While the messaging behind some of the billboards launched in other areas might appear combative – one billboard for Chicago reads, “Yes, Pizza. Not Casserole,” for example – Anthony stresses the campaign is meant to initiate a “friendly food fight” that ultimately is positive for the entire industry. “It elevates the national conversation. It gets people talking about what they love,” he tells Pizza Today.

People are certain to be talking Saturday, when fashion designer Justin Haynes debuts a pizza-inspired collection at District NHV to benefit the Feeding Families Foundation, which ensures the families of hospital patients get enough to eat. The event is a collaboration between Haynes and Michael Pollack, an artist whose sculpture celebrating Connecticut pizza debuted this week at the Tweed-New Haven Airport. Pollack also is the artist behind the 9,000-pound, 13.5-foot-tall steel and concrete pizza slice statue currently located outside Modern Apizza in New Haven.

Later this year, the state Office of Tourism will debut an official Connecticut Pizza Trail. Twenty of the first spots on the trail already are chosen, having been selected by public vote. Anthony stresses that state pizza operators who aren’t on the short list shouldn’t worry; the full pizza trail will include 100 pizzerias that are geographically and stylistically diverse.

As for the Better Pizza in Connecticut campaign, Anthony says the website and phone number recently launched to solicit opinions about Connecticut pizza have generated largely positive response. “State pride is at an all-time high,” he says, adding that the University of Connecticut’s basketball championships in 2023 and 2024 might have played a role. “Some of the focus on the things that we do very well has actually helped state pride.”

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Each year, I load up my bicycle and ride hundreds of miles across as many bike trails in the U.S. as I can. In 2024, I ventured from Albany, New York to Buffalo by bicycle on the Erie Canal Trail in seven days, eating at least two meals a day in towns along the way. I was one of nearly 4 million visitors to the trail last year. Before that, it was the Katy Trail in Missouri, the Great Allegheny Passage in Pennsylvania, the Ohio to Erie Trail – the list goes on and on.

I’ve eaten my fair share of pizza along the way, and I’ve encountered growing opportunities for even the smallest pizzerias in the most rural areas. And it’s not just me, travel is on the rise nationwide.

It was estimated that Americans’ travel spending was to exceed $221.6 billion in 2024, up 3.5 percent over the previous year, according to the Allianz Partners USA’s 16th Annual Vacation Confidence Index. Furthermore, the National Restaurant Association reports that around 30 percent of restaurant revenue comes from travelers and visitors. The total tourism industry is expected to reach $2.1 trillion in 2025, according to Travel and Tour World.

Whether by bicycle, automobile, airplane or transit, the one thing travelers have in common is they need to eat. Though it can be challenging to anticipate dining cycles and behaviors of travelers, it’s a market that is hard to ignore.

Let’s get a better grasp on how you can reach travelers without a big spend on your part.

But let’s face it: in the restaurant business, it’s all about repeat visits and the travelers’ spend often gets overlooked. Think of the “repeat” business as the referral source and you have a plethora of those in your area, from hotels and travel bureaus to attractions and regional food influencers.

Travelers often fall into two groups: business/professional or holiday/leisure. I would also add a third — special
interest. These are your traveling baseball teams and such that don’t necessarily fall under the previous two.

First step is to take stock of who visits your area and why.

Knowing who you are trying to reach will help you identify marketing opportunities and partners.

Next, assess your online presence. Visitors often do not know you exist, so it is vital to create and maintain a high ranking on search engines and review sites. Navigation services like Google Maps and others become even more important as travelers do a simple search en route to find “pizza near me” or “pizza, Louisville, Kentucky”.

If you can’t find your business, someone new to your area won’t either. Be sure you have claimed your profile on all search engines, review sites and social media. This goes for directories and third-party delivery sites (if applicable). Make sure they are complete. Add hours and photos (include meta data describing what’s in the photo along with your pizzeria name and location). Add an item to your weekly task list to keep that information updated.

Don’t forget to pay close attention to your website, as well. Check your site for its searchability. Is it a mobile responsive site? That’s a must now. Is contact info, menus and ordering easy to find on homepage? The No. 1 issue I find when I visit pizzeria websites is often I cannot find what city and state they are in without clicking around. Make it prominent on your homepage. Are phone numbers active and clickable to call? Are location details clickable to directions? Is the menu easy to read in body text format? Don’t hide menus in PDF links or in images. Do all photos have meta descriptions.

Hone in on Your Unique Community

Grassroots marketing is where pizzerias shine. You can apply this to tourists and travelers, as well. Here are some actionable items you can do right now to increase traveler visits to your pizzeria:

• Get your menus and promotions into every hotel, vacation rental, b&b and campground.

Often lodging will compile a list of restaurants with a QR code for guests to access or they provide a big binder of menus. If you are providing physical menus, do not forget to provide them with an updated copy when your menu changes.

• Create local promotion geofencing. Optimize technology to drill down your promotions to a specific area.

This makes it so much easier to find visitors that are in your immediate area.

• Partner with attractions.

This is a win-win. Sit down and come up with fun cross promotion ideas to drive traffic. A common tactic is for visitors to receive a discount at each when they show a current receipt or ticket stub.

• Collaborate with other restaurants.

Ban together to create a neighborhood or district food scene. You can host events and build cross promotions. Creating culinary guides and tours is a great way to encourage visitors to eat local. Food-related passports are popping up everywhere. I have one for local pizza, beer, coffee and donuts.

• Infuse traditional tactics that work.

Think community boards, street level signage, brand ambassadors and flyers.

• Leverage local, regional and state tourism bureaus and other agencies.

These organizations were created to help increase tourism, and they are at your disposal to partner with. Work with your tourism bureaus on local packages and promotions. If you can accommodate large parties and groups, contact the group sales and meeting professionals at the bureaus to work with them on group visits. Other great partnerships are conference centers, sports facilities and large companies who bring in travelers.

There are so many ways to attract travelers to your restaurants. Just make sure it’s on brand. Have fun with it. It’s what travelers expect.

Denise Greer Is Executive Editor at Pizza Today.

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