September 4, 2025

Like last year, we’ll give attendees an early, exclusive look at the fastest, most accurate, and best customer service drive-thrus in America.

No more flying by the seat of your pants! Start planning now for a busier and more profitable 2026 with Matt Plapp, the pizza-loving CEO of America’s Best Restaurants and a regular contributor to PMQ Pizza. Plapp and his team work with more than 2,500 restaurants to build year-round marketing plans that capitalize on customer data, loyalty programs, email and the latest social media tools. In this high-energy session, Plapp will help you design and execute a full year’s worth of promotions and irresistible special offers (the kind customers would be crazy to turn down) to drive more traffic and pump up your sales volume.

You have the grit and spirit of an independent operator, but you’ve got big ambitions, too. One or several stores isn’t enough for you. You want to build an empire in your market(s). How do you do it? In this powerhouse session, you’ll discover how to standardize and streamline operations for consistency without becoming generic, institute strict quality controls, develop a clear brand identity, choose your locations strategically, and adopt chain-level purchasing and vendor relationships to secure better pricing.

It’s time to rethink our approach to on-boarding and retaining new employees, especially GenZers. Our panel of experts will explain how they identify high performers, train, motivate and mentor them, and help them grow as restaurant professionals rather than disinterested part-timers with one eye on the clock.

So your first pizzeria is a success. Is it time to open a second store? Is that a challenge you’re ready for? Are you sure? Let’s get it all nailed down and make sure store No. 2 is for you. Michael LaMarca of Master Pizza has intimate knowledge of what really goes into opening a new location. This veteran operator and franchisor, who has grown Master Pizza to 15 locations, will walk you through every step, from knowing when, where—and just as importantly—why to launch a second location to creating must-have manuals, building a Lead Team and training the trainers.