The headlines are not kind to pizza right now. Pizzerias have fallen from Americans’ favorite restaurant category to sixth place, trailing coffee shops and Mexican restaurants. Restaurant counts have been declining since 2019.
Two forces are squeezing the category from opposite sides: Inflation has pushed consumers to cut back on how often they order, and third-party delivery platforms have systematically captured the customer relationship, taking the margin, the data, and the loyalty that used to belong to the operator. The result is visible in the numbers. Consumers are ordering smaller pizzas with fewer toppings, franchise owners are watching margins compress from both ends, and structural shifts like the rise of GLP-1 medications are quietly pulling portion sizes and order frequency down further.
