In a recent Wall Street Journal article titled “America Is Falling Out of Love With Pizza” , it was interesting to see how consumer tastes have been shifting. I am going to be honest, I love pizza. I could eat pizza every day, and I have fond memories from my freshman year when I actually ate one Domino’s pizza a day, thanks to the student discount, to lose weight, and it worked! Living in Philly, there are plenty of pizza shops, and just in the past year near me in Fishtown, so many have opened up. It has become a running joke in the community that every new business opening is either a pizza shop, a Pilates studio, or a Wonder food hall.
The article discusses how competition from other cuisines and pricing are the biggest reasons for the decline in pizza consumption, especially at national chains. I agree with this, as I have noticed myself choosing local pizza shops over chains, aside from Domino’s, which consistently offers discounts and deals. Domino’s is doing well, while chains like Pizza Hut and Papa John’s have been struggling. Domino’s has stayed true to who they are. They may not have the best pizza, but they offer value. I honestly cannot remember the last time I paid full price for a Domino’s pizza. They have also done a great job revamping their menu to feature items beyond just pizza.
That said, I believe the main problem behind the decline in pizza sales is cost. I have seen places in Philly charging seven to eight dollars for a single slice of pizza, and it can go even higher depending on whether it is a specialty slice. It is wild to think that even a basic cheese slice now costs three to five dollars, while you can get food from other cuisines for a better deal. I believe the explosion of Indian, Mexican, and Asian restaurants has played a pivotal role in people eating less pizza, as these cuisines often offer more variety that is tastier, more filling, and better for your wallet.
I also believe pizza restaurants have lost their identity. Since pizza has one of the lowest barriers to entry, many people enter the space hoping to make it, even if their pizza is subpar and pricing is extravagant. This is why people are turning away. The product quality has declined while prices continue to rise. And it is worth pointing out that Costco pizza, which I love, has stayed consistent in both price and value. A whole Costco pizza costs less than eleven dollars for an eighteen inch pie, or you can get two massive slices for less than what many places charge for average pizza.
What I hope to see in the near future is pizza chains diversifying their menus and refocusing on price while maintaining quality. A full pizza should not cost twenty five dollars. Local pizza shops may be able to justify that pricing because they focus on quality and branding as a neighborhood staple, but chains cannot. We all know their product quality is average, so pricing should reflect that. For local spots, while they are more sensitive to increases in raw material costs like cheese and flour that often get passed on to the customer, they still need to focus on delivering value. That value may not always be price, but it could be experience or something that gets customers excited to spend their money dining in rather than opening the Domino’s app and ordering pizza delivered for under fifteen dollars.
While I will always love pizza and will continue eating it, I have personally pulled back because of pricing and, honestly, the amount of bad pizza that is out there. I have also become more adventurous with trying new cuisines, which has taken some attention away from pizza. Pizza has stayed largely the same over the years, and innovation usually focuses on style or topping variety, while other cuisines have seen far more innovation in the past decade. I do hope to see pizza return to the top. Pizza is not luxury food. It is food for the common person. Keep the quality high, keep it affordable, and people will come back.