With all of the advertisements being thrown in every direction, it can be difficult to find a niche in the market. Young consumers are especially challenging to target on a local platform as they typically are immersed in what is considered to be “popular”. Local pizzerias have a new way to reach potential customers through the booming app, Snapchat. While Facebook and Instagram are generally easier to reach a wider audience, Snapchat allows a more personalized targeting towards the younger generation.

Custom Snapchat Geotags

Businesses are starting to create their own custom “geotags”, which are simple graphics on Snapchat that only appear when a user is in a specific area at a specific time. They can share it with their friends and spread it like wildfire.

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Summertime means it’s time to fire up the “barbie”, as in barbecue, and throw on anything formally a cow. But the hottest barbecue trend is grilled pizza with its intense smoky flavors.

New York City’s famous Lombardo’s on Mulberry Street made its name by using a coal-fired oven to impart the grilled burned flavor that is so famous. Given the restrictions on coal burning in most cities, real Pizzaiolos who want that authentic flavor had to find an alternative. American ingenuity moved in and the backyard grill took center stage.

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You might think you know the pizza market, but are you prepared for some profound changes that may occur in 2016?

In reviewing PMQ Magazine’s 2016 Power Report, a number of issues jump out that may give you, the pizzeria operator, a new view of your customer, menu and future. (more…)

Pizzeria owners will see a different type of dough rising this year as commodity prices continue to drop leading to an opportunity for higher profits.

The price at the pump may not bode well for Wall Street, but it should boost profits at pizzerias.

Gas prices dropped to an average of $2 per gallon nationally which is great news for your pizza delivery costs.  This compares to a price of $3.34 per gallon just two years ago. (more…)

Bacon, farm-to-table, food trucks, craft beers, anything artisan and eco, and everything tech were among the big trends affecting the restaurant industry in 2015.

The challenge is deciphering the trends from the fads. Many ideas start with a niche following, but turn viral as their quality and coolness overtake the masses.

As you look to 2016, you should expect the unexpected.  Still, you have to be prepared for new culinary trends as well as cautionary tales related to logistics, wages, food safety and kitchen management.

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