Thanksgiving is synonymous with feast-covered tables. However, since different generations are craving different holiday presentations, restaurants seeking to break through the typical turkey trot of guest traffic should consider turning to pizza platters that incorporate elements of our favorite Thanksgiving sides.
Knives are out when the culinary battle between traditionalists and experimentalists spills over into Thanksgiving Day. But there’s more than just parades, football, and napping that brings us all together. For restaurants, what is usually a lowkey day offers opportunities to outrun the competition to the endzone. Chefs can deconstruct the things that everyone loves about Turkey Day — a juicy bird, sides, comfort fixins — to unveil fresh, creative pizzas hot out of the oven.
Social Graces
Few platforms connect people like social media. And whether it’s a family that’s including grandma from another state in their Thanksgiving celebration or a virtual Friendsgiving getting the party started from coast-to-coast, social has the ability to make the world seem smaller, while reminding us of the scope of our influences.
In a similar way, social can excite locals about neighborhood specials and spread the word beyond your market. Consider the potential reach of a Fall Sicilian Pie, memorably rectangular and shareable — loaded with harvest ingredients like potatoes, peas, carrots, asparagus, radishes, kale, and a basil pesto sauce. Or imagine a pie, decadent with Ridegcrest® bacon and sausage stuffing and a tangy cranberry sauce, taking the ‘net by storm.
Tastecation
Some families or parties may like to take their Thanksgiving feast on the road for a ‘lil vacay but can’t get out of town this particular holiday season. Bring the trip to them by incorporating international influences into your pizza specials. Almost all cultures have an affinity for something similar to pizza and research is showing that global trends continue to drive sales.
Innovate with popular Thai or Vietnamese ingredients — hey, maybe even try a Mexican-inspired pie starring turkey tinga combined with a hint of Contigo® Birria sauce. Or feast your eyes on a Spanish Tapas Barcelona-style Pizza smothered in prosciutto, eggs, and potatoes, perhaps with the addition of some spicy-seasoned turkey crumbles.
Make It Memorable
Thanksgiving is all about remembering how thankful we are for the blessings in our life and making new memories that we can toast years down the road. So have fun playing around with ingredient combinations or spicy mashups that potential guests won’t soon forget.
Roman-style pizzas are exploding in popularity — they are a great canvas for heaping fresh, seasonal items that are colorful and vibrant on shareable squares and rectangles. Experiment with a Roman shape and crust, but instead incorporate Thanksgiving faves such as mac n’ cheese, creamed corn, or Brussels sprouts.
And no matter if you are a pizza traditionalist or a mad scientist, it’s critical to have the right cheeses that pull these specials together. For example, Bacio® Block Cheese is excellent for pizzaiolos who prefer to shred their own cheese in-house. The Bacio options include both whole milk and part skim depending on your style and are crafted With a Kiss of Buffalo Milk® for creamy authenticity and an unparalleled performance. Start a new tradition and offer consumers a cheesy alternative to tried-and-true Thanksgiving staples.
