When it comes to taking care of customers, sometimes people go a little further than expected, writes customer service expert Shep Hyken.

Wanting to start your own pizzeria? Fantastic! This article will discuss key elements to help guide you in your journey.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business recently hosted a free webinar on how small businesses can pay bills and get paid more efficiently. The emphasis was on how Interac e-Transfers work and their benefits for businesses.

If you want to surprise guests and keep them coming back to your pizzeria, pay special attention to the little things that can make a big difference during their visit.

Jasper, Alta. – Ghost, or virtual, kitchens, which operate multiple food-delivery businesses from a location that may or may not serve any walk-in customers, are disrupting food delivery in Toronto and Alberta. The Toronto Star reports. | READ MORE

Why is it so hard to get paid as a small business owner? There are no magic solutions for reluctant payers, but the ways you accept payments can have a big influence on cash flow.

Price, customer service and trust are all reasons your customers may choose to do business with you. Shep Hyken goes through 10 considerations behind the customer's decision.

Chicago – A consumer report from Technomic has promising findings for restaurant operators worried that delivery orders will overtake dine-in service and carryout orders.

The pizza industry is evolving. The needs, tastes and preferences of consumers are signficantly different than they were 10 years ago. The rise of third-party food delivery services means there is greater competition than ever, and economic factors are forcing pizzeria owners to consider changing the way they operate.

Finding a commercial space for your new pizzeria operation can be a challenge. Leasing a commercial retail space will be one of your biggest operating expenses, and there are dozens of details that can go wrong.

Montreal – In a bid to keep his employees from jumping ship, a Montreal restaurateur is sending the entire team on a weeklong trip to Cuba. CTV News reports. | READ MORE

Meatheads Snack Company has a line of pizza-inspired jerky products that may increase your front counter sales.

LloydPans has introduced a line of pizza al taglio pans.

A system that uses induction to deliver hot food holding and precise temperature control in a waterless well has won an award from the National Restaurant Association.

Tuscanini Foods has introduced two flavours of sparkling Italian soft drinks that bring the taste of Italy to North America in what the company promises to be a "truly authentic Italian experience."

Vollrath Company has introduced a line of high-quality food delivery and transport bags that extend delivery range and help provide a restaurant-quality experience for customers at home.

Hostme and Lightspeed POS will integrate their technologies to help restaurateurs streamline their operations.

Just in time for Christmas, Hasbro Gaming has released a new pizza-themed Monopoly board game for kids ages 8 and up.

The compact Bluewater Pro reverse-osmosis system feeds contaminant-free water into a dishwasher to prevent the risk of a cloudy haze forming and cut the need for harsh detergents.

Edmonton – Berg Chilling Systems is setting up shop in Edmonton to provide Western Canadian businesses a comprehensive range of industrial refrigeration services that includes natural and HFC-based solutions.

Toronto – Restaurants Canada and BlueRover Inc. are partnering to provide a food-delivery system to Canadian restaurants.

Fornoteca's Duetto self-cooking pizza oven, fuelled by propane and on four caster wheels, is designed with restaurant patios and catering jobs in mind.

Giuseppe Cortinovis never fails to surprise me. In the past, our Traditional Chef of the Year has wowed me with his dough experimentation, amazed me with his travels around the world in search of ideas and impressed me with his capacity to learn.

Milan, Italy – Gino Sorbillo is an enthusiastic and very successful pizza maker (with various pizzerias in Naples, Milan and New York and one about to open in Rome) who is keen to get his ideas across.

Forget Santa. We all know the holidays are about spending time with loved ones, showing kindness to others and sharing delicious food. I spoke with three pizza professionals who are helping unite their communities by making creative, delicious pizzas and serving them with love.

The five-year mark is big for restaurants. That’s one reason The Catherwood and the Kiln threw a backyard party last spring to celebrate its milestone.

Pizza and bowling seem to go together. They are both fun, shareable experiences that are easily customizable. Bowlers can take their families, friends can join a league, folks young and old can enjoy a date night at the local lanes.

Justin Tanada, a sales trainer from Hamilton, Ont., loves pizza so much that he started an Instagram account dedicated to it. Known as Pizzatography the profile features photos and videos of pizza from all over the world.

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

In celebration of Pi day on March 14, Lagostina cookware has shared a recipe developed by its corporate chef for mushroom and sausage pizza (including the dough).

I hope you had a nice holiday season and found a way to have some time off and away from your business.

Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – City officials in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., have their eyes on an asphalt-compacting technology that could eliminate small cracks that lead to potholes. Soo Today reports. | READ MORE

This recipe was inspired by the fresh dill at Wenkai Vegetable Stand at the St. Norbert Farmers Market near Winnipeg where Red Ember Common owner Steffen Zinn shops for vegetables for the specials on the food truck.

The wood-fired oven outside the Montgomery Inn Museum in Etobicoke, Ont., is a 19th-century tool used to teach 21st-century students.

Hamilton, Ont. – Dairy consumption of around three servings per day is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease and death, compared to lower levels of consumption, according to a study led by a team of McMaster University researchers. | READ MORE

Belgium – If you bake a lot of sourdough bread, your hands might look like your loaves. Bacterially speaking, that is. The microbes found on bakers' hands mirror the microbes within their starters – the bubbly mix of yeast, bacteria and flour that's the soul of every loaf. NPR reports. | READ MORE

Verona, Italy – Veronafiere, a trade association in Italy, and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council have signed an agreement and launched an initiative specifically dedicated to olive oil called the World of Olive Oil.

Toronto – The Canadian pizza scene is different from any other. The Canadian Pizza Summit and Chef of the Year Competitions celebrates the tradition, diversity and passion of Canadian pizza. It is the only event in Canada dedicated to the art and business of making pizza.

Halloween is one of the busiest times of the year for the restaurant business given the fact that this day captivates children and adults alike.

Boston – Researchers at MIT have discovered a way to break uncooked spaghetti noodles in two in a breakthrough that could have implications far beyond the kitchen, according to the school. The Boston Globe reports. | READ MORE

This pizza was known as Chef’s Choice until chef Wayne deGroot and wife and business partner Jocelyn Morwood-deGroot learned the owner of the highrise where they live and work in London, Ont., loves the pizza.

Generation Z customers are just beginning to make their mark on dining out and eating trends and their top demand is for portability, suggests research by The NPD Group.

Nearly half of Canadian who buy better-for-you snacks feel that it is healthier to snack throughout the day than to eat three large meals, according to new research from data firm Mintel.

A growing number of pizzerias are baking a version of Detroit's crispy, cheese-crusted deep-dish pizza. Esquire magazine looks at how several U.S. shops are both paying tribute to the style and making it their own. | READ MORE

Orlando, FL – New restaurant formats such as virtual kitchens and food halls are popping up to meet consumers’ changing appetites. Consulting firm Aaron Allen & Associates tracks 10 of these formats and considers the wider implications for restaurants. | READ MORE

Cauliflower is the biggest thing to happen to pizza crusts since flour. Its bland flavour, colour and texture actually help position cauliflower to function as a chameleon in a recipe, shape-shifting to whatever taste profile is needed.

Chicago – Canadian full-service restaurants are seeing slightly less traffic and lower sales growth than they were two years ago, according to a new report from Technomic.

In the year ahead, the food-service landscape will evolve, driven by greater awareness of social and environmental responsibility and innovation in technology-enabled customer service, research firm Mintel said in a news release.

Orlando, FL – The $3.1-trillion global industry is relatively predictable in terms of growth (it mirrors that of population and inflation), but what was already one of the most complex businesses in the world is becoming even more so following the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Restaurant consultants Aaron Allen & Associates outline the biggest challenges for restaurants in 2019 and beyond. | READ MORE

Canadians' interest in health continues to grow, boosting competition in the healthy food and beverage landscape, according to a report from research firm Technomic.

Glamlite Cosmetics has introduced a line of eye shadows evoking the colours of pizza.

A deliciously fresh pizza with warm baked dough, salty tomato sauce and gooey cheese is a delight for the senses. There are few foods that could satisfy me on a daily basis, but pizza is one of them. CNN looks at the addictive nature of pizza. | READ MORE