Smart marketing is a trademark of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, and here’s the latest example: To celebrate his company’s 20th anniversary this month, founder Mike Bausch recruited three local influencers to help him create, introduce and promote a trio of new specialty pizzas.
In a fast-moving, high-energy social media post on January 8, Bausch announced the collaboration, which benefits the nonprofit Tulsa City Lights. Each new pizza is named after the influencer who created it, and all three were featured in the social media post to build excitement.
The trio of influencers also appeared together that same day on local TV station News on 6, showing off their pies and garnering enthusiastic approval from the host, who sampled, oohed and aahed over each pizza.
“Whichever sells the most is going on the menu indefinitely,” Bausch said in the post.
@andolinisworldwide 🎉 ANDOLINI’S TURNS 20 TODAY! 🎉 And to celebrate, we’ve teamed up with 3 of Tulsa’s influencers-@the918agent, @highitstarra, and @tulsabite- to create their dream pizzas. 🍕 Here’s the deal: ✨ Every pizza sold supports City Lights Tulsa, helping those in need. 🏆 The pizza with the most sales by March earns a permanent spot on the menu! Join the celebration, taste the creations, and give back to Tulsa. 💛 #Andolinis20Years #CityLightsTulsa #TulsaEats #PizzaWithPurpose ♬ original sound – Andolini’s Worldwide
Introducing The 918 Agent was digital creator and Tulsa realtor Stephen Hester (@the918agent), who touted a pie with a white base, pancetta, fried onions and honey. He has nearly 49,000 followers on Instagram and 58,600 followers on TikTok. “It’s absolutely delicious—unique, balanced and memorable,” Hester told News on 6.
The High It’s Tarra pizza was created by Tarra Quinn (@highitstarra), who has almost 41,000 followers on TikTok and 8,500-plus Instagram followers. Her ranch-based pie comes topped with pickles, pancetta and a drizzle of garlic olive oil. “I created a pickle pizza because I wanted something different,” Quinn said in the News on 6 segment. “It’s unlike anything they currently offer, and every pickle lover deserves to have a pickle pizza option.”
An influencer known as @tulsabite, showed off the Tulsa Bite pizza, featuring cup-and-char pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, peppadew peppers and a ranch drizzle with hot honey. Tulsa Bite has nearly 41,000 followers on Instagram and 5,067 followers on TikTok. “These small pepperonis have the perfect amount of crisp and flavor,” the influencer said. “I love a bit of a spicy kick so I added pickled jalapenos. I also added peppadew peppers for some sweetness.”
Bausch knows how to get the most out of an anniversary celebration. In January 2023, he invited pizza fans to help Andolini’s set a new record for the world’s largest pizza party. That event drew 3,357 people to the University of Tulsa’s Donald W. Reynolds Center prior to a UT basketball game against Tulane University and earned certification from Guinness World Records. It also raised more than $40,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
