September 11th

The tragic event is etched in my my mind as it is with too many people in NY, around the country and around the world. The horror of it won't go away but what I choose to remember is the love, courage, and compassion. I was a young Sgt. in the  NYPD that responded to the first attack in 1993 and then as a volunteer recovering the remains of the victims after the second attack.  The number of men and women that responded to help was overwhelming. It goes without saying what the first responders did was heroic but they were not alone in their efforts. There were sanitation workers, Red Cross volunteers, ironworkers, volunteer ministers from the Church of Scientology, tow truck drivers, office workers, and store owners, and average men and women all there doing what they could, from clearing wreckage to applying first aid to feeding and comforting the first responders. Civilians helping people escape ground zero, helping them find there way back home without public transportation, or just giving their fellow Americans a shoulder to cry on. This went on for months and all the unsung heroes( I was reminded of all this from this article in PMQ magazine about Goodfellas feeding the police officers who were sifting through the rubble for human remains day after day for months.) People from all walks of life were there just doing what they could to help from there own ability is recognized and appreciated. From the young lady handing out water to the elderly veteran that donated work gloves to the responders. The school kids from all over the world that sent letters of support, the men and women that fought to make sure the ill were taken care of and their families cared for after their loss. The priests and doctors that had to administer to the survivors still and the list goes on and even on down to the smallest act of kindness that was displayed - like waving and smiling or letting a vehicle go without contest or traffic dispute. A simple bow of the head to those working "the pile" meant a lot.  I want to acknowledge all of you that rose to the occasion and showed the best of humanity and represented mankind for what it truly is. Thank you all, my admiration and respect are yours, you earned it.  Marc Cosentino

How to Promote your Pizza Business by Marc Cosentino Co-Founder of Three Time World Champion Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza Part 1

Watching my facebook friend Grant Cardone go on and on about getting known and attracting attention I thought I might as well share some very hard won knowledge on the subject to help my friends just getting started. I’d like to first say that IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TODAY THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN TO GET ATTENTION FOR BUSINESS!!! What do I mean by this? The internet, cell phones, home printing, email, blogs, online ordering, electronic press releases, computers, you tube, facebook, insatgram, search engines and a host of other items that make it so easy to get out there that it may seem overwhelming or too easy.
No matter how incredible your product is, if nobody knows it exists, you will never sell one item and die broke a complete failure. What you need besides a great product is getting it known. I have some experience in this having generated hundreds of newspaper articles, TV news stories, hundreds upon hundreds of pages on ggogle search, lead google stories, 100′s of thousands of hits on youtube videos, twenty years of NYC Mayors visiting my original store, having my pizza bet on the NY Giants by the Mayor of New York when They won the Superbowl, radio and I think you get the point.
SO how did I do it? More importantly; how do you do it? If you do a portion of what I advise you here I guarantee you will succeed in getting your product known. With good management and a consistent product you should start expanding.
1-list out all the people you know and every group, organization and social club you belong to. Note: Yes, work and a burning desire to succeed are a necessity so no crying!
Believe it or not but the people most likely to promote you are the ones you already know so start contacting them and letting them know what you are doing and don’t be afraid to ask for help getting the word out because most-not all-people are good. Email. call, visit, write letters, make post cards, put up signs and contact each and everyone of them. Invite them to your grand opening and tell them to bring their friends. Yes I said it and if you thought for one second “Oh my god how would I ever handle that many people” you need to rethink your promotional philosophy and heres why. A true promoter never stops and never, ever considers delivery, just getting the people in-period. I don’t care how you do it and you don’t care about handling them, that’s another part of the job called production or delivery. Your only concern when you wear the promotional hat is promoting. What is promoting? It’s making things known and well thought of. It’s getting the word out and creating interest.
2-Signs announcing your product. Let’s take pizza

since it is why we are here. You need to tell people you are coming and get your name on everyone’s tongue. Signs on your place, signs on your car, signs on your clothes, on your dog, kids. hats, cards.
3-Everywhere you go, shopping, barber, car wash, doctor, school. little league, diner, dog groomer you talk it up and introduce yourself and give out cards or better yet coupons for everyone.
4-When you open you go and hand out samples to all these people-don’t worry about the cost because it will have a return on investment way over what any paid advertising def: paid offers of your product in various media. WORD OF MOUTH is always your best promotion and will always bring greater results than paid ads.
5-video on your iPhone all of the above and dump it on your new youtube channel, facebook, instagram, twitter accounts your opening in the next step
6-open twitter, youtube, facebook, instagram, linked in and every other social media account you can find. And continually put up photos and videos of your progress and promotion.
to be continued

Speedy Pizza from the World Champs!

How about 52 pies in 19 minutes? The guys from the original Wold Champion Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York demonstrate the InfernoSeries  Revolving Deck Brick Oven model 140 from the New York Brick Oven Co.

As you can see from the video, you would be hard pressed to keep this oven filled for any length of time because it is that fast. More importantly it cooks each pie to perfection without having to spin the pies as they cook. This is an amazing way to save time, labor and ensure a consistent product.

Hurricane Sandy One Year Later- Still Staten Island Proud

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, especially hard hit was my home town of Staten Island New York. After bailing several feet of water from Goodfella's basement and seeing first hand what really happened, the only thing we could do was give it everything we had to help our friends and long time neighbors who were left with nothing. Working out of a donated tractor trailer box in our parking lot we coordinated with such amazing volunteers from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds that it made me damn proud to be an American. We worked with motorcycle gangs, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Navy, Reserves, National Guard, the Pentecostal, Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Scientologists, Born Again, Jehovah' Witness,Liquid Church and American Legion, Marine Corp League, VFW Posts, NYPD, NYFD, Tunnel to Towers, teahers, moms and dads, elderly, Veterans from across the country, Occupy Wall Street, every race, color and creed in a unified effort to feed and shelter our fellow human beings in dire need. Just thinking about it is very emotional for me because I am so humbled and proud to have met and worked with these fine people who sacrificed a tremendous amount of time, effort and material possessions to do what was not only needed but was the right thing to do. Some valiant people risked their very lives to save total strangers. Others left their homes and traveled far to help finding only hard floors and sleeping bags or autos to sleep in. Some opened their doors to total stranger to provide shelter. Some cooked all day and night while others walked door to door through the dark and cold to deliver food and supplies. Some coordinated the efforts of others. Some provided succor. Some helped dig and shovel. Some gathered supplies. Some Gathered money. Some protected life and property. Some prayed. Some gave a much needed shoulder to cry on. Some cried while doing all of the above. This was humanity at it's finest as is evident in many desperate moments. I am  so grateful to all of you and so honored to have participated with my family and many great people.
If I learned one thing from this and 911 it's that all of you matter more than you know and you all have value and it is appreciated. God bless America and God Bless You.   Marc Cosentino