From the Editor

Letter from the publisher

Will you be able to say you were there? I’ll never forget the first copy of Pizza Marketing Quarterly and how exciting it was to see it in print. That was October of 1997. Feedback was coming in, and it felt so satisfying to know that our brand-new mom-and-pop pizza … More

Business & Marketing

Marketing magic

This economic pullback is the first one where pizza sales fell rather than increased. Traditional wisdom offers that in recessions, consumers eat more pizza. Here are some thoughts and reasons why we saw different results during this business cycle and what it might mean for our future. Pizza remains America’s … More

Business & Marketing

Exclusive! university marketing 401

For the past year, we’ve brought you ideas on how to market to college students in our series on university marketing. During this time we’ve been working with universities to ask students themselves why they buy pizza. There hasn’t been a study done on this group to date, so read … More

From the Editor

Letter from the publisher

U.S. PIZZA TEAM WINS GOLD Not since 2001, when Tony Gemignani won a world championship for the fifth time, has the U.S. Pizza Team been able to win a gold medal. Well, we can now proudly announce another world champion. This time is was Michael Shepherd running to the stage … More

Business & Marketing

On the wing with the Blackbird Café

What do you get when you combine a former professional tennis player, Darling Harbour, a neo-retro restaurant, colorful employees and great food? What you get is the extremely successful Blackbird Café. As senior editor of PMQ Magazines, I have had the privilege of visiting pizzerias everywhere from Milan and Venice, … More

Business & Marketing

Madison's marketing mania

What would you do if you opened four new stores in seven months? Chuck Darrah and his wife Melissa, owners of Madison’s Pizzeria in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were faced with just that question. Madison’s Pizzeria, open since 2000, currently has five stores open and running. Through a variety of marketing, Chuck … More

Business & Marketing

The ice dream: ice cream and gelato

America’s favorite dessert (ice cream of course) draws crowds—and their money—every year, regardless of outside temperatures, diets and other dessert alternatives. Almost everyone enjoys a scoop of ice cream every once in a while. In fact, we all love ice cream so much that in the year 2002, the United … More

From the Editor

Cheese price volatility and price expectations

Cheese prices were undoubtedly volatile during 2003 and thus far in 2004, but that's not necessarily a surprising development, for a couple of reasons. First, cheese prices have shown extreme volatility almost every year since 1996. Simply put, the odds greatly favor volatile rather than flat or relatively flat prices. … More

Business & Marketing

Answer this question and watch customers line up

There is only one question your potential prospects want answered before they risk their money with you: “Why should I do business with you instead of your competition?” Basically, they want to know: “What’s in it for me?” This is especially true if you have a new business and you … More

Business & Marketing

From the horse's mouth

Everyone does business a different way. In this new department, PMQ will pose two to three questions each issue to a group of owners/operators from across the country so you can see what others think about certain topics. In this department, you get the word straight from the horse's mouth. … More

Business & Marketing

PMQ's idea forum

Strategy #23b Attractive Apparel – Selling Pizza with Style The next time you have an opportunity, observe the number of people wearing polo, T-shirt, hat or other garment with a company logo, and message. Surely you will see names of many local retail identities, especially eateries. People love to receive … More