Within the July difficulty of Pizza At present, Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White requested the query, “is pizza quick meals?” He then answered with a convincing no, laying out his argument as to why pizza is something however quick meals. Not lengthy after the commentary was revealed, the letters and e-mails got here pouring in. Pizzeria operators from throughout the nation, independents and chains alike, applauded the column. It appears the business was prepared for a rally cry.
At about the identical time, Matt McClellan, proprietor of Tour de Pizza in St. Petersburg, Florida, was on a mission of his personal. He needed to teach America about pizza’s optimistic attributes. To do that, he hopped on a motorcycle and hit the street. Biking a lot of the way in which from St. Petersburg to New York Metropolis, McClellan stopped in at dozens of pizzerias up the East Coast and held press conferences during which he touted pizza as a part of an general balanced food plan. Pizza At present writer Pete Lachapelle pedaled a part of the way in which with McClellan, and the aforementioned White, together with Pizza At present Artwork Director Josh Keown and Internet Developer Dennis Wyatt, additionally made appearances on the Tour.
“I obtained uninterested in folks at my native gymnasium calling pizza junk meals,” says McClellan. “I needed to show that you would eat pizza and be wholesome. So I went on a 30-day pizza food plan and nonetheless misplaced weight and lowered my ldl cholesterol.”
Provides White: “It’s time to vary pizza’s quick meals picture. Pizza clearly is just not quick meals. Interval.” White argues that America’s pizzerias make their merchandise to order, whereas quick meals eating places have gadgets prepared always.
“At a quick meals restaurant, you decide a quantity from a menu board and are handed your meal 30 seconds later,” says White. “At a pizzeria, you customise your meal after which wait 15 to twenty minutes whereas the workers makes your order contemporary. The dough is often contemporary and made in-house. The sauce has usually been custom-made. The pizza is baked contemporary and served contemporary and piping scorching. It’s handy, but it surely certain isn’t quick. Nor ought to or not it’s. High quality takes time.”
White says operators ought to take a cue from the Tour de Pizza and host their very own media occasion. There’s no higher promoting than free information press, he says.
“You don’t must cycle lots of or hundreds of miles to be newsworthy,” he suggests. “Small, native newspapers throughout the nation are ravenous for good tales. What have you ever performed just lately that’s newsworthy? If nothing involves thoughts, plan an occasion now. Begin a fundraiser for a neighborhood elementary college or create a enjoyable contest. Then ship a press launch to the native options or enterprise editor. Inform them what you’re doing and why it should profit the neighborhood. If it isn’t purely self-serving, the press will almost certainly have an interest.”
In actual fact, says White, October is an ideal time to go after native press. It’s Nationwide Pizza Month. “That’s a narrative of instant curiosity,” says White. “Ship native newspapers and radio stations a pizza and a press launch. The headline ought to learn: ‘Pizza XYZ Celebrates Nationwide Pizza Month by Elevating Cash for Native Youngsters’s Hospital.’ No matter your promotion is, tie it in to Nationwide Pizza Month. Inform the press that for one weekend in October, or the entire month, or sooner or later — no matter works for you — that you just’ll donate ‘X’ % of your gross sales to a neighborhood group as your approach of celebrating Nationwide Pizza Month. That’s the kind of story that attracts curiosity from editors.”
Don’t overlook, whenever you do get press, to say that pizza is just not quick meals — it’s one thing extra substantial and healthful. It’s a message the general public ought to hear, says White. , “A few of pizza’s key attributes are comfort and value,” says White. “Mockingly, these traits have helped put pizza into the quick meals nook within the eyes of many. If you concentrate on it, that’s what pizza and quick meals have in widespread — comfort and affordability. However value and worth shouldn’t be confused: value is what you pay; worth is what you get. Let’s face it, pizza offers far more worth than quick meals. Few would argue that. However the business hasn’t performed an excellent job of driving that time house. It’s time that occurs.” Begin by having a look at a few of pizzas advantages, says White. Take lycopenes, for instance.
“Lycopenes are terribly good for the human physique — and tomatoes are an amazing supply of lycopenes,” says White. “Lycopenes are highly effective antioxidants which have been proven to scale back the chance of prostate most cancers and defend in opposition to coronary heart illness. Your pizza sauce is filled with lycopenes. Do your prospects know that?”
Pizza additionally accommodates loads of calcium. And whereas it’s true that pizza is excessive in fats and sodium, it will possibly match into an general balanced food plan. “I eat pizza on a regular basis, however I handle to remain skinny and have good ldl cholesterol,” says White. “The secret’s that I train day by day and stability my meals. If I do know I’m having three slices of pizza for dinner, I be certain I’ve a salad or loads of greens and fruits for lunch. It isn’t a tough equation. If you happen to burn extra energy than you soak up, you’re not going to achieve weight.” Whereas most individuals assume pizza constitutes a excessive calorie meal, the actual fact is that balancing greens and protein and reducing the cheese portion a bit could make all of the distinction. In actual fact, says White, most individuals eat much more energy in different sorts of eating places and don’t realize it.
“A part of the issue is that many eating places are afraid to publish their dietary info,” he says. “They know the information isn’t good, in order that they choose to not share it with prospects. In consequence, most individuals actually do not know what they’re taking in once they exit to eat. They have a tendency to grossly underestimate the variety of energy and fats.”
For instance, “usually, ballpark, two slices of pepperoni pizza will equal proper round 700 energy,” White says. “Which will sound dangerous. However examine it to different meals on the market, and also you’ll see that what a median buyer would possibly eat elsewhere truly provides as much as extra energy. Spaghetti and meatballs at Olive Backyard, for instance, takes you over 1,000 energy, in response to Olive Backyard’s Web page.
“Go to many informal eating eating places, like Outback Steakhouse or Applebees or Ruby Tuesday, and there’s a extremely good likelihood your meal will go over 1,000 energy. Even the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich at Panera Bread is 610 energy. Have a facet merchandise with that and also you’re over 700 energy.” ?
