Chicago – The restaurant industry is experiencing one of the biggest shifts in consumer behaviour since the drive-through, and operators must adapt their off-premise business strategy, says a new industry study.

Edmontonr – A fire early Wednesday in the Edmonton commercial building that houses Maximo's Pizza and Donair caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services says. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

Ottawa – People working in Ottawa's food scene are surprised to see their restaurants on a delivery app's offerings, especially because no one asked them if they wanted to be on the menu. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

Is your pizzeria's lease coming up for renewal soon? Here are a few commercial lease renewal “do’s and don’ts” that Dale Willerton – The Lease Coach – will be discussing in more detail as a featured speaker at the Canadian Pizza Summit on Monday, Oct.15, in Toronto.

Do you collect information from your customers? Marketing expert Marc Gordon shares five ways to collect and manage that information responsibly.

Safety is a big concern for pizzeria delivery drivers. Here is some valuable advice from operators and the police on how to keep your drivers safe this summer.

If information is power, and data is information, then we’re all euchred.

A money-back guarantee is a very powerful marketing strategy.    

Who would have thought that a first-time pizza job would teach you lifelong skills? I mean, you go to your first job not really thinking about the skills you are learning but more about the money you are making.

In my experience as a registered massage therapist (RMT), I have seen many people with aches and pains from all walks of life, particularly those with highly physically demanding jobs. Many of these pains can be preventable with just a little bit of time dedicated to preparing the body for the tasks it is about to do.

Designing a new website for a small pizzeria can be overwhelming. You might be wondering what to include on yours.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business this spring hosted a webinar entitled “Getting smart about seasonal hiring” that provided useful tips for improving your seasonal hiring success.

Snag, an online marketplace for hourly jobs in the U.S., has begun offering its recruiting services to employers in Canada.

Red Bull, known for its energy drinks, launched a line of organic soft drinks in early June.

Prolon, a commercial melamine tableware company, recently showcased its new colours and heat-resistant Micropure technology at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May.

After a new look for your restaurant's decor? Ceilume's new decorative thermoformed panels may be used to create dramatic and affordable effects on ceilings and accent walls.

Midea's new FlashGriller combines three cooking technologies and an intuitive programmable control centre.

ComplianceMate showcased the eHACCP industry’s first LoRa-enabled temperature sensor at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

Paytronix Systems has added to its online ordering app new designed to give businesses more control over their mobile experience and to get their mobile apps up and running quickly and cost effectively.

World Centric will debut its tree-free, plant-based, compostable pizza container for pizza takeout/delivery restaurants at the International Pizza Expo running March 20-22 in Las Vegas.

HealthSpace has teamed up with Keboola Data Services and Xotecx Solutions Corp. to make a quality control and customer experience app to improve food safety and customer engagement in restaurants.

Vancouver – Silver Chef Canada's goal is to provide funding and equipment rentals to hospitality businesses to help them grow and reach their potential over the next five years.

Restaurant technology company Ready has a new self-pay payment app that lets customers view their restaurant bill on their mobile device and pay in seconds.

Ardent Mills developed its new Primo Mulino Neapolitan-Style Pizza Mix for making authentic, thin pizza crusts in the tradition of Naples, Italy, where the famous pizza is hand-tossed and baked quickly in extremely high-heat gas or wood-burning ovens.

The uniqueness of Maurizio Mascioli’s pizza has made his season-driven shop popular with locals and a must-do for visitors of Parry Sound, Ont., and surrounding area.

A beautifully prepared sweet treat is not only the perfect way to round out a pizza order, it can also boost sales significantly. We’re not talking about days-old packaged cookies here – we’re talking handcrafted goodies made fresh daily that will have customers spreading the word on your behalf.

If the people who work for you are excited about being there, it has a positive impact on the strength of your brand. Experiences are delivered by people – and your people are your brand, so you should want them to be in a good place. It’s great in theory but how does it look in practice?

When Marc Askenasi and Sam Hazan were kicking around a soccer ball together in the 1990s, they did not imagine teaming up in the pizza business.

Montreal – McGill Pizza of Montreal has been a student favourite since it was founded in the 1960s, and chef and owner Costa Deligiannis is making sure it keeps its nostalgic appeal. The McGill Tribune reports. | READ MORE

Most operators in the pizza business in Canada will tell you it’s hard to find – and keep – good staff. A good employee is like gold.

Wayne deGroot and Jocelyn Morwood-deGroot, the owners of Zen’Za Pizzeria in London, Ont., have been on a health and career journey and ended up right where they should be.

We forget sometimes that pizza is fun. It’s a sentiment not lost on Chip Foster, the Canadian fashion designer known for his premium jeans beloved by the likes of Robin Wright, Sarah Jessica Parker and Beyonce.

Pizza lovers are dining al fresco in rural Manitoba and it all began with a wood-fired oven named Hildegard.

Pizza King of Kamloops, B.C., has been doing its best to boost the morale of citizens displaced by recent wildfires in surrounding areas.

Leamington, Ont. – Dominos Pizza of Canada chief executive Mike Schlater and his wife Lilibeth picked up the tab for the London Health Sciences Centre’s new brain surgery robot, forking over a $500,000 donation Tuesday. The Windsor Star reports. | READ MORE

Troy, OH – Hobart, a manufacturer of commercial food equipment has announced the winners of both a custom-painted mixer and a food processor.

Ottawa – Canadian mushroom growers produced 132,556 short tons of mushrooms in 2017, up 1.3 per cent from 2016, and the price of mushrooms rose by 2.8 per cent, says a report from Statistics Canada.

The Great Canadian Apple Bacon Cheddar Pizza celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday. This craveable pie won the Seasonal Pizza Challenge at the Canadian Pizza Show in 2017

When it comes to pizza, crust is king. With all due respect to signature sauce and premium toppings, I doubt I’ll get much argument from operators. But the latest pizza research backs up this grand claim.

Here’s a pizza that just may just lay to rest any debate about pineapple on pizza.

Bainbridge Island, WA – A small pizzeria near Seattle, Wash., says it's maintaining a genuine piece of Klondike Gold Rush history – a sourdough starter that has been alive about 120 years. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

This week's episode of Bakers Journal This Week marks the launch of a new three-part series on sourdough baking. Part 1 features Karl De Smedt, communication and training manager at Puratos, who shares some key aspects of sourdough’s fascinating nature. Our sister magazine, Bakers Journal reports. | READ MORE

Troy, OH – Hobart will give away a Legacy HL662 mixer designed on a craft beer theme at the International Pizza Expo and, in a separate online giveaway, an FP150 continuous-feed full hopper food processor.

Atlantic Canada's Piatto Pizza offers tips on how to make Neapolitan-style pizza, including opening the dough, saucing and topping the pie.

Here is a pizza recipe from Katrina Meynink of Good Food featuring some heat and fire and fresh veg crunch. | READ MORE

Dave Housman, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, Edmonton, Alta. www.famoso.ca

Continuing the topic from my last column, vegetarians and vegan folks are the largest growing market for our industry.  

Lifestyle shifts such as older Gen Zers beginning post-secondary school and millennials starting families are having a significant impact on the foodservice industry, says a new report from research firm Technomic.

Vegan barbecue and snacking with beer are among four food and drink trends we can expect to see this summer, according to a new international report from Mintel. 

Toronto – While traditional meals such as lunch and dinner are by far the most likely occasions Canadian diners go out to eat, the country’s youngest consumers are driving interest in non-traditional times for dining out, according to new research from Mintel.

Toronto – The annual Chefs Survey's top 10 trends and top 10 up-and-coming trends were identified this week at a Restaurants Canada industry event.

Vancouver – Vancouver city council has voted to ban plastic straws and foam cups and takeout containers effective June 1, 2019 – six months earlier than initially proposed – making it the first municipality in Canada to ban the single-use disposable items. The Vancouver Sun/Canadian Press reports. | READ MORE

Toronto – A Toronto–based app connecting restaurants and bars to temporary workers will soon be expanding to the city's retail market, adding a new dimension to the growing gig economy  — and raising questions about how to protect the workers who depend on it. CBC News reports. | READ MORE

Denver, CO – Ardent Mills’ culinary team recently shared ideas for using premium flours and grains to add value to pizza.

Ottawa – An online platform called Transparent Kitchen is connecting diners to restaurants and the suppliers who provide their ingredients. Andrew Coppolino reports for CBC News. | READ MORE

Vancouver – Customers coming for the tasting menus at Vancouver's Cacao restaurant must pay upfront when booking online, the same way they would for a theatre performance, concert or hockey game. Will the trend catch on with diners? The Globe and Mail reports. | READ MORE

The International Pizza Expo, held March 19-22 in Las Vegas, Nev., proved a great place to learn what pizza makers around the world are doing, which trends can translate to money for your pizzeria and what products are out there to make your work easier.

Edmonton – Pizza 106 in Edmonton celebrated its one-year anniversary Friday by offering all pizzas for $4.20 – a nod to the annual cannabis celebration on April 20. The Edmonton Star reports. | READ MORE

Toronto – It seems meat alternatives are increasingly making their way onto plates across the country as new research from Mintel suggests that more than half of Canadians say they eat meat alternatives, including one in five who claim to eat them a few times a week.