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When restaurant industry experts opined about what trends will be big in 2012, children's nutrition topped lists across the board, from the National Restaurant Association to market research firms such as Technomic and NPD Group.
And while many quick-service chains have embraced the demand shifts – adding apple slices to Happy Meals or grilled chicken nuggets to kids' menus – the pizza segment seems to be a bit out of place. Generally, pizza joints don't offer shiny toys, fun marketing campaigns or even separate meal choices geared toward the younger demographic.
Still, there are plenty of opportunities for pizza operators to take advantage of when it comes to this trend.
Zpizza, for example, signed up to be an inaugural participant in the NRA/Healthy Dining's new Kids LiveWell initiative, aimed at providing parents and children with healthier food and beverage selections when dining out. The company was the lone pizza concept on the original list, although Pizza Fusion, Red Brick Pizza and Ledo Pizza have since jumped on board.
