the only thing better than seeing a pizzaiolo’s reaction when they watch one of his machines do its thing for the first time is when he overhears operators advocating for the machines with their peers. “I was recently in New Jersey doing a demonstration,” he says, “and some of my current customers would interrupt that demonstration by saying, ‘You have to get this. I’ve had it for so many years, and it’s still running.’” Medina is certainly a believer. He says he’s not one for sales pitches, but he would tell any of his peers to make the switch to a shredder—the sooner, the better. He wishes he had done it years ago. “Any pizza operator I talk to that is not shredding their cheese, I’m always pushing them to go ahead and make the change,” he says. “The savings are totally worth it. I tell them, ‘Don’t be afraid to take a chance that’s going to be better for your business.’ It’s saving me so much—the machine pays for itself in the first six months.” Charlie Pogacar is PMQ’s senior editor.

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CHICKEN GETTY IMAGES/LAURIPATTERSON

Once considered an exotic topping, the chicken pizza has become a canvas for a diverse range of fusion flavors from Mexico to India to Nashville.

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OUT BY RICK HYNUM

HO WAS THE FIRST CHEF TO TOP A PIZZA WITH CHICKEN? No one knows for sure, but the late Ed Ladou gets credit for popularizing the BBQ Chicken Pizza by putting it on the original menu for California Pizza Kitchen in 1985. At that time, chicken on a pizza was considered wildly original, along with other “exotic” toppings that LaDou introduced, such as duck breast and marinated shrimp. Today, any pizzeria that doesn’t offer poultry on a pie is an outlier. Of course, the wing is still the king of appetizers—Americans wolfed down a record-breaking 1.45 billion chicken wings over Super Bowl weekend this past February, according to the National Chicken Council. But chicken’s flying higher than ever as a pizza topping, too. A September 2023 survey by Casinos.com, which examined Google trends data on the 15 most popular pizza toppings in each state, ranked chicken at No. 5, locked in a dead heat with mushrooms and pineapple. “California Pizza Kitchen made [gourmet toppings] available to the masses,” LaDou once said. “And the greatest proof of that is BBQ Chicken Pizza. Putting it on a pizza told everyone that this is volkspizza, pizza for the masses.” Since the mid-1980s, chefs have taken this populist favorite to new heights in the pizza kitchen. Here’s a closer look at how independent pizzerias and chains alike made chicken pizza unforgettable in 2023.

Chicken and Cheatin’ Boyfriends Like chicken as a pizza topping, we’re also not sure who invented Nashville hot chicken. But Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, founded in the 1930s by Thornton Prince, has the best origin story ever told about a chicken dish. According to family legend, Prince, a notorious philanderer, stepped out on his girlfriend one Saturday night. To punish him, she doused his fried chicken with red pepper the next day; to her dismay, Prince liked it so much, he opened a late-night eatery—initially called BBQ Chicken Shack—that went on to become a Nashville hot spot, so to speak. Today, hot chicken is as easy to find in Nashville as a country music singer in a cowboy hat. But what’s the secret to making it right? “There’s no secret,” Timothy Davis, author of The Hot Chicken Cookbook, has said, beyond just heaping on “a ton of cayenne.” So it’s hardly surprising that someone got the idea to put Nashville hot chicken on a pizza—often paired with pickles. Dare we call it a regional pizza style? Probably not, but it has exploded in popularity. For its annual collaboration with local mainstay Hot Chicken Takeover (HCT), Mikey’s Late Night Slice, which has six locations in Columbus, Ohio, and one in Cincinnati, uses Nashville hot chicken pizza to raise money for the Columbus Diaper Bank every February. In addition to the original pie, topped with HCT’s hot

For its ongoing Craft Series promotion, Your Pie, the pioneer in fast-casual pizza, unveiled the Nashville Hot Chicken pizza as an LTO in the winter of 2023. YOUR PIE

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

Beyond Presented By

It’s probably mid-December as you’re reading this in your restaurant. The holidays are wonky, up-anddown business days, right? Mother Nature throws curve balls at you nearly every day. Staffing is harder than ever. It’s been a long year, and you’re frazzled. It’s not just about great food any longer. You must be a great pizzaiolo AND know everything about tech, marketing and finance. It’s hard. We see you. Please take a moment. Deep breath. Exhale. Look around and give thanks for all you have. You. Are. Blessed. You got this! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Perfect Crust Family!

To learn more about Perfect Crust’s pizza liners and other products, visit perfectcrust.com or email Eric Bam at Eric@perfectcrust.com.

About Eric Bam:

Eric is the VP of Sales & Marketing for Perfect Crust Pizza Liners and Incrediblebags.com. Eric is a goal driven optimist that uses his positive attitude to lift up those around him. He’s a father to Nycholas, Alayna and Ruby. He’s a public speaker and show host. You can find him on all social media @TheEricBam.

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chicken, housemade ranch dressing and pickles, Mikey’s offers the Ma’s Mac edition, crowned with mac and cheese, as well as a vegan version called the Not Chicken, featuring housemade seitan, plant-based cheese and ranch. Family-owned Donatos, also based in Columbus, has a hot chicken pizza of its own, showcasing fried spicy chicken, smoked provolone, Romano cheese, jalapeños, dill pickles and a ranch drizzle. Meanwhile, Atlanta-based Your Pie, with about 70 locations around the U.S., rolled Donatos’ version of the out its own limited-time Nashville Hot Nashville Hot Chicken pie includes smoked provolone, Chicken pizza as part of its wintertime Romano, jalapeños and Craft Series in January. It’s topped with dill pickles. spicy chicken, pickles, red onions, housepickled jalapeños, mozz and Nashville hot sauce, plus a side of comeback sauce. Even Pizza Hut tried to score a Nashville-style hit, testing its Pickle Pie—combining crispy, breaded chicken breast sprinkled with Nashville Hot Seasoning, white onions, cheese, buttermilk ranch sauce and spicy dill pickles—at its store on 8th Avenue in New York City last spring. The catch? The pie was offered for just one weekend, from June 9 through 11. And we haven’t heard a word about it since. DONATO’S

The Dough

Chicken and Faraway Lands Chickens live nearly everywhere—they’re the most common bird on the planet. No wonder their meat tastes so good with just about every type of regional cuisine. Rapid Fired Pizza, with 25 locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia, recently debuted a Thai Chicken Pizza, topped with grilled chicken breast strips, Thai Satay sauce, shredded mozzarella, cheddar, red peppers, green onions, cilantro and a lime wedge garnish. What about the flavors of India? Butter chicken pizza has been ruffling feathers in Canada lately. Made with tender chicken thighs simmered in a spicy, creamy, tomato-based sauce called makhani, this Indian specialty is already hugely popular in Canada. So it was inevitable that companies like Ontario-based Rapizza, with eight locations, would suspect that butter chicken’s even better on a pizza. Rapizza’s version spotlights Tandoori chicken,

Rapid Fired Pizza took inspiration from the East for its Thai Chicken pizza. RAPID FIRED PIZZA

makhani sauce, mozzarella, a blend of peppers, red onions and mint chutney. In June, Smithville Pizzeria, with one store in Smithville, Ontario, debuted its own version of the butter chicken pizza with a tad less spice, and even Papa Johns rolled out a butter chicken pizza for Canadians in May. Finally, Mexican-style chicken is so at home on a pizza that Bill Crawford, owner of Righteous Slice in Rexburg, Idaho, won the $15,000 grand prize at this year’s Real California Pizza Contest with a pie called El Pollo Borracho. Packed with fresh, zesty flavor, it married tequila-lime chicken, elote corn, jalapeños and Tajín seasoning, plus Oaxaca, queso fresco and crème fraîche cheeses. Austin Buckland, co-owner of Berwick Pizza in Green Camp, Ohio, was a finalist in that same contest, sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board, and showed off a Mexican-inspired chicken pizza of his own, dubbed La Fiesta. “This one was our version of a chicken fajita pizza,” Buckland says. “It started off with fresh fire-roasted salsa on our homemade dough. We then added grilled chicken, grilled veggies, cilantro and tortilla strips. The contest was focused on California cheese, so it also featured three of [the state’s] amazing cheeses: Oaxaca, cotija and a drizzle of queso blanco. A true fiesta of flavors!” Buckland and his team are often pickin’ chicken for their restaurant’s Pizza of the Month specials: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Honey Mustard Chicken,

“Our intention was for the Nashville Hot Chicken pizza to be limited to summer only, but we’ve had so much positive feedback that it’s on our full-time menu now.” Austin Buckland, Berwick Pizza DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

The success of their Nashville Hot Chicken LTO took the owners of Berwick Pizza by surprise. BERWICK PIZZA

Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Fajita, Chicken & Waffle, Sweet & Sour Chicken and Summer Honey Chicken have all graced the menu. The La Fiesta is also on that list of recurring LTO specialty pies, Buckland says. “We offered it around the time of the contest for everyone to try, and our customers anxiously awaited its return. They loved the flavors and thought it was absolutely delicious. On top of that, they thought it was amazing for a small-town shop in the Midwest to be able to go out and represent on a national level!” And in case you’re wondering: Yep, Buckland’s customers are partial to his Nashville Hot Chicken pizza, too. It’s made with a garlic butter base, mozzarella, baked chicken tenders tossed in a Nashville hot sauce, dill pickle slices and a ranch drizzle. “The popularity of it really surprised us,” Buckland says. “Our intention was for the Nashville Hot Chicken to be limited to summer only, but we’ve had so much positive feedback that it’s on our full-time menu now.” Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.

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Leah Scurto’s

NUT-TORIOUS F.I.G.

Takes Home theLoot Judges of the Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions were “hypnotized” by a “juicy” pie inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ

HE CALIFORNIA MILK ADVISORY BOARD (CMAB), a sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team (USPT), crowned Leah Scurto of PIZZALEAH as the grand-prize winner of the Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions on October 17. The event challenged 10 past Real California Pizza Contest (RCPC) champs to create the quintessential California pizza using cow’s milk cheeses from California. Scurto, a USPT member whose pizza shop is located in Windsor, California, won the tournament with The Nut-torious F.I.G. Touted as a sweet ode to the signature California fruit, this masterpiece uses Real California mozzarella, Fontina and feta cheeses to balance out fresh black mission figs, crispy Italian sausage, minced garlic and olive oil. It’s topped with raw chopped almonds and aromatic julienned sage leaves. Scurto will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Italy to compete as a CMABsponsored chef in the 2024 Caputo Cup Pizza Competition. DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

The California Milk Advisory Board supports the Golden State’s dairy industry and sponsored the inaugural Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions.

“I’m so pumped for the win,” Scurto says. “I’ve won the category two years in a row, but never the grand prize. The winner is whoever nails their pizza that day, and I nailed mine. My dough was on fire. I restrained myself from using too much cheese…I struggle with overtopping. Everything just fell into line today.” In a second CMAB culinary competition, two chef teams tied for the highest score in the Three-Cheese Pizza Bake-Off. Team 1 consisted of Scurto and Bill Crawford of Righteous Slice in Rexburg, Idaho. They highlighted California mozzarella, dry Jack and provolone in their winning pie. The other winning team was USPT premiere member David Jacobson of Acre Kitchen and Bar in Oakland, California, and Spencer Glenn of Pizza My Heart in Pacific Grove, California, who featured mozzarella, ricotta and truffle-infused Toma on their pizza. In addition to showcasing the best pizza makers from around the country, the competition highlighted the diversity and sustainability of California milk and cheese. Behind all the flash of truffle-flavored Toma and fresh figs lies the base of every good pizza: a flavorful, melty cheese holding all the pizzaiolo’s creativity in place on every slice. It’s Not Just Cheese But cheese is cheese, right? It’s actually more complicated than that. “The secret to a good cheese is knowing how to use it to complement other flavors and toppings,” Scurto says. “All cheese is good cheese. It’s just a matter of how and where you pair it.” “California has always been unique,” adds CMAB chairman Tony Louters. “We do things bigger and better here, and you can really see that in the pizzas in the competition: the unique flavors, and not only the unique use of California cheeses but other local resources like 52

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

figs and nuts to really accentuate these pies. It’s the same thing we do in our dairies. We’re the leader in sustainability, innovation, cows and even cow comfort. Now you can add pizza to that list.” Sustainability is not only a key trend in the industry, but it’s also a practical way of life for the people, land and animals of California, leading to happy cows, fruitful harvests and satisfied pizzeria patrons. “I look at sustainability from a farmer’s standpoint,” Louters says. “We are the first environmentalists, the boots on the ground. If we don’t take care of our water, our resources, none of our families will have a future. We recycle our water up to five or six times before we put it out to the fields as a nutrient source for our crops. And a good portion of the feed for our cows would go into a landfill if we didn’t recycle it. We just love that about California.” Jennifer Giambroni, CMAB’s vice president of communications, adds, “California is a very special place to produce food. We have a moderate climate, allowing our cows to be outside almost all year long. We also have access to high-quality feed for our animals and a driving hunger for innovation. There are over 200 years of legacy and history in our wine and cheese country here, but we also seek out and embrace that innovation that’s going to drive the industry forward in the future: things like recycling of water and cooperation between industries to reduce carbon footprints across the board, while reducing waste and increasing the quality of production.” One final note: If The Notorious B.I.G. were alive today, what would be his favorite pizza ingredient? He told us in one song title on his classic album released a few weeks after his death: “I Love the Dough.” Brian Hernandez is PMQ’s test chef and U.S. Pizza Team coordinator.

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TIPS FROM THE PIZZA TEAM

Vittoria took 4th place internationally and 1st on the Galbani Pro Team in Romanstyle pizza at the 2022 International Pizza Challenge.

VITTORIA TRUPIANO: A PIZZA STAR RISES AT MANGIA E BEVI She’s still in her early 20s, but this pizzaiola has already proven that she’s got serious culinary chops—and the work ethic to match. BY BRIAN HERNANDEZ

N ANY INDUSTRY, THERE IS AN ERA-DEFINING CHANGING OF THE GUARD, a passing of the torch—or, in the pizza biz, the peel—from one generation to the next. Vittoria Trupiano of Mangia e Bevi in Oceanside, California, one of the newest and youngest members of the U.S. Pizza Team (USPT), is one of these up-andcoming next-gen pizzaioli, ready to learn from the veterans while elevating the industry for the future. Balancing school, family and work, Trupiano took the time to talk with PMQ about the life of a young pizza maker today. Brian Hernandez: How did you get started in pizza? Vittoria Trupiano: I started working for my grandfather, Damiano Trupiano, at Dominic’s in Oceanside Harbor, 54

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

but didn’t get started with pizza until my dad, [USPT member] Tore Trupiano, opened Mangia e Bevi in 2018, when I was 18 years old. I would just watch them make pizza, thought it looked easy enough, began making them for myself and, before I knew it, I was in Las Vegas at the International Pizza Expo in 2022. It was my first competition, and I took 4th place internationally in the Pan division, as well as first in that division for the Galbani Professionale Team. Hernandez: Is it difficult to work with— or for—family? Trupiano: Between my dad, grandfather, brother and sister all working in the restaurants, our work and personal lives are very integrated. But I genuinely love working with my family. Good things happen, bad things happen,

C ONT RI B UT E D PH OT OS

As a young pizzamaker, Vittoria looks to competitions for new ideas and techniques.

and at the end of the day we can all go home and relax and talk about it. It’s a very nice form of bonding for my family. Hernandez: With so many family members working at Mangia e Bevi, did you have to overcome the perception of nepotism? Trupiano: Obviously, there was a little nepotism there. It’s a family restaurant. But my position was very much earned. When I opened the restaurant with my dad, I wasn’t even a server yet. I had no experience, really. I was actually a busser for the first couple of years that we were open. But as I learned wine and service, I became a server, learned pizza and worked my way up to a floor manager/head server position. Doing it that way helped me get everyone’s respect, because it was earned. I was respected because of my work ethic instead of my familial ties. Hernandez: As a young person juggling work, school and life, do you have any advice for younger pizzaioli like yourself? Trupiano: I would definitely master time management. As you start to understand your school and work schedules, find a routine that allows you to get it all done. Simple, I know, but there’s no better way to put it. There’s only 24 hours in a day, and you have to sleep at some point. Fit the rest in between that. Hernandez: How do you manage the stress? Trupiano: It’s important to find an outlet for your stress, something low-pressure that you enjoy and can do mindlessly. Just turn your brain off. For me, the slow times at the restaurant can do that for me. As it slows down, I can talk with my siblings. We can make pizzas. My brother and I like to play with ingredients and find new flavor combinations. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Hernandez: What hurdles do young women starting out in the industry face right now? Trupiano: Personally, I think one issue is the lack of representation of professional women in the culinary industry in general. Not that they aren’t out there, but there is the [stereotype] of, when you think of women, it’s in the home kitchen, and when you think of top chefs, it’s typically men. However, I have had a pretty unique and great experience with the industry so far. Everyone has been very kind and welcoming to me as I begin to grow my profile in pizza.

Proud father and USPT member Tore Trupiano watches on as Vittoria makes her award-winning pie.

Hernandez: What benefits do you think young pizzaioli gain from pizza competitions? Trupiano: They can start gaining that recognition in the pizza and culinary world at large. If they are looking to open their own pizzeria, I think already having titles under your belt would earn you some of that respect, especially for young women, and helps get your name out there. But even if you don’t win, you get the benefit of networking and learning new techniques that you can implement into your strategies and pizza making in the future. That only grows your ability to make better pizza and also make new friends. Hernandez: What will you be watching in the industry moving forward? Trupiano: As pizza making keeps progressing, there are a lot of new techniques to keep up on. As you mature in the industry, you can get set in your ways, but to progress, you do have to keep up on the contemporary techniques and ideas, while implementing your own creativity within them. I think that will be important for the future. Brian Hernandez is PMQ's test chef and U.S. Pizza Team coordinator.

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

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

USPT NEWS

B RI AN H E RNANDE Z

Spencer Glenn (left) of Pizza My Heart and USPT member David Jacobson of Acre Kitchen & Bar teamed up to win a first-place tie in the Three-Cheese Pizza BakeOff at the Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions.

DAVID JACOBSON – ACRE KITCHEN & BAR

HEN TWO CALIFORNIA PIZZAIOLI—USPT premiere member David Jacobson of Acre Kitchen & Bar in Oakland, California, and Spencer Glenn of Pizza My Heart in Pacific Grove, California—teamed up at the Real California Pizza Contest: Tournament of Champions, it sparked a little culinary magic. Vying for the top prize in the event’s Three Cheese Pizza Bake-Off, they tied for first place with chef duo Leah Scurto of Windsor, California-based PIZZALEAH and Bill Crawford of Righteous Slice in Rexburg, Idaho.

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

The October 17 bake-off saw 10 previous Real California Pizza Contest champions pair up into five teams tasked with creating the quintessential California cheese pizza. Required to use three cheeses from a wide selection offered by the event’s sponsor, the California Milk Advisory Board, Jacobson and Glenn showcased California mozzarella, ricotta and truffleinfused Toma on their pizza. On the other winning team, Scurto, the tournament’s overall grand-prize champion, and Crawford collaborated on a pie that highlighted California mozzarella, dry Jack and provolone.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

LeSaffre With Lesaffre’s Saf Pro Relax + YF, pizza makers get the benefits of deactivated yeast and relaxing agents in one product. This product offers a holistic solution to pizza dough production. Your pizza dough becomes easy to work with by reducing tearing and shrinking, while your final crust retains the familiar flavor only yeast can provide. lesaffrestore.com/ordering/items/73050

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Turnkey Virtual Kitchens Ghost kitchens are a new way to add sales without adding labor costs. Twenty percent of online orders are placed with ghost kitchens (or virtual brands). Want to create your own virtual brand? Turnkey Virtual Kitchens (TVK) provides proven menus using inventory you already have. TVK onboards these new brands to all third-party sites and manages the listings. The markups ensure you still make the same profit as a traditional order. You make the food, let TVK do the rest! turnkeyvirtualkitchens.com

PizzaCloud PizzaCloud’s text-enabled phone system can push callers to order your pizza online. For example: “Thank you for calling. To receive a text message with links to online ordering and a 10% off coupon, press one. To place an order or speak to staff, press two.” When the caller presses one, they receive a text message from the store with any message you want. PizzaCloud clients see as much as a 30% swing from calls to web orders after a few months. pizzacloud.net

DECEMBER 2023 | PMQ.COM

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RESOURCE GUIDE SAUCE

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.

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PIZZA HALL OF FAME

(Clockwise from top left) Jennie and Ernie DeRiso founded Ernie’s Pizzeria in New Haven in 1971; Ernie tosses some dough; Pasqual emulates his father’s pizza making moves; Ernie’s continues to make its mark in an iconic pizza city.

ERNIE’S PIZZERIA Thriving for 50-plus years in a city prized for its pies, this New Haven hangout keeps operations unapologetically old-school—and the owner is still the sole pizza maker. BY TRACY MORIN

HEN ERNESTO “ERNIE” DeRISO ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES from Italy, he was only supposed to be visiting family for a short trip. Instead, he ended up falling in love with his future wife, Jennie, and helping out in his uncle’s pizzeria. Eventually, he opened his own, Ernie’s Pizzeria, in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1971, enlisting his kids—Pasqual, Mary Ann and Ella—to help out. In 1989, Pasqual assumed ownership, while Mary Ann still pitches in part-time, along with Pasqual’s wife, Cindy, and a gaggle of nieces and nephews. Having help is a must, because Pasqual is still running things old school-style. “Whatever we can do from scratch, we do: roast peppers, make meatballs, shred and grate cheeses,” he says. “We don’t do delivery; for this type of pizza, you want people here. I’ve been making the pizzas and dough since I was a teenager, and now I’m the only one. I’m probably the only owner/operator in New Haven doing that—the way it used to be done, the way it was meant to be done.”

PMQ PIZZA | PMQ.COM

For the five generations of customers who pass through Ernie’s doors, the formula is clearly a winner. But there’s another not-so-secret ingredient: Pasqual’s lifelong passion for the pizza business, which generates a genuine love for both customers and employees, whom he now considers extended family. Recently, he started hosting pizza making classes for locals of all ages, as a fun way to give back to the community (alongside the usual donations and charitable efforts). “I don’t do any advertising—I don’t have to,” Pasqual says. “We’re a neighborhood place, a big part of the community. We’ve built a lot of nice relationships with customers. It’s very interactive here, and we’re also getting more exposure these days. It’s not getting any easier as I’m getting older, and it’s not an easy business—you have to make sacrifices, and we have—but I’m enjoying it more than ever. I get to make people happy every day! If you have a passion for something, it’s not work. For me, it’s a part of who I am.” Tracy Morin is PMQ’s copy editor.

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E L E VAT I N G

THE

BUSINESS

DECEMBER 2023

PIZZA

PMQ.COM

INSIDE:

“Our Sales Are Up 35%. Shred & Save PAGE 38

Chicken Out PAGE 44

Bringing Home the Loot PAGE 50

Now we are capturing all the calls we didn’t know we were missing.”

-Shane Switser, The Pizza Man

Shane Switser The Pizza Man Lyndonville, VT

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Pizza Power 2024 Pizza chains are using AI technology to drive sales and marketing into 2024. Are you ready to join the revolution? PA G E 1 4

“Our Sales Are Up 35%. Now we are capturing all the calls we didn’t know we were missing.” -Shane Switser, The Pizza Man

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Learn more about how pizza owners are building their businesses!