The Business of Pizza is Booming

Pizza in a position to grab a bigger portion of the growing and ever-more competitive takeout market.

According to Technomic, pizza consumption is at its highest level in four years—due in some part to the growth of more mature, dine-in consumers at fast casual and full-service pizzerias.¹ The evolving consumer tastes and changing demographic appeal have put Pizza in a position to grab a bigger portion of the growing and ever-more competitive takeout market.

The catch: the lunch crowd wants more than pizza. In fact, 1 in 3 consumers want pizza places to offer more non-pizza items,² and many of the growing items on Pizza menus are dishes like appetizers, sandwiches and fries.³

Set yourself up for recurring lunch business with some new one-of-a-kind lunch ideas that can build versatility and variety into your menu:

• Stacked Chicken Sandwich – Chicken sandwich topped with beer-battered thick-cut onion rings for extra crunch in every bite.
• Zucchini Pizzettes – Crisp beer-battered zucchini slices topped with sliced pepperoni and Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, then baked until melted and bubbling—served with tangy marinara sauce on the side.
• Bac’n Cheesy Apple Salad – Crisp butter lettuce, red endive, marinated fennel and sweet Fuji apple slices dressed with a signature cider vinaigrette and finished with the buttery crunch of craft beer battered cheesy bacon macaroni bites.

¹”The Evolving Pizza Occasion,” Technomic, June 30, 2016.
²Technomic, Inc. 2016.
³NPD CREST, YE July 2016.