WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 25, 2025) – Sure, the autumnal equinox technically marks the official start of fall, but let’s get real – the true kickoff to the season begins when pumpkin spice starts landing on menus. One of the most iconic flavors of all time, pumpkin spice is a flavor consumers anticipate every year. Today, &pizza officially put the PSL on notice with something that will leave pumpkin lovers drooling: Pumpkin Spice Knots.

No one does sweet and savory quite like &pizza, and its new Pumpkin Spice Knots were created to deliver on that promise – and then some. Wrapped inside &pizza’s legendary dough is a warm pumpkin spice filling. Once out of the oven, they’re finished with a sweet vanilla icing and a healthy dash of powdered sugar that will have everyone ready to don their plaid flannels, denim and UGG boots. The new Pumpkin Spice Knots will be available for a limited time while supplies last for $6 at all &pizza locations.

“Let’s be honest, brands hang their hats on pumpkin spice every year, but it’s a rinse-and-repeat cycle that’s become mundane at best,” says Mike Burns, CEO of &pizza. “Boring and expected are a death sentence, so we decided to do something about it. We don’t tip toe around trends – we hijack them.”

Mission-driven to create a more socially conscious, culture-carrying community, &pizza is not “Big Pizza,” and it’s proud to be so. More than just a better flavor/quality ingredients kind of pizza shop, &pizza leads with real actions and an unwavering commitment to being more; so, expect more.

Ready to give the Pumpkin Spice Knots a try? Join &pizza’s rewards club to unlock members-only deals, VIP events, swag and more. Download the app or visit andpizza.com to start stacking your &coins.

For more information and to place an order online, please visit order.thanx.com/andpizza.

Price and participation may vary by location. For a list of all location, please visit andpizza.com/andpizza-locations.

About &pizza

Founded in 2012, &pizza is a mission-driven, culture carrying community dedicated to better flavor, quality ingredients, and community betterment. Proud to differentiate themselves, &pizza is doing more for their workers by providing a livable wage, a socially conscious vision, and real action to help advance real social progress. &pizza has locations across the East Coast in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

SOURCE: &pizza

The post Are You Punkin’ Me With These Pumpkin Spice Knots? appeared first on Pizza Today.

That’s the magic of limited-time offerings (LTOs), and if you’re not using them in your pizzeria, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for driving sales, engaging customers and keeping your brand fresh.

At Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Lars Smith from State of Mind Hospitality Group delivered a masterclass on why LTOs should be part of every pizzeria’s strategy. As chef and co-owner of three successful locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Smith has built LTOs into the very DNA of his business since day one. His insights reveal how these temporary menu additions can transform not just your sales figures, but your entire restaurant culture.

What Makes a Limited-Time Offer Actually Work?

An LTO is any special promotion available for a limited time – whether that’s a discounted item, special menu creation, or one-off event. But here’s the thing: not all LTOs are created equal.

Smith breaks down the key ingredients that make LTOs irresistible to customers:

Urgency creates that “get it now or miss out forever” feeling that drives immediate action. When customers know something won’t be around long, they prioritize it over their usual choices.

Seasonal relevance taps into what’s happening in the world around us. Think pumpkin spice pizzas in fall, Super Bowl specials, or holiday-themed creations that feel perfectly timed.

Exclusivity means offering something they literally can’t get anywhere else. This isn’t about copying your competitor’s latest promotion – it’s about creating a unique reason to choose your pizzeria.

Scarcity amplifies desire, whether through limited daily quantities or short availability windows. When State of Mind offers just 15 grandma slices per day, customers know to order early or miss out.

Six Game-Changing Reasons to Embrace LTOs

1. Turn Fence-Sitters Into First-Time Customers

Acquiring new customers is expensive and challenging in our crowded market. But an enticing LTO can be the push that gets someone who’s been “meaning to try your place” through your doors.

Smith shares how restaurant week specials, featuring unique pizza and spritz pairings, not only brought in new faces but generated free press coverage. “It’s a great way to get people that are on the fence with an enticing reason to visit,” he explains.

2. Reignite Your Regular Customers’ Excitement

Even your most loyal customers can fall into routine. LTOs give them something new to get excited about and share with friends and family.

Smith shares that after his wife won an international competition with her pumpkin spice pizza, they put it on the menu as a limited-time offering. “Regular customers already believe in us,” Smith says. “And they’re really excited to come in and try that award-winning pizza.”

3. Unleash Your Team’s Creativity

Here’s where LTOs become more than just a sales strategy – they become fuel for innovation. Smith calls this his favorite aspect: “Doing LTOs is an incredible outlet for your chefs, your team’s creativity.”

When you build creativity into your regular operations, you’re not just keeping customers interested – you’re keeping your team energized and pushing the boundaries of what your kitchen can accomplish.

4. Showcase Seasonal and Local Ingredients

For pizzerias committed to quality ingredients, LTOs provide the perfect vehicle for highlighting seasonal produce and local partnerships. Smith’s California location takes advantage of short-season items like fresh figs and local apricots that would be impossible to feature year-round.

“Particularly when we’re talking about figs, which is only a couple weeks season, or apricots that are only really a few week season, you really have this opportunity: ‘Hey, we’ve got this great local thing and you can only get it for three weeks,’” Smith notes.

5. Test New Products Without Long-Term Commitment

Want to add prosciutto to your regular menu aren’t sure if customers will bite? Run it as an LTO first. Smith’s team tested everything from truffle honey to Aperol spritzes this way, tracking sales and gathering feedback before making permanent menu decisions.

“You don’t have to make a long-term investment in something,” he explains. “You can get a case, run it and see what customer feedback is like.”

6. Create Marketing Gold

LTOs give you something compelling to talk about across all your marketing channels. Instead of posting, “Come eat our pizza because we made it yesterday and the day before,” you’re sharing exclusive, time-sensitive content on social media.

Smith emphasizes how this creates “organic marketing opportunities” while providing natural hooks for email campaigns, social posts and even local press coverage.

Beyond Profit: LTOs as Community Connection

One of the most powerful applications Smith shares involves using LTOs for community support. By creating special pizzas and donating a portion of proceeds to local organizations, State of Mind has supported disaster relief, youth coding programs and food pantries.

Their fire relief pizza generated over $2,000 in donations for Slice Out Hunger while introducing chicken to their menu for the first time. “You’re going to drive people in and they’re not just buying that pizza,” Smith notes. “They’re going to spend more and feel good about it.”

The Secret to LTO Success: Planning and Execution

Having a great idea isn’t enough; successful LTOs require systematic execution. Smith emphasizes the importance of:

Detailed Planning: Create build sheets, recipe cards and pricing strategies before launch. Your team needs to know exactly how to prepare and present the LTO.

Staff Training: Team members can’t sell what they don’t understand. Make sure everyone tastes the LTO and knows how to describe it to customers.

Strategic Marketing: Give yourself adequate lead time for photography, social media content and staff preparation. Rush jobs rarely succeed.

Clear End Dates: The “limited” in limited-time offering is crucial. Even successful LTOs should have planned end dates to maintain their special nature.

Making It Work for Your Pizzeria

Before introducing LTOs, get your regular operations running smoothly first. “Give it a month or two to get to know the flow,” he suggests. “Make sure you’re executing your menu because if you’re not operating as a well-oiled machine and you add an LTO, it’s probably creating more of a problem.”

The key is starting with your bandwidth and building up. Even simple LTOs like daily pizza specials or weekly add-on features can drive engagement and test new concepts.

Ready to Transform Your Pizzeria?

LTOs aren’t just about boosting short-term sales – they’re about creating a culture of innovation, community engagement, and customer excitement that extends far beyond individual promotions. As Smith puts it, “LTOs are a great way to keep evolving your menu and your business.”

The restaurants thriving in our competitive landscape aren’t just serving great food – they’re creating experiences, building anticipation, and giving customers compelling reasons to choose them over the countless other options available.

Your next LTO could be the spark that transforms a slow Tuesday into your busiest day of the week, turns a curious browser into a loyal regular, or creates the signature item that defines your brand for years to come.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to experiment with limited-time offerings – it’s whether you can afford not to. Your customers are waiting to be surprised, your team is ready to be creative, and your community is looking for reasons to support local businesses that care.

What will your first LTO be?

The post Why Your Pizzeria Needs Limited-Time Offerings appeared first on Pizza Today.

Time is running out! Buy now before it’s too late! Don’t miss your chance!

It’s a cold hard fact that scarcity sells. Companies like eBay and StubHub are valued in the billions because of it. We get excited every time the McRib comes back and there’s mayhem when Pumpkin Spice Latte season returns. Fortunately for you, it’s also useful to independent pizzerias. A limited time offering, or LTO, can provide the power to do more than just boost sales. By tapping into the customers’ fear of missing out you can increase sales, attract media attention, and strengthen your community relations.

Seasonality

Every summer, pizza fans flock to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s sixteen locations for a taste of their fresh tomato pizza. This is a pizza that’s only available while tomatoes are in season, unlike the restaurant’s perennial pies that use canned tomatoes. Sales surge as customers grab what they can before time runs out. When summer ends, so does the fresh tomato pizza.

The rhythm of seasonality keeps Dan Richer engaged with both his customers and local farmers through his ever-changing menu at Razza in Jersey City. “Customers want to know when corn is coming back and when zucchini will be on the menu again. The truth is that I don’t know! What we’re doing is alive.” Richer bases his entire concept on perpetual change. He reprints menus every day so he can adjust to the limits of nature. There are some pizzas that will always be available, but the ability to constantly add items based on seasonality gives Razza fans a reason to come back more often.

Collaboration

What’s better than marketing to your own customers? Marketing to someone else’s customers! You can use LTOs to do both by offering a limited-time collaboration with another local business. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company in Dallas teamed up with a popular Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood to create a hit. “They told us their number one seller was the Dan Dan Sausage, so we took inspiration from that dish to create a super popular pizza that lived on our menu for just a few weeks,” says owner Sammy Mandell.

Alex Coons has had great success collaborating with like-minded businesses through his restaurant Hot Tongue in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles. “We recently ran a collaborative pie for just one weekend with a fantastic local restaurant called BeeWali’s. The collaboration proved to be a fantastic marketing tool for both of us, drawing in lots of new faces. It was one of our best weekends of the year.” Collaborations like this don’t just build a restaurant’s audience, they also strengthen communities.

Publicity

The main reason Greenville Avenue Pizza Company runs limited-time offerings is to stay relevant. “Our focus is on staying top of mind,” says Mandell. “How do you get yourself press coverage if you’re doing the same thing every day?” By having a rolling series of LTOs, Greenville Avenue Pizza Company has established a reputation within their community. It’s so much a part of their identity that the largest local magazine in Dallas recently featured them on the cover of their pizza-centric issue. Even better, the magazine asked GAPCO to collaborate on a special pizza in celebration of the issue. It doesn’t get any better than collaborating with the press!

On the social media side, an LTO provides loads of content opportunities. Images and videos of your new creation will generate buzz and provide a nice break from the same photo of your pepperoni pizza. MaiPai Tiki Bar in Hamilton, Ontario uses Instagram Reels to announce a new featured pizza every week. These videos rack up thousands of views and lead to a spike in pre-orders. MaiPai once ran a social media campaign that invited their followers to vote for their favorite weekly feature. They scored lots of engagement and used the results to update their regular menu.

Boosting Slow Periods

Time-sensitive offers have the ability to bring people through the door in times of need. Mama’s Too in New York City creates a new sandwich every week to be sold only on Wednesday. Regulars who usually come in for pizza make an extra visit on Wednesday just to pick up the weekly sandwich. The pizzeria announces the sandwich one day in advance via Instagram and they regularly sell out.

Diana Huynh, owner of Cici’s Pizza & Wings in Toronto, fired up an LTO when she noticed her merch line wasn’t selling. Last October, she celebrated Pizza Month with a special offer of a free slice with the purchase of any piece of Cici’s swag. She usually sells just five pieces of merch per month, but the free slice incentive increased that number to over forty.

Challenges

Creating temporary menu items takes a lot of work. You’ll have to devote time to R&D, especially if you’re working with an unfamiliar ingredient or process. Seasonal items pose a particular challenge because a short season won’t give you much time to experiment.

Before you can take your new item public, you’ll have to train your staff. The kitchen has to know how to prepare the dish and your servers need to be able to sell it. A complicated process that clogs up your makeline will give you more headaches than solutions. This is another reason it’s great to collaborate with another restaurant that can handle some of the prep for you.

One of the most popular LTOs at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company is their Pretty Pickle pizza. “We get more requests for this than any other pie,” says owner Sammy Mandell. “We would have already added it to the regular menu, but each pie gets 100 slices of pickle and that’s just too labor-intensive for my staff.”

Dan Richer agrees. “I can spend months perfecting chocolate cake but if it’s not a process my staff can execute perfectly every time it’s not worth adding to the menu.

The loudest refrain from pizzerias that use limited time offerings is that they have to become part of your routine. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company spent two years building their LTO program but now it’s an essential part of their restaurant. Razza and MaiPai consider short-run items to be part of their DNA. They’ve trained customers to anticipate LTOs as a way of holding their attention. It’s important to put in the work of establishing consistency, otherwise the occasional one-off will go unnoticed. It takes time and energy to build a rhythm, but the results could pump a new lifesource into your pizzeria.

SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org  Instagram: @scottspizzatours

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