Pizza Marketplace Podcast Networld Media Group

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.

Learning what toppings go together, what tastes good and what sells is a skill set that is learned through trial and error. Listen to the podcast to learn more about how to make — and sell — creative pizzas beyond the pepperoni and cheese.