Sure, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms will always be beloved pizza toppings. But as patrons’ palates evolve, so does their desire for trendy toppings. Filling this of-the-moment-ingredient spot is the artichoke. The artichoke is a member of the thi...

From time to time, I get questions from operators wanting to know what the secret is to making a decent thin-crust or thick-crust pizza. To answer this question, I’d like to share some tips for making both thin- and thick-crust pizzas. Thick-cr...

Frank McCarron, general manager/ chef at Portino’s Fresh Italian in Valley Center, California, wanted to freshen up his menu. So he decided not to introduce a new type of pizza, but instead opted to incorporate seafood pasta specials. “Seafood pa...

A neat, clean and organized kitchen is always a happy kitchen. Life in our pizzerias can be hectic. When compared to other restaurants, I think we put out a larger menu with a much smaller space, for the most part. It creates a lot of work and a lot ...

We all make mistakes (ever forgot a birthday or anniversary?). Usually we can make amends in some fashion (roses? dinner out?) and life goes on. In the business we are in, mistakes can cause a deeper problem –– like a customer not coming ...

What exactly is soppressata? In a nutshell, it’s a form of dry- cured salami. A specialty of southern Italy, it is traditionally made using pork (beef is used on occasion). The basic seasonings include cracked red pepper and garlic. Depending o...

We’ve beat this drum before, but we’ll continue to beat it until operators everywhere heed the call and begin taking portion control seriously. The fact of the matter is that portion control is sound business that should save you at least five pe...

Grill it. Roast it. Fry it. Smoke it. Pizzeria operators have a seemingly endless list of ways to prepare chicken. However, deciding on what type to chicken to use — fresh or frozen — is more limited. There are benefits to both. “Fr...

Tradition says that pizza places need to offer soda, pitchers of beer and maybe a couple of wine options. But now, with pizza moving more upscale and customers expecting a wider variety of options, many restaurants have gone the way of full bars &nda...

There’s hardly a better accompaniment to a great sandwich than potato chips or fries. But in the pizza business, where kitchens often are small and a fryer isn’t always required, chips typically get the call. Which isn’t a bad thing at all: Ame...

Q: We want to make some type of apple dessert pizza. What can you suggest that is easy to make? One of my all time favorites is a dessert pizza, and making them is almost as much fun as eating them. They are really very easy and they don’t requ...

Lasagna, much like pizza, is one of the most recognized and accepted names in the Italian culinary lexicon. Adults and children of all ages do not have to be convinced to order lasagna, but that easy sell can turn into a bad scene unless you get it r...