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Deadpool To The Rescue

While so many restaurants struggled to stay in business during the pandemic this spring, Nat’s New York Pizzeria in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, had a little help from a superhero—or, at least, a famous actor who plays one in the movies. Ryan Reynolds, star of two hit Deadpool films, grew up eating at Nat’s while attending Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver. In a speech he shot on video for his former school’s graduating class, Reynolds urged the students to “practice some form of compassion every day.” He followed that up with a text announcement at the end of the video: “Oh, and I miss Nat’s Pizzeria. Every grad gets one large pizza on me!” Nat Bastone, who owns the pizzeria, got word from Reynolds about the giveaway a few days ahead of time, the Daily Hive reported. Bastone needed the advance warning, since Kitsilano’s graduating class consisted of 385 students. If every graduate took up Reynolds’ offer, the order would likely come to around $10,000, Bastone said.

SELLING COOKIES IN A SNAP!

Snappy Tomato Pizza, with 47 locations in five states, earned a merit badge in good pizza marketing for helping the Girl Scouts sell their cookies during the coronavirus lockdown. The chain purchased 2,400 boxes—or 200 cases—of cookies from the Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road and the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio and gave them away with any purchase of $25 or more. The Girl Scouts traditionally rely on the nationwide cookie fundraiser to support a wide range of year-round events and activities but had to shut direct sales down because of the coronavirus outbreak. “The moment we heard about the Girl Scouts’ dilemma, with their inability to sell cookies door-to-door, we knew we needed to help,” said Andy Ritter, Snappy Tomato’s director of marketing. Haleigh McGraw, communications director for Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road, said Snappy Tomato had set “a wonderful example.” She added, “Thinking ‘out-of-the-cookie-box’ with actions of caring such as these are the essence of what we strive to instill in our young ladies.”

The Color Of Money

How do you keep the kiddos entertained—and out of your hair—while you’re working at home during a pandemic? Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria, with almost 30 locations in New York state, gave them coloring pages and other fun activities for a contest that offered free pizza as the prize. Salvatore’s posted many of the entries on its Facebook page to encourage engagement and shares. Additionally, for its make-your-own pizza kits, Salvatore’s created an instructional video featuring a cheerful little girl named Francesca going through the steps of making a pie (with a little help from her mom). The company also bought up the remaining inventory of Girl Scout Cookies from a local troop after their selling season was cut short by the pandemic—and then gave the treats away to frontline workers. Finally, the company emphasized value deals for families, touting coupons for its large pizzas at a price of $15 or “only 94 cents a slice” and its Giant Sheet Pizza for $25 or “only 78 cents a slice.”

PAY-IT-FORWARD CONCEPT TAKES ROOT

The Cabin, located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, planted a “pay-it-forward tree” to help anyone in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Like many other pizzeria operators, co-owners Angela Nguyen and John Hunter started off delivering free food to nursing homes, fire departments, and even lowwage workers at convenience stores. The Cabin also fed workers at a local Meijer supercenter and the employees at the Nimkee Clinic, which serves the local Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe reservation. But as employee layoffs and furloughs worsened, they decided to take it one step further. Customers were invited to donate pizza and other food to anyone in need by purchasing gift cards, which are placed on the pay-it-forward tree. Anyone could call in and make a purchase using one of the donated gift cards—no questions asked.

Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria featured an upbeat little girl named Francesca in an instructional video for its make-your-own pizza kits and to promote its coloring contest for kids.

Donated gift cards on The Cabin’s pay-itforward tree can be used to buy family meals, individual items or anything else on the menu.

A Pizza Just For Ollie

Ottowa pizza chain Gabriel Pizza honored a local boy with cancer by naming his favorite pizza after him—and donating part of its sales to a local charity. Ollie’s Pizza features cheese and green olives, and Ollie Pickering has been craving it ever since he found himself stuck in a hospital with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Now his favorite pie helps raise funds for Candlelighters, a nonprofit that supports children with cancer and their families. “We were truly touched by Ollie’s love for our green olive pizza,” Gabriel Pizza president George Hanna said. “Ollie and the entire family have become honorary members of our Gabe’s family.” Jocelyn Lamont, Candlelighter’s executive director, said the Ollie’s Pizza fundraiser “is going to impact families of children with cancer right across the region.”

A New Kind Of Pizza Joint

A marijuana dispensary in Corvallis, Oregon, has all the angles covered—owner Christian Jancila will give you the munchies and the pizza to cure them in one delivery. Marie Jane’s Cannabis Connection started delivering housemade pizza with its weed this spring, offering a selection of 14” signature combo pies, although customers can also “roll their own” from a variety of toppings. Jancila recruited Ed Barbeau, owner of Pisano’s Wood Fired Pizza in Bend, Oregon, to develop the recipes. “My No. 1 priority is to supply all the ingredients customers need to make memorable moments, even if the memories of those moments are a little fuzzy,” Jancila said. “Good pizza is nice, but not memorable. Our goal was to come out of the gate offering the best pizza in town. With Ed’s help, we’re doing exactly that.”

The pizzas offered by Marie

Connection are described as “Pacific Northwest-style,” with a crust that’s “thin in the middle [and] light, crisp and airy on the outside” and a sauce that’s “elegant and understated.”

Cpk Market Offers Groceries And Meal Kits

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) to move into the meal kit and grocery business in a big way. In early April, the Playa Vista, California-based chain introduced CPK Market, which provides specialty meal kits as well as pantry and grocery items to customers who can no longer enjoy the dine-in restaurant experience. “Given that the entire country is dining differently and family mealtime is more important than ever, establishing a concept where guests could confidently purchase affordable produce, meat and other essential pantry items was the best way we felt we could attend to [their] immediate needs,” said Ashley Ceraolo, CPK’s senior vice president of marketing.

Several of CPK’s new meal kits were spring-themed and featured roasted salmon, panroasted chicken and grilled rib eye. Year-round options include the Lettuce Wrap Kit (lettuce cups, Asian-inspired lettuce wrap sauce, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and chicken) and the Taco Kit (a choice of flap steak, mahi or chicken with cilantro, limes, Roma tomatoes, serrano peppers, yellow onions, black beans, shredded cheese and tortillas). CPK Market also offers build-your-own pepperoni and cheese pizza kits for kids.

Also available from CPK Market are dairy and pantry staples (eggs, rice, flour, sugar and milk); raw produce (avocados, blueberries, Granny Smith apples, limes, oranges, pineapples and more); raw meat (flap beef, rib eye, Italian chicken sausage, salmon, mahi and shrimp); dry pastas and sauces; bread, chips and crackers; and desserts (key lime pie, red velvet cake, brownies and more).

Customers can also choose from a selection of beers—including Modelo Especial, Newcastle Brown Ale and Stella Artois—and wines like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and others. They can place their orders online or onsite and pick up the bagged groceries at curbside or at the cash register, and select CPK Market locations will offer at-home delivery.

Jonathan Taylor Hedges His Bets With Toppers Pizza

Former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, one of college football’s alltime leading rushers, has a potentially lucrative NFL career ahead of him, but he knows one injury can put him on the sidelines for life. So Taylor, who was drafted in April by the Indianapolis Colts, has also bought into four Madison locations of Toppers Pizza, ranked as one of the top 200 food-based franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2018. Taylor, who was the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in a three-year span, was a unanimous firstteam All-American in 2018 and 2019 and won the Doak Walker Award for the top running back in college football. “The biggest thing that drew me to the [Toppers] organization was how friendly and open they were, inviting me to the team,” Taylor said in a statement. “When you meet the Toppers home office team, you get a warm, welcoming feeling. It’s like a family member that you see during the holidays that you can’t wait to spend time with. That family atmosphere is going to help me stay connected to Madison.”

Permission To Eat Pizza With A Fork

Marco’s Pizza says it’s the first national pizza delivery brand to roll out crustfree pizza bowls for customers adhering to high-protein, low-carb diets. The Toledo, Ohio-based chain debuted its Specialty Pizza Bowls as a permanent part of the menu in March. They come in three varieties—Deluxe, All-Meat and Garden—at a suggested price of $8.49. The company says the bowls reflect the portion of a medium specialty pizza. “The Specialty Pizza Bowl is everything you love about pizza minus the crust,” said Marco’s senior vice president and chief experience officer Steve Seyferth in a press release. “With more than one-fourth of the population tossing and wasting the crust of pizza and the popularization of [food] bowls, this product is an ideal fit. Marco’s gives you permission to eat pizza with a fork.”