May 4, 2009

Industry Headlines 

Pizza Fusion launches Fusion Extreme Team; raising funds for Autism Speaks

Vaughan Lazar, co-founder and president of Pizza Fusion, recently started the FusionExtreme Team, an eco-friendly running team aimed at helping athletic enthusiasts achieve their goals while committing to saving lives and the planet through its various philanthropic efforts.  The Fusion Extreme Team is currently raising money for Autism Speaks through training for the Seattle Rock n' Roll marathon, which is scheduled to take place Saturday, June 27, 2009 in Seattle, Washington.

"After completing four marathons myself and raising money for various causes around the country over the last four years, I wanted to start a team that could build on what I enjoy so much," Lazar explains.  "Together, we'll raise more money for philanthropies while providing members the support, motivation, and coaching necessary for completing such races."

With over 50 members already enrolled, the Fusion Extreme Team consists of Pizza Fusion co-workers, friends, and South Florida athletes. The team is striving to raise approximately $20,000 for Autism Speaks before the Seattle Marathon.

Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Founded in the best interest of the individual and the environment, Pizza Fusion combines a fresh, organic menu with an industry-leading environmental approach to restaurant service in chic dining destinations built to LEED certification standards. 

 

In 1994 Joey Todaro started La Nova Wings, Inc. He introduced wings to the pizza business, and in just a few years, we are the NUMBER ONE seller of Authentic Buffalo Wings; and Buffalo Wing are now the top selling appetizer in the pizzeria industry! Our products have now expanded from our heat and serve wings to an array of high quality appetizers and dipping sauces. Learn more about La Nova at www.lanova.com

Papa Bello Enterprises supports international non-profit organization

Papa Bello Enterprises, Inc. has announced a joint partnership with Aero Financial in supporting educational non-profit organization - The I AM Foundation. Papa Bello is assisting the foundation in creating additional awareness to the cause, both nationally and internationally, and encouraging groups and individuals to become involved with the charity.

Papa Bello's CEO Chase Canfield and team members from Aero Financial joined representatives from The I AM Foundation on their recent visit to Mexico this month. The purpose of the mission was to gift their literacy and self-esteem building books to children in a local orphanage. Papa Bello is currently working with I AM designers to add a specialized children's placemat to the items for gifting and use throughout their stores.

The I AM Foundation (www.iamfoundation.org) is a San Diego-based educational 501 (c)3 nonprofit that gifts books and music to individuals and organizations throughout the world. Recent missions have been made to such locations as Kenya, Croatia, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka and across the United States. Since 1988, they have gifted and distributed more than 1 million books and products worldwide, including their signature book The I AM! Affirmation Book: Discovering The Value of Who You Are in a variation of 12 languages.

Steve Viglione, Founder and CEO of The I AM Foundation, states, "All of us at The I AM Foundation are truly honored to be working with such great organizations as Aero Financial and Papa Bello Pizza. Already our partnership has impacted tens of thousands of children around the world. We are so grateful for their support."

Chase Canfield, CEO of Papa Bello Enterprises, states, "We're humbled to have the opportunity to work with people doing such positive things for children around the world. We want to support them in their efforts, and will do whatever we can to help facilitate these charitable endeavors. We feel privileged to be included in this great service- they're really making a difference."

Founded in 2005, Papa Bello Enterprises is a Las Vegas, NV based corporation that owns, operates, and franchises Italian style eateries in the United States and China. The company currently has 21 stores in operation and has a master lease agreement with Wal-Mart.

 

 Pizza Patrón Logs Eight Percent Increase Q1 2009

Dallas-based Pizza Patrón has experienced comparable sales increases each month of 2009, finishing the quarter up by eight percent over first quarter 2008. Earlier this month, the chain announced that systemwide comparable sales increased 6.4 percent in March; this follows increases of 7.9 and 10.5 percent in January and February, respectively. 

 “Pizza has always been a great home meal replacement option for busy families,” said Andrew Gamm, director of Brand Development for Pizza Patrón. “We are very pleased that we have been able to keep it affordable during tough times like this. Our newly-launched AMIGO PIZZAS™ give customers the “Choose Your Amigo” value option of a one-topping pizza for $4, two or three toppings for $5 and specialty pizzas for only $6 each every day.”

Pizza Patrón has been credited with creating the country’s first chain of Latin focused restaurants, where traditional American-style pizza is served in a distinctly Latin environment. The company currently operates nearly 90 stores in six states and plans to have 750 stores nationwide within a decade. Gamm says the chain is always looking for ways to create a distinctly Latin experience for guests of all backgrounds.

“We’ve recently made many changes to the design of our store environments to make the Patrón experience even better and more memorable for customers,” Gamm explained. “We improved the way we merchandise our products by giving visitors closer access to the wonderful sights and smells of the fresh food we produce.”

According to 2000 U.S. Census data, the United States represents the 2nd largest Latino population in the world and, by the year 2020, one in five residents will be Latino. By 2050, within one generation, that number will skyrocket and nearly 1 in 3 people in the U.S. will be Hispanic according to U.S. Census Population Projections, August 14, 2008.

Pizza Patrón was founded by Antonio Swad in 1986. Since franchising began in March 2003, the brand has grown from four locations in Dallas to 87 locations in six states, with more than 40 additional stores under development.

 


 

 

Lactalis Foodservice launches new Web site

Lactalis Foodservice has announced the launch of the company’s new Web site at www.lactalisfs.com. The website was developed to meet the needs of today’s busy operator. The new Lactalis Foodservice website allows operators to quickly and efficiently:

•  Search for recipes and menu ideas by cheese type, menu application and/or segment

•  Recalculate ingredient quantities with a built in recipe resize calculator

•  Determine which wines and beers pair best with their selected recipes

•  Learn more about each cheese and have the capability to quickly educate their staff with details on cheese formats, history/origins, usage, store, pairings, etc.

•  Browse answers to popular questions and read quick tips from their peers in the FAQs section (i.e., what are the best fruits to pair with cheese?, are there any Kosher cheeses?, etc.)

•  Get the latest news about cheese trends happening in the foodservice world


Operators are encouraged to visit the website regularly as new content will be posted often. Lactalis Foodservice is a foodservice source for a full line of natural, specialty, country of origin cheese and dairy specialties.