Rick Hynum

Pizza News No pizzeria in the U.S. has made better pizza than Una Pizza Napoletana, owned by Anthony Mangieri, in the past five years.

How does 50 Top Pizza define excellence in the pizza world? The prestigious worldwide guide to pizza doesn't get super specific—great food, great service, etc. But take a look at its “Excellent Pizzerias” list for 2026, a companion list to the annual ranking of the 50 Best Pizzerias in the U.S., and you'll have to admit: Those “pizza inspectors” have good taste.

Marketing Does Dave Portnoy “get” Chicago tavern-style pizza? The manager of has his doubts.

By Tracy Morin Combine a pizza-obsessed father with two sons who grew up to develop, between them, a culinary background and an entrepreneurial drive, and perhaps a pizzeria must be born. At least, that's how it happened for Brett and Chadd Nemec, co-owners of two booming Chicago brands—Zazas Pizzeria and Nemec Brothers Pizzeria.

Editor's note: As a bona fide “cheese whiz,” consultant Mark “The Cheese Dude” Todd shares his top tips on controlling cheese costs in the article below. But wait, there's more! Don't miss our upcoming webinar, “Controlling Your Cheese Costs,” featuring The Cheese Dude and veteran pizzeria owner/operators Sean Dempsey

Story by Tracy Morin | Photos courtesy of Palermo Italian Restaurant Anthony “Tony” Fanara opened Los Angeles' Palermo Italian Restaurant in 1976 with 18 seats and a dream. But the reality was far from glamorous. “It was a very big struggle for about one year,” he recalls. “One of the waitresses didn't get paid—she just worked for tips. When I met my wife, she became a waitress, too.”

Most pizzerias boast that they offer “Pizza, Pasta, Subs, Calzones, Salads, Wings and More!” I would bet your menu consists of most of these items as well. I would also bet that having all these options potentially limits your growth and profitability. I am not saying that having an extensive menu is bad. I'm just saying “less is more,” and you may not see that your menu might be holding you back from becoming a high- or higher-volume pizzeria.

Marketing By Tracy Morin If you're just entering the school-service game, you may wonder where—and how—to begin.

By Brian Hernandez You know the old saying, “Stop and smell the roses.” What if we took that advice a little more literally—grabbed the nearest flower and slapped it on a pizza? Enter the squash blossom. It's exactly what it sounds like: the vibrant, edible flower of the squash plant—delicate, trumpet-shaped, and often bright yellow or orange. Squash blossoms look like the kind of flower you'd see on a kid's drawing of the sun, not necessarily on your dinner plate. But chefs around the world have turned them into a culinary darling, thanks to their mild flavor and tender texture.

Hungry Howie's, with nearly 500 stores in 18 states, is getting ready to implement a new AI-powered restaurant management platform across all franchised locations, the company announced. A partnership with Restaurant365 is aimed at standardizing inventory management, scheduling, labor management and operational reporting across the Hungry Howie's system. All new franchisees will have to adopt Restaurant365's accounting platform as well. The brand began implementing Restaurant365 in pilot stores in August 2025 before expanding the partnership systemwide as part of its broader strategy to modernize operations and better support franchise growth.