How Ordering A Pizza In L.A. Is Helping Students in Brazil Learn English

The issue of American companies outsourcing their customer service duties has been an issue for so long, they already made and canceled a whole sitcom about it.

Now a Brazilian language school and L.A.-based pizza place have teamed up to create a win-win take on offshoring customer service.

Advertising agency FCB Brasil brought together Bella Vista Pizzeria in Culver City, CA, and CNA Language School in Sao Paulo to give real-world, English speaking experiences to Brazilian students. When you call to order a pizza from Bella Vista Pizzeria, you’re connected with a CNA student sitting in a Brazilian classroom. Guided by their instructors, these students take orders and chitchat. The longer you talk to them, the bigger discount you get on your order. Any one want to take bets on the first person to get a free pizza being some pie-eyed stoner rambling on about Rio while trying to decide between anchovies and pineapple?

The promo video was shot during several pilot classes in April, but the real thing kicks off on June 11. The pizza order lessons that day at CNA Schools and on subsequent Thursdays will take place between 8:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., Sao Paulo time. If you call Bella Vista Pizzeria before June 11, you’ll get information about how to participate in the program.

It’s a fun take on a concept the agency began last year when it partnered CNA students with American retirees.

Other American businesses that use phone-based ordering can sign up via the CNA site to use the Hello Pizza app and approach.