Pizza and Chicken Menu Importance
Year ending December 2013
When comparing restaurants to c-stores and food/drug segments, retail establishments continue to lag behind QSRs with pizza. However, chicken at food/drug stores is almost on par with QSRs.
| Food type | Menu importance* |
| C-store | |
| Pizza | 3.3% |
| Chicken | 5.7% |
| Food & drug | |
| Pizza | 3.6% |
| Chicken | 18.0% |
| QSR | |
| Pizza | 10.4% |
| Chicken | 20.6% |
Source: The NPD Group/CREST
*Percent of meals/snacks that include item
Pizza and Chicken Growth Opportunities
When asked which menu items have the highest sales growth potential across a broad number of categories, a notable number of c-store operators responded ready-to-eat pizza, while a quarter of college & university operators see growth opportunities in non-sandwich, non-salad chicken items.
| Menu item | C-store | C&U | Hospital |
| Chicken, non-sandwich, non-salad | 16% | 25% | 18% |
| Pizza, ready-to-eat slice/pie | 33% | 17% | 11% |
| Pizza, ready-to-bake/refrigerated kits | 6% | 1% | 3% |
Source: FARE 2014 State of Foodservice Study
Specialty-Pizza Trends
Consumers told Technomic that they eat pizza about 3.4 times a month, but they also want more variety. Seventy-four percent, up from 70% in 2012, say that a wide variety of toppings is important in creating a good pizza.
Which specialty pizzas would you order?
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Philly cheese steak | 28% |
| Buffalo chicken | 24% |
| Mexican/Southwest | 21% |
| Greek/Mediterranean | 20% |
Source: Technomic Inc.
Base: 1,500 consumers age 18 and older; multiple responses allowed
Deli Prepared Chicken, Share of Dollars
Rotisserie chicken commands close to half of all deli prepared chicken sales, with fried chicken a distant second.
| Type | Dollars ($ millions) | Percent of sales |
| Rotisserie chicken | $1,442.05 | 43.72% |
| Fried chicken | $734.37 | 22.27% |
| Chicken wings | $558.29 | 16.93% |
| Chicken appetizers | $338.57 | 10.27% |
| Chicken meals/combos/dinners | $168.81 | 5.12% |
| Other prepared chicken | $37.20 | 1.13% |
| Italian chicken | $12.33 | 0.37% |
| BBQ chicken | $3.66 | 0.11% |
| Stuffed chicken | $2.79 | 0.08% |
| Total | $3,298.08 | 100.00% |
Source: Nielsen Perishables Group FreshFacts
NEXT: Pizza Menu Attributes
Fast-Growing Pizza Menu Attributes
Top 250 limited-service chains
Forty-three percent of consumers visit their preferred pizza concept because it uses fresh, high-quality ingredients; 84% say that fresh toppings are important.
| Attribute | 2011 | 2013 |
| Thin crust | 10.7% | 16.0% |
| Alfredo sauce | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| Jalapeño pepper | 2.8% | 5.2% |
| Gluten free | 0.2% | 5.2% |
Source: Technomic Inc.
Base: 518 items on 36 top 250 limited-service restaurant menus, 2013; 446 items on 33 top 250 limited-service menus, 2011
Most Important Pizza Attributes
Respondents answering “important” or “extremely important”
Consumers certainly put quality over quantity when ranking the most important factors in creating a good pizza.
| Attribute | Ranking |
| Fresh toppings | 84% |
| Rich/flavorful sauce | 78% |
| Cheese flavor | 78% |
| Dough/crust texture/consistency | 77% |
| Dough/crust flavor | 75% |
| Variety of toppings | 74% |
| Appetizing appearance | 73% |
| Large quantity of toppings | 68% |
| Large quantity of cheese | 68% |
| Strong aroma | 49% |
| New/innovative toppings | 32% |
Source: Technomic Inc.
Base: Approximately 1,100 consumers
Grabbing a Slice of the MTO Pie
Made-to-order pizza is poised to be the next big growth niche, according to Chicago-based research firm Technomic. Following the success of the better-burger craze, operators are opening a slew of assembly-line-style pizza joints claiming to deliver hot pizza with high-quality ingredients in 3 minutes or less. Even as quick-service giants Pizza Hut and Domino’s take on more fast-casual ways with recent redesigns, other big-name players have tossed their dough in the ring, many of whom don’t even have a background in pizza. What follows are some early contenders. (All numbers are as of March 2014.)—Sara Rush
Buffalo Wild Wings
Invested in: PizzaRev
When: March 2013
Where: California
Units: 7 (14 coming soon)
Cook time: 3 minutes
Rick and Elise Wetzel, founders, Wetzel’s Pretzels
Founded: Blaze Pizza
When: August 2012
Where: California, Midwest
Units: 11 (24 coming soon)
Cook time: 3 minutes
Pizza Inn
Founded: Pie Five Pizza Co.
When: June 2011
Where: 5 states
Units: 19 (7 coming soon)
Cook time: Less than 5 minutes
Scott and Ally Svenson, co-founders, Seattle Coffee Company
Founded: MOD Pizza
When: November 2008
Where: Washington
Units: 11 (2 coming soon)
Cook time: Less than 3 minutes
Chipotle
Invested in: Pizzeria Locale
When: December 2013
Where: Denver
Units: 1
Cook time: 2 minutes
Adam Fleishman, Umami Restaurant Group
Co-founded: 800 Degrees
When: January 2012
Where: California
Units: 3 (3 coming soon)
Cook time: About 1 minute
Ron Biskin, former president and COO, Native Foods Café
Founded: Pizza Studio
When: January 2013
Where: California, Minnesota
Units: 5 (4 coming soon)
Cook time: Less than 3 minutes
Tom Ryan of Smashburger and Rick Schaden of Quiznos
Founded: Live Basil Pizza
When: May 2013
Where: Colorado, California
Units: 3 (1 coming soon)
Cook time: Less than 5 minutes
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