Then the bean counters take over and say "We could have a bigger profit if we could get the same sales with just a little bit cheaper ingredients." Repeat that a few times and you get crap and either lose many customers or have to discount the price to capture the low end of the market.
The real test of a pizza is "would you eat it with just crust, sauce and cheese? No toppings, just plain." Few pizzas pass that test and rely on the toppings to make the base edible.
Fortunately I have a good pizza shop like that near me.
Agreed, that corporate restaurants doom themselves with that strategy. For a good long while, a decent pizza joing was becoming a lost art. Here in the W Washington area, we now have Farelli’s Pizza, a gourmet place. Otherwise, you have to find some nice mom and pop shop. I gladly support privately owned restaurants, and avoid all corporate eateries.
I knew someone forty years ago who said that her father had once had a very busy “fish camp” near Charlotte, NC. For those who don’t know a fish camp is a rustic sort of seafood place big on good food and not much for decor. She swore that he took in a partner who destroyed the business just by trying to save a little money by watering down the iced tea. Knowing how people in the Carolinas love iced tea with fish it’s probably a true story.