In the 1980s, Tina Asstafan got summarily fired from her job at Olly’s Pizzeria and Diner. Now she’s the owner, along with the man who inadvertently got her fired—her husband, Samer. The Asstafans took ownership of Olly’s, located in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in April, according to the Valley Breeze. The restaurant serves up deep-dish, thin-crust and grilled pizzas, along with subs, sandwiches, salads, calzones, pastas, wraps and more. As a teenager, Tina was working at Olly’s and dating Samer, who worked for a competing shop owned by his family. “The original owner—his name was Pete—found out ..read more

When a pizzeria in Pelham, New York, got tagged by a graffiti vandal, the owner quickly turned it into an opportunity to promote local artists and attract more business. On May 16, an unknown serial graffiti artist tagged an exterior wall at Four Corners Pizzeria, a local pizza institution, with a spray-painted slice of pizza topped with pepperoni and green peppers and dripping with cheese. The same artist has hit five other pizzerias in lower Westchester County with similar artwork, reports News12 Westchester. Joe Del Balzo, co-owner of Four Corners, took it mostly in stride. “I initially tho ..read more

Will and Deb Brinkley both grew up in the Quad Cities celebrating birthdays and hanging out at Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream. More than 50 years later, they’re still doing much of the same—except now they’re the owners. The Brinkleys have owned and operated their Happy Joe’s restaurant in Burlington, Iowa, since 1996. It’s the culmination of a longtime dream they had as children individually and then together as a family. Both wanted to own their own restaurant and, more than 27 years later, they’re living out that dream. “It’s crazy to think we’ve been going at it this long considering we ..read more

By Ashley Harris Pizza is one of the few things that brings joy across the board and around the world. Every country you’ll visit has its own style, every person you meet has a favorite topping combo, and there are countless types of dough, sauce recipes and toppings. It is a phenomenon that has swept the planet and shows no sign of slowing down; in fact in the U.S. alone, the market value of the pizza industry reached a staggering $56.5 billion. And it doesn’t stop there: It’s estimated that 13% of the entire U.S. population eats pizza on any given day. Many think that the return of U.S. sold ..read more

Reader’s Digest, one of the country’s oldest and most respected publications, says it’s found the best pizzerias in every U.S. state, from Florida to Washington and Maine to New Mexico. Did your pizza shop make the list? If so, don’t be modest—spread the news far and wide. If not, don’t despair: there will be other lists. Ranking the best pizzerias in the U.S. and the world has become a minor obsession for the national media. PMQ takes these highly subjective lists with the proverbial grain of salt—or perhaps a pinch of Parmesan—but, for our readers, they wield some power, potentially driving ..read more

By Liz Barrett Offering a loyalty reward program is one of the best ways to encourage repeat visits. It’s also one of the easiest ways to thank customers for choosing your restaurant over the competition. From grocery stores to airlines, every brand seems to have a reward program, but when it comes to pizzerias, we often see only the big chains taking part. The good news for independent pizzerias? You can cater your rewards to be much more specialized and personal than the typical “Buy 10, Get 1 Free” program. For any rewards program, you will want to establish a required number of customer vi ..read more

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of PMQ, but the content remains just as relevant in 2023. It includes advice from the late Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann, who passed away in December 2020. Both Roberto Caporuscio and Jeff Varasano remain industry-leading pizzaioli. By Liz Barrett Flour—it’s the backbone of your business. Without it, you would have no product to sell. And yet, when something goes wrong with your pizza, your flour is often the last place you look, according to Tom “The Dough Doctor” Lehmann, director of bakery assistance at The American Ins ..read more

Adding garlic to your pizza dough is a great way to add another dimension of flavor to the finished crust. But you’ve got to be careful with it. Why? Both garlic and onion exert a dough-reducing effect; that is, it will have a softening or weakening effect on your dough. Simply put, the dough will develop faster in the mixer, so you will need to mix the dough less when garlic is present. Try mixing the dough about 20% less when garlic has been used in the dough. Adding garlic also reduces the refrigerated holding time of your dough. You probably don’t want to hold this dough in the cooler for ..read more

The Colorado locations of Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom are proposing a toast to avalanche rescue dogs in a promotional team-up with Great Divide Brewing Company on Wednesday, May 24. Old Chicago will host Tapping Parties from 6 to 8 p.m. to highlight Great Divide’s Tangerine IPA brew. Guests can enjoy pizza and beer in the company of their dogs at all Colorado stores that have patios. A portion of sales for every Tangerine IPA will help the Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment (C-RAD) Wonderpup K9 Medical Fund. The fund provides medical care for avalanche rescue dogs. C-RAD has been employing sp ..read more

Since Williamsburg Pizza opened in Brooklyn a little more than 10 years ago, it’s become recognized as one of those classic joints that deliver a true New York pizza experience. But will the concept thrive in America’s heartland? Owner Aaron McCann and acclaimed head chef/owner Nino Coniglio will find out when they open their first out-of-state location in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 30. To bring the concept to Omaha, McCann has partnered with lead franchisee and investor Matt Hodges, who operates 37 Jimmy John’s stores in five states, including Nebraska. Related: Gorilla Pies serves Pittsburgh-st ..read more