A Family Affair

Everyone likes a good hamburger. It’s the go-to meal during a rushed lunch hour or a long, tiring road trip. It’s comfort food, it’s cheap, it’s filling. And ever since most of us were children, the marketing geniuses of Madison Avenue have been devising clever campaigns—involving orange-haired clowns, catchy jingles and cheap, disposable kiddie toys—to make us think of hamburgers as the ultimate “fun food.”

But, as every PMQ reader knows, pizza trumps a burger any day. Not just because of its versatility—pepperoni, sausage, beef, cheese, onions and peppers, all in a single bite!—but because it’s the ultimate “family food,” a great, big smorgasbord of flavors, aromas and textures in a single pie that’s designed specifically to be shared by all around the dinner table or the TV set.

In other words, pizza is better than a “happy meal”—it’s an event. It inspires hand-rubbing delight in the customer and a lifelong passion in the pizza maker. And, in the latter case, it’s a passion that seems to be encoded in the genes, passed down from mother to son, from father to daughter. Perhaps that’s why so many PMQ readers and profile subjects tend to be second- or third-generation pizzaioli, and they often raise their own kids to follow in the family business. “I’ve got pizza sauce running through my veins,” they’ll tell you, with more than a hint of pride. It’s such an apt metaphor that, no matter how many times I hear it, it always makes me nod and smile.

This month’s PMQ cover, created by graphic designer Eric Summers, celebrates pizza making as a family affair, capturing a special little moment in time with which, we believe, many of our readers will identify. This issue also spotlights our annual Pizza Pages business directory, offering a sample taken from our comprehensive online listing of industry suppliers, covering everything from staff uniforms and dough mixers to POS systems, ice machines and hot bags. Because, although good pizza may require only a few simple ingredients and a lot of love, today’s pizza restaurant requires a wide array of equipment, supplies and software to succeed.

We invite you to peruse the 2013 Pizza Pages in this month’s issue and visit ThePizzaPages.com for the complete listing. Save your copy and use it for future reference whenever you’re in the market for a new credit card processing company, a change in marketing strategy or a different brand of flour. Or just sneak a glimpse of the cover now and then to give yourself a little emotional lift, to remind yourself—after a long, difficult day’s work—why you got into this business in the first place: because pizza sauce flows through your veins, because it’s a passion that endures and inspires future generations, because it’s the world’s most awesome food, and, with the right ingredients and equipment, no one makes it better than you.

Thank you, as always, for reading PMQ, and, hey, keep those cards and letters (and emails) coming!

Rick Hynum
Editor-in-chief
PMQ Pizza Magazine