March 2026

Published: March 2, 2026Kate Lavin

Design by Josh Keown

Read the March 2026 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

Welcome to the 2026 International Pizza Expo Issue! We are getting ready for the U.S. pizza industry’s largest event with articles by conference speakers such as Mike Bausch, previews of show events such as Beer & Bull, and coverage of seminar topics such as How to Handle Negative Reviews. Plus, learn how to roll out your spring menu in style, market to Gen Z and prepare for patio dining season. If you’re still hungry for more, this issue dives into kitchen efficiency, energy savings and avoiding slip-and-fall accidents. Plus, learn about a variety of mushrooms, new ways to use pistachios and more.

Check out the full Digital Edition – Pizza Today March 2026.

Topics Event News Industry News

It Takes a Village | Commentary

This month, we will gather for the 42nd installment of Pizza Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This will be my 14th show. What an incredible ride it’s been so far. We’ve seen our industry grow by leaps and bounds, new pizza styles and tren...

Topics People & Pizzerias

Regents Pizzeria, La Jolla, California | Destinations

Regents Pizzeria La Jolla: A $7.7M Success Story When Bill Vivian embarked on a remodel in late 2024, the goal was not simply to update the dining room at Regents Pizzeria, which celebrated its 20-year anniversary in December 2025. Rather, his focus ...

Topics Menu Development

Edible Mushrooms

Best uses for culinary mushrooms About 90% of the mushrooms consumed in the United States are of the white button variety, and with good reason. The popular fungi is hearty enough to withstand refrigerated storage, firm enough that it isn’t damaged...

Topics People & Pizzerias

Nkem and Kerrel Thompson, Bird Pizzeria, Charlotte, North Carolina | Hot Take

Bird Pizzeria Owners Nkem and Kerrel Thompson Dish on Maintaining Charlotte’s pizza hot spot Bird Pizzeria has garnered attention as not only a hot pizza spot in Charlotte, North Carolina, it has also grabbed national and international attentio...

Topics Appetizers Menu Development

Fried Mozzarella

Win over customers with one good cheese pull Your pizza is dialed in, your beverage program is humming. How’s your appetizer menu? Fried mozzarella sticks are a universal winner. “Everybody loves their cheese and frying it. Making it crispy, maki...

Topics Desserts Menu Development

Nuts About Pistachios

U.S. Consumers Go Crazy for Key Element in Trendy Dubai Chocolate Americans love pistachios. Over the past year, pistachios have hit top food trends. When we debuted Pizza Today’s 2026 Pizzeria Trends Report, pistachios were among the top ingredien...

Topics Desserts

Classic Tiramisu with Pistachios

Desserts are a go-to for pistachios, whether double-chocolate and pistachio brownies, pistachio biscotti, pistachio lemon tart or pistachio cheesecake. (Learn about other ways to use pistachios here.) One of my favorites is incorporating pistachio in...

Topics Operations

No Slips, Just Slices

Prevent Slip-and-fall Accidents in Your Pizzeria Nothing ruins a pizza party faster than a slip-and-fall accident. Between spilled sodas, flour dust, oily pans and wet entryways on rainy days, pizzerias are full of potential hazards that can send sta...

Topics Brand & Marketing

Marketing Pizza to Gen Z

Pizzerias can attract young adults with social media, customization and innovative pies People of all ages love pizza, and every generation has certain expectations about dining out. Gen Z consumers – those born between 1997 and 2012 – are driven...

Topics Operations

Pizzeria Energy Savings

Find ways to lower utility bills and boost efficiency at your pizzeria Turn out the lights, close the refrigerator door, and don’t leave the oven on all day. Some age-old methods for saving energy are still valid, and today there are many more ways...

Topics

Converting Pizza Customers to Direct Order

Win market share back from third-party ordering apps Joe Rosemyer took over ownership of Slice Pizzeria in 2019, the same year a novel app for food delivery automatically added his and other restaurants to its third-party ordering platform. After thr...

Topics Pizzas

Spring Greens Pizza

Print Spring Greens Pizza Author: Audrey Kelly Pea shoots are like eating a mouthful of spring. Sprinkle them on top of your pies and into salads. You won’t regret it. Substitute other alliums, such as garlic scapes or leeks, in place o...

Topics Pizzas

Summer of Corn Pizza With Peach Chimichurri

Print Summer of Corn With Peach Chimichurri Author: Audrey Kelly This chimichurri is a little chunky, bursting with summer herbs and juicy peaches. Feel free to up the amount of hot peppers for extra spice or add other greens. Ingredients...

Topics Menu Development

Pop of Spring, Splash of Summer

Using produce during the coming seasons Unlike the cozy winter months that beg you to cook with a layer of hearty comfort, spring and summer are all about freshening up and stripping down. Nothing sings that philosophy louder than bright, juicy flavo...

Topics Menu Development

Making New Ingredients Work for You

Don’t forget about make-line speed, cross-utilization and marketing As we gear up for Pizza Expo, you are going to walk a show floor full of vendors pushing great new items to add to your menu lineup. They’ll direct you to one ingredient that is ...

Topics Award News Event News

Elevate & Celebrate at Pizza Expo

Education, Networking and Shopping Opportunities at the International Pizza Expo With more than 500 exhibitors, three juried contests and 80 education demos, seminars and workshops, International Pizza Expo 2026 is set to be the biggest and best in t...

Topics Dough

Pizza Crust: To Par Bake or Not to Par Bake? | Knead to Know

Tackling the question of whether to par bake your pizza crust One of the first questions I get these days is always, “Do you par bake?” The answer is yes, but for different reasons. Regardless of pan pizza or a round pie, my first thought is evap...

Topics

Asparagus Mushroom and Shallot Cream Pizza Recipe | On Deck

It is time to start thinking spring pizza, and to me, nothing says spring like asparagus. It also happens to be one of my favorite pizza toppings. It’s crunchy and fresh! For this month’s pizza, I combined my springtime favorite with roasted shal...

Topics Operations

Mastering Your Catering Operation | Slice of Advice

A Practical Plan for Catering The best catering companies are built on systems, clear capacity planning and solid logistics. A practical operational plan is the tool you need to turn your pizzeria into a catering powerhouse! Kitchen Command Center Un...

Topics Operations

The Fine Art of Tech Support | MIke’s Monthly Tip

How to get back up as fast as possible in a crisis Nobody gets into the pizza business because they dream of spending two hours on hold with their internet provider. But here is the reality: Your ability to navigate tech support calls with your ISP, ...

Topics Brand & Marketing

Handling Negative Reviews

What to do if customers post complaints online Everyone’s a critic. Whether a meal was outstanding or underwhelming, customers like to post their opinions online. And while business owners might be tempted to dismiss these reviews as the musings of...

Topics Operations

Prepare your Pizzeria for Patio Season

Outdoor Dining: Sunshine Ready The weather is warming, and your customers are craving fresh air. Are you ready for the busy – and profitable – outdoor dining season? According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly seven in 10 customers p...

Topics Operations

Kitchen Efficiency Protocol

How to turn lost effort into actual profit When a kitchen is struggling, it’s rarely the food. It’s rarely even the labor cost on paper. It’s wasted motion and poor leadership. In practice, this looks like your pizza line lead entering the walk...

March 2026

Read the March 2026 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

It Takes a Village | Commentary

Regents Pizzeria, La Jolla, California | Destinations

Edible Mushrooms

Nkem and Kerrel Thompson, Bird Pizzeria, Charlotte, North Carolina | Hot Take

Fried Mozzarella

Nuts About Pistachios

Classic Tiramisu with Pistachios

No Slips, Just Slices

Marketing Pizza to Gen Z

Pizzeria Energy Savings

Converting Pizza Customers to Direct Order

Spring Greens Pizza

Summer of Corn Pizza With Peach Chimichurri

Pop of Spring, Splash of Summer

Making New Ingredients Work for You

Elevate & Celebrate at Pizza Expo

Pizza Crust: To Par Bake or Not to Par Bake? | Knead to Know

Asparagus Mushroom and Shallot Cream Pizza Recipe | On Deck

Mastering Your Catering Operation | Slice of Advice

The Fine Art of Tech Support | MIke’s Monthly Tip

Handling Negative Reviews

Prepare your Pizzeria for Patio Season

Kitchen Efficiency Protocol

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