This Week in Pizza – March 19th, 2014

Hispanics and Hispanic-Americans are more likely than other demographic groups to choose pizza when they go out for dinner, reports Ad Age Magazine. But cultural and language differences can pose a challenge to pizzeria operators looking to connect with the Hispanic-American community. Missy Green, PMQ’s international correspondent, has talked to Hispanics around the world and offers six tips for marketing to this fast-growing demographic. Here are three of them:

* Offer online ordering. This eliminates misunderstandings due to the language barrier.

* Stress wholesome values. Hispanic cultures structure their lives around family, hard work and God.

* Use authentic Mexican ingredients, such as chorizo or chile peppers.

Get three more tips at Pizza Without Borders.

The military has finally figured out a way to provide pizza to soldiers stationed overseas. After years of trial and error, the pizza slices will be available as Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), with a life span of up to three years. Curious about what the pizzas look and taste like?

Read more about it at The Pizza Insider.

When John Arena, owner of Metro Pizza and Lulu’s Bread & Breakfast in Las Vegas, joined us in the PMQ Test Kitchen last month, we also invited legendary rock music photographer Dick Waterman to drop by and shoot a few pictures. Before long, these two erudite and well-traveled men struck up a fascinating discussion about pizza culture and rock icons like Jimi Hendrix and Van Morrison.

Listen in on the conversation at PizzaTV.com.

Another pizzeria in the Northeast has gotten an unexpected boost from Hollywood’s A-listers, thanks to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Fallon surprised his guest Tina Fey earlier this week with a pie from her favorite hometown pizza joint, Pica’s Restaurant in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. And just as Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizza in Hollywood scored huge free publicity when host Ellen Degeneres ordered its pizzas live during the Oscars broadcast and handed out slices to movie stars, Pica’s has been slammed with orders ever since. “This was something we were not expecting, because we thought Tina would receive the pizza behind the scenes and not on-air,” manager Lori Pica-Rosario told Philly.com. “We are beyond thrilled. This has given us a sense of pride in our family business, our employees and our customers.”
 

Read more at PMQ.com.

PizzaInsurance.com, created by former pizzeria owner/operator Jason Upton, has signed on as a sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team. PizzaInsurance.com, the only insurance agency created by a pizzeria operator for pizzeria operators, is the official insurance provider of the USPT and will help send the team to compete in the World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy, next month. This year’s team will consist of 15 pizza makers and dough spinners competing in events ranging from Traditional Culinary to Freestyle Dough Acrobatics.
 

Click here for more information on becoming a USPT sponsor.

Franny’s, a popular Flatbush pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York, recently debuted 16 new pizzas for an in-house “Sweet 16” competition leading up to the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. The individual pizzas will compete for sales this week, with the less popular pies getting eliminated and the bigger sellers moving up until a winner is named on Friday, March 21. The winning pizza will stay on the menu through the end of the month. Current contenders include pies with names like Don’t Blame the ‘Scarole, the Beetza, the Radichulous, Carrot Top, Pickles and Pancetta, the First Date and the Captain Beefheart. The promotion has earned free publicity for Franny’s on websites and blogs such as The Daily Meal, Grubstreet and brokelyn.com.
 

Read more at PMQ.com.