The Hot Slice – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Pizza Today crew is back together again. Jeremy, Denise and Josh hop on the podcast together for a special episode on the big 4th quarter for pizzerias and us. We’re here to help you get ready. 

We kick things off highlighting Pizza Expo’s newest event. PizzaCon, November 7 in Philadelphia. Registration is live, so secure your spot to attend today! Learn more about PizzaCon.

October is NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH, the best month of the year! We go into some tips and ways for you to capitalize on pizza month. We are here to help you plan to have the BIGGEST & BEST October National Pizza Month with the official NPM logo, graphics, fillable social media images, press release, customizable social media calendar, pizza fun facts and more. Go to the Toolkit. 

The year’s homestretch is filled with additional revenue generating opportunities from pizza’s biggest sales days, catering, holiday parties and gift cards. You won’t want to miss out on these sales avenues. We’re also talking about staying fully staffed and avoiding burnout. Read Time to Gear Up for the Holiday Season at Your Pizzeria.

As you can see, the 4th Quarter is a biggie. Let’s kick it off on the right foot with planning.

We’re not all business. We have some fun with Halloween. 

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This week, Denise goes one-on-one with Rick Herman, CEO of Log Home Wood Fired Pizza in McGregor, Minnesota, with a population of 350 people. So how has this business thrived for 10 years? Rick dives into the pivotal anniversary, focus of the business and how he’s been able to engage the community.

We also talk about the shifts the business has been required to make to operate in a hamlet dependent on tourism of northern Minnesota. Find out how he’s able to maximize winters.

He also shares a fun pizza special tied to a scholarship that he created, along with other marketing tactics.

We talk about the unique needs and operational considerations (like supply chain, delivery, growth) present in small town pizzerias. He offers advice on what to consider if you want to start a pizzeria in a small community. 

Learn more about Log Home Wood Fired Pizza at https://northwoodspizza.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/loghomepizza/ 

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Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/di.... It’s been a whirlwind since the announcement and even before that. Marisol has quickly garnered a reputation for her pizza and bagels, and it continues to grow. We talk about how the business started and its evolutions. We also dive into the Mississippi Delta region and pizza. 

Marisol has a passion for flavor combinations. We go into some of her menu favorites. As part of our Rising Stars feature, we asked Marisol: Your menu changes weekly? What goes into your creativity? She said, “We introduce a unique pizza special every week, a veggie option that changes from time to time, and five pizzas that always stay on the menu. Additionally, we offer a couple of salads, appetizers and desserts. Our customers really appreciate that we offer something different every week and that we try to make everything in-house. We draw inspiration from our travels, ingredients we enjoy and creative ideas on social media. My Mexican heritage also plays a big role in the specials. I often like to incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients to our pizzas. It usually takes us a day or two to come up with the perfect combination of ingredients. We test out the flavor combos to ensure our customers will like variety — and of course, we always want the end product to taste and look delicious.”

Check out the Rising Stars of the Pizza Industry featuring Marisol at: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-...

Learn more about Leña – Pizza + Bagels.
and check out the pizzeria and Marisol on Instagram at @lenapizzabagels  and @marisoldo.Over the next few episodes of The Hot Slice Podcast, we’re excited to let you get to know pizza makers and owners who we named Rising Stars in the Pizza Industry. We’re so impressed by Marisol Doyle, Co-owner/Pizzaiola, Leña – Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Leña was recently named a top pizza spot in the U.S in the feature: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/di.... It’s been a whirlwind since the announcement and even before that. Marisol has quickly garnered a reputation for her pizza and bagels, and it continues to grow. We talk about how the business started and its evolutions. We also dive into the Mississippi Delta region and pizza. 

Marisol has a passion for flavor comb

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We tap pizza industry veterans Scott Anthony, owner of Punxsy Pizza in Punxsutawney, PA, and pizza champion Eric Von Hansen, Executive Regional Chef at Caliente Pizza and Draft House in Pittsburgh, PA, to find out the pulse of Pizza & Pasta Northeast from the show floor at the Atlantic City Convention Center. We’re also talking business, operations and competing.

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Jeremy White and Denise Greer are roaming the Pizza & Pasta Northeast show floor talking pizza industry trends and key takeaways from the show. Hear about what’s trending in menu items and toppings, equipment and technology at the Atlantic City trade show that took place Oct 16-17.

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As Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, it is one of the last remaining pizzerias featuring a massive theatre pipe organ. Its Mighty Wurlitzer is the largest in the world. We chat with co-owner Jack Barz to find out what has kept the destination pizzeria a lasting success.
Don’t forget to read Jack Barz Conversation in the latest Pizza Today: https://pizzatoday.com/topics/people-pizzerias/conversation-jack-barz-organ-stop-pizza-mesa-arizona

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Joe and Jordan Hagy loved feeding their friends at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, so much that after graduation their dad Ralph joined them to open La Famiglia. The restaurant has taken a slow and steady approach to growing the business that today includes a satellite location at the university’s student center. Listen as they share how the Calabrian family brought Neapolitan pizza to the area.

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We sit down with Bill Oakley, longtime Show Director for International Pizza Expo as well as the Pizza & Pasta Northeast Show. Bill dishes on the happenings at next month's PPNE Show in Atlantic City. From the strong attendance numbers to the blockbuster lineup of seminars and demonstrations, Bill says this event is shaping up to be another winner.

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Mike Bausch, owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a favorite speaker. We talk Pizza & Pasta Northeast. He gets real about online ordering and the current climate in the industry and what you should be doing in your shop.

Show Notes:

There’s still time to sign up for his workshop: W03 Maximizing Online Ordering ($250) on Monday, October 17 from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. at Pizza & Pasta Northeast in Atlantic City. More details: https://ppne.pizzatoday.com/education/education-schedule/#w03-maximizing-online-ordering-250

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