Greetings and howdy to all our Mangia friends,

Here we go... it's 2008 and we're so excited to be rolling into another fantastic year here in Mangia world.  Oh, but it's not just any other year... it's our 20^th anniversary.  But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let us share with you some of the highlights we've enjoyed this past year... a sort of State of Mangia Pizza.

Let's begin with our new Guadalupe restaurant opening.   Actually, it was a relocation as we moved a few blocks closer to the U.T. campus. (If you see Mangiasaurus Rex climbing the Tower, please forgive him... he's still getting used to his new digs.)  January 20 was the big day with Rex and Mayor Will Wynn welcoming the throng of anxious customers.  Our new Guadalupe restaurant is a full-service Mangia dining experience with seating for 160 hungry guests.  Wanna watch your favorite team on TV or get together with friends or business associates? Our semi-private "Longhorn Room" is perfect and features plasma TV's and seating for up to 50.  The beautiful 30 foot custom wood bar in the main dinning room offers more draft beers (17 to be exact) than any establishment on the drag.  There's plenty of free covered parking available too.

Our Austin Bergstrom International Airport location is two years old and has exceeded all expectations.  Now passengers from Boston to Berlin to Bombay can get a taste of Mangia and Austin at Gate 12, as they make their way to their destination.

Though he's not a pterodactyl, Rex spread his wings just the same last year and opened an e-commerce site that ships Mangia pizzas and t-shirts overnight anywhere in the lower 48.  Now you can surprise friends and family - from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon or Palm Springs to Palm Beach - with the Best Pizza in Austin.  Simply go to www.mangiapizza.com, click on the "Order a Pizza" icon and in a matter of seconds you've ordered an overnight shipment of Mangia pizza.  Valentine's Day... how about sending a Heart-Shaped Pizza to Sally in San Antonio or Nick in New York. 

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Rex is gearing up again for Mangia's single largest pizza day of the year... that's right... bigger than Super Bowl... way bigger!!!  Last year we sold over 3,000 Heart-Shaped Pizzas.  How about a half-baked Heart Shaped Pizza for you to take home and finish cooking or have one delivered to your doorstep with salad and a delicious heart-shaped brownie; our Valentine's dinner packages are always a huge hit on this day for lovers.  Just remember to call early for orders!!! 

After Valentine's Day, we're lacing up our shoes and rolling out our Basketball-Shaped Pizza... just in time for NCAA March Madness.  You may be tempted to take that open three-pointer with it but we recommend eating it instead. 

In 2007, Mangia teamed up with Meals on Wheels - the charitable organization whose 3,000 volunteers deliver 880,000 hot meals a year.  While Mangia has designated Meals on Wheels as our primary charity for '08, it was Rex's pleasure to share proceeds from our grand opening day sales at our new Guadalupe restaurant last year... over $5,000.  We are very honored that the good folks at "Wheels" have recognized Mangia as their "Vendor of the Year."  We look forward to helping our great friends even more this new year.

On Thanksgiving Day, our founder, Jeff Sayers and two other Mangia staff members partnered with Westover Church of Christ producing, cooking and serving meals for over 400 deserving and thankful families.

There's the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Cotton Bowl? and the MANGIA BOWL?  That's right, we sponsored the first annual Mangia Bowl, pitting the Trojans of Anderson High School versus the Knights of McCallum, in a battle between two of the best lacrosse teams in the area.  The bowl game drew more fans than any lacrosse match in AISD history.  While McCallum took home the bowl trophy last year, Rex will be there again this year pulling for two of his favorite high school lacrosse teams at round two of the Mangia Bowl in '08.

Not to be outdone by a couple of local high schools, the orange-bloods at U.T. are big Mangiasaurus Rex fans themselves.  Our first-class catering department spends a lot of time on the forty acres as well? this past year we served 1,500 hungry engineering students and faculty at the re-naming dedication of the Cockrell School of Engineering and 500 of the smartest Longhorns you'll ever meet at a U.T. Honors Program event.  Keeping his love of sports as a top priority, Rex serves the Longhorn football coaching staff each week during the season and spring training.  Can you say Football-Shaped Pizza???

As you've probably guessed from the UT events we've served, Mangia's Catering Department continues to grow.  In four short years we've elevated to one of Austin's prominent catering companies? we're more than just pizza you know.  In fact, the  Austin Business Journal recently recognized us as one of the Top 25 Catering Companies in Austin.  Mangia catered 2,500 events and served over 71,000 Austinites in '07... now that's a lot of catering.  Did we mention that the City of Austin chose Mangia to cater for 850 city workers during its Employee Appreciation Week?  Is there a group you want to show your appreciation for... wink, wink... hint, hint!!!

The foodsmiths at Mangia continue to expand our menu.  Among the new items this past year is a tasty meatball pizza and  traditional ravioli.  Seasonal offerings include Jeff's homemade chili, Mangia?s own macaroni and cheese and for the sweet tooth in all of us, yummy new desserts.

For many, nothing goes better with Mangia food than a good glass of wine.  Well, we've teamed up with Water 2 Wine, an   Austin custom winery, to produce our very own private-label wines called Mangiasaurus Rex Cellars.  It?s rumored that Rex may have even helped in stomping the grapes.

Mangia has been voted best pizza in town, AGAIN, this past year by several publications, including a vote as Numero Uno in the Austin360 "A-List," awarded by the Austin American-Statesman's XL entertainment guide.   Pizza Today, the pizza industry's leading trade publication, recognized Mangia as the 19^th largest independent pizza operator in the country.  Mangia has been ascending this Top 100 list every year throughout the past decade.  Despite all the accolades, we remain committed to growing slowly and intelligently while staying Austin Weird.

Check our website often for Mangia news, events and happenings... www.mangiapizza.com.

Happy Valentine's Day and Have a Fantastic 2008!!! 

Mark, Jeff & John