John lets us in on menu trends and adding new menu items   John Gutekanst Avalanche Pizza — Athens, Ohio John is Pizza Today’s resident chef. He is an award-winning pizzaiolo, baker, teacher, speaker and author and has been featured in Gastr...

Play your cards right, and they’ll be a gift to your holiday bottom line   Gone are the days when gift cards were considered poor presents; now it’s not uncommon to find that a pre-paid pass to a favorite store or restaurant is at the top of...

What’s happening with America’s largest pizza companies? Who added stores in 2014? Who pushed their sales to record highs? Who dropped off a bit? Last month, we published our list of the nation’s 100 most successful independent operations. Now,...

The September “Take-over issue” release party   (Above) Brian Weavel, owner of Anna’s Pizza and Pasta, in Winnebago, Illinois, threw a release party for September’s “Take-over Issue” of Pizza Today. He gave samples of dishes he made ...

The Backspace 507 San Jacinto Blvd. Austin, TX 78701 (512) 474-9899 thebackspace-austin.com Residing in a restored 130-year-old building, the pizzeria’s interior is rustic with vintage hanging church lights over the bar, wagon wheel wall décor and...

[SlideDeck2 id=35895] Portland pizzeria perfects the art of artisan cuisine   Tucked away in a suburban Portland neighborhood, Ken’s Artisan Pizza is one of those places that you go to for the press but return because the buzz is genuine and w...

[SlideDeck2 id=35939] Texas couple bakes up success in San Antonio The art and craft of making pizza is something Frank and Lori Hakspiel take very seriously. That’s why they named their joint in San Antonio — now one of the city’s busiest and ...

[SlideDeck2 id=35299] Solid menu and theming keeps Sizzle Pie from burning out One hears the phrase “this is a foodie town” often. Just search social media for photos of consumers’ culinary exploits and you’re likely to find a number of hits ...

Sometimes, despite the most well thought out business plan, access to capital and a good product, restaurants fail. When this happens, any number of factors — in fact, it’s most often a combination of many — can be to blame. From poor marke...

For Dave Garcia, Alamo City Pizza didn’t go according to plan. In 2010, Garcia closed his six-year-old, San Antonio-based pizzeria. After a failed attempt to buy the building his shop inhabited, Garcia’s landlord presented a 10-year lease with a ...

Underperforming operations need to get SLOPPIE   If your sales are increasing, give yourself a big pat on the back. If your sales are flat, and you are barely breaking even, welcome to the new normal. If you are afraid of what the future has in ...

Each year, we mail out surveys to independent pizzerias across the nation. Using their responses, we compile our Hot 100 list — a ranking of America’s 100 largest independent pizza operations (based on sales). This issue is eagerly devoured by Pi...