John Reale was hired to serve as chief operating officer for Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. A restaurant industry veteran, Reale’s background includes serving in a similar role for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and multiconcept operators Focus Brands.

Private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice has acquired an ownership stake in MOD Super Fast PizzaHoldings, a fast-casual pizza chain with 433 locations systemwide. The $150 million investment will help accelerate MOD’s continued expansion, per a release announcing the transaction.

The American consumer never seems to grow tired of that irresistible combination of bread, cheese and sauce. These days, pizza styles reflect specific regions, places or traditions, with a greater emphasis on dough.

In a deal valued at $190 million, MTY Food Group has reached an agreement to acquire Papa Murphy’s Holdings, a take and bake pizza concept. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

Unique Foods Corporation has acquired fast-casual concept Pizza Fusion, a gourmet concept with franchised locations in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Stoner's Pizza Joint tapped Glenn Cybulski to serve as president and chief culinary officer for the quick-service pizza franchise.

Proofing cabinets are essential for pizza operations that make crust in-house and/or bake from scratch. Unlike the open air, the temperature and humidity levels reached in a proofing cabinet are ideal for allowing dough to rise to perfection.

What distinguishes a prep table for pizza production is its raised condiment rail, which situates the topping pans higher than the surface on which the staff member makes the pizza.

Pizza operations typically utilize deck or conveyor ovens. When producing Neapolitan pizza, though, operators turn to wood-fired ovens. All three ovens operate in vastly different ways.

Typically, pizza prep tables feature a raised condiment rail that keeps the topping pans higher than the surface on which staff make the pizza. Some units use a flat surface and wider openings for topping storage. Made-to-order pizza concepts, including those in the fast-casual space where customers can view pie ingredients, tend to favor these pizza prep tables.

The biggest differences between standard and pizza dough mixers are that the latter has lower RPM (revolutions per minute), utilizes gears instead of belts, has a dough hook attachment and features heavy-duty construction. This makes pizza dough mixers, often called spiral mixers, better suited for dense dough. Mixer designs have generally remained unchanged in the last 50 years.

Pizza restaurant dish rooms, like those in other foodservice segments, continue to shrink in size. These cramped spaces can be difficult environments for staff to work in as well as inefficient when ergonomics are an issue.

Portion control scales play an integral role in most pizza operations, helping ensure consistency with topping amounts on pies. For both large-batch and single-serving recipes, portion control scales help minimize ingredient waste.

The buffet chain dropped "pizza" from its name, moved away from the commodity feeder look and developed a smaller, far more efficient kitchen.

The chain's leaders believe their passion for pizza and commitment to high-quality ingredients will make this fast-casual pizza concept rise above its competitors.

With a commitment to customization, along with a five-ton deck oven, California-based PizzaRev continues to revolutionize how people think about and eat pizza.

Combining new high-speed ovens with a highly customizable menu, this Dallas-based chain is ready to make a name for itself in the fast-casual pizza segment.

From conveyor ovens to peels, a variety of pizza equipment and supplies help create one of America's most popular meals.