CHICAGO -- Consumers who buy pizza from limited-service restaurants are turning such flavorings as Buffalo sauce and Asiago cheese into the pie ingredients of the moment, but peers who prefer pies from full-service places are demanding comfort options like traditional tomato sauce and cheddar cheese.
That was one of the takeaways from a new report on pizza trends from Technomic, the Chicago-based foodservice research arm of Winsight Media’s Restaurant Business and CSP magazines.
The study shows that patrons’ options depend greatly on where they’re buying the pizza.
For instance, the researcher found that chicken perceived as being more healthful is an increasingly common topping in limited-service places, while prosciutto is becoming a familiar customer-pleaser in full-service places.
Pizza is becoming as familiar in the fast-casual market as signature options like burgers and sandwiches. The rapidly growing sector is offering “notably more” pizza options, with 15% of establishments featuring some sort of entree version, Technomic reported.
Click here for more consumer changes that Technomic noted in the report, including which kind of pizza is losing favor the fastest.
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