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Big Dave’s always closed early on Christmas Eve (6 p.m.) so that my crew could get home and enjoy their family time. The key word here is family. Many families gather together on Christmas Eve. Since the following day will be filled with traditiona...

Well, another year has come and nearly gone. 2009 was an interesting one, to say the least. After American voters cried for change in our country’s leadership in 2008, America’s first black president took office this year. Since then, we’ve bee...

74 percent of pizzerias have dining rooms. The pizza industry will top $38 billion in sales in 2010. International Pizza Wxpo 2010 is scheduled for March 2-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center Tennessee has 1,184 pizzerias The Pizza Kitchen / Scalini...

Eric Koslowski, owner of Primanti Bros. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, doesn’t seem to be taking the recession lying down. When opportunity knocked, he answered in a big way. Koslowski recently opened a 4,700-square-foot store by negotiating with the...

Recently, I had a phone conversation with Arjun Sen, formerly the vice president of marketing and operations services at Papa John’s Pizza. Prior to that, he was manager of marketing research at Pizza Hut. Today, he’s a consultant with a dizzying...

Meatball Mangia Offer spaghetti and meatballs? If you’re not making a meatball sub or using your meatballs on pizza, you could be missing out on profi ts. Consider using French or Italian bread. Sliced lengthwise, add the meatballs, layer with mari...

I’m a big believer in measuring how much time it takes to complete almost every task in the restaurant. If you determine how long a task takes, then you can measure it and often improve the elapsed time to accomplish the task. My POS system had a b...

Dine-in accounts for 30 percent of the pizza industry’s annual sales. Pizza Hut, Donimo’s, Pap John’s and little Caesars combine to record $17.5 billion in annual revenue. 38 percent of U.S. pizzerias serve wine. Vermont Has 207 piz...

MJ Vacco co-owns Scornovacca’s Pizza in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded by his parents in 1976, Vacco is transitioning to take the business over from his mother and running it on a day-to-day basis. He began the transition last October. Q: Did you always...

I still get calls to this day from pizzeria owners telling me how well the “Million Dollar Letter” pulls in new prospects — and brings back lost customers. If you’re not hip to the letter, it is simply a full-page letter, explaining i...

Stay Sharp Keeping knives sharp and handling/storing them properly are the best methods to reduce the potential for cuts in the kitchen. Providing employees with mesh or Kevlar cutting gloves is another good idea. Hare are some other tips: ? Purchase...