In what appears to be another sign that consumers are trimming back on restaurant spending, foodservice consultants Technomic found that consumers have shifted their pizza-ordering habits, cutting back on weekdays but ordering more often on weekends.
In 2006, Technomic found that 35 percent of consumers indicated that they would primarily order pizza for dinner during the week, and just over a quarter (28 percent) typically ordered pizza for dinner during the weekend. Today’s consumers, however, report that they order pizza for dinner on the weekend (32 percent) slightly more than they do during the week (29 percent).
“We believe that increasing consumption of pizza on weekends over weekdays is likely tied to consumers’ desire for more economical options,” noted Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President of Technomic Information Services. “Instead of going out for a sit-down meal during the weekend and ordering pizza for dinner during the week, consumers are scaling back by having an affordable pizza meal on the weekend and preparing more weekday meals at home.”
The survey was conducted for Technomic’s new Pizza Consumer Trend Report. Other findings presented and interpreted in the report include:
When eating pizza, health and wellness is a concern for 69 percent of consumers, yet half these consumers do not let their concerns influence their consumption behavior.
To appeal to those truly interested in healthier alternatives, pizza operators must not sacrifice taste, focusing instead upon ingredients that carry a health halo, such as those which are coined as all-natural, fresh and artisan.
Frozen pizza has become increasingly competitive with foodservice pizza, both in terms of overall quality and in providing an affordable pizza option. For foodservice pizza to compete, they will need to focus marketing efforts on what differentiates these products from retail options and why they provide an overall better value.
Consumer preferences, particularly for pizza crust and sauce, vary regionally and ethnically. For example, sweet sauces are favored by more consumers in the Northeast (25 percent) than among Southern (18 percent), Midwestern (17 percent) and Western (13 percent) consumers. Also, pesto-flavored sauce was preferred by 14 percent of all consumers; Asians, however, chose pesto more than any other ethnic group (24 percent).
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Pizza Turns Into Weekend Treat as Credit Crunch Hits
Hey Cleveland - Here's How to Get Your 23 Cent Papa John's Pizza
You've called us. You've commented on our blogs but what you want to know exactly is how to get your 23-cent Papa John's pizza on Thursday.
Huddle up, team. Here are the official rules for what will likely be noted in Cleveland history as The-Great-23-Cent-Pizza-Day (aka The-Day-None-of-Us-Could-Stop-Talking-About):
1. All 40 Greater Cleveland locations are participating, from Mansfield to Painesville to Uhrichsville (it's south of Canton). Youngstown and Toledo locations also are in on the deal. Click here to find them.
2. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
3. You're limited to one pizza per person.
4. It's carryout only. No Internet orders, but phone calls are fine.
5. You get one topping on your large pizza. That means you can have sausage or pepperoni, people, not both.
Papa John's promises they've ordered "massive amounts" of extra food to satisfy the demand. "Crazy-busy," a Westlake employee predicted.
Um, you think?
Make sure your pizza game plan includes comfy shoes; there's bound to be a wait.
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Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Papa John's Announce Impressive UK Expansion Plans
Papa John’s has opened six outlets in three months as part of its rapid expansion plan to open 25 new stores nationwide this year.
Indeed pictured her is Coronation St actor Tom Hudson, who was present to lend a hand at the re-opened, totally re-branded branch in Sale.
Director of Property and Franchising for Papa John's Alan Mason says: "Papa John's has had a great start to the year, now it needs to keep that momentum as it looks to open eight more stores in quarter two and deliver on its commitment of 25 new stores in 2008.
"As Papa John's continues to grow it creates a strong demand for new locations and sites, which are suitable for its stores. Therefore, the company has appointed Colliers CRE as its national retained agents to aid this search as Papa John's looks to expand across the UK."
The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.
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If you really like us you can even download the widget to your own site and help us raise even more dough
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Friday, 2 May 2008
Water on Tap at Pizza Hut in Green Move
Staff at a chain of pizza restaurants throughout South Wales will encourage customers to drink tap water instead of the bottled variety.
Pizza Hut is taking the action in a bid to save customers money and reduce the environmental impact of drinking bottled water.
Research has shown that one in five people are “slightly nervous” or “too scared” to ask for tap water. The restaurant has said that tap water will be freely available.
Madeleine Brindley - South Wales Echo
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If You Like Your Pizza with Onion, You'll Like This
The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.
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Domino's Pizza in Texas to Route Orders Thru Call Center to Ease Effects of Staff Shortages
To prevent customers from spending Friday nights on hold, local Domino's stores in West Texas will divert orders to a call center starting Monday May 5th so Midlanders can order dinner without waiting to connect with an employee.
With the consistently low unemployment rates in Midland, Jim Gerety, area franchisee, said they've struggled to maintain the staff needed to personally take orders while also running the store.
So starting Monday, callers will be directed to an automated answering service based in Lubbock that will use a voice recognition system to prompt customers through their pizza order, he said. Customers also will have the option of talking to a live person at any point, he said.
"This is a challenging time to be a business owner and a customer in Midland," Gerety said. "But we are determined to seek solutions to improve the customer's experience at Domino's Pizza."
Ideally, Gerety said, stores should have eight to ten people working in the store on a busy night. But in past months local Domino's locations have usually had just four to five employees, he said.
Jason Rodriguez, a Midland College student who's worked at the Domino's on Big Spring for nearly a year, said when the phone lights up on a busy night he often has to stop filling the about 40 pizza orders listed on the store's screen to take additional orders.
"We really don't have enough people," he said, adding the job requires hours that are best for students who prefer nights and weekends, which makes it difficult to keep other employees.
Gerety said they've offered incentives programs, cash bonuses and health benefits to try to maintain employees, but still have come up short-handed.
If they could hire enough employees to handle orders, Gerety said, it would be cheaper than utilizing the automated call center, but at this point that's not an option.
"It's not real cost effective to do this," he said. "This is not a cost driven decision, this is a customer driven decision."
Gerety and co-owner Cassie Nettles said they got the idea after going through the drive through at Jack in the Box, where they said a friendly automated voice took orders and was fairly effective at moving people through the line quickly.
Nettles said in addition to the automated service, customers are encouraged to order online where they can visually walk through the process of selecting coupons and order preferences.
"There's just too few people and too much work out there," Gerety said.
Kathleen Thurber - Midland Reporter/Telegram
Thursday, 1 May 2008
We're Bloody Normal Blokes Actually - Wills and Harry Order a Pizza Delivery
Online Videos by Veoh.com
From the TV Show Headcases, Episode 1 of "We're Bloody Normal Blokes Actually" - Wills and Harry Order a Pizza
The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.
Please help us and make a donation by clicking on the widget on the top left or visiting http://www.justgiving.com/pizzasandstuff
If you really like us you can even download the widget to your own site and help us raise even more dough
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