We can now confirm that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren’t real, because they would never let this happen. Pizzerias are losing ground in fast-food and fast-casual dining as Americans pull back on tomato pies, the Wall Street Journal reported this weekend.
Sales growth at pizza chains has been relatively flat since 2023, falling behind the wider fast-food market, according to the research firm Technomic. Mamma mia…
- Pizzerias went from being the second-most popular type of US chain restaurant in the 1990s to sixth last year in terms of sales, per Technomic.
- Coffee shops and Mexican food joints now outnumber pizzerias, which thinned out in the US after hitting a record high in 2019, according to WSJ.
Why? With food inflation nudging menu prices higher, and GLP-1s transforming eating habits, a pizzeria’s true takeout rival may no longer be the other Tony’s across the street, but rather the nutrient-rich bowl slop from Uber Eats. Even when customers choose pizza, they tend to get smaller pies and fewer toppings, Papa John’s executives said in October.
Signs of the times: While market leader Domino’s is riding pizza promotions to relative success, Yum Brands is considering selling Pizza Hut after two years of sales declines, the company announced in November. Last month, California Pizza Kitchen sold for $300 million, down from the $470 million that previous buyers paid in 2011.—ML
This report was originally published by Morning Brew.