Domino's Pizza Opens 600th UK Store - with Stavros Flatley

Pizza delivery expert, Domino’s Pizza has officially opened its 600th store. Located in High Holborn, the 600th store is a significant milestone in Domino’s ongoing expansion plans.

The store was officially opened on Thursday [December 10, 2009] by Chris Moore, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland. Entertainment was provided by Britain’s Got Talent dance sensation Stavros Flatley, who performed in front of the crowd of pizza fans and shoppers gathered outside the store. London Town Crier, Peter Moore, was also on hand to announce the news, plus stilt walkers and magicians took to the streets with company mascot Danny Domino to hand out free pizza.

Chris Moore, CEO of Domino’s Pizza, said: “I am absolutely delighted to open our 600th store, which is a testament to the hard work, dedication and pure passion for great pizza of all our franchisees and their in-store teams. The 600th store is not only fantastic news for us, but it’s also brilliant for pizza lovers in the Capital – now they can be sure they’re never too far from a Pepperoni Passion!”

The new store is located at 166 High Holborn, London WC1V 6TT

Glasgow Student Scoops £10k in Britain's Got Talent Domino's Pizza Contest

Pizza lover, Emma Johnston from Glasgow, has received an early Christmas present, scooping £10,000 as the winner of a national Domino’s Pizza competition.

Emma has just been announced as the winner of the competition to find the next official Britain’s Got Talent pizza.

The contest ran as part of Domino’s sponsorship of the top TV show and invited pizza lovers to send in their ideas for a new addition to Domino’s menu.

Emma and two other finalists were chosen from the 38,000 entries received and their three pizza ideas put up for the public vote.

Emma’s Mexican Sizzler pizza caught the eye (and stomach!) of the nation with its spicy combination of chicken fajita slices, crunchy tortillas, green peppers, red peppers and jalapenos on Domino’s classic base with vine-ripened tomato sauce and 100% real mozzarella cheese.

The Mexican Sizzler beat off a British Breakfast pizza from Newhaven and an Asian Feast from Gateshead to scoop the top spot.

Emma Johnston said: “I am absolutely staggered to have won. It was such a surprise to get the call saying my pizza had been voted the winner – it took a few minutes to sink in and then I was just screaming with excitement! As a student, I’m currently having to work five days a week to pay for my studies and recently had to move back in with my parents to save on rent. The prize money is really going to help me get set up on my own and hopefully have a lovely holiday too. It’s pretty simple but this is going to make me very happy – that and the ultimate accolade of having my pizza sold in Domino’s stores across the UK!”

The new Mexican Sizzler will be on sale at Domino’s next year. Keep checking in-store for more details.

To order from your local Domino's Pizza in St Helens you can come into the store and watch the pie being slapped out in front of your very eyes, or call and collect on 01744 733 566.

We are the Delivery Specialists of course and although our area is quite tight this means that on average your pizza will be delivered within 25 minutes of ordering it either over the phone or online

You can keep up to date with all our Special Offers and News by joining us on Facebook or following on Twitter

Domino's Competition to Choose the 2010 Britain's Got Talent Pizza Reaches Final Stages

Pizza Lover, Anna Woolgar from Newhaven, Sussex has been chosen as a finalist in a national competition run by Domino’s Pizza.

Anna now stands a chance of winning £10,000 for her entry in Domino’s competition to find the next official Britain’s Got Talent pizza as part of the company’s sponsorship of the top TV show.

Anna’s British Breakfast pizza was chosen from over 38,000 entries. Her pizza caught the judge’s eye with its combination of bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and potatoes on Domino’s classic base with vine-ripened tomato sauce and 100% real mozzarella cheese. The British Breakfast is now up for the public vote at www.dominos.co.uk/vote, battling against a Mexican Sizzler pizza from Glasgow and an Asian Feast from Gateshead. Not only will the winner scoop £10,000 – their pizza will also be sold in Domino’s stores nationwide as the 2010 official Britain’s Got Talent pizza.

Anna Woolgar said: “It was such a surprise to find out my entry had been chosen as a finalist. I’m a massive Domino’s fan so I’m really proud to have my idea in the final three. Winning £10,000 would be fantastic and would certainly help me take my children on a dream holiday to Disneyland Paris and have a fabulous Christmas, but the ultimate accolade for a pizza lover such as me would be to have my pizza sold in Domino’s stores across the country. I’m really hoping the people of Newhaven get behind me to vote for the British Breakfast so we can claim this title for the South of England!”

To vote for Anna’s British Breakfast, log onto www.dominos.co.uk/vote. Each voter will also be entered into a free draw to win one of 25 Domino’s pizza parties, worth £100 each. Voting is open until November 29, 2009

Pizza Giant "Flattered" at Downing St Spelling Error

Political blogger "Ollie Cromwell" brings to our attention an unwitting advertising plug by the No10 Downing St, UK Government website while talking about The Festivities marking the 20th Anniversary of the Dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

Pizzas and Stuff contacted the Domino's Pizza UK PR Manager and, while she was unavailable for comment, we are sure that the company would be flattered to be involved in the Commemorations of such a Momentous Event in World History.

Screen dump courtesy of The Red Rag

Two Titans of the Pizza World Meet for the First Time - Ramon De Leon and His Pupil

Today I had the opportunity to listen and learn from the Master of Online Pizza promotion Sr Ramon De Leon, a six-store Domino's Pizza Franchisee from Chicago!

Without revealing all of our trade secrets, all I can say is that "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!"

A Minute for Madeleine

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has launched a campaign to help find Madelaine McCann by asking internet users to spread a video virally on Blogs and Social networking sites around The World.

The video seeks to remind people of Madeleine's story and shows Computer-generated images of what she may look like now that she is 6 years old.

Please watch the video and help to spread the word by either linking to this page, embedding the video in your own blog, by posting a link on Facebook or Twitter or by emailing the URL to people you know.

Perhaps together we can help find this little girl?

Vote for the 2010 Official Domino's Britain's Got Talent Pizza

Instructions on How to Vote for the 2010 Official Domino's Britain's Got Talent Pizza.

An American Tourist in London Tries The Domino's Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

Ramon de Leon, here in the UK to speak at a Social Media Conference gets to sample the Domino's Chicken Tikka Pizza. Does it get the thumbs up?

Delivering the Domino's WOW at 3am in Chicago

DPZRamon a 6-store Domino's Franchisee in Chicago makes great use of Social Media tools to get the message across to his local community about Product Service and Image.

In fact it's fair to say - He Crushes It!

It's Official - Pizza Hut Customers Prefer Papa Johns

Our friends at Papa Johns are proudly shouting about a taste test they performed recently on Pizza Hut Customers.

See the results here

Well done guys.

Domino's Pizza Big Smoky

BBQ Sauce, Smoky Bacon, Green Peppers, Smoked Sausage and Sweet Chilli Peppers. Get it Now! Only at Dominos

50% off online orders over £30 at Domino's Pizza UK

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of its online ordering system Domino's Pizza UK are offering 50% off all online regular-priced orders over £30.

Order Now!

But you'll need to be quick! This offer must end on Sunday 1st November 2009.

Usual Terms and Conditiona Apply like it applies to full priced items only and excludes drinks and ice creams.

Domino's Pizza Delivers by Helicopter to (Mount) St Helens

In the UK we are launching the Chocolate Melt this weekend, so we thought it would be a good time to share this video with you from our colleagues in the States who recently launched a very similar product, but called it The Chocolate Lava Cake.

To celebrate its introduction, what better way could there be than to go to North America's most famous volcano, Mount St Helens for the sampling session. The cakes were baked at St Helens Domino's Pizza, (that's the one in Oregon, not the one we all know and love on Duke St, St Helens, Merseyside 01744 733566), and then flown up by chopper to the Visitor Center for a whole gang of people to try.

And the verdict? Simply delicious!

So why not treat yourself and give our New Chocolate Melt a try. You deserve it!



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Order online from Monday 19th October 2009

Grab Yourself a Spook-tacular Halloween Pizza

Centennial, Colorado - October 2009 --

Trick or treat and come and eat at Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza® this October as the restaurant franchise celebrates Halloween all month long!

Nick-N-Willy’s locations throughout the U.S. will be dishing out “spooky” pizza specials during one of its busiest months for pizza sales.

“When it comes to Halloween, pizza is definitely the dinner of choice,” said Richard Weil, President and COO of Nick-N-Willy’s Franchise Company, LCC. Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza is a convenient and delicious option for busy families and trick-or-treaters on the go. We offer easy solutions to suit your Halloween schedule no matter how ‘scary’ it is, with ‘hot n ready pick up’, ‘take n bake’, dine in and delivery.”

All month long, Nick-N-Willy’s will be offering festive Halloween Pumpkin Pizzas for “take n bake”, “hot n ready” pick up, dine in or delivery. The large sized pepperoni Halloween Pumpkin Pizzas are priced at $11.99. Until October 31, customers can receive up to three pumpkin pizzas for just $5.00 each with the purchase of any large signature pizza. Coupons are available online at www.nicknwillys.com and in store, plus they will be distributed to homes near Nick-N-Willy’s restaurants as door hangers.

From October 29-31st, customers are invited to bring their little trick-or-treaters in costume to Nick-N-Willy’s to receive candy treats and a free large Halloween Pumpkin Pizza with the purchase of any large signature pizza.

Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza is a family friendly, fast-casual restaurant designed for today’s busy lifestyles that specializes in America’s favourite food. Nick-N-Willy’s award winning pizzas are made with the freshest and finest ingredients to ensure the highest quality and best tasting pizza available. The restaurant offers the ultimate in customer convenience with more ways to enjoy Nick-N-Willy’s pizzas fresher and faster. Customers can dine in, “take n bake”, call for “hot n ready” pick up, or have their order delivered right to their door step.

Nick-N-Willy’s offers a complete line of signature pizzas including the Aegean®, the Fresh Jalapeno Burn, the Outback and Earthborn, plus traditional favourites like the Nick-N-Willy’s Classic, the Wild Willy Combo and the Big Kahuna. All pizzas are made with Nick-N-Willy’s propriety pizza dough, made fresh daily in small batches using 100% pure olive oil and secret blend ingredients, then hand kneaded and tossed to order. Pizzas can be baked at home or in Nick-N-Willy’s gas-fired brick ovens where they’re baked to a light crispy golden brown perfection. In addition to pizza, Nick-N-Willy’s also serves calzones, sandwiches made on freshly baked foccacia bread, wings, salads and desserts.

Our Chickens !

Ant & Dec
Originally uploaded by pop345

Look I know it's got nothing to do with pizza, but I wanted to share with you this picture of our two chickens, Trisha and Glenys,who came to us 2 weeks ago after being rescued from a battery farm by Little Hen Rescue, a charitable trust which rehomes over 15,000 ex-battery chickens per year.

After their first moult at the age of about 13 months chickens become less productive in their egg-laying and so uneconomic. They are thus disposed of or rehomed by people like Little Hen Rescue.

Their feathers are starting to grow back, the bumps and bruises from a lif of over-crowdedness have gone and they are pretty much back to full strength.

Although Glenys has yet to lay an egg, young Trisha has given us one every single day since her arrival.

They are slowly getting used to the free range life and have completely eradicated the spider population in our garden!

So if you are interested in keeping chickens just ask me about it when you order your next pizza!

Papa John's Offer is Just the Ticket

Papa John’s is offering pizza lovers across the UK a free Papa’s Pepperoni to highlight the results of a recent study.

An independent taste test has revealed that more people prefer Papa’s Pepperoni to Pizza Hut’s Pepperoni Feast, and now the pizza company, famous for its ‘Better Ingredients. Better Pizza’ promise, is giving people the chance to test the research for themselves.

All UK Papa John’s stores will be giving away free Papa’s Pepperoni pizzas to Pizza Hut customers who have recently tried the less popular Pepperoni Feast.

Simon Wallis, Senior Director of Marketing for Papa John’s UK, said: “We’ve always believed in our pizzas and we are delighted that this independent research has verified the fact that we are delivering a preferred product against our largest competitor.

“We want everybody to find out for themselves why more people prefer Papa’s Pepperoni, so we’re giving away free pizzas to customers who come to stores armed with a Pizza Hut Pepperoni Feast receipt.

“Our pizza has an extremely generous topping of pepperoni, which is 27 percent thicker than Pizza Hut’s. So it’s no wonder the majority of people questioned preferred the taste of the Papa John’s pizza.

“Hopefully, this offer will allow people to taste the difference made by our thicker pepperoni topping and 100 percent fresh dough.”

All customers have to do to claim their free Papa’s Pepperoni is take in a receipt proving they’ve tried the Pizza Hut product. Customers wanting to find out more about Papa John’s pizzas and the recent independent taste test should visit www.papajohns.co.uk .

Help Papa Johns Raise Some Dough for Male Cancer Charities

Papa John’s Pizza is urging people to support male cancer charities, which remain severely under-funded. The pizza chain is donating 50p from each Everyman pizza it sells to the charity, which is aiming to stamp out prostate and testicular cancers.

Simon Wallis, director of marketing at Papa John’s, said: “We’ve teamed up with Everyman because research into male cancers is 10 years behind that of some other cancers, and we hope people will follow our lead by supporting the charity. We knew that the best way to help would be to look to our strengths – and this is why we have launched our Everyman pizza, which features meatballs, onions and green and red peppers.”

The Everyman Campaign is dedicated to stamping out male cancer by raising awareness about the symptoms, and the importance of treating them. By highlighting this it hopes to raise money to fund life-saving research.

Snooker legend and testicular cancer survivor Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White, MBE, said: “I’m supporting the launch of Papa John’s Everyman pizza because together we can raise awareness about the importance of checking for those tell-tale signs. It’s also important to get across that it’s not something to be ashamed of.

“I was very lucky because my cancer was diagnosed during a routine check-up and I had the operation the next day, but many men aren’t as fortunate. Hopefully the meatballs on the pizza will serve as a reminder to check yourself!”

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer amongst men aged between 15 and 44. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in older men, and one man dies every hour from the disease.

To find out more about male cancers visit everyman-campaign.org/ and to order the Everyman pizza see www.papajohns.co.uk

DOMINO'S CHICKEN TIKKA PIZZA

Ha Ha Here's one of our franchisees with his own "Advert" for the NEW Chicken Tikka Pizza

KFC Back Down in Trademark Dispute With Scottish Pizza Shop

A small pizzeria in Angus, Scotland has won its battle with global fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) over the term "Family Feast".

The Titanic Pizza Co in Carnoustie was warned by KFC to stop using the slogan to describe one of its meal deals because it had trademarked the name.

The Angus takeaway said it had been using the phrase since 1992.

The chicken chain has now written to Titanic to say the matter would not be taken any further.

Titanic's Family Feast is made up of two pizzas, garlic bread, onion rings, chips and juice; while the KFC deal comprises 12 pieces of chicken, four portions of chips, coleslaw, beans and a drink.

KFC's lawyers sent a letter to Titanic saying it had trademarked the term Family Feast in in 1994 and 2003.

The Carnousite pizzeria owners wrote backing saying "we refuse to be bullied by a global conglomerate such as yourselves".

Co-owner Marie Fagan is pleased their tough stance paid off.

"The amount of support we've had from people has been amazing," she said.

"We even had a letter from a guy in Florida saying how disgusted he was and he has sent a really horrible letter to them [KFC] saying he's never going to set foot in the shop again."

And Ms Fagan has seen business boom since news of the row broke.

"People were asking where the shop was and ordering Family Feasts, it's really been great, so KFC kind of did us a favour.

"It's just a lesson to everybody to stand up for themselves."

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Praises Papa John's Rapid Expansion

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has praised one of the world’s leading pizza companies for continuing its job creation and investment programme in the capital throughout the economic uncertainty.

The founder of Billion Dollar-a-year pizza empire Papa John’s visited the UK to open his 50th Papa John’s store in London, and pledged to continue funding the company’s rapid growth in the city.

That news of the 50th store opening and imminent arrival of another 30-40 Papa John’s stores was welcomed by Boris Johnson, who believes it is the kind of business shot in the arm that will help London emerge strongly from the current economic climate.

He said: “London’s small and medium businesses are critical to the capital’s success and will provide the springboard to economic growth and prosperity once the upturn arrives.

“Papa John’s is a great example of a firm that is playing a significant role, employing over 3,700 Londoners and opening its 50th store in the capital.”

Papa John’s chairman John Schnatter founded the company in the USA in 1984. He sold his beloved Camaro car to buy his first oven and soon began selling pizzas. 25 years later and Papa John’s is the third largest pizza company in the world, with more than 3300 stores in 29 countries. In the UK Papa John’s is the current Pizza Delivery Chain of the Year 2008 according to the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association.

John said: “I am delighted to have opened the 50th Papa John’s store in London, only 10 years after the company launched in this country. Papa John’s UK is a key international growth area for our company, and is setting the benchmark in terms of expansion for other countries across the world.”

Commercial Attachés John Coronado from the US Commercial Service also represented the American Embassy at the event.

Papa John's Founder Makes Deliveries in '72 Camaro to Celebrate 25th Anniversary

The founder of Papa John’s is making pizza deliveries to surprised customers in a replica of the ’72 Camaro he sold 25 years ago to fund his start-up pizza business.

A new ad campaign, “Papa’s In the House” lets people know that the next time they place an order for a pizza delivery they should pay special attention to the person at the door: It could Papa John (John Schnatter) himself.

The ads were shot by Z Group in Louisville, KY, where Papa John’s International is based. The spots feature Schnatter personally delivering pizzas to customers' homes.

Later this month, Schnatter will set off on a nationwide road trip driving his Camaro to meet with employees and loyal customers. His travels will be chronicled online.

In addition to the TV spots, the campaign includes a new Web site, banner ads featuring the Camaro, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube integration, boxtoppers, and a special offer for the “Founder’s Favorite” –John’s favorite pizza topped with sausage, pepperoni, and a six-cheese blend.

The campaign helps celebrate Papa John’s 25 years in business.

Dominos Got Talent - Kevin Bimpson - Final and Awards

Kevin Bimpson of Domino's Pizza Huyton sang his heart out in the Grand Final of Domino's Got Talent last week at The Echo Arena in Liverpool and finished in second place.

He broke the hearts of many girls there in the audience and we are all sure he will go onto gretaer things. Watch out for Kevin this Summer in The X Factor.

Here is his performance in the afternoon and then again on the night. On the second part the muppet standing up holding a camers phone is me, his new biggest fan!

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Domino's Pizza UK Runs National BOGOF Delivery Campaign

For the first time ever Domino's Pizza UK are running a National Buy One Get One Free Delivered Campaign. Designed to coincide with the two Champions League Semi-Finals the offer is valid on Medium or Large Pizzas and is available on both Delivery or Collection on May 5th and 6th 2009 only.

Uniquely, the offer is also available online at http://www.dominos.co.uk/ (Click on the Meal Deals Tab) as well as over the phone or if you order in person

There are the usual Terms & Conditions such as it cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, and it is only on May 5th/6th, the cheaper pizza is the FREE one, and both pizzas must be taken at the same time (no really). Full details are probably on the website

For frequent special offers and updates why not subscribe to our Twitter




Domino's Pizza BOGOF on 12seconds.tv


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Design the 2010 Britain's Got Talent Pizza and win £10k

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Kev Sings Black & Gold for Domino's Got Talent

Kevin from Domino's Pizza in Huyton, Liverpool has made it through to The Grand Final of Domino's Got Talent this weekend. Up for grabs are tickets to Britain's Got Talent and a 12-month contract with Simon Cowell.

Good Luck!





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The President Upsets Chicago with Choice of Pizza Parlour

Seems the president has ditched his hometown of Chicago for St. Louis.

That is, when it comes to pizza.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting President Obama, who spent years in Chicago, is having 140 people over to the White House tonight for some deep-dish pizza — St. Louis deep-dish pizza.

It seems during his campaign he had pizza from a restaurant in the Delmar Loop neighborhood called Pi.

That's the story Pi assistant manager Lindsey Tornetto tells. Whatever happened, the restaurant says the owner and his business partner packed some dough, cheese and pizza pans in their suitcases and flew to Washington.

It all has Marc Malnati — owner of 30 Lou Malnati's Pizzerias in the Chicago area — shaking his head. He says while he likes Obama's economic policy, he thinks the president's pizza policy should change, according to the newspaper.



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Frozen Pizza Merger May Take Too Big A Slice of UK Market

The competition watchdog is sniffing around frozen pizzas after a deal that will hand a German producer a 43 per cent share of the British market.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating the purchase by Dr Oetker of Schwan’s pizza business in December. It has been prompted by concerns that the deal would increase the price of a product that has become a recession staple for consumers.

Retailers fear that Dr Oetker acquiring the Chicago Town brand will reduce the scope for running promotional discounts, while rival food producers are concerned that the sale will give Dr Oetker, which is Europe’s biggest pizza maker, a dominant position. Schwan, which was the No 2 frozen pizza maker in Britain, sold much of its European business to concentrate on its North American operations.

Its factory in Leyland, Lancashire, will be taken on by Dr Oetker, which has expanded its presence in Britain rapidly. In 2005 it bought Birds Eye’s frozen pizza business and quickly folded the Gino Ginelli and Igloo brands into its Ristorante brands. Competitors have argued that this had reduced consumer choice.

The family-owned company, which also makes Onken yoghurt, has already started using the Dr Oetker logo on Chicago Town packaging, despite an undertaking given to the OFT that it would keep the companies separate during the investigation.

The combined Dr Oetker and Schwans business will have a market share of 43 per cent — above the 40 per cent threshold usually taken as a dominant position. The combined company would have a 35 per cent share of the branded frozen pizza market, according to figures from AC Nielsen for the 12 weeks to February 21, overtaking Northern Foods, which makes Goodfellas pizzas.

The frozen pizza market grew 7 per cent last year as consumers reverted to frozen foods during the recession — after years of declining sales. The market is worth £375 million, but is highly promotional.About 48 per cent of frozen pizzas were sold on promotion, figures for the four months to January 31 show — a rise of four percentage points on last year, as consumers and retailers focus on cheaper products. The increase in promotional activity was driven by Dr Oetker. Although it has only about one eighth of the market without Schwan, it increased the proportion of pizzas sold on promotion from 46 per cent to 74 per cent.

Retailers fear that the enlarged Dr Oetker will be able to use its dominant position to scale back promotional activity, forcing them to reduce margins or raise retail prices.

A spokesman for the company said: “Dr Oetker UK is aware of the investigation, which is only to be expected on a transaction of this size. We are co-operating with all parties concerned.”

Frozen food had suffered from declining sales as chilled foods and ready-meals became more popular. Unilever sold Birds Eye in 2006 to private equity, while the company that produces Findus products in Britain went into administration this year.

However, food inflation and customers trading down to cheaper and more convenient foods during the recession have boosted frozen food sales. Total sales rose 6.7 per cent last year, with a 0.8 per cent increase in volumes.


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How Long till Pizza Hut Opens in North Korea?

For millions of undernourished North Koreans, the notion of eating at a restaurant belongs strictly to the world of fantasy. And so there is only the grimmest humour in the news that, for the country's ruling elite, Pyongyang's dining options just got a little more impressive: the country now has its first-ever pizzeria.

An obsession with pizza stretching back at least 10 years prompted the isolated nation's dictator, Kim Jong-il, to authorise North Korea's first Italian restaurant, which opened in December, according to a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published in Japan. "General Kim Jong-il said that the people should also be allowed access to the world's famous dishes," the restaurant's manager, Kim Sang-Soon, was quoted as saying in Choson Sinbo, a Tokyo-based newspaper seen as a mouthpiece for the regime.

Those dining at the restaurant are reportedly treated to pizza and pasta made with wheat flour, butter and cheese flown in from Italy. They are also presumably reaping the benefits of a years-long effort by Kim Jong-il to bring the perfect pizza to his famine-plagued totalitarian state.

In the late 1990s, he summoned a team of Italian pizza chefs to Pyongyang to instruct army officers. One of the chefs, Ermanno Furlanis, later recounted how the Italians underwent x-rays, brain scans and urine and blood sampling on arrival, before being sequestered in a marble palace. One of the officers Furlanis was training asked him to specify the precise distance at which olives should be spaced on a pizza, he recalled.

Kim seems to have taken a personal interest: while the pizza-making sessions were under way, on a ship anchored offshore, he was apparently witnessed arriving to inspect his officers' progress. "I am not in the position to say whether it really was him," Furlanis later said. "But our chef, who had no reason to fib, was, for the space of several minutes, utterly speechless. He said he felt as if he had seen God, and I still envy him this experience."

The training seems not to have met Kim's expectations. According to Choson Sinbo, subsequent efforts to reproduce Italian pizza in North Korea were a process of "repeated trial and error", and last year the dictator sent chefs to Naples and Rome to learn more. Finally satisifed, he authorised the restaurant.

North Korea, one of the world's poorest countries, was hit by devastating famine in the mid-1990s, with up to 2m people dying, primarily from pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrhoea.

But Kim's passion for fine food is legendary: he is said to be a connoisseur of cognac, French wine, shark-fin soup and sushi. One of his former chefs, writing under a pseudonym, recalled travelling to Iran and Uzbekistan to fetch caviar, flying to Denmark for bacon and China for melons and grapes. He defected, he wrote, by offering to source sea urchins from Japan, from where he never returned.

Quoting North Korean defectors, the South Korean news website Daily NK said Kim "does not eat much, but enjoys picking at various kinds of food, as if just to taste".


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Domino's Got Talent - Nellie's Crew

Robyn Ireland and Jade Mathews (Nellie's Crew) stopped the traffic in Widnes Road today as motorists and passers by alike paused to watch their amazing dance performance. It was all part of an internal Domino's Pizza Talent competition we are running for our staff as part of our sponsorship of Britain's Got Talent 2009.

Our expert pizza makers Robyn & Jade certainly showed that Domino's Pizza has got talent. So if you can't wait for the best talent show in Britain to return to your screens, here is a taster laid on by the Domino's Pizza Widnes team.



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Teacher Sells Pizza Ads On Tests Due to Cutbacks

A high school history and economics teacher in eastern Idaho is selling advertising space to a Pocatello pizzeria on his student handouts, tests and worksheets.

High School teacher Jeb Harrison says he wanted to save money and teach kids about advertising.

The school recently cut back on paper allowances for teachers to prevent shortages. Harrison says he approached Molto Caldo Pizzeria about two weeks ago and now he has enough paper to last through the next school year.

Pizzeria owner Dan McIsaac bought about $315 in paper and paid to print advertisements on the pages.

At the bottom of an economics test in Harrison's class, students are now reminded they can buy a 14-inch pizza for $5.




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Domino's Pizza Sued Over Driver Reimbursements

Two former employees of Domino's Pizza have filed a class action lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the District of Minnesota. The lawsuit alleges that Domino's violated state and federal law by failing to reimburse employees for expenses they incurred while delivering pizzas.

Under Minnesota law, employers have to reimburse employees for their travel expenses. According to the lawsuit, Domino's failed to adequately reimburse its drivers, instead paying a 'per delivery' amount which was not sufficient to cover drivers' actual costs.

The lawsuit also involves minimum wage claims. Under both Minnesota law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, all employees are entitled to be paid the minimum wage "free and clear" of obligations to their employer. The lawsuit alleges that by requiring pizza delivery drivers to pay for their own automobile expenses, Domino's also failed to pay their drivers the minimum wage.

The plaintiffs are being represented by the law firm of Nichols Kaster PLLP. Nichols Kaster has offices in Minneapolis and San Francisco.

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Pizza Delivery Drivers Among Wounded in Ulster Soldier Shootings

Two pizza delivery men are among those seriously injured in the attack on an army barracks in Northern Ireland that left two soldiers dead, police said.

Police at the scene of the shooting at Massereene Barracks Enlarge photo More photos: Crime

Investigating officer Detective Superintendent Derek Williamson said at least two gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, adding: "I have no doubt in my mind this was an attempt at mass murder."

The investigating officer said police were probing whether the gunmen had deliberately targeted the pizza men as well as the soldiers.

He said Dominos Pizza in Antrim had received two separate delivery orders from Massereene Barracks at around 9.20pm on Saturday. The orders were sent out separately and the two delivery men arrived one after the other. It was at this point when gunmen opened fire from a car.

The attack prompted expressions of outrage and dismay from those in the UK and Ireland.

Defence Secretary John Hutton said: "I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and comrades of the two soldiers who were tragically murdered last night (Saturday) and those who were injured. My thoughts are with them all at this extremely difficult time.

Northern Ireland's First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson said there must not be any retaliation for the attack.

He said: "Can I urge all of those who may be angry within the Unionist community. This is a matter to be left entirely with the police and the authorities to deal with. They are capable of dealing with it and they shall deal with it and we must give them our full support."

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde said a "tiny number of people are determined to drag us back to where nobody wants to be", and pledged the police had "all the resources we need to find the people responsible for this".

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said the shootings were wrong, describing them as an attack on the peace process, and urged party members to help the police investigation. He said: "Those responsible have no support, no strategy to achieve a united Ireland... They want to destroy the progress of recent times and to plunge Ireland back into conflict."

Domino's Pizza UK Reports Strong Results

Domino's Pizza has reported strong profits growth in 2008 after consumers looked to cheaper alternatives to eating out during the downturn.

Profits at the pizza firm in the UK and Irish Republic rose 24.7% to £23.4m, with like-for-like sales up 10%.

The company opened 52 new stores during the year and created 1,800 jobs, with total sales up 18.4%.

Fast food and home delivery chains are some of the few businesses profiting during the recession.

Indeed a third of the company's 2.7 million customers during the year were new customers.

The company has also seen a strong start to the new year, with like-for-like sales up 15% in the first six weeks of 2009.

Domino's plans to open another 50 new stores this year, taking the total number of Domino's outlets to over 600. It hopes to have at least 1,000 open within the next 10 years.


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Domino's Pizza Opens First Halal-only Store - But Not Without Opposition - Must be a slow news day at The Daily Telegraph

A Domino's Pizza outlet has infuriated locals after becoming the first in the country to take pork off the menu and offer only halal food.

The takeaway has told customers in the mixed-race area of Hall Green, Birmingham, that if they want ham or pork on their pizza they will have to go elsewhere.

Chris Yates, 29, a hospital worker living in Moseley, Birmingham, said he was told he couldn't have a 'Meteor' pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ground beef and smoky bacon, when he called up at the weekend.

He said: "It's a disgrace, I can appreciate them having it as an option but to have it completely halal is just not on," he fumed.

"I'm all for racial and religious tolerance but if anything this is intolerant to my beliefs and discriminatory against me.

"Instead I had to travel two miles out of my way to another branch – I was appalled. "Hall Green is a mixed race area and should therefore cater to its multicultural make-up.

"In a society that promotes racial and religious integration, this sort of things only isolates people."

While Peter Merholz, 38, from Hall Green, added: "This is a global pizza chain that is isolating western values and choice. It's alienating people and that's just not on.

"I'd been coming here for ages but now I'll go elsewhere because I can't get a pepperoni pizza, which is what I always have."

Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey – all produced and stored within the Halal Food Authorities guidelines.

The change intends to appeal to the area's Muslim customers.

A worker at the store said: "The store wasn't doing very well so we had to do something – we needed people who weren't getting halal options to come to us.

"It's been like this for four weeks and business has picked up a little."

A spokesman for Dominos, who recently announced their profits were up 33 per cent, said: "In that particular area of Birmingham there are a large number of Muslims so there is naturally more of a demand for halal based products.

"We appreciate we cannot please everybody but there are alternatives, such as turkey ham, and we have thought long and hard about this decision and we are sure it is the right one."

For meat to be deemed Halal, it must meet certain conditions. These include that the animal should be killed by having its throat cut by a Muslim and any flowing blood of the carcase should be completely drained.

Masood Khawaja, President of the Halal Food Authority, said: "It's good news for Muslims, with changing pallets, who want a bit of variety in their diet. This is only the beginning and we are delighted that Domino's has participating in this trend."

Domino's Pizza Lauches "Secretary of Taste" Campaign

On Monday evening, President Obama pushed his stimulus plan to a national TV audience from the East Room of the White House.

The Secretary of Taste, meanwhile, took to the airwaves to promote a separate stimulus deal.

Pundits offered no opinion on which stimulus package has the better chance of success, but the Secretary of Taste's recipe had already been deemed an "American Legend" by its creators.

Indeed, the Secretary of Taste himself is a creation of the minds at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and the stimulus package in question is the new "American Legends" line of specialty pizzas from Domino's Pizza.

While Republicans have criticized President Obama's stimulus package as too bloated, Domino's Secretary of Taste--in commercials that debuted Monday--boasts that the new pizzas contain 40% more cheese than consumers would normally find in their pies.

The ad series, starting with two spots and more planned, will run through April 12 on cable and broadcast networks shows, including "Medium," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Bachelor" and "The Simpsons." GroupM's Mindshare is the media buyer.

The "American Legends" campaign will also include online, promotional print, direct mail and packaging--with redesigned pizza boxes reflecting the American Legends theme.

"These pizzas are packed with so much bold taste in every bite, I had to endorse them as a part of my taste stimulus package," the Secretary of Taste was quoted in a press release. "These specialty pizzas are as American as apple pie, and they will comfort young and old through these tough times. I've even lobbied for 40% more cheese and the approval of America's Dairy Farmers."

The American Legends line of pizzas, featuring new topping combos in addition to cheesy crusts and the extra cheese overall, includes Honolulu Hawaiian, Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch, Pacific Veggie, Memphis BBQ Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Philly Cheese Steak.

Eating Pizza Should Turn You On For Valentine's Day

In the run-up to Valentine's Day, Canada's largest pizza chain claims cheese is a natural aphrodisiac conducive to romance.

In a release from its Toronto headquarters, Pizza Pizza said it had commissioned experts to examine the properties of various pizza toppings regarding their ability to heighten passion.

"Cheese contains phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural amphetamine that the brain manufactures in response to the feelings of love," the release said. "In fact, cheese contains 10 times the levels of PEA normally found in chocolate."

Other romance-inducing toppings cited were olives, jalapenos and tomatoes, but they all paled beside cheese, the company said. No mention was made of the multiplying effects off all the ingredients.

The Pizza company also added information on how to set the mood for Valentine's day at it's pizzapizza.ca Web site.

Papa John's Pizza Honcho Warns Against Eating Too Much Pizza

Will this prove to be a "Gerald Ratner" moment for ol' JS? Let's hope not. Here is the story

The U.S. founder of Papa John's Pizza warned customers during a British interview that it is unhealthy to eat more than two slices of his pies.

John Schnatter, 47, hailed the nutritional value of his chain's pizzas during an interview with BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, saying: "Pizzas are healthy for you if you don't eat too much of it," The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

However, he warned that the health benefits of pizza, which Papa John's does not sell by the slice, wane with higher quantities.

"You can't eat five or six slices," he said. "But if you eat one or two slices it's very nutritious. A slice or two is good for you."

The show's business presenter, Adam Shaw, joked that Schnatter's statement might upset shareholders.

"I'm not sure your investors would want to hear you tell people don't eat too much of our pizzas," he said.

Domino's Pizza Halifax Becomes First Pizza Delivery Business in Calderdale to Be Awarded 5 Stars by Local EHO

Domino’s Pizza in Halifax has become the first pizza delivery store in the Calderdale area to score top marks in the Scores on the Doors food hygiene scheme.

The store at Ward End has been awarded five stars – the highest possible rating for Scores on the Doors, which provides consumers with the official local authority ratings for food businesses across the country. All premises are inspected under the Food Law Code of Practice issued by the Food Standards Agency. Domino’s Halifax was awarded the five stars for excellence based on the store’s standard of hygiene, structural condition of the premises and the management of the business.

Kevin Jones, owner of the Domino’s Halifax store, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering high quality, delicious pizzas and take our hygiene and operational standards extremely seriously. We are delighted to have been awarded the highest possible rating in the Scores on the Doors scheme. This is a great achievement and one which is down to the hard work, care and meticulous attention of the staff to meeting the high standards that are synonymous with Domino’s. This is the first time the Halifax store has been assessed under the Scores on the Doors scheme and I’m delighted that we’re the only pizza delivery shop in Calderdale that has achieved this standard.”

To order a pizza from Halifax’s top scoring pizza delivery store, telephone Domino’s on 01422 366166 or visit the store at 4 – 5 Southgate House, Ward End, Halifax.


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Pizza Hut UK Goes Heavyweight on Direct Advertising

Pizza Hut is to launch an innovative advertising campaign to promote its new, fixed price 'Happy Hour' menu.

The menu, which is available from January 19, will be amplified through an atmAd campaign, which goes live on January 26 and will run for 2 weeks across atmAd's national network of cash machines.

The advertisements will be carried across 3.3 million transactions at over 1,650 cash machines across the UK, ideally situated in close proximity to Pizza Hut restaurants. The campaign will also include 825,000 take-away receipts that will feature the address of the nearest restaurant in the area and menu details.

Claudia Nicholls-Magielsen, Marketing Director of Restaurants, Pizza Hut, said: "We needed an advertising medium which allowed us to engage in a dialogue with our target audience."

"The combination of geographically targeted ATM advertisements and 'reminder receipts' appealed to us as a powerful way of communicating with our customers. We look forward to welcoming families to try our new Happy Hour offering at a time of year when saving money is a high priority."

The atmAd advertisements are part of a wider, awareness-raising campaign, which will include TV, radio, roadside 6-sheets, mall 6-sheets and branded phone boxes. By highlighting the new Pizza Hut menu, the adverts aim to drive consumers to restaurants directly from the cash machines.

Ana Stewart, CEO of i-design multimedia, said: "atmAd is a powerful media platform and is particularly effective as a highly targeted element within a wider integrated campaign. Our ability to run this campaign simultaneously across three different UK banking networks enables Pizza Hut to reach a wide and relevant audience in proximity to their restaurants."


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Another Big Pizza Story!

Measuring four and a half feet long and more than three feet wide, a monster of a pizza was the creation of Guiseppe Cincinnato, inspired by a dare from his son. He says, "he said Dad, I dare you. You can't make a pizza this big."

That was a few years ago in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That pie landed Guiseppe in the "Guinness Book of World Records". This one, which is the same size as the record breaker, is on its way to the fourth graders at Hilltop Elementary School in Canfield.

Guiseppe's been in the restaurant business since coming to this country from Naples in the mid 1970's. He still uses the same commercial pizza oven he had in Michigan that he had customized to make everything fit.

Besides this one, the crew at "Bella Napoli" in Canfield is also making several smaller versions for the school to make sure there are enough slices to go around.

Getting this big pie in and out of the oven is a two person job, and this trip occurs twice.

After its been boxed and sliced, it's off to Hilltop for lunch, where the kids get to show their appreciation. Then it's right back to work, where there are plenty more pies to make.




The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.

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