In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to John Arena, co-owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas. Arena recently opened a signature pizzeria called Truly Pizza in Dana Point, California, with a group of friends. Together, they've built a concept new to the city that brings in both tourists and locals alike.

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks with Les Tomlin, co-founder and president of PizzaForno, North America's first automated pizzeria, about the rise of food vending machines.

"The concept of automated pizza is relatively new to North America but has been around Europe for almost 20 years," Tomlin told Detwiler. "We found this technology platform — we being my business partner and myself — in France, and we were just amazed that this technology platform had not yet made it to North America."

The pizza vending machine helps with square footage, rent, waste and wages. It bakes an 11-inch pizza in under three minutes in 65 square feet, Tomlin added.

To listen to the podcast click here.

Pizzeria menus can range from small and tidy to large and complex, but they've all got one thing behind them: research and development.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to Hisham Abdulfattah, partner and executive chef of Willow Street Pizza in Willow Glen and Los Gatos, California, about menu development.

Abdulfattah said his first job was working in a kitchen washing dishes at age 14. He later moved on to prep and cooking at a taqueria.

"I fell in love with the atmosphere of a restaurant and the fast-paced environment," Abdulfattah said, adding he went to a culinary academy right out of high school. "I worked probably every position in a restaurant, including front of the house."

During the pandemic, he got a loan and bought food truck, and one of his partners owned Willow Street Pizza, which he later invested in and now co-owns.

"There's something for everyone on their menu," Abdulfattah said. "Willow Street is a place where you can go and feel very comfortable and warm."

To learn more about Abdulfattah's approach to menu development, click the link to listen to the podcast in its entirety.

Scott Weiner holds the Guinness World Record for the Largest Collection of Pizza Boxes. Weiner, who owns a pizza touring company in New York City, has become an expert in pizza boxes. Today's boxes hold more than just pizza — they're an extension of the pizzerias themselves. In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, Pizza Marketplace Editor Mandy Detwiler talks to Weiner about his collection -- which she personally certified by counting his collection twice. He's got nearly 1,900 pizza boxes now, and his collection has grown out of his Brooklyn apartment to a storage unit.

We talked to Buddy's new CEO, Chris Tussing, to learn the history of Detroit-style pizza and what's making the style so popular in this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast.

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, editor Mandy Wolf Detwiler speaks with Shane Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Boostly, about the effectiveness of text marketing for restaurants.