Get Worldwide Press Exposure

Photo: World Record Academy

On August 20, The Dirt Road Cookers, a group of eight Hondo, Texas-based caterers broke the Guinness World Record for world's largest commercially available pizza--46.64 square feet/100 pounds.

I'm mentioning this not only because I'm excited about the thought of a gigantic pizza (which I am), but because of the press that the group gained because of it.

While it's fantastic that The Dirt Road Cookers achieved their goal, they probably would have garnered almost as much press even if they had simply attempted to break the record. My point being that you can create your own press frenzy by attempting a similar feat.

A quick Google News search revealed that the Texas-based story was covered in the following places, as well as other national blogs and news sites:

• New York, NY
• Mankato, MN
• Lubbock, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Israel
• India

So which pizza-related record could you break? Here are a few that have been set that you may consider attempting (there's one on the list that seems pretty doable).

• Largest pizza delivery - 30,000 ready-to-bake pizzas
• Most pizzas made in an hour by a team - 837
• Most pizzas made in one hour by an individual - 206
• Highest pizza toss - 27 feet
• Largest gluten-free pizza - 32"

Any look possible to you? If you had to choose one for your team to attempt, which would it be? Let us know in the comments below.

Is AmazonFresh Coming to Your Neighborhood?

Have you been following the growth of AmazonFresh, Amazon's fresh food delivery service? It started in Seattle, moved on to Los Angeles in June of this year, and is now rumored to be building an outpost in New York.

In Los Angeles, they promise free same-day delivery if ordered before a specified time (overnight in the Seattle market).

So far, there aren't many pizzerias signed up with the service (it appears that merchants are hand chosen by AmazonFresh, so you may have to wait for the phone to ring instead of seeking them out), but the ones that are participating are offering items such as pasta, sauces, desserts, and other items that ship well.

Because this is a fairly new service being touted by Amazon, which will tie into its other popular services, if you are chosen to be on the site, it could be a great way for you to benefit from the marketing dollars that Amazon is putting behind it.

In the meantime, why not think about some of the items you can offer for sale in store or on your website--jarred sauces, T-shirts, homemade salad dressings, etc.? Consumers love to bring a taste of their favorite pizzeria home with them.

How Many Ways Can You Top a Pizza?

(Photo: Pizza Hut Canada)

In the current issue of PMQ Pizza Magazine, you'll find an article exploring the latest in trendy toppings (think burrata, Nutella, Brussels sprouts, etc.). When I came across this photo of the Cheesy Beef Poutine Pizza at Pizza Hut Canada, it further proved that there is truly no limit to what you can put atop a pizza.

I'm sure you've been asked by dozens of people if you ever get tired of eating pizza. But as you know, one of the best benefits of pizza is that its versatility makes it adaptable to any meal of the day--toss an egg, bacon and crispy potatoes on top and you've got breakfast; a chicken, beef or seafood topped pie makes for a stellar lunch; keep it light with a Margherita pizza for dinner; and treat yourself with a small Nutella pie for dessert. Sounds like a perfect day's meals to me!

What toppings are you offering customers so that they can have a different experience for every meal and every visit? Do you have specialty pies as well as a list of specialty toppings?

Do you experiment with new toppings? In addition to testing daily specialty pies, I've seen several pizzerias test new pie toppings by walking around the pizzeria and handing out small slices and asking for feedback from customers. This is a great way to give your customers a free "happy" while conducting market research.

Let us know how you experiment with toppings in the comments section below.