Pizza is one of the most important food groups to many people. Consumers have been eating it for years without a slow in consumption. With this being said, pizza places are always opening in every city. 2018 is bringing some unique trends that are expanding the pizza industry and creating more room for growth and an increase in local pizza shops. There is one constant that remains—everyone still loves pizza and will continue to love pizza.
Convenience-seeking Millennials are glad to have apps such as Uber Eats, Grubhub etc. This also means there is a chance for more small restaurants to be ordered from because of these apps. This is honestly a win-win situation in 2018. The pairing of tech, convenience and food is genius.
The restaurants that offer delivery through these apps is increasing in 2018 and we will soon see an endless list of restaurants capitalizing on this trend. We also see workers opting to work for these delivery apps out of convenience and ability to make more money. Those who worked delivering pizza before might have to stick to a certain schedule and smell horribly after their shift. Now, workers can pick when they work and what they want to deliver.
Overall, the food industry is in for a big change with the food delivery options that consumers are demanding. Millennials either want to have a full experience or stay in and eat in the comfort of their own home. Watching restaurants navigate the change in dining trends is interesting to say the least.
2018 is a time for restaurant owners to step out of the box. Consumers want a unique experience that brings them more than just a meal. Restaurants are popping up all over small and large cities that offer a more boutique pizza experience. These shops are straying away from classic Italian and leaning towards modern sleek dining styles or 100% unique restaurant ideas.
2018 is the time that people want a restaurant they can put on Instagram that looks nice and their followers will enjoy. This also means opportunity for more business for these pizza shops. With that being said, pizza places are getting more gourmet and unique as 2018 progresses.
Consumers are likely to want to eat at their favorite local shop over a mass-produced pizza place, but when pizza cravings hit at odd hours, this wasn’t an option in most places until recently. Local pizza delivery is becoming more of a thing because of the increase in apps where people can order from these small local shops. This is a way that tech is helping small businesses stay relevant and sell more products.
Millennials specifically, want to try new things because it is a generation that loves experiences. This means local pizza shops are thriving, especially if there is some odd type of pizza that nowhere else has, like cheeseburger pizza or breakfast pizza. There is one pizza shop in New York City that Millennials love called Artichoke Pizza. This pizza shop is only located in Manhattan and the pizza has artichoke spinach dip on top and tons of cheese. It is different and unique to NYC, so this “local” pizza is killing the game.
Consumers are wanting less of large pizza chains like Papa John’s because of the lacking uniqueness of these chains. Also, the recent racial issues surrounding Papa John’s isn’t sitting well with Millennials either. We will continue to see an increase in consumers choosing local over chain restaurants.
In 2018, consumers are thankfully becoming more health conscious. Hopefully this is a lifestyle change for a generation and not just a trend. Either way, this means there is an increase in demand for gluten free pizza and vegan pizza. People aren’t just cutting out gluten, dairy and meat for health conditions and environmental reasons in 2018. People want to feel better and healthier overall. Pizza is one of the surviving junk foods that will live on forever because nobody can go without pizza. Anyways, there are more pizza shops offering gluten free and vegan pizza and there are more specialty pizza shops popping up all over the world. Also, the pizza tastes great despite being healthy. In 2018, more people will put down the greasy dairy-loaded slices and opt for gluten-free and dairy-free pies.
Even chain pizza places are rushing to offer gluten free and vegan options because they know they will lose customers who have dietary restrictions. The pizza industry is overall shifting towards a more health inclusive menu.
Everyone loves pizza and that won’t change in 2018, despite all the upcoming trends and shifts within the pizza world.