After returning from the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, I always take a moment to reflect on why we compete as members of PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team. This year, we brought three of our team members along, introducing them to the pizza community and the world of competitions. They had an absolute blast.
The pizza community is truly a remarkable group of people. I’ve been in this business for about 30 years, but for the first 20, we didn’t prioritize attending trade shows, competitions or educational seminars. Knowing what I know now, I wish we had made that investment earlier. If we had, perhaps we’d still be running our first location today.
Why Should You Compete?
The reasons are many, but they boil down to a few key points. At first glance, you might think competitions are about proving your pizza is better than everyone else’s. In reality, that’s not the primary goal—nor should it be.
When mingling with other competitors, what you quickly realize is that they’re there to learn. Competitions are opportunities to explore new trends, techniques and approaches to the craft. Sure, everyone would love to win, but the real value lies in the shared passion and knowledge. Every pizza entered is an incredible creation made by someone dedicated to furthering the pizza community.
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By engaging with master pizza makers, you’ll discover ideas and techniques you may never have considered. Many people have been making dough for years without fully experimenting with its potential. There’s so much you can do with dough to create entirely new styles of pizza.
When entering your first competition, I suggest making something that you’ve made a hundred times. Intimidation often holds people back from competing—after all, making pizza in front of a crowd or a group of judges feels different than making it in your kitchen. To ease those nerves, stick to your best-selling specialty pizza. As you gain experience, you can start experimenting with unique ingredients and different styles of dough. Before competing, I never realized just how many styles of pizza exist or how much you can innovate with dough to create amazing crusts.
Opening Your Eyes to New Possibilities
For the first 20 years of my career, I wasn’t even aware of the vast range of pizza styles that exist. We focused on perfecting New York-style pizza and managing day-to-day operations. But after participating in competitions, I discovered a whole new world of pizza.
Today, at our shop, Taylors’ Pizza House, we serve four different styles of pizza and are experimenting with a fifth style for limited-time offers. Through competitions, we’ve learned how to manipulate dough to achieve different rises, textures and flavors. The operators we’ve met have generously shared their knowledge and passion, helping us grow our menu and business.
We’ve learned about dough innovation from Vitangelo Recchia of Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Restaurant, perfected Detroit-style pizzas with Jamie Culliton at The Nona Slice House, and gained insights into community-driven operations from Mike Pitera of Pizza A Modo Mio. Rico Lunardi of Slice on Broadway has shared strategies for managing multi-unit operations, while Sean Dempsey of Danger Von Dempsey’s introduced us to the art of pairing beer with pizza.
These are people I never would have met—let alone had meaningful conversations with—if we hadn’t started competing on the U.S. Pizza Team. Their insights have been invaluable in helping us grow.
The Marketing Value of Competing
Winning a few awards along the way doesn’t hurt, either. These accolades add credibility to your restaurant and provide powerful marketing opportunities. Local communities love to celebrate one of their own succeeding on an international stage, and media outlets are eager to share your story. Even just participating in a competition creates buzz that drives people to try your pizza.
Even if you don’t win, the support from your community is inspiring. Customers love seeing their favorite pizzeria represented, and their encouragement will motivate you to keep improving. Use social media and local media to amplify your efforts.
When you do compete, you should document your journey. Show your fans what you’re making, post behind-the-scenes content, and highlight the incredible creations of your competitors. Live-stream your competition entry to give your audience a sense of the excitement. When it’s all over, share your results and let people know how you stacked up against the best. Even if you don’t win, your customers will appreciate your passion and flock to your pizzeria to try your latest creation.
Final Thoughts
The next time you learn about a pizza competition, take the leap. Enter, learn, mingle and showcase your skills. It’s not only great for your soul—it’s fantastic for your business.
If you don’t win, it’s not a reflection of your pizza’s quality but a testament to your willingness to share your passion. Competitions offer a springboard to improvement. If you finish in the middle, use that as an incentive to get better. Talk with the top performers and learn what worked for them, then incorporate their insights into your craft. This could be the start of a new chapter in your pizza journey. Who knows? One day, you might find yourself on the top tier of the podium, grateful that you decided to embrace the competition life.
