Issuu

PIZZA MOSAIC Pizzerias are diversifying toppings to satisfy adventurous palates

Volume 22 Issue 2 April/May 2016

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Canadian chains and independent pizzerias are diversifying their toppings to satisfy adventurous palates

COVER: Canadian pizzerias are responding to customers’ desire to expand their cultural palate with such offerings as the Punjabi Veggie Master pizza. Photo courtesy Pizza Master Fusion. See page 12

16 EXPANSION,

ARMANDO’S STYLE Armando’s Pizza in Windsor has parlayed old-school pizza making into a growing chain of pizzeria concepts that cover the dining bases nicely

20 CANADIANS IN THE HOUSE Pizzeria operators were out in force at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas to find tools, tips and inspiration

www.canadianpizzamag.com

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

pizza bites

the pizza chef

making dough

marketing insights

new products

guest column

APRIL/MAY 2016 pizza 3

from the editor’s desk

Lessons learned from Chipotle n the restaurant business, food safety is the great leveller. We talk a lot in these pages about setting your pizzeria apart from the rest by promoting your unique selling point. But no amount of chef talent or server people skills will keep your customers if your restaurant is found to be in violation of one or more food safety regulations and those issues are not fixed promptly. The results can be devastating to your good name and your bottom line. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s recent outbreak of food poisoning in the United States no doubt will be studied for years to come as an example of how to react when serious health issues are linked to your restaurant. The U.S.-based restaurant chain saw its story of decade-long steady sales growth take a dramatic downturn in late 2015 after E. coli, norovirus and salmonella outbreaks spanning several states sickened hundreds of customers. The USDA investigated, tracing some of the outbreaks to sick employees and one to tomatoes. In some of the cases, sources of contamination have not been – and may never be – identified. Food handling, food preparation and employee personal hygiene were found by experts to be contributing factors. Even though the company reacted swiftly and with openness to the illnesses, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over in early February, a lot of damage was done. Chipotle’s net income plunged more than 40 per cent in the quarter ending Dec. 31, Nation’s Restaurant News reported, a drop due to customers staying away, and higher costs for marketing, new food safety protocols, and food waste related to its stricter testing of produce. In response to the outbreaks, the company made several changes. Staff now wash and cut some produce items and

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shred cheese in central kitchens; blanche certain produce items; receive better training; and collect paid sick leave to discourage them from working while ill. In an especially memorable act, the chain closed stores over lunch hour to conduct, and broadcast, a national employee meeting highlighting food safety. Restaurant operators can learn a lot from a story like Chipotle’s, and imagine how much better it is to use clues to what went wrong, and what the company then did right, to prevent incidents from happening in your own restaurant. The large chains have deep pockets, but independents have more control over their business. You can put decisions into practice quickly. This comes in handy when ordering produce and it may come in handy when communicating with staff. You can perform your own inspections, train your staff personally and observe them regularly. Being small gives you a decent chance of fixing a problem before it becomes serious and containing the damage once it does. You can’t control everything, but educating your employees is a step in the right direction, as Tom Stankiewicz reminded us in his April/May 2015 column. A crisis of confidence will hit not only your reputation but also your bottom line. That’s why it’s in your interest to pay attention to these high-profile news stories. Here are some sobering estimates from Statistics Canada that transcend your bottom line: of the one in eight Canadians affected by food-borne illness, about 11,600 go to hospital and 238 die. Making sure your restaurant isn’t responsible for any of those numbers should be a priority. Canadian Pizza will delve into food safety in future issues. Stay tuned. •

@CdnPizzaMag

April/May 2016, Vol. 22, No. 2 Managing Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Editor Colleen Cross ccross@annexweb.com 519-428-3471 ext. 261 Publisher Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Account Coordinator Shannon Drumm sdrumm@annexweb.com 888-599-2228, ext. 219 Media Designer Emily Sun Circulation Manager Anita Madden amadden@annexbizmedia.com 416-442-5600 ext 3596 Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com Director of Soul/COO Sue Fredericks Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Published seven times per year (Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec) by Annex Business Media Circulation email: lmalicdem@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 ext. 3547 Fax: 416-510-5170 Mail: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 25.00 (+applicable taxes) Best pricing (Can/USA/foreign) available online at www.canadianpizzamag.com Occasionally, Canadian Pizza Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.

Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbizmedia.com Tel: 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2016 Annex Publishing and Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianpizzamag.com

pizzabites Italian farmers propose antifraud seal for EVOO T

he Italian Farmers Confederation, the National Consortium of Olive Growers and the State Mint and Polygraphic Institute recently launched an anti-fraud label to certify 100 per cent Italian extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, reports Italy’s Olive Oil Times. The new labelling system, which consists of a numbered seal with a QR code located on the neck of the bottle, is intended to defend “Made in Italy” production from fraud. Olive oil fraud costs the olive oil industry 1.5 billion euros per year, the trade associations estimate. The label proposal is with the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies and the Ministry of Economy and Finance awaiting official validation. During a February press conference, Paolo Aielli, chief executive officer of the State Mint and Polygraphic Institute, explained that the proposed system is based on a security mark for recognition and protection against counterfeiting, traceability and retraceability through a number that tracks the history of sealed products.

A proposal for an anti-fraud label to recognize the authenticity of extra virgin olive oil awaits official validation from the Italian government.

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Tony Vacchio is owner of Zolas Restaurant in Ottawa, the latest winner of the Pizza with Purpose award sponsored by Saputo Foodservice.

Zolas Restaurant is a pizzeria with purpose olas Restaurant in Ottawa is the latest recipient of the Pizza with Purpose award sponsored by Saputo Foodservice. Zolas has a strong relationship with its community and surrounding businesses and its team of 20 staff promotes a practice of “ ‘win win’ and partnership with our community’s objectives and goals,” said general manager Gina Vacchio in Zolas’ contest entry. Among a host of outreach initiatives, the restaurant provides many students an opportunity for co-op job placements and work experience. It also supports the Snowy Owl foundation and its annual Taste for Life event by donating 25 per cent of sales (and has done so for the last

25 years!), provides the Alzheimer Society of Ottawa with sponsorship during its largest yearly fundraising event, raises money for the Sunshine Foundation, and hosts donation drives for Ottawa’s homeless and shelters. We at Canadian Pizza congratulate owner and chef Tony Vacchio, his sister, Gina Vacchio, and the good-hearted, hard-working Zolas team on serving as a great example of creative community spirit. The honour carries with it some serious prize money of $2,500 from Saputo Foodservice to help carry on the good works. Look for the Zolas team on an upcoming cover of Canadian Pizza, along with the scoop on how they shine in the nation’s capital.

pizzabites

Restaurants Canada Show panel looks at tipping t the Restaurants Canada Show, held in Toronto in March, an at-times intense panel weighed the pros and cons of tipping and the issues surrounding the practice. With some restaurants doing away with the practice, there seems to be growing interest in coming up with alternative models. Five industry panellists offered their perspectives on the issue. John Chetti, owner of Queen Margherita Pizza in Toronto, spoke in favour of current tipping practices. Chetti said he gives his back-of-house staff a higher wage to offset their lack of access to tips. He said four per cent of tips go to back-of-house staff. This models allows him to attract and keep good employees. Jamie Drummond, consultant, writer, and editor, said the current practice does not guarantee great service, suggesting the best time to improve a dining experience is before the bill is paid. Toronto Star columnist Corey Mintz spoke for customers who are uncomfortable with gratuities. “I hate tipping,” Mintz said. He always tips 20 per cent, whether the service was good or bad. Hemant Bhagwani, who recently opened the Indian Street Food Company and operates the Amaya restaurant group, adds

Hemant Bhagwani, Bruce McAdams, Corey Mintz, Jamie Drummond, and John Chetti of Queen Margherita Pizza, offered comments on tipping at the recent Restaurants Canada Show.

12 per cent of net sales as an administration fee to every bill and divides this among staff. Bhagwani has lost a few experienced servers because of this practice but said he feels it’s important to offer an equal amount to everyone. Bruce McAdams, assistant professor of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph, said he has spoken with other restaurant operators on the issue, many of whom see tipping as giving up revenue control. In McAdams’ view, however, doing away with the current model helps provide transparency and removes the perception of some employees getting preferential treatment.

new products Power of purple Against the Grain Farms, of eastern Ontario, makes and sells purple corn flour and meal, as well as beta-glucan barley flour and berries. Both crops are non-GMO and have been in development for over a decade. Purple corn touts twice the antioxidants of blueberries. The beta-glucan barley is a wheat-free, whole grain with an approved Canadian health claim. www.againstthegrainfarms.ca

Dutchess dough divider makes squares The new model BMIH-9SQ dough divider from Dutchess Bakers’ Machinery will divide nine pieces of dough into a square shape in weights that will make most pizza and bread products. The divider features a total scaling range of five ounces up to 23 ounces per piece and can produce square rolls for sandwiches. The machine is compatible with the company’s other BMIH and its 36-, 18- and nine-part round heads, Dutchess said in a news release. The 9SQ head is available separately as well for existing BMIH dividers to increase their dividing capacity. www.dutchessbakers.com

For more new products, see page 23.

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the pizza chef

Your most overlooked asset Diana Cline

hen I opened my first pizzeria over 18 years ago, my then partner and I thought that people would crawl naked over broken glass to do business with us. We thought that our dedication to making a great pizza and delivering it with friendly service was all we needed to succeed. We thought that our logo was so phenomenal that it would instantly create a bond with everyone who lived within a five-kilometre radius of the store. These are common mistakes with new pizzeria owners; I still see them all too often when I do consulting. “You need to do marketing,” everyone would say, but exactly what kind of marketing is another topic altogether. Veteran pizzeria owners have all had the experience of a marketing rep from a radio station, the Pennysaver, a community wall calendar, a shared mailing piece and now online deal providers like Groupon calling their place of business and offering a great deal on a program. There are several problems with most of these options: 1. You can’t effectively track it, so how do you know if it’s really working? 2. The space available is so tiny that you need to use a six-point font. 3. Typically you must commit to several weeks or months for each campaign, which often adds up to thousands of dollars. 4. The slick marketing rep will suggest you offer a buy-one-get-one in order to get people to respond. This always backfires on you. The reality is that you don’t have that kind of margin to work with and what you’re really doing is devaluing your product and service. 5. The deal provider company promises you loads of qualified, high-

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end customers. As with number 4, this always backfires on you. These customers are coming in for the deal, and the next day they’re on to the next one. This kind of marketing often leads to bankruptcy. Most pizzeria operators I talk to have a great interest in marketing; however, they are the first to admit that they lack the time, resources and know-how to do it effectively. This awareness typically stops them before they even get started. They’ve also had one or several of the experiences above and are skeptical about the true cost and the return on investment. This month I hope to help those of you who know it’s important to market your pizzeria but are a little stumped on getting things going. The key is one of those things that is right in front of your eyes but invisible to most pizzeria owners. Your customer database is the most overlooked asset in growing your sales and business. First, let’s review a few important points: 1. It’s not up to your customer to remember your pizzeria; it’s up to you to remind your customer about your pizzeria. 2. Existing customers are often the most overlooked asset; they are 10 times more likely to order from you than someone who has never ordered from you before. 3. Numbers 1 and 2 are key elements to your success. I don’t recall the day that I finally “got it,” but ever since that day I changed the way I do marketing, for the better. I began using direct mail and direct response marketing. That, simply said, is a campaign that goes directly to your intended target, for instance, a postcard that’s addressed to

your customer and mailed through Canada Post. Direct response is a term that simply means there is an offer with an expiration date on the piece by which you can measure the response of the campaign. For instance, if you sent out 50 postcards and 35 were redeemed, that’s a 70 per cent response rate. Instead of spending an average of five to eight cents a flyer to mail out to tens of thousands of households at a time, I’ll spend 60 cents on a postcard that goes directly to our existing customer. Or I’ll spend just over a dollar to send out a printed newsletter directly to our existing customer. I can track how much each piece brings in for sales, and then calculate the return on investment. Many independent pizzeria owners see marketing solely as an expense, which it definitely can be if you’re not doing it right. But if you follow the advice above, and make your most overlooked asset work for you, then you will see that every dollar you spend comes back into your bank account with more dollar friends. Years ago I used to personally send out every mail piece – thank-you letters, birthday postcards – sometimes handwritten with the help of my staff but mostly done on the office computer. Although the process was tedious, the response rate made it impossible to stop. Unlike all the other forms of marketing, this one switch in my approach actually showed me the money. • Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine chef of the year champion, internationally recognized gourmet pizzaiolo, owner of Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg and a director for the CRFA [now Restaurants Canada] from 2009-2013. In addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is also a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, along with marketing and positioning to help operators grow their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited basis. For more information, contact her at diana@dianascucinaandlounge.com.

feature

Pizza mosaic Canadian chains and independent pizzerias are diversifying their toppings to satisfy adventurous palates BY JONATHAN HILTZ

ith immigration behind twothirds of Canada’s population growth from 2012 to 2013, it’s not a great leap to anticipate growing customer demand for toppings associated with the many culinary cultures that make up the mosaic that is Canada. In fact, the taste for adventure is so common these days among all cultures that U.S. trend watcher Baum+Whiteman has a name for it: “restless palate syndrome.” In Canada the pizza market is more competitive than the Olympics, which means that pizza makers need to ramp up their game with new and exotic ways to make our old favourite. One way to do this is to add toppings that may have been seen as unusual several decades ago, but with the growing exposure to and appetite for food from different cultures, now seem quite logical. “According to MenuMonitor data, the leading pizza ingredients on Canadian menus are cheese, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and pepperoni. Some of the fastest-growing pizza ingredients (in the latest year-over-year period) are parsley, red sauce, avocado, Canadian bacon and peppers,” says Kristin Menas, associate editor for the Canadian Food Industry at research firm Technomic. Menas went on to add that the fastest growing proteins on pizza are meatballs, Canadian bacon and pancetta.

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Canadians are cautiously trying new and exotic foods. “Overall, only about 26 per cent of consumers are eating more unique types of ethnic foods and beverages now than two years ago. When it comes specifically to pizza, just about one out of three consumers say they are likely or extremely likely to order ethnic foods/ flavours for pizza,” Menas says. She adds that a few years ago Technomic predicted the popularity of oldworld recipes. “We were noticing independent restaurants fuel this Old World revival with ingredients like cured meats, hand-pulled mozzarella and nduja.” This has since created a broad trend. “Pizzaville recently rolled out its Soppressata Pizza with soppressata (an Italian dry salami), cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, light mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil and spicy sauce,” she says. “Similarly, Pizza Pizza debuted a Trio Italiano pizza with Italian tomato sauce, Italian ham, capicola, Genoa salami, Parmesan and mozzarella, and Mamma’s Pizza offers its Slow Roasted Roma Tomato Pizza with Italian plum tomato sauce, cheese, prosciutto, slow-roasted Roma tomatoes, black olives, Asiago cheese, roasted garlic and parsley.” Some chains are stepping out of the pizza box even more. Pizza Hut, for example, introduced a new curry crust in 2014 with the slogan “Get Curried Away.” The

Top: The Za-vlaki, found at Toronto’s Za Pizzeria, features a crust coated in a thick spread of garlic butter, with roasted chicken, fresh pico de gallo salsa, and tangy tzatziki on top. Bottom: A mixture of Punjabi-inspired seasoning, garlic, ginger and fresh cilantro garnish takes Pizza Master Fusion’s Punjabi Veggie Master “to the next level,” owner Kiran Dhaliwal says.

Photos courtesy Za Pizzeria; Pizza Master Fusion

company also had flavours such as sriracha sauce, which comes from Thailand, and they introduced “drizzles” such as balsamic vinegar and even ginger flavour. In Canada there are some incredible independent pizza makers that are challenging our tastebuds, including Pizza Master Fusion in Calgary. “We bring together traditional Indian toppings and seasonings. Our number 1 pizza for the past five years has been the Punjabi Veggie Master topped with traditional toppings including Roma tomatoes, red onions, red and green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, jalapenos, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. What takes this pie to the next level is adding a mixture of Punjabi-inspired seasoning, garlic, ginger and garnished with fresh cilantro,” says Kiran Dhaliwal, owner of the pizzeria. Dhaliwal believes Canadians are looking for change when it comes to dining out, and this appetite extends to pizza. “I think Canadians are demanding food establishments to challenge the traditional palate. The best way to do this is to introduce unique pizza toppings and seasonings to traditional food items. For example, even our sides can be ordered as a fusion dish. We offer Punjabi chicken wings as well as waffle chips tossed in chaat masala – it just kicks the tastebuds up a notch and our customers love it!” Za Pizzeria in Toronto is doing things to the beat of their own drummer by trying some bold new ingredients. “At Za we not only pride ourselves on being unique, but also we like to elevate the standard classic pizza while still keeping it approachable,” co-owner Lisa Costantini says. Chef and co-owner Jason Costantini draws his inspiration from a multiplicity of cultural cuisines, for example, the Za-vlaki, which offers a Greek twist. Za’s signature crust is coated in a thick spread of garlic butter, with roasted chicken, fresh pico de gallo salsa, and tangy tzatziki on top. Other innovations include using porcini cream as the sauce in their mushroom

pizza along with mozzarella and goat cheese, sautéed mushrooms and brushing the crust with garlic oil. One of their most distinctive pizzas is the Oh Canada, which has maple syrup, mozzarella cheese, crispy bacon and is topped with potato chips. “If you’re feeling even a little more adventurous and that’s not unique enough for you, then head over to our monthly rotating Features menu, where depending on the month you can find pizzas such as our Duck & Grape, Salmon Tartar, Strawberries & Cream, or our most popular Big Zac – Za’s version of a Big Mac: cheddar cheese house-made mini patties, shredded lettuce, pickles, diced onions, Za’s mac sauce and of course a brushed brown butter crust,” Lisa Costantini says. When introducing new flavours and cuisines, you may want to combine them with the familiar. Technomic’s research suggests that, despite their curiosity, unfamiliarity with ethnic ingredients can deter some consumers from trying new dishes. As operators incorporate less recognizable ingredients into their menus, they must balance new, unique options with traditional and familiar ones, the company said in its “2015 Canadian Ethnic Food and Beverage Consumer Trend Report.” This might include educating staff and using descriptive and bilingual menus to encourage purchases, the report suggests. As to where pizza may be headed in our corner of the planet, the last word belongs to the researchers at Technomic. “In the most recent quarter, we began to see ethnicinspired regional American cuisines appear on Canadian menus, ranging from jambalaya to Cajun-spiced meats. This trend could easily be applied to pizzas with toppings like Cajun spices, andouille sausage and spicy seafood,” Menas says. According to the trend watcher, Jamaican inspired jerk spices will be a thing because of their growing popularity in Canada. • For more on toppings, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com > In the Kitchen > Ingredients

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feature

Expansion, Armando’s style This Windsor mainstay has parlayed old-school pizza making into a growing chain of concepts that cover all the bases BY COLLEEN CROSS

hat is Windsor-style pizza? It’s a question at the top of my list as I walk into the warm, glowing, dark wood interior of Armando’s Pizza’s Cabana Road dining room. I’ve heard the phrase many times and recently read of a Windsor-style pizzeria taking root in faraway Calgary. Clearly it’s a thing, and I resolve to define it. I sit down for a chat with president and CEO John Pizzo, vice-president Andre Gerardi, vice-president of operations Larry Vallieres and corporate chef Dean Litster. We talk about the Windsor chain’s signature pizza, the Super. Known in other places by other names – the Special, the Canadian – it features pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms and green peppers. Vallieres provides an opening for my question in no time flat. “Our bestseller is probably the king-size pizza,” he says. “It’s that Windsor differentiation. Every company does a large but we do the big, rectangular, football-sized pizza.” “That Windsor differentiation” hinges on five elements: the square or rectangular shape, the large size (18-inch square or 18- by 26-inch rectangular), the use of corn meal in the crust, the addition of canned mushrooms and, most important, the shredding of the pepperoni. “You know about the pepperoni, right?” Pizzo says. They tentatively trace the style to Volcano’s pizzeria, which was shredding pepperoni in the 1950s and ’60s and spawned many imitators. Size is another important factor. It’s

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tricky to teach people to make the big pizza, Litster says. “You are hand-stretching it from a three-pound ball of dough. You roll a little just to get the shape but you don’t roll over the edges.” It seems fewer and fewer people make pizza by hand these days. “It’s hard to find someone who makes pizza the way we make it,” Gerardi says. The use of screens, conveying ovens, rolling pins and dough sheeters is common now, he adds, “but it compresses the air out of the dough and you don’t get that rise.” The original owners, Armando and Antonia Gerardi, are Gerardi’s parents and the heart of the ever-expanding company. Armando and Antonia emigrated from Italy in the 1950s with Armando’s brother, Filippo Gerardi, who ran Italia pizzeria. Everyone around the table agrees that Italia, which is no longer in business, is the main branch in the Windsor pizza family tree from which other area pizzerias have stemmed. Gerardi credits his uncle Fil with giving his parents their start in the business. Armando worked for his brother while Antonia worked as a hairdresser. In 1967 Gerardi’s parents opened Armando’s Pizza in a former fish and chip store on Walker Road. “That’s how it all started,” Gerardi says. “I give them a lot of credit because they came to this country with nothing and became very successful. John and I have grown the business from there.” Gerardi began making pizzas when he was five years old and has always worked

in his parents’ restaurant. “As a child I did it because I thought it was fun. I’d hop up on a pail and start making pizzas. It’s still fun but it’s a different kind of fun.” Pizzo started working at Armando’s in 1996 after answering an ad in the Windsor Star for a pizza maker. While working there on weekends, he started dating Gerardi’s sister, Josie, whom he would marry later that year. “The rest is history,” Pizzo says. The restaurant at Dougall Avenue and Cabana Road was their second location. Later christened Johnny Piez and coowned with Senol Eskici, the store focuses on gluten-free and take-and-bake pizza. The chain now has 12 Windsor-area locations ranging from the 200-seat Cabana Road location to a small outlet in the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre – home to the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires. Now happily retired and spending time in Florida, the original owners still pitch in occasionally. “You can go to the main location on Walker Road and catch Armando tossing pizza dough,” Vallieres says. “He loves getting his hands dirty. And you’ll often see Antonia working the floor if that’s what’s needed.” “They really have a passion for it,” Gerardi says. He describes his parents. “Dad has a good sense of humour. It’s Mum who whips everyone into shape,” he says. He paints a vivid picture of Armando sitting and cutting up a huge block of

Armando’s president and CEO John Pizzo, corporate chef Dean Litster, vice-president Andre Gerardi and vice-president of operations Larry Vallieres recently opened a new take-out and centralized prep location near Cabana Road and Howard Avenue.

cheese with a knife. “It would take my dad all afternoon,” he says. “That’s just the way it was.” He says his dad still can’t get over the efficiencies brought about by using new equipment like the large mixers. The business seems to thrive on change and there have been many other developments over the years. The Walker Road location itself has been through a couple of remodels. “When you mention the name Armando’s, a very big percentage of people still think of that original location,” Vallieres says. “It’s the home of Armando’s and it still feels that way when you go there.” Armando’s has been expanding steadily since 1996 and the team now oversees a half-dozen corporate locations. It’s been a successful if somewhat slow climb. “It’d be nice if it were a little faster,” Pizzo admits. Franchising has been a good route for the team to speed up the pace of growth. “It’s a good way to get our name out there more quickly,” Pizzo says. But it’s important to match the location with the franchisee, Gerardi says. “Some franchisees aren’t comfortable with tackling a dining room. It’s a big animal.” That same individualistic approach to different locations extends to their corporate chefs and right on down to entry-level employees.

As managers they allow their corporate chefs a fair bit of freedom. Chefs are required to follow the signature recipes. Beyond that, they can add their own specialties and buy ingredients from whatever source they choose. “We let the chefs have their own location and identity – we love to do that,” Pizzo says. With so many restaurants in such a concentrated area, it’s important they have their own character and specialties to give customers some variety, Pizzo says. “But keeping your product consistent is a big challenge too,” he says. That’s why they serve signature dishes like lasagna and chicken parmesan, and signature pizzas like the Super, Johnny’s Favourite and the Hawaiian, at all locations. They also encourage their chefs to show their creativity by competing in events like the Canadian Pizza Show and the International Pizza Challenge. Armando’s had a big year in 2014 at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas when four of their pizzaiolos – Pizzo, Litster, Senol of Johnny Piez and then-corporate chef Marco Malizia – finished in the top 5 of their respective divisions. “That was a good year. It created quite the buzz when we came home,” Gerardi says. With employee numbers pushing 300,

the team knows it’s important and a constant challenge to find workers that are a good fit. Vallieres and Litster do the lion’s share of the hiring. “The labour relations piece is huge in this day and age. Staffing is hard to come by,” says Vallieres, a marketing specialist who has been with the company for 12 years and generally works out of the Essex location. They recruit through job fairs that they advertise in the local newspaper, on posters, on the classifieds website Kijiji, and via social media. “I look for energy, for someone with a personality and a smile. I can teach you a lot of things, but I can’t teach you to smile and to want to be here,” Vallieres says. Litster, who does hands-on training at various locations, says he started with Armando’s grinding cheese in the basement as a young teenager 14 years ago and worked his way up through the ranks. “You work every position, pretty much. It’s good: it has helped me to relate to other employees,” he says. “Dean’s got a knack for teaching,” Gerardi says. Which aspect of the job gets employees most excited? “We use the big knife with a Continued on page 24

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making dough

Five steps to freshening up your brand Diane Chiasson

hen did you last look at your branding and ask yourself what it says about your pizza restaurant? Maybe it’s time to consider whether your brand reflects your pizzeria’s true purpose? What was the purpose with which you began operations? Is your branding highlighting the best you have to offer? Does it stand out and inspire potential customers? How does it compare with your competitors’ branding? In combination with your business goals for your restaurant these questions can help you determine if some freshening up of your brand is needed. A strong brand image will bring your restaurant added value, command higher prices and attract better employees. Most of all, it will bring you more money. If the purpose of your restaurant has shifted or you see the need to refresh your pizzeria’s image, consider these five basic steps.

1. LEARN YOUR TARGET MARKET Trying to create a brand that appeals to everyone will likely result in a brand that is not clearly defined. Discover the specific demographics to which your restaurant appeals. Is your neighbourhood more family-friendly or full of students? Are there a lot of offices nearby? You need to cater your brand image to the right crowd. It’s important to ensure your branding captures the culture of these potential customers. Surveying your public can help you determine your target market. 2. DEVELOP YOUR CORE CONCEPT Once you have a good understanding of who you want your restaurant to appeal to, what your original purpose for the pizzeria was and how you see that purpose

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and your business goals now, you are in a position to develop your core brand concept. This concept will help you develop a suitable name (if you are thinking of renaming) and guide interior design and all your marketing programs.

barrage of Facebook updates. You can tell a surprisingly compelling story with just a weekly photo essay or blog post.

5. PUT YOUR BRANDING TO WORK The most important element of branding is delivering what your brand prom3. DEVELOP NEW ises. For example, if you BRAND IDEAS FROM say lunch is served in less YOUR CONCEPT than 30 minutes or it’s free, Now you should spend make sure you serve lunch People love a some time determining the in less than 30 minutes! good story and Everything in your pizzebest way to influence the prospective customers you ria must convey what your your brand is have identified. Consider refreshed brand wants to your story. other successful brands that say, including the interior appeal to your target market: design and décor, menu, not just competitors, but prices, food, drinks, merbrands in other fields that chandising, uniforms, marare successful with your target market. keting, advertising, website, social media Look at the qualities that set those brands platforms and customer service. Creating apart and try to identify why these things a powerful brand image involves the enare appealing to your target market. This tire restaurant design from lighting and can help you come up with new ideas for flooring to compelling graphic images and how your own brand could be. Take these menu boards. Ensure everything is consisideas and try to come up with catchphras- tent in look, feel and colour. The different es, design concepts and overall looks that elements should have a recognizable style can refresh your brand. Don’t forget to that is apparent not only inside your estabbrainstorm with your employees, who can lishment, but also outside, online and in be an invaluable source of ideas at this stage print. in the process. This is a good time to evaluate the best technology to put your brand to work. It 4. TELL YOUR STORY can also be a good time to stop wasting People love a good story and your brand is time and money on platforms that don’t your story. Develop or improve your story work for you and dive into the ones that to support the improvements in your do work.• brand. And build recognition of your new Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants brand by continuing your story. The forum Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail you choose – your website, a blog, a video operators increase sales for over 25 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail series or some other medium – is totally up merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu to you. Just make sure that you’re letting engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at people know what you’re up to, how things 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, are developing, etc. This does not mean a or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com

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Contact your local repesentative to arrange a demonstration MARITIME PROVINCES Flanagan Agencies, Inc. Moncton, New Brunswick 506.387.8757 Fax: 506.387.8750 sales@fai.ca

QUEBEC Distex M&M, Inc. St. Laurent (Quebec) 514.382.3620 Fax: 514.382.7837 info@distex.ca

ONTARIO Distex M&M, Inc. 905.565.5992 or 1-800.645-7324 Fax: 905.565.5992 info@distex.ca

MANITOBA and SASKATCHEWAN Simpson Wilson Ltd. Winnipeg, Manitoba 204.632.6941 or 1-800.342.3626 Fax: 204.633.9254 cam@simpsonwilson.com

ALBERTA Bert Johnson Ent., Ltd. (BJE) Calgary, Alberta 403.870.4763 Fax: 403.287.7788 Calgary: dave@bje.cc Alberta: erin@bje.cc

BRITISH COLUMBIA Distex M&M, Inc. Port Moody, BC 778.989.3620 cvandenhoven@distex.ca

feature

Canadians in the house

Pizzeria operators were out in force at Pizza Expo 2016 to find tools, tips and inspiration BY COLLEEN CROSS

anadians created a strong impression at Pizza Expo 2016, making their mark in the International Pizza Challenge, at education sessions and around the show floor. The folks at Pizza Today and Emerald Expositions had another success in Expo 2016, held March 7-10 in Las Vegas. Eight Canadian competitors vied for glory in the International Pizza Challenge – five of those in the Non-Traditional category. Several Canadians stopped by the Canadian Pizza magazine booth to say hello – including Giovanni Sudano of Jim’s Pizza Palace in Cobourg, Ont., who told us about his cauliflower crust and dessert pizzas, Richard Ames of Daddio’s in Grande Prairie, Alta., who is eyeing an international expansion, Ross MacKinnon of Pizzaville in Orillia, Ont., who was looking for business ideas, and an enthusiastic team from Pizzeria Defina in Toronto who were there supporting their competing chefs. Most exhibitors we spoke with said they had noticed more Canadian traffic than usual. Could this translate into greater availability of products in future? As usual, Canadian Pizza magazine’s top chefs performed well in the International Pizza Challenge. Chef of the Year

20 pizza APRIL/MAY 2016

Joe Leroux re-created his fabulous pierogiinspired “Chi mangia bene, viva bene” pie for a final score of 23.98. Runner-up Giuseppe Cortinovis made a pie featuring Taleggio cheese and caramelized white onion to take second place in the international division of the Traditional category with a score of 18.33. “Competing was a high,” said Leroux. Pizzeria Defina’s Isaac Macdougall took first place in the international division of the Non-Traditional category with a lobster bisque pie. The ever-inventive Meghan O’Dea of Pi Eatery in St. John took third in the same category with a tasty pizza that included duck fat. Other competitors included Ashley Davis of Morris East in Halifax, Tony Vacchio of Zolas in Ottawa, Danilo Lupo of Pizzeria Defina in Toronto, and past Chef of the Year Carlo Raillo of Buca Pizzeria & Vino in St. Albert, Alta. HUNTING FOR QUALITY HIRES A talk on how to hire millennial employees that are right for your pizzeria generated plenty of interest. The speaker, Eric Chester, a former high school technology and trade teacher and business author, suggested focusing on your best employees to gain clues to what you like in an

Top: Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year runnerup Giuseppe Cortinovis (left) and champ Joe Leroux performed well in the International Pizza Challenge and compared notes at our booth. Bottom left: Isaac Macdougall of Toronto’s Pizzeria Defina took first place in the international division of the Non-Traditional category with a lobster bisque pie. Bottom Right: Pizza champ Theo Kalogeracos made this crowd-pleasing dessert pizza, which he calls The Snowman. The former pastry chef encouraged pizzaiolos to use their imagination – and ready-made cake mixes!

employee and to get good referrals. and have potential to draw in customers Change your approach from fishing (plac- looking for an exciting dessert option. ing an ad and hoping it pays off) to hunt- His peanut butter and banana pizza, ing, the targets being friends of current red velvet pizza, and a showstopper he good employees, schools and competitors’ calls “The Snowman” all can be made using either out-of-the-box cake mixes or fromworkers, Chester said. “We don’t have a skills gap; we have a scratch formulas. Kalogeracos made three delectable pizzas: core values gap,” he said, noting that most employers say they value hard skills when A peanut butter-banana pie featuring peawhat they really value are so-called soft nut butter, sliced bananas (they can be skills like a positive attitude, reliability, brown), maple syrup, peanuts and icing sugar. The Snowman, a initiative, respect, integrity crowd pleaser, incorpoand gratitude. These are not soft skills but non-negotiables, Eight Canadian rated coconut milk, vanilla cake mix, shredded Chester argued. Together they make up work ethic, competitors vied coconut, chocolate syrup and ice cream. Last up which in its simplest defifor glory in the was a red velvet pie that nition, is a worker knowing made use of a storewhat to do and doing it. As a International bought cake mix. The supervisor you have to teach Pizza Challenge former pastry chef said he and to lead by example. typically makes his pizzas Hunt for friends of good from scratch, in this case employees, he suggested. Look for someone who already has a job, using beet juice left over from other dishes, get referrals perhaps by offering referral but also encouraged the use of readybonuses and continuation bonuses. People made cake mixes. Kalogeracos shared several tasty tips: stay at a job longer if they’re happy, he • For efficiency, have your salad said. makers do double duty as dessert Hunt in the schools. Foster relationmakers. ships with school staff – such as tech • Design dessert pizzas with your teachers like him – and ask them for reoven in mind, not the other way ferrals. Business and trade teachers are in around. the business of matching students up with • Use a neutral crust: the base is impotential employers and may have someportant, but it needn’t overpower one perfect in mind. the pizza. Making a one-to-one connection with • Use a rocker knife for neater cutting. your employees is an important strategy, • At the end of the pizza-making he said. Get some index cards and start a process, put each pizza through short profile of each employee, adding ina “pass” in full view of customers, formation as you learn it. The more you drizzling the pizzas with oils and know about your employees, the more syrups, and sprinkling on extra you’ll learn about what makes them good toppings. “It makes for really good employees and the more ideas you’ll have theatre.” about how to motivate them, Chester said The hungry audience devoured the in conclusion. advice – and, yes, the pizza, which happily coincided with mid-morning coffee break. DESSERT PIZZA HAS ITS DAY With pizzeria operators likewise gobAs usual, Expo yielded several delectable demos. One such fun and practical demo bling up newfound ideas and tips, it’s a by Theo Kalogeracos – dubbed “The Art sure bet that at least some of what hapof Dessert Pizza” – offered insight into pened in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas. • several stunning dessert pizzas. KalogerFor more on trends, visit acos, a former International Pizza Chalwww.canadianpizzamag.com lenge champ who hails from Australia, > Trends said dessert pizzas are huge Down Under

APRIL/MAY 2016 pizza 21

marketing insights

Phone training 101 Michelle Brisebois

t’s easy for us to forget that even though online ordering is growing, personal contact by phone is still the most popular way to order a pie. In the United States, there were 1.02 billion orders placed over the phone in 2015 versus 904 million placed online, according to NPD Group research. If your workforce consists of younger people, this could pose some challenges for your business. Millennials are great with their phones – they tweet, post, text and take pictures with them. What they rarely do with them, however, is have a verbal conversation. If half of your orders or more still come by phone, is your workforce ready to provide a great experience for your customers? Communication by phone is going the way of the dodo bird. A study by the wireless industry association reports the time spent on the phone fell for several years from 2006 to 2012. The length of call decreased from an average of 3.03 minutes a day to 1.8 minutes. This decrease has been largely driven by millennials, who are more inclined to communicate visually than verbally. The important thing to remember is that many baby boomers still prefer to use the phone. If you mix this tendency with a workforce that doesn’t have a chance to develop and practise phone etiquette, it’s potentially going to hinder your ability to deliver stellar customer service and sales revenue. There are interesting reasons for millennials’ reluctance to call people as opposed to texting them. Many millennials feel that calling someone is more intrusive than texting. Another theory is that millennials tend to be more direct in their communication – a style probably honed by texting, tweeting and posting daily to

22 pizza APRIL/MAY 2016

social media. These forums don’t allow for lengthy phone conversations. A phone order potentially has benefits over an online order. It gives your team a chance to upsell, create a personal rapport and personalize service. A survey by SmartMoney.com discovered “15 per cent of customers actually want to hear about upsell offers, if done properly.” Try to guide your team towards an effective phone exchange with the customer. It won’t happen organically; this generation will need telephone training more than any before it. Focusing on the following areas will help you develop a training program to enhance direct customer interaction by phone. ACTIVE LISTENING The most important first step is to ensure all team members who interact with customers know your products inside and out. Customers sometimes don’t realize that they actually want or need something different from what they’re trying to order. If your team knows the menu intimately and pays close attention to what the customer is saying, they can make suggestions for additional or different items. Role-play with your staff to help them develop a knack for identifying an opportunity. GATHERING INTEL For a generation used to direct and efficient communication without fluff (or often punctuation) to get in the way of sending a message, small talk may seem pointless and uncomfortable. Remind your employees that small talk does often have a point – to learn about the other person and then to use that information to fit them with products and services that solve a problem they have. Perhaps with this perspective, those goal-oriented

millennials will embrace the process? The person in control of the conversation is the one asking the questions, so help them understand that they can help the customer by asking great questions. “I’m not sure what toppings to have,” a customer might say. “Are you in the mood for a hearty meal or would you prefer lighter fare?” would be an example of a probing response. HOUSEKEEPING ISSUES A verbal interaction with someone often requires note taking, but a generation used to already having notes documented in a text message or email may find the process quite foreign. Train your team to take notes while speaking to a customer to ensure orders are captured properly. If you have a strong point-of-sale system, then typing the notes while talking to the customer will likely be easier. Get a good headset for the phone so the receiver won’t be cradled between the ear and the shoulder with a crooked neck. Encourage staff to repeat back the order and delivery address to the customer to ensure they have been captured correctly. This step will cut down on confusion and missed deliveries. These points may seem incredibly remedial if you were born before 1985, but that’s the point. Millennials are digital natives and there are many skills like baking bread from scratch and sewing one’s own clothes that were once commonplace, only to be relegated to hobby status as technology evolved. We’re in transition with two generations communicating via different channels and in different ways, and meeting each other halfway can result in great customer service.• Michelle Brisebois is a marketing professional with experience in the food, pharmaceutical and financial services industries. She specializes in brand strategies.

new products

Lallemand develops yeast with pizza makers in mind

“Pizza quality depends on many param-

The yeast, which is available as fresh baker’s

eters and adequate gas production by the yeast is essential to avoid both underproofing and overproofing of the pizza dough,” the

yeast and dry baker’s yeast, is designed to offer advantages when used in frozen dough balls and deep-dish pizza applications.

company’s detailed literature said. Proof time, proof temperature and yeast dosage all affect gas production, especially in retarded

www.lallemand.com

doughs, frozen doughs, refrigerated doughs and in-store scratch baking. In many instances, overproofing cannot be

Mini number tents rest atop pizzas Made of dishwasher-

controlled, especially in the event of equipment failure or due to irregular demand for pizzas. This leads to product failure or waste

safe, high heat stainless steel, American Metalcraft’s new one-

Lallemand Baking Solutions representatives Phillip Lee Wing and Jim Kopp were on hand

in the form of unusable scrap dough, Wing said. Because FlexFerm won’t overproof, processes are more flexible and tolerant toward

inch-square, doublesided embossed number tents are designed to sit on top of pizzas

at Pizza Expo to tell pizza chefs about the company’s new proof-tolerant yeast called FlexFerm, developed to ensure a controlled proof of dough to maintain consistent volume, shape and size. Dough made using FlexFerm can be left in the proof box for an extended time without detrimental effects to the pizza, Wing said.

changes in variables such as proof time and proof temperature. At present, specialty yeast performs best for pizza formulas with low sugar; however, it can be used in fresh, refrigerated and frozen dough processes for finished pizza with little or no sugar. The proofing process stops when the added sugar is depleted.

to identify the order. The industrial-look tents are designed to speed up service and should work well in a fast-casual setting, a company representative said. www.americanmetalcraft.com

For more of what’s new, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com > New Products

TASTE THE

TRADITION

Manufacturers and Distributors of Italian Specialty Cheeses and Food Products

gaylea.com • 1-800-268-0508 • salernodairy.com APRIL/MAY 2016 pizza 23 PZ_AprMay16_Salerno_CSA.indd 1

2016-03-22 7:32 AM

feature Continued from page 17 16-inch blade,” Pizzo says. “Employees see Dean or John or Andre using it and they want to try.” “There is a bit of romanticism to it,” Vallieres adds. Vallieres says they favour a diversified approach to marketing, reaching out through direct mail and through social media. They offer a monthly special. They work with the sports centre. They brand using boxes, take-out materials, bags and containers. “Direct mail is still big and still the most reliable way to measure your marketing program’s success,” Pizzo says. This covering of all the bases is reflected in their marketing material. An inviting website, matching flyers and friendly tagline – “Our place or yours?” – remind customers there are several ordering options. Among the different locations, customers can dine in a large or small sit-down restaurant, order take-out, pick up take-and-bake, get gluten-free, order home delivery or have an event catered. And if they happen to live outside the area, they are no longer out of luck. In recent years London and Kitchener have gotten a taste of Windsor pizza. The team opened Veloce Italian Kitchen – inspired by the two passions of car racing and traditional Italian cooking – in London in 2013 and Waterloo in 2015. It’s a scaleddown concept serving pizza and pasta. Not wanting to confuse customers or dilute their original

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Windsor brand, they started a whole new brand using the same recipes. “We thought that might be better for expansion. Now we’re thinking we should do the same thing with Armando’s,” Pizzo says with a laugh. Vallieres seems to like the idea as well. “It might have a little smaller footprint, simpler operation, smaller everything,” he says. “It would concentrate on turning volume as opposed to having these big properties.” They are talking about doing smaller take-out locations like their 2,200 square foot standalone with a small dining room in nearby Essex – a good example of a streamlined operation. With operating costs “going through the roof lately,” Pizzo says, it’s tempting to open more 1,000 square foot stores, which would be less expensive to buy and smaller to maintain. We tour one such smaller-footprint location just steps away across the parking lot in the same plaza. Last December, in an effort to streamline operations, they opened this take-out counter and well-equipped kitchen as central supplier for all locations. Before then, dough and sauce for other locations were prepared in the busy Cabana Road kitchen. The Armando’s team always seems to be one step ahead of customer demand and on the lookout for ways to be more efficient and more convenient. Whatever their next move is, you can be sure it will be done on their own terms and with family tradition in mind. •

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Advertisers Index Company

advertising

Page #

Ardent Mills .....................................................7 Burke..............................................................11 Canadian Pizza Show/Chef ........................14-15 Flour Power ....................................................24 Middleby Marshall..........................................19 Moretti Forni ..................................................27 Pizza Power Page ...........................................25 Ricco Food Distributor ...................................23 Salerno...........................................................23 Saputo ...........................................................28 Springer’s Meats ............................................24 Stanislaus ................................................. 4 & 5 Viau Food .........................................................2 Use these advertiser contact numbers to find out more about a product advertised in this issue or to place an order. This index is provided as a service. Canadian Pizza Magazine is not liable for errors or omissions.

APRIL/MAY 2016 pizza 25

guest column

Play to your fans on social media Giorgio Taverniti

ocial media is the key to marketing a successful business. Everyone is already on social media for fun, so why not use it to your pizzeria’s advantage? Business owners need to think of their fan page as if it were TSN or CBC News. Your friends and followers are your fans, and fans need to know up-to-the-minute facts and events that are happening. They need to constantly be receiving great content, tips and a steady stream of information in order to keep the momentum of your page and business going. You can use your Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat account to announce monthly promotions, introduce new staff to your fans so that when they visit your pizzeria they will already know the new staff by name, and share information about new food items or pizza toppings you are trying out. It’s crucial to engage with your customers online as well as with others in your industry. Reach out to fellow business owners, vendors and potential new clients. Check out their pages and posts and leave comments to encourage an open, friendly dialogue, all the while keeping you and your page and business relevant. If you follow a food magazine or brand on any social media platform, comment on how great one of their articles was or how much your customers love their product. I have had good results using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat: my business has grown by about 20 per cent since focusing on these tools. In 2015, I was one of the first users of Meerkat, a live video stream app. Through that app, I gained a lot of new customers, but the best part was the pizzeria got more attention when we were featured in Inc.

26 pizza APRIL/MAY 2016

Use platforms like Twitter to encourage an open, friendly dialogue and to keep your page and business relevant.

Magazine, an international publication. On Twitter I interact with food bloggers: they come in, try our pizza and feature it in a special pizza edition of their blogs. Social media platforms are great forums for open discussion, but it’s important to be positive when posting comments. If someone has a negative comment on a post, try to put a positive spin on it. For example, when reacting to a negative comment on service, try saying, “We’re sorry to see you don’t agree” or “How can we improve on our service? Do you have any tips?” You’ll create more positive energy if

you’re sincere and thoughtful in your approach to customer posts. It’s also important to constantly maintain your online presence. You should update your pages at least three times a week. It can be tricky to find time to be online. I spend about an hour online in the morning between coffee and getting the kids to school. I post during downtime in the afternoon and at night after work. When we’re not busy, I give my staff an extra 20-minute break so they can take photos of pizzas or food items coming out of the kitchen – or photos of themselves interacting with customers – and post those photos on our social media platforms. If you find an interesting article and are short on time just save it and post it later. Choose a mentor you can look to for guidance and who is capable of offering helpful insight to point you in the right direction. Gary Vaynerchuck, for example, has been an inspiration to me. Vaynerchuck is a successful entrepreneur who was one of the first to use YouTube to build an audience to sell wine to. Now he runs several social media agencies and helps small and big brands develop an interactive presence on the Internet. His best advice? Be consistent and present on all platforms you’ve chosen. Be where your customers are. Ask them if they are on Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. The trick is finding your ideal audience. Once you have an audience that is intrigued by your pizzeria’s story, the possibilities are endless. • Giorgio Taverniti owns Frank’s Pizza House in Toronto, which has been in his family since 1990. A graduate of George Brown College’s culinary management and Italian culinary programs, Giorgio helped found a popular pizza-making workshop at the college and ran it for three years.

Mozzarella is just the beginning... Saputo Pizza Mozzarella is an essential ingredient for so many great pizza recipes! But sometimes, you need to think outside the pizza box! Your customers are becoming more adventurous, so give them something new to tantalize their taste buds.

Specialty Pizzas remain a Top Trend Treat your customers to a pizza made with sumptuous Fior di Latte, a tangy Blue or Goat Cheese, or a subtle Brie or Ricotta. Or try creating your own signature cheese blend by adding Feta, Asiago, Parmesan or Provolone.

The delicious possibilities are endless! ® ®