Pizza is our favorite meal but should you be dishing it up? To answer the question, we looked at the numbers and some advice from the industry. What should you consider?
THE ORIGIN OF PIZZA
“The common belief is that Italians invented pizza, but its origin goes back to ancient times in the Middle East. Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians, Armenians, Greeks, Romans and other ancient cultures ate flat, unleavened bread cooked in mud ovens.” Dictionary.com (1)
AMERICANS LOVE PIZZA
“About 1 in 8 Americans consumed pizza on any given day. More than 1 in 4 males, ages 6-19 years, consumed pizza on a day.” USDA (2)
Percentage of Daily Energy Intake Contributed by Pizza Among Consumers of Pizza, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
Source: Consumption of Pizza 2007-2010 – USDA, http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/80400530/pdf/DBrief/11_consumption_of_pizza_0710.pdf (accessed February 27, 2016).
AT WHAT EATING OCCASION IS PIZZA CONSUMED?
“For children, 44% of pizza consumption occurred at lunch, and 42% occurred at dinner. However, for adults, the majority of pizza consumption was at dinner. Overall, almost 10% of pizza consumption occurred at a snack occasion.” USDA (2)
“More than half (59%) of pizza consumption occurred at home.” USDA (2)
Percentage of Pizza Consumed by Eating Occasion for Children and Adults, WWEIA, NHANES 2007-2010
Source: Consumption of Pizza 2007-2010 – USDA, http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/80400530/pdf/DBrief/11_consumption_of_pizza_0710.pdf (accessed February 27, 2016).
PIZZA IS LOVED BY MOST CULTURES
“In almost all countries, pizza, pasta and chicken are the favorite food of many.” AARP (3)
WHAT SHOULD YOU CONSIDER?
“While quick-service restaurants have been struggling with flat or slumping pizza sales over the past few years, convenience stores have been experiencing double-digit growth in the segment.” Convenience Store Decisions (4)
“Whether improving quality or increasing convenience, pizza concepts are upping the ante to beat competitors.” QSR Magazine (5)
CUSTOM ORDERS, LONG LINES, AND LIMITED FOOTPRINT? TECHNOLOGY IS CATCHING UP.
“Consider self-ordering kiosks with customized menus and mobile ordering.” Convenience Store News (6)
Foodservice Retailers’ Customer Ordering Kiosk, Prep Station and Mobile Solutions from Qwickserve
“Technomic’s report found that consumers agree that brick-oven (45%), hearth-oven (43%) and wood-fi red (32%) pizzas taste better and are of higher quality.
The problem is, how many c-stores offer wood-fired or brick-oven pizza, or even have the space for it within their smaller footprint? Then there’s the added cost of ventilation and, of course, the cooking skills.
Obviating much of these obstacles, TurboChef released its Fire pizza oven at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in May. And Ovention uses another type of high-heat, convection technology to achieve the crispy, craveable, uber-rustic crust.” CSP Magazine (7)
CONCLUSION
Pizza is a favorite food and can be a great way for retailers to boost sales and margins while attracting new in-store customers who look forward to a stress-free meal. Today’s foodservice and technology suppliers can enable even the corner (convenience store) to deliver a par-baked or fully prepared pizza with healthier ingredients that can be combined to create a recipe tailored to a customer’s taste. At Petrosoft, we aim to help foodservice retailers to think outside of the box and to deliver a superior customer experience.
Bibliography:
(1) What Is the Origin of Pizza? – Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/e02.html (accessed February 27, 2016).
(2) Consumption of Pizza 2007-2010 – USDA, http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/80400530/pdf/DBrief/11_consumption_of_pizza_0710.pdf (accessed February 27, 2016).
(3) But What About Chocolate? Americans Reveal Their #1 Favorite Food – AARP, http://blog.aarp.org/2011/06/22/but-what-about-chocolate-americans-reveal-their-1-favorite-food (accessed February 27, 2016).
(4) How to Profit with a Pizza Program – Convenience Store Decisions, http://www.cstoredecisions.com/2015/06/09/how-to-profit-with-a-pizza-program
(5) Vying for a Slice of the Pie – QSR Magazine, http://www.qsrmagazine.com/pizza/vying-slice-pie (accessed February 27, 2016).
(6) Qwickserve by Petrosoft – Convenience Store News, http://www.csnews.com/product-categories/foodservice/qwickserve-petrosoft(accessed February 27, 2016).
(7) Foodservice: Win Your Slice of Pie – CSP Magazine, http://www.cspnet.com/print/csp-magazine/article/foodservice-win-your-slice-pie (accessed February 27, 2016).
OTHER GOOD READS
Five Steps to a Great Pizza Program by CSP Magazine
Choosing the Perfect Pizza Program by Convenience Store Decisions
The Power of Pizza in the C-Store by Convenience Store News
Convenience: Customization Behind the Rise of Take-And-Bake Concepts by PizzaMarketplace.com
The 2016 Pizza Power Report: A State of the Industry Analysis by PMQ Pizza Magazine
