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Today on This Week In Pizza: Pizza-Ordering App for Smaller Pizzerias; Big-Name Investors Join Blaze Pizza; and CiCi's Pizza Employee Wins $2,500

In their quest for an easier way to order pizza, a couple of Bostonians have developed an app specifically for independents and small chains with tight budgets.

Carlo Espinoza and Greg Santos invented the SpeedSlice app, currently being tested through Ordr.in, an aggregator of 400 restaurants in the greater Boston area. Over time, the duo hopes to create a network of local pizza stores using their app. "We have a huge opportunity with smaller local chains who can't tap into the trend of people placing orders through their mobile devices," Espinoza told BostInno.com. SpeedSlice will reportedly be available as a mobile app through iTunes and Google Play in the coming months.

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Pizzeria owners and operators are invited to take part in an online live chat session about menu engineering at PMQ.com's Think Tank tomorrow (Thursday, March 7) at 9 a.m. Central time.

Liz Barrett, PMQ's editor-at-large, will host the session, which features Josh Davis, vice president of sales for Mail Shark, a company that specializes in turnkey marketing and direct mail programs for pizzerias and other restaurants. Davis will offer tips on boosting pizzeria sales and profits by making a few simple tweaks to the existing menu. The chat is free, but you must be a registered Think Tank member to view or participate. Register today at thinktank.pmq.com.

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As fast-casual pizzeria concepts begin to catch fire, some big-name investors have stepped up to the counter. Among them: Maria Shriver, former first lady of California, and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner.

According to Bloomberg.com, Shriver and Werner have joined film producer John Davis ("Alien vs. Predator") and Panda Express founder Andrew Cherng to drop $3 million into Blaze Pizza. The chain presently only has two locations-in Irvine and Pasadena, California-but plans to open 15 stores by the end of this year. The fast-casual segment, pioneered by such companies as Chipotle Mexican Grill, is expected to enjoy rapid growth due to its low prices, healthier fare and popularity with younger customers.

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Pizzerias in New York City will no longer be allowed to deliver two-liter sodas with their pizzas, thanks to new rules put into place by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bloomberg has prohibited restaurants from serving or selling soda in containers larger than 16 ounces. The ban will also effectively force consumers to pay more for the smaller containers since a six-pack of 12-ounce cans costs an average of $7.50 while an equivalent amount in a two-liter bottle goes for only $3.

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