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Today on This Week In Pizza: Playing the Fool for Free Pizza; Free Webinar Covers Social Media; and American Heroes Serve Pies for Veterans' Cause

Everyone knows that social media is the new big marketing tool of the decade, but using it correctly is the real challenge. A free webinar, presented by Moving Targets, will teach you how to promote your restaurant-and how not to promote it-on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The webinar, called "The Best Social Media Practices for Pizza Shops," will take place at 2 p.m. Eastern time, Tuesday, April 9. It will cover the do's and don'ts of managing social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. You'll learn what to post, when and where to post it and how to better engage your customers-and potential customers-through social media. You must register by Monday, April 8, to participate. For more details or to register for the free webinar, visit pmq.com/webinar or click the link below.

[Click Here to Register…]

According to research by The NPD Group, deals and discounts failed to drive traffic to restaurants in 2012 as much as they've done in previous years, and younger customers in particular just aren't biting.

As Nation's Restaurant News reports, The NPD Group attributes the decrease to restaurant chains' increased reliance on bundled meals and value menu offerings which were designed to wean customers off of standard discounts. Some deals have been in place so long that they're no longer seen as bargains to consumers, while others simply don't offer enough perceived value for price-sensitive younger customers, the study shows. Researchers suggested that restaurants should re-engineer their special offers to appeal to younger diners.

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A promotion to raise money for World War II veterans netted more than $3,000 at Arni's Restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, recently, according to WLFI.com.

American soldiers, attired in camouflage, played host, seated customers, took orders and served food as part of the "Tip a Soldier" event, which was organized by Arni's and the Indiana Gold Star Mothers Organization. For the second year in a row, the soldiers collected tips and donations to help send local World War II veterans on a one-day, all-expenses-paid trip-called an "honor flight"-to Washington, D.C. to visit the National World War II Memorial. The Gold Star Mothers sponsored three honor flights for 238 WWII veterans in 2012.

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No foolin'-it pays to act like a doofus sometimes.

Papa Murphy's Take 'N Bake shops in Tampa, Florida, and other cities gave away free pepperoni pies on April Fool's Day to folks who willingly made fools of themselves, according to the Tampa Tribune. Customers were encouraged to don a crazy costume, sing a cheesy song, tell bad jokes or perform other off-the-wall stunts before leaving with their ready-to-bake pizzas. The promotion was offered only to the first 200 customers.

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