America Is Falling Out of Love With Pizza

WSJ ^ | 1/4/2026 | Heather Haddon

[logi_cal869]

The restaurant industry is trying to figure out whether America has hit peak pizza.

Once the second-most common U.S. restaurant type, pizzerias are now outnumbered by coffee shops and Mexican food eateries, according to industry data. Sales growth at pizza restaurants has lagged behind the broader fast-food market for years, and the outlook ahead isn’t much brighter.

“Pizza is disrupted right now,” Ravi Thanawala, chief financial officer and North America president at Papa John’s International, said in an interview. “That’s what the consumer tells us.”

The parent of the Pieology Pizzeria chain filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December. Others, including the parent of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings and Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta, earlier filed for bankruptcy.

Pizza once was a novelty outside big U.S. cities, providing room for growth for independent shops and then chains such as Pizza Hut with its red roof dine-in restaurants. Purpose-made cardboard boxes and fleets of delivery drivers helped make pizza a takeout staple for those seeking low-stress meals.

Today, pizza shops are engaged in price wars with one another and other kinds of fast food. Food-delivery apps have put a wider range of cuisines and options at Americans’ fingertips. And $20 a pie for a family can feel expensive compared with $5 fast-food deals, frozen pizzas or eating a home-cooked meal.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I love pizza, but I might as well just paste a band of it right arounbd my waistline instead of eating it.

[Jamestown1630]

Well, here's some tried-and-true inspiration to give you a start;

'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

for the ends of being and ideal grace.'

At any rate, it seems to have worked on Robert...

[Vendome]

The big chain pizzas are gross. They taste like uncooked dough so, I take the topping off.

A think crust that is crisped or a bit burnt is my style...

[rlmorel]

I just lay down a mat (because I don’t have a marble counter, darn it!) and I shape it manually with my hands into a circular bolt of dough that is perhaps six inches across and three inches thick. Then, sprinkling flour on it, I use my hands to distort it even more to maybe ten inches across, then I flour my hands, drape it over the knuckles of both hands, and repositioning them often, let gravity do the work of stretching it to perhaps 16 inches across, then I lay it on the peel with the cornmeal on it, and get it into a final form, with some thickness on the edge all the way around.

I tried throwing it in the air once, and it was a disaster. I didn’t catch it correctly, it slipped off and landed on top of the cat’s water dish! I will try it again...someday!

I can make the pizza in under a half hour! But I normally don’t...:)

I waste WAAAY too much time arranging the mozzarella and tomato slices...listening to music while I do it, picking up pieces and rearranging them to get the maximum coverage, while making it look good.

My wife teases me about this, too. I have a thing with “symmetry”!

[Tijeras_Slim]

My recipe...

1 pound “00” flour
.6 grams of yeast (instant)
15 grams salt
10 oz water

knead until smooth or mix on the dough sheeting in a bread machine.

Let rise at rom temp in an oiled bowl for 3 hours then put in fridge for 48 hours.

[mbrfl]

Could be many reasons. Price could be a part of it, which is generally a reflection of higher food costs. I’ve noticed pizza has gotten fairly expensive in recent years. Perhaps the cost of mozzarella cheese has increased significantly in recent years for some reason?

It’s interesting that the article contrasted lower growth in pizza sales with increased business at Mexican eateries. I have to think the influx of 10-20 million illegals from Latin America under Biden would have something to do with that.

[rlmorel]

Hahahahaha! Bakeneko wrote: "...Pineapple was the harbinger of doom..." and it made me laugh, because I always think of this meme:

Now, I get totally what Bakeneko meant, but...I love "Hawaiian Pizza"...it is such an odd combination, I can't believe I like it, but...I do. It doesn't seem like it would go together, but...it does!

My wife and I used to go to Nantucket many years ago (it is way too expensive now) and one year, we went out there for the Christmas Stroll, and went to a restaurant called "The India House". Not Indian food, but high end food.

When the waitress came over to tell us the special dish for the evening, it was halibut and banana, with feta cheese baked into a puff pastry shell.

I love halibut, but a glance at my wife with a look that said "WTF?" because that did not sound like ANYTHING I would have put together, and I sure as hell didn't have enough gumption to order it! It sounded disgusting.

The waitress saw my glance and said "It sounds weird, but...it is one of the most delicious dishes I have ever eaten!"

My wife, who is far more adventurous than I am, ordered it just to try it.

I had some. It was unbelievable. It was absolutely one of the best dishes I have ever had in my entire life! I very nearly ordered a second entree of that!

When I think of Hawaiian Pizza, I always think of that dish my wife ordered on that snowy Nantucket evening! What a fantastic memory!

[rlmorel]

I am going to try it again...thank you!

[rlmorel]

Hahaha you must have ESP! After I read your post, I spent about 15 minutes writing a satirical pizza-based “Ode to Pizza” and realized I had another half hour to go and gave it up!

I do like a poetical challenge! To be fair, limericks are my specialty!

I love making hot pizza pie
So much I nearly get high
With tomatoes and cheese
And fresh basil to please
But the crust brings a satisfied sigh!

[logi_cal869]

I make my own.

That ‘necessity’ thing...

I do prefer the consistency & flavor of making it in links then breaking it up, but that’s a lot more work. I always hold some links in reserve in the deep freeze (though those need replenishing now).

[rlmorel]

That.
Sounds.
Excellent!

[LegendHasIt]

You old enough to remember Luckys Pizza, on Central close to UNM? When I was there in ‘71 and living in the dorm, every time we could scrape enough cash together, we would order one for delivery. I loved that pizza, even though it was kinda greasy sometimes. I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night ‘hankering’ for one, or just even a single slice.

[RitchieAprile]

Bollywood360pizza.com

[Freedom4US]

TLDR

Shorter answer - chain Pizza really sucks now. It used to be OK. They cheaped out on the ingredients. Or the technique. Something. How do you &@ck up a Pizza, I dunno, but they managed

[allendale]

No real, self respecting Italian-American would ever eat these corporate chain pizza concoctions. The problem is the number of real family owned traditional pizza resteraunts has been dwindling since fewer and fewer people want the 5:00am to 10:00pm work days. Also there are almost no new Italian immigrants coming to the US to open or acquire existing businesses. Same is true about the Greek-American diners that were once so great.

[murron]

Not this American!

[UCANSEE2]

I get one of the frozen pizzas out of the fridge,
Microwave on high to 2 minutes. (still in box)
Take it out of the box and the plastic wrapper.
Let it sit for 1 minute.
Throw some extra cheese and sliced black olives on it.
Put it back in for 3 minutes.
Take out of microwave .
Place it on the oven rack in the stove and leave the door open.
Hit it with my flamethrower until it carmelizes a little.
Wait 3 minutes and it’s ready to eat.

[UCANSEE2]

Mozzarella can be melted with a soldering iron and be used to repair the plastic bumper covers on your car.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

More for me.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

I find the Costco cheese slice to be far better than the pepperoni.

We miss the deluxe but that’s been gone for years.