CHD Expert, the foodservice research firm, predicts a steady flow of pizza orders in the year to come. Most Americans claim pizza is not a cornerstone of a well-rounded diet, but their wallets indicate otherwise. The away-from-home pizza market represents a staggering $46 billion in retail sales per year across the U.S., making up 9.5 percent of the U.S. commercial foodservice market.
Not only do Americans love their pizza, but they love their pizza right now. Limited service restaurants accounted for 83 percent of the market (in number of operators), while full service restaurants rounded out the final 17 percent.
Limited service restaurants also accounted for roughly 72 percent of the consumer dollars spent in pizza restaurant sales totaling $33 billion in retail sales. More importantly to manufacturers and distributors, limited service restaurants spent $11 billion on foods, beverages and disposables purchases compared to just $3.5 billion spent by the full service restaurants.
Although pizza, at its most simple is dough, sauce and cheese there is so much more that goes into a good pizza pie. Despite these three common ingredients pizza can be extremely different regionally, and consumers know that not all pizza is created equal. The numbers indicate that Americans either like the unique independents, or the tried and true big chains. From the crust, to the toppings and sauces, independents dominate the market with a 56 percent share, serving their own takes on the classic pie. The large chains, despite their ability to offer multiple styles, multiple price points and delivery are only in second place with a 30.5 percent market share. Combine the two sub-segments and the independents and the large chains comprise 86.4 percent of the market.
According to Cathy Kearns, general manager at CHD Expert, “This uneven distribution makes cornering the market for a particular ingredient a difficult task, as a manufacturer must appeal to all the operators from the smallest and most fickle, to the biggest and most demanding.”
CHD Expert is a leader in collecting, managing and analyzing data for the away-from-home global foodservice market. For more than 10 years CHD Expert has been dedicated to support foodservice channel members in providing a global vision and an in-depth understanding of the industry. For information, call 312-768-6918.
