America Isn’t Falling Out of Love With Pizza, The Industry Is Evolving
Recent headlines from major outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Fox News have sparked a controversial narrative: America is falling out of love with pizza.
At F&P Group, we completely disagree.
Pizza is not disappearing, nor is it losing its place in American culture. It remains one of the most loved, shared, and iconic foods in the country. What is happening, however, is significant disruption within the pizza and restaurant industries, and that disruption is being mistaken for declining demand.
Pizza isn’t going anywhere. But the way it is sold, delivered, experienced, and marketed is changing rapidly. Understanding those shifts is critical for operators who want to remain relevant and profitable in the years ahead.
Shifting Consumer Habits and the New Competition for Convenience
One of the most fundamental changes impacting pizza is how consumers think about convenience.
For decades, delivery and pizza were nearly synonymous. Ordering food to your home almost always meant pizza. Today, that’s no longer the case. When consumers say “let’s order delivery,” they could mean anything, from sushi to burgers to groceries, and even medicine from a local pharmacy.
The convenience advantage pizza once owned has become a competitive battlefield. Technology that pizza chains adopted early (online ordering, mobile apps, loyalty programs) is now standard across nearly every food category. Convenience itself has become the competitor.
Pizza isn’t losing relevance. It’s losing exclusivity.
The Struggle of Scale and the Franchisee Dynamic
Another pressure point comes from scale, particularly for the largest pizza brands.
Rapid growth and a relentless focus on market share created massive systems with thousands of units and complex franchisee networks. When a brand becomes the “giant” of an industry, evolution becomes harder. Introducing new technology, shifting culture, or changing operational priorities requires alignment across franchisees with very different realities.
Some operators own a single store. Others operate dozens. Some units are new. Others are decades old. Without a clear understanding of that franchisee landscape, change becomes slow, contentious, and expensive.
Growth created opportunity, but it also created friction.
Labor: The Underinvestment That Shows Up Everywhere
In the pursuit of speed and scale, many restaurant brands sacrificed something essential: people.
The restaurant business is, and always will be, a people business. When labor is treated as a cost to be minimized rather than an asset to be developed, the guest experience suffers, especially in delivery, where hospitality must be conveyed without face-to-face interaction.
At F&P Group, we believe our people are our biggest asset. Brands that prioritize training, culture, compensation, and engagement consistently outperform those that do not.
Newer concepts like Dutch Bros have proven this model works. Their emphasis on team culture, lifestyle alignment, and employee experience has created powerful brand loyalty and raised expectations across the industry.
Labor isn’t a line item. It’s the product.
Third-Party Delivery Platforms and Margin Pressure
Delivery Service Providers (DSPs) such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub have fundamentally reshaped consumer behavior.
Rather than ordering directly from a brand’s app, consumers now shop for meals on third-party marketplaces, comparing cuisines, prices, and delivery times in one place.
While this provides exposure and convenience, it comes at a significant cost to operators.
DSPs charge substantial fees, cutting into already thin restaurant margins. To offset those fees, restaurants often raise prices on these platforms, leading to higher costs for consumers once delivery fees, service charges, and taxes are added.
The result is a strained economic model that pressures both operators and guests.
Why the “Chipotle of Pizza” Model Does Not Work For Us
Over the past decade, several brands attempted to reinvent pizza through a fast-casual, build-your-own model, often referred to as the “Chipotle of pizza.” Concepts like MOD Pizza and Pieology promised speed and customization.
But pizza, at its core, is a shared experience.
It’s meant for families, parties, sports nights, and group gatherings. By emphasizing individual customization, these concepts removed what makes pizza special: speed, shareability, and convenience at scale.
For us, it ultimately comes down to a mismatch between the experience and the product.
Regional Styles and the Rise of Organic Influence
Traditional American pan and hand-tossed pizzas, once designed almost exclusively for delivery, are beginning to lose cultural momentum. In their place, regional styles have captured attention and passion.
Chicago. New York. New Haven. Detroit.
These styles are rooted in place and identity. They carry emotional connection and local pride, something mass-market pizza has struggled to replicate.
This shift has been amplified by organic influence. Content creators like Dave Portnoy from Barstool Sports and Juliah Molinari have reshaped how pizza is discovered and discussed. Their honest, unscripted content resonates far more than big-budget celebrity endorsements.
Consumers trust authenticity. They recognize relatability. And they can tell when a message is manufactured.
The Detroit-Style Opportunity: F&P Group’s Path Forward
While traditional American pan pizza may be losing some momentum, not all styles are equally positioned for the future.
Detroit-style pizza presents a unique opportunity, particularly in the delivery space. Its thicker structure, square shape, crispy edges, and hearty build allow it to travel better and retain quality longer than thinner styles. In an environment where delivery economics and experience matter more than ever, those attributes are critical.
But style alone isn’t enough.
At F&P Group, we believe success still comes down to the fundamentals: quality product and quality service. Brands that combine strong food, disciplined operations, emotional connection, and local community engagement will continue to win.
America isn’t falling out of love with pizza.
The industry is simply being challenged to evolve, and those willing to adapt will shape what comes next.
