The pizza thing is what I am watching to see when recovery is really taking place. At $10, a lot of people can still buy pizzas and not feel like they are wasting money. Pizza shops can keep enough money flowing in to keep their heads above water and wait out the bad economic times.
When the $10 deals start ending without the chains closing a lot of stores, you can be sure that more people have more disposable income for pizza at $17 a pie, and that will be a sign to me that the economy is making a comeback.
BTW I just saw a story about the unemployment in Elkhart,IN the RV capital of the world. I was watching Rv sales when this downturn hit. RV sales predicted the fall almost to the day. The situation in Elkhart is not improving and many are still hurting. RV’s are a good indicator of a turnaround but they are a lagging one on the way up.