The Pizza Expo is an event for pizzeria owners, some just starting out and some that have decades of experience, that all come to the Expo for the latest information on everything related to pizza. It’s held at the Las Vegas convention center annually. While we limited our day’s visit to the Expo floor many of the attendees attended four days of seminars for education and demonstrations on everything from employee retention to the newest products.
Photo credit: Ed Bushman
Marketing, the perfect pizza, top trends, menu development, pizza crust boot camp, what customers want in the pandemic, logistics of offering multiple pizza styles, fighting complacency, understanding cheese prices, working with family, using video to grow, cleaning procedures, building a beverage program, the pizza box, history, delivery and carryout – were just a few of the seminar topics. Speakers included pizza restaurant owners, consultants, business experts and culinary schoolteachers.
In the magazine program there were two pages of new products being shown at the Expo, a page of new exhibitors, and the alphabetical listing of all of the exhibitors was at least eight pages long. A category listing, again multi-pages, makes it easier to locate the vendor that sells what you may be looking for. These are just some of the categories: advertising, artichokes, automated systems, banners, bar equipment, beef toppings, bread, calamari, cannoli, cash systems, cheese alternatives, condiments, consultants, chicken wings, coffee, cookware, dinnerware, cutlery, cups, delivery bags, dough proofers, entertainment, flour, frozen products, Italian food and drink, marinades, meat alternatives, menu boards, mixers, oils, olives, onions, ovens, peppers, Philadelphia steaks, pizza cutters, pasta, non-meat pizza toppings, promotional items, barbeque sauce, hot sauce, salami, sandwiches, salad, tomato sauce, seafood, security equipment, slicers and dicers, table tents, soups and stews, tomatoes, vegetables and web development.
From my social media, “So much to see, learn and taste at yesterday’s Pizza Expo! From the grids you can see some of our favorites that included Dole for pineapple on pizza, Nutella for dessert, Eau Galle Cheese is so tasty, Vero Gelato for something cool, Bel Gioioso Cheese has always been a favorite of mine, Tomate San Marzano tastes so fresh I can’t believe it’s canned, Turano Bread is yum-worthy, Killer Brownie looked amazing, Bill’s Lemonade really is so good frozen, Peroni beer had a popular booth, Fire Within Pizza ovens look like something a firefighter would definitely want, Melinda’s Foods hot sauce for pizza, and Ooni Pizza Ovens for pizza at home! (Click this to see three photo grids. Photo credits: Ed Bushman.)
Pizzeria Industry 2019 Trends (From Pizza Today website)
If you want to get an idea of how much the pizzeria industry has changed, find a beautiful photo of pizza today and compare it to a comparable shot 6 – 8 years ago. Pizza is maturing as a cuisine.
Some of the key trends to watch for:
1. Third-party delivery seems to be an answer to many owners delivery problems, Grub Hub, Lyft, Uber and Amazon are all in the food delivery business. The key is agreeing to a contract that benefits both the pizzeria and the delivery service.
2. Online ordering and smartphone appsare critical revenue-generating tools for pizzeria chains and growing in popularity amongst independent operators as well.
3. The introduction of regional styleshas dominated the scene for the last three years. Where there was one style of pizza in most pizzerias, the current trend is to add an additional style or two. Pan pizzas, such as Detroit, Grandma and Roman seem to be the most popular right now.
4. Dome-top ovensdefinitely have the “look” pizzerias are searching for, traditionally fired with coal and wood, BUT gas and electric fired ovens are regaining popularity.
5. The use of Mobile pizzerias is growingfaster than we expected! Food trucks and trailers continue to become more advanced and efficient. Today they’re attracting not only weekend pizzaiolos, but many brick and mortar pizzeria owners are seeing the benefits to adding a mobile unit to their business.
6. Gluten Free pizzais here to stay. Flour millers now have GF flours that would satisfy even the most knowledgeable consumers.
As the industry’s leading source of Pizzeria Business Information, Pizza Today & International Pizza Expo look to accomplish two primary goals:
- To increase the success rate of independent and multi-unit pizzerias over and above any other type of food service operation.
- To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of pizzeria industry suppliers’ marketing & advertising budgets through the use of Pizza Today, Pizza Expo and our other related services
Those have been our primary goals for the last 38 years and they’ll continue to be for at least another 38 years!
Hot 100 Independents by the Numbers
- 17% have a buffet
- 34% offer take-n-bake
- 49% sell spirits
- 49% offer online ordering
- 50% sell slices
- 63% serve pasta
- 74% have a gluten-friendly menu
- 75% cater events
- 77% serve beer
- 79% serve wine
- 81% serve sandwiches
- 89% serve appetizers
- 97% serve salad
- 99% use a POS system
Website: https://www.pizzaexpo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PizzaExpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PizzaExpo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pizzaexpo/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PizzaTodayMagazine
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
Among the curriculum, Le Cordon Bleu will also propose a programme dedicated to Saudi Arabian Cuisine, to highlight the local ingredients, flavours and gastronomy. Present in the biggest gastronomic capitals, Le Cordon Bleu aims to support the Cuisines of the World and has developed many diplomas and certificates to celebrate Peruvian, Brazilian, Mexican, Spanish, Japanese, Thai cuisines. Among these courses, some are accredited by the local education ministry, guaranteeing authenticity and respect for the principles taught.
Led by celebrity chef Brian Duffy, the show’s F and B Innovation Center served as an anchor to the Expo Hall Floor, where thousands of industry professionals had the opportunity to learn from esteemed chefs and industry leaders. Following the event, Duffy and his team prioritized donating the remaining food and water and gathered more than 7,000 pounds of produce, meat, water, and dry goods to be given to Nevadans in need.
This is the second time that the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation has been lauded by this highly regarded industry publication. In 2006, the Ahnala Mesquite Room received the “Award of Excellence,” recognizing the restaurant’s wine list that featured a well-chosen assortment of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. The fact that the tribal nation has now been granted two Wine Spectator awards for excellence – an achievement rare among tribal casinos – affirms their commitment to delivering an exceptional culinary experience.
“It was so wonderful to have our chefs and attendees back together at The Sugar Mill this year,” said Aimee Brown, NOWFE Executive Director. “Our chefs presented dishes that proved to be outstanding and a diverse culinary representation of all that our City has to offer.”
“Few business sectors were more impacted than the California dining industry, and although disappointed that we will not be able to gather this August, we know this is the right decision. With overwhelming support from the community for the 2022 event, we are confident we will successfully bring the restaurant and foodservice industry back together for an even stronger event in Los Angeles,” said Greg Topalian, CEO of Clarion Events North America, producers of the food and beverage portfolio of events. “Our events are here to support the industry as a partner, and we know this is the right decision for our community. We are confident that as the industry rebounds next year, the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo and Healthy Food Expo West will be the must attend events in August 2022, and overwhelming support from the vendor community points to a strong return to a live event in Los Angeles”.
Hotel Citrine joins Tribute Portfolio, part of Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s extraordinary portfolio of brands. Tribute Portfolio is a growing global family of characterful, independent hotels drawn together by their passion for captivating design and drive to create vibrant social scenes for guests and locals. The hotel is owned and developed by T2 Hospitality, managed by Evolution Hospitality and located on the same campus AC Hotel Palo Alto, which opened this past spring, also part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.
With the pandemic forcing the closure of bars and restaurants across the globe, consumer behaviour has adjusted accordingly in the last year, and this trend looks set to continue. According to research group IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, “premium-and-above spirits are forecasted to increase their global volume market share to 13% by 2024 as consumers continue to favor quality over quantity.” As locked-down consumers seek out more premium products, this may have an unexpected positive impact on smaller producers, who had previously competed with major brands for space on the bar.
