Shocking.
The United States is a paradise for pizza, with notable examples including the Chicago White pizza, New York-style pizza, and, of course, Pizza Hut. Data from Statista show that pizza is claimed to be a beloved national dish in the country. Pizza was introduced to America since Italian immigrants brought their cuisine to the USA shores in the late 1800s. Pizza then became part of school lunchboxes, birthday parties, sporting events, late-night food, and family dinners. But, a recent report on Daily Mail Online is saying that the love of Americans for tasteful pizza is crumbling.
Among the pieces of evidence for this is the closing down and the bankruptcy of pizza chains in the country, such as Blaze Pizza, Pieology Pizzeria, Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta, and MOD Pizza. Even pizza bigwigs like Pizza Hut and Papa John’s are on the verge of getting sold by their parent companies due to declining sales.
Also, California Pizza Kitchen was recently sold to investors for just $300 million, which is way below its $470 million valuation.
“Pizza is disrupted right now,” stated Ravi Thanawala, the chief financial officer and North America president of Papa John’s International. “That’s what the consumer tells us.”
In other words, even executives are turning a blind eye and distancing themselves as the probable cause of the decline, putting the blame on customers.
However, this may be true as food delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats are offering customers a wide range of cuisines other than pizza – from Dutch food to Vietnamese food.
Other reasons are the speed of delivery and price. The average cost of a basic pizza currently sits around $17, a figure that could feel steep compared to the cheaper fast food alternatives such as burgers, which just average about $8, or burritos, which cost closer to $13. Even if you are craving for pizza on a typical day, you’d forgo that choice.
Surprise, surprise, Americans are choosing coffee and Mexican food over pizzas. Yes, if a person feels hungry one afternoon, they could instead choose to order coffee, instead of pizza. Coffee shops are also quite flexible, offering morning to evening spots, rather than the lunch and dinner spots that pizza parlors provide.
Also, coffee shops are social gathering spots for conversations and for opening your laptop to work.
Meanwhile, versatility is the feature that Mexican food offers. It can be upscale or just casual, eaten dine-in or takeout, and comes in various options – tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, crunchy tacos, and soups.
Here’s the strong blow. Pizzerias are outnumbered by coffee shops and Mexican restaurants.
However, it’s not yet over ‘til it’s really over. In spite of the rising costs, Americans still eat lots of pizza. In 2024, ridesharing media reported pizza chains generated $31 billion in sales, but still, pizza’s fast-food dominance has faded. Share your thoughts by signing up for your account today on Ridesharing Forum.