For restaurateurs, making the annual 50 Top Pizza guide to the world’s best pizzerias is like rocket fuel for their business, leading to free media publicity, enhanced credibility and marketing opportunities that can be capitalized on year-round. So what are these owners and chefs doing right?
To find out, PMQ has added a ninth panel session—“Secrets of a 50 Top Pizza Restaurant”—to the upcoming Pizza Power Forum, taking place September 4-5 in Atlanta. The session will feature three masters of the pizza trade who were honored last month by 50 Top Pizza: Juan G. Perez, an industry influencer and executive chef at Posto in Boston; Peyton Smith, owner of Mission Pizza Napoletana in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Janet Zapata, a past PMQ Pizza cover subject and owner of 550 Pizzeria in Laredo, Texas.
“The idea for this panel came to us after the 2024 50 Top Pizza list for the U.S. came out in June,” said PMQ editor in chief Rick Hynum. “What does it take to make that prestigious list? If you’re on it, that suggests you’re always at the top of your game because 50 Top Pizza’s reviewers don’t tell you they’re coming. It’s all done anonymously. They slip in, they eat at your restaurant, and they slip out again. And they’re not just judging you on your pizza; they check out the full menu and take service, atmosphere and decor into consideration. But you never know they’re there. Your team has to always be ‘on.’ So how do you build an operation like that? This panel session is an opportunity to learn from some of the best in the pizza world.”
Here’s a closer look at the panelists for “Secrets of a 50 Top Pizza Restaurant”:
Juan G. Perez: With Perez leading its crack kitchen staff, Posto claimed the No. 41 spot in 50 Top Pizza’s latest U.S. guide, after landing at No. 47 in 2023. Boston Magazine has hailed Posto as the city’s best Neapolitan pizzeria, while USA Today and Eater Boston named it one of the premier dining spots in Boston. Through his masterful work at Posto and his massive social media following (800,000-plus followers across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook), Perez has emerged as a highly respected figure worldwide, overseeing an acclaimed Neapolitan-style menu that balances tradition with innovative twists and inspiring both his crew and industry newcomers to excel, believe and achieve. (Click here to learn more about Juan G. Perez.)
Peyton Smith: Mission Pizza Napoletana has scored a place on 50 Top Pizza’s list four years in a row, climbing to No. 22 this year. His philosophy for wowing customers: Encourage them to forget about the menu and let the staff create a one-of-a-kind pizza experience tailored to the individual. A business-minded strategist who also savors his off-hours, Smith manages a crew of about a dozen fulltime employees, but his commitment to “working harder, not smarter” means they can be super-productive and still live full lives outside the restaurant. (Click here to learn more about Peyton Smith.)
Janet Zapata: Driven by faith, hard work, love for community and high-spirited creativity, Zapata often says she has “manifested” her success at 550 Pizzeria, listed among 50 Top Pizza’s “Excellent Pizzerias” in the U.S. for 2024. That honor places her restaurant in American pizza’s upper echelon alongside icons like Lucali in New York, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty in Portland, and Pizzeria Vetri in Philadelphia. But Zapata’s close personal bond with her team members makes 550 Pizzeria an even more special place, where everyone is encouraged to manifest their own dreams while offering a warm and loving environment for their guests. (Click here to learn more about Janet Zapata.)
Taking place at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, the inaugural Pizza Power Forum will feature a total of nine panel sessions and fireside chats led by pizza industry veterans and rising stars. It’s co-located with the second annual QSR Evolution Conference and the NextGen Restaurant Summit, and one ticket to the Pizza Power Forum includes a full-access pass to all three events, keynote speakers and after-hours parties.
In addition to “Secrets of a 50 Top Pizza Restaurant,” the Pizza Power Forum offers high-powered sessions on everything from robotics and automation to dough management, menu development and growing your pizzeria to multiple locations. Click here to learn more about the event and then register here for $149.
