The BONICI® brand knows pizza and Tyson Food Service knows how to help operators increase profitability. Based on its 50-plus years of experience providing authentic and great-tasting Italian products, Tyson Food Service has identified five trends in the pizza industry to drive successful operations.

“We’ve combined our pizza segment experience, consumer research and industry insights from the BONICI brand and Tyson Food Service to show operators how they can optimize their pizza operations and increase profitability,” said Tyson Food Service senior brand manager Tiffany Jetter. “We tapped our extensive resources to identify both customer needs and profitable trends for operators to consider when developing their 2015 menu strategies.”

1. Expand menu options by repurposing standard pizza ingredients. Consumers still want familiar pizza tastes, but also want versatility. According to Technomic’s 2014 The Pizza Trend Report, 19 percent of consumers want more than pizza on the menu. Operators can broaden their menus by utilizing traditional pizza products and ingredients to develop unique pastas, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and other appetizers. By expanding their menus with already-stocked pizza ingredients, they will accommodate more tastes, improve waste management and boost sales.

2. Add a balanced protein mix to lower cost and increase margins. To manage fluctuating commodity prices, operators should menu a mix of protein products like meatballs, ingredient chicken and multi-protein products such as chicken and beef pepperoni. Using a form of this mix offsets costs and extends protein dollars. These lower-cost proteins also cover multiple recipe applications as a substitute for beef and pork in dishes. Operators that develop creative menu offerings to balance costs while appealing to consumer cravings will support stronger margins long-term.

3.Extend products with all day breakfast offerings. According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast, seven out of 10 consumers wish restaurants would serve breakfast all day long. To capture more customer traffic, pizza operators could extend the use of pizza toppings, including sausage, cheese and dough to create breakfast-inspired menu items, such as breakfast pizzas or flatbreads. With the increasing popularity of breakfast, many fast-food and QSR restaurants are going full-force into this daypart. Having a cost-effective breakfast solution will help operators be competitive, especially if these menu items are available all day.

4. Develop hand-held products for on-the-go customers. Consumers now demand quicker options and seek out snacks and meals that can be enjoyed on-the-go. According to the same Technomic report, 26 percent of consumers want pizza establishments to offer portable handheld pizza snacks. Operators can reach new customers as well as improve current customer satisfaction by modifying existing offerings to provide smaller, portable items, such as a snack-sized portion breadstick stuffed with all of the great fillings consumers have come to expect from their favorite pizza.

5. Optimize purchase decisions with multiple-brand providers. To consolidate purchasing costs and cover multiple dayparts, operators should partner with foodservice providers with several food brands under its umbrella. The benefit to the operator includes usage ideas across brands and products to optimize menu offerings and valuable research and insights on effective pairings.

“With growing consumer demand for variety, there is more opportunity than ever for operators to create unique menu additions across all dayparts using traditional pizza products,” said Jetter. “Operators trust the BONICI brand to help them develop new product variations to enhance appetizers, entrées and sides, while also providing full-service merchandising support and business-building tools. The combination helps operators develop a more exciting menu, improve overall customer experience and achieve a stronger bottom line.”

The BONICI product portfolio offers the most complete line of Italian products, including a vast array of pepperoni and toppings, doughs, crusts and chicken products. With a full range of sizes, styles and price points to fit operators’ needs, its traditional flavors, consistency and quality has universal appeal that attracts commercial and non-commercial operators wanting to create an authentic Italian experience.

For more information, visit http://www.Bonici.com.

About Tyson Food Service

Tyson Food Service is a division of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE TSN). Plenty of companies specialize in one type of food. But only Tyson Food Service has the expertise, insights and production capabilities to give you so much more. More quality, more price points and more menu options— all from one trusted place. The 2,500+ products from Tyson Food Service cover all dayparts, menu parts and price points across six core brands: Tyson®, BONICI®, Wright® Brand, Mexican Original®, IBP Trusted Excellence® and Lady Aster®. Visit www.TysonFoodService.com for more information on products and business building tools that can be Working at the Heart of Your Menu™.

About BONICI

The BONICI® product portfolio offers an extensive line of Italian products that help commercial and non-commercial operators create an authentic Italian experience. BONICI® branded products include: pepperoni, pizza toppings, doughs, crusts, flatbreads, meatballs and wings that are produced with the same quality operators have come to expect from Tyson Food Service.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the world's largest producers of chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods that include leading brands such as Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Sara Lee® frozen bakery, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells® and State Fair®. The company was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. Tyson Foods provides a wide variety of protein-based and prepared foods products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves, supplying customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. It has approximately 124,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.