Cuisine with a cause: Boston Pizza offers heart-shaped pizzas for charity on Valentine's Day

20^th Annual fundraiser expected to raise $580,000

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 6, 2012 /CNW/ - Share the love this Valentine's Day with a heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza and you'll also be spreading goodwill at the same time. On Tuesday, February 14 exclusively, Boston Pizza guests can enjoy a heart-shaped pizza in any of the restaurant's 345 locations, with one dollar from each sale going toward the Boston Pizza Foundation in support of its national charity partners.

"Sharing a heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza is a great way for our guests to have some Valentine's Day fun with their loved ones while also supporting great charities," says Steve Silverstone, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Boston Pizza International. "I personally invite everyone to bring their friends and family to one of our Boston Pizza locations on Valentine's Day for delicious food and a great time that will also help us help others in the community."

Heart-shaped pizzas are available in individual, small and medium sizes, on classic or multigrain dough. They can be ordered for dine-in, take-out or delivery in any of Boston Pizza's gourmet and create-your-own pizza varieties. Boston Pizza expects to make more than 50,000 heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day this year.

From January to February 14, Boston Pizza guests can write a Valentine's message to someone special by purchasing a red-paper heart for a $2 donation. Stores will post the hearts throughout the restaurant to literally fill the walls with love in the lead-up to this romantic holiday. Donations collected from the paper-heart sales will also go to the Boston Pizza Foundation.

"This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Boston Pizza Valentine's Day promotion. We are grateful to all of our guests across the country for their ongoing support and donations," says Cheryl Treliving, executive director of the Boston Pizza Foundation.  "Over the past two decades, our Valentine's Day promotion has helped us raise awareness and more than $4 million to benefit many charities across Canada."

The Boston Pizza Foundation raises funds for a variety of local, regional and national charities across Canada, including the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, Kids Help Phone and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

About Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza International Inc. is Canada's No. 1 casual dining brand with more than 340 restaurants in Canada. Annually, Boston Pizza serves more than 40 million guests. The company has been recognized as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies and was named one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures by Waterstone Human Capital for 2007 and 2008. Boston Pizza International Inc. is located in Richmond, B.C., and has regional offices in Mississauga, Ont., and Laval, Que. For more information, visit www.bostonpizza.com.

For further information:

For more information or to arrange an interview with a local Boston Pizza franchisee please contact:

Perry Schwartz
Director of Communications, Boston Pizza International
905-361-3616
[email protected]

Joseph Cariati
High Road Communications
416-644-1378
[email protected]