The top pizza stories of 2008

Cost concerns topped the list of issues facing operators last year.

Vapiano receives capital for expansion, hires new CEO

January 6, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Fresh casual restaurant and lounge Vapiano has received funding from three European banks for a total of 45 million Euro (U.S. $62.…

California Pizza Kitchen to present at investor conference

January 6, 2009

LOS ANGELES -- California Pizza Kitchen Inc. will be presenting at the 11th Annual ICR XChange Conference in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 15 at 10:20 a.m.

Domino's to give away 1,000 Oven Baked Sandwiches

January 6, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- To recognize its victory over Subway in a national taste test, Domino's Pizza will be giving away free Oven Baked Sandwiches to the first…

Pizza Hut unveils The Natural

January 6, 2009

DALLAS -- Pizza Hut has launched The Natural, a new pizza made from natural ingredients. A one-topping medium The Natural pizza is $9.99. The Natural Rustica…

Little Caesars veterans program expands to Canada

January 6, 2009

TORONTO, Ontario -- Little Caesars Pizza has launched its Little Caesars Canadian Veterans Program, which provides franchise business opportunities to…

King County menu-labeling rule doesn't faze customers

January 6, 2009

The Seattle Times: Calorie-count posting requirements for chain restaurants in King County, Wash., went into affect Jan. 1, but customers seemed to take little…

Largest restaurant-networking Web site marks anniversary

January 6, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO -- FohBoh (Front of the House, Back of the House), the largest online professional business community for the foodservice industry, has announced…

Pizza employee who complained about heat out in the cold

January 5, 2009

KING5.com (Lacey, Wash.): A pizzeria worker has been fired after talking to reporters, he claims. Dan Baxter was fired after telling KING 5 News that the…

California Pizza Kitchen appoints Collyns COO

January 5, 2009

LOS ANGELES -- California Pizza Kitchen Inc. has appointed Sue Collyns chief operating officer and executive vice president, the company has announced. Collyns…

Pizza Patron opens quick-serve restaurant

January 5, 2009

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Latino pizza brand Pizza Patron has opened its first Quick Service Pizza outlet in San Antonio, Texas. The restaurant is located in a…

Bacon topping products recalled

January 5, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced that Patrick Cudahy, a Cudahy, Wisc.-based firm, is…

Middleby completes TurboChef acquisition

January 5, 2009

ELGIN, Ill. & ATLANTA -- The Middleby Corp. has completed its acquisition of high-speed oven maker TurboChef Technologies, the company has announced. …

Selling pizza by cell

Five tips for pizzeria operators to stake their claim on the mobile Web.

Pizza Time workers left out in the cold

January 4, 2009

MSNBC: Employees of a Lacey, Wash., Pizza Time restaurant say the owners have cut off the heat in the store after they forgot to shut off the furnace one…

Commodities update - Week of Jan. 5, 2009

January 4, 2009

CHICAGO -- Block cheese prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange continued to slide during the shortened trading week last week, averaging $1.19 per pound for…

CiCi's bets on Vegas

January 4, 2009

COPPELL, Texas -- CiCi's Pizza has opened its third and fourth Las Vegas locations, and plans to open three more in 2009.   In recent years, prices for food…

Cybarservice launches mobile phone ordering system

January 4, 2009

BRIGHTON, United Kingdom – Technology services provider Cybarservice has launched a new mobile phone ordering system, the company has announced. The system is…

Boston Pizza International expands royalty pool

January 1, 2009

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Boston Pizza International Inc. has announced that effective Jan. 1, the number of Boston Pizza restaurants included in the…

Milwaukee residents brave cold for free Topper's pizza

January 1, 2009

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: About 75 people camped out in freezing temperatures in the hopes of winning free food for a year from the new Toppers Pizza…