December 28, 2009

Industry Headlines

Big week on tap for American pizzerias

This week will bring a much-welcome sales boost to the nation's pizzerias as 2009 draws to a close and Americans turn the calendar to a new year. Thursday and Friday are normally busy pizza days to begin with, but this week will be extra fruitful, says Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White.

"New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are two of the highest-volume days of any given year for pizzeria operators," White comments. "Millions of pizzas will be ordered this Thursday and Friday as most Americans stay home from work or school to celebrate the occasion. The typical pizzeria should see a 30 to 35 percent sales increase as compared to an average Thursday and Friday."

Capitalize on the high-volume days as much as possible, says White, because January is typically a slow month overall.

"Unfortunately, January usually ends up as the least busy month for most operations," says White. "People get the post-holiday blues and hold on to their wallets a little tighter. They have credit card bills from Christmas coming due, so dining out typically suffers in January. That makes New Year's Day all the more important. Without a robust start to the month, January would really be ugly for a lot of operations."

 Florida independent staging pizza-eating competition

Bruce Jackson, owner of Brucci's Pizzeria in Jacksonville, Florida, has announced an event he calls "Brucci's Pizza Bowl", scheduled to take place on various dates in January, beginning on January 9. The event consists of pizza-eating contests at each of Jacksonville's four Brucci's locations. The winner of each of these so-called qualifying rounds will advance to Brucci's "playoffs", where they will face off in the hot sauce category.

"I wanted to do something special to commemorate the opening of Brucci's five years ago," says Jackson. "I love the high school football experience here in Jacksonville, and of course I'm rooting for the Jags (the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars) to make it to the playoffs ... I'm challenging all pizza lovers to sign up and see if they can make it to our inaugural Pizza Bowl."

The championship 'Pizza Bowl' round will take place on February 6, the day before the NFL's Super Bowl.

 The Loop Pizza Grill rolls out new appetizer

Beginning January 15, The Loop Pizza Grill, based in Jacksonville, Florida, will add calamari to its appetizer menu for a limited time. The calamari is lightly seasoned and breaded and served with a tangy dipping sauce.

"Our customers will find our calamari to be a great start to their meal, or the perfect companion to a bowl of Loop soup or salad," says Cathy Manzon, marketing director for The Loop.

Founded in 1981, The Loop now has 18 locations in three states.

International Pizza Expo Web site accepting show registrations

International Pizza Expo 2010 is just around the corner. The show's official Web site, www.pizzaexpo.com, is accepting registrations now. Scheduled for March 2-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, International Pizza Expo 2010 will feature more than 70 educational seminars, three days of pizza-related exhibits and a plethora of contests, including the World Pizza Games and the $20,000 MEGABUCKS giveaway.

The pre-registration fee is $169, and a $10 discount is available for booking online. For more information, visit www.pizzaexpo.com.