- The U.S. eats the equivalent to 240,000 Olympic sized
swimming pools in pizza slices a year
- Sorry New York, the debate
of how to eat a slice of pizza has been resolved, nearly half of
people say the proper way is "tip first", not folded. 44% of people
even say eating pizza with a fork is a food crime
- 28% of people would give up alcohol for a year if they could
have free pizza every day
- With a trend of global flavors, 37% of Americans say they'd
like to try Mexican-inspired pizza or Greek-inspired pizza
(21%)
- Ranch reigns supreme as most popular dipping sauce, and
Kentucky is the state that dips
pizza the most
- After much debate, boneless wings win out against bone-in
wings as the top preference
- 59% agree pizza and wings are the ultimate pairing. Enjoy
the pairing at Pizza Hut now in new Stuffed Crust Pizza & Wings
Bundle for $19.99
PLANO,
Texas, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- To kick off
the New Year, Pizza Hut releases its second annual Pizza Trends
Report featuring the latest research on consumer pizza eating
habits and an outlook on emerging trends in the industry. From
toppings and unique combinations to pizza eating behaviors and
consumption, the report offers a comprehensive look at how
Americans continue to embrace their love for pizza.
Since 1958, Pizza Hut has been at the forefront of culinary
innovation and a leading pizza destination that takes pride in
combining traditional culinary craftsmanship while staying on the
pulse with innovation catering to the ever-evolving tastes of
modern-day pizza lovers. With an expert culinary team sharing a
deep understanding of pizza culture and a passion for innovation,
Pizza Hut is dedicated to perfecting every aspect of the pizza
experience. Pizza Hut and its culinary experts predict 2025 will be
a year of more pizza (32% of people predict they'll eat more pizza
than they did in 2024!), pizza pairings and combinations, bold and
modern flavors, among several other trends explored in their latest
report.
"The Pizza Hut brand is built on a strong heritage of innovating
the pizza experience, from the Original Pan® Pizza
introduced in 1983 to Original Stuffed Crust® in 1995,
and innovation continues to be at the core of everything we do,"
said Rachel Antalek, Pizza Hut's
Chief Food Innovation Officer. "We continue to see a growing trend
and demand for unique flavors and modern, bold toppings. We are
also seeing customers gravitating towards pairings or pizza-centric
accoutrements that complement their orders, whether it be dipping
sauces or sides like wings."
The Love of Pizza Across the U.S.
- The average person eats 288 slices of pizza per year. That's
roughly 480 gallons per person, meaning the nation collectively
eats 95,040,000,000 slices of pizza in a year – equivalent to
240,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.
- What's more, this year 32% predict they'll eat more pizza than
they did in 2024.
- Kansas leads the way when it
comes consumption of pizza slices per month, on average, with
Kansas reporting they eat an
average of 9.4 slices a month. Next states consuming the most
slices are North Dakota (9.9),
South Dakota (9.4), West Virginia (9.3) and Wisconsin (9.3).
The Ultimate Pairing: Pizza and Wings
- Bone in or boneless? The new research looked at the age-old
chicken wing debate. 46% prefer boneless wings, while 43% prefer
bone-in. Twelve percent simply have no preference.
- Delaware (53%), Maryland (53%) and North Carolina (54%) are the states who vote
bone-in while Kansas (64%),
Maine (60%) and Montana (62%) prefer boneless.
- Over half of Americans (59%) agree pizza and wings are the
ultimate pairing, with 52% believing ordering wings with pizza
makes the overall experience better.
- 71% say they order chicken wings with their pizza, at least on
occasion. The three states who are most likely to "always" order
pizza with wings are California
(17%), Delaware (16%) and
Missouri (14%).
- When it comes to the specific tastes of the beloved pizza and
wing pairing, 45% said they prefer their wings be a different
flavor profile than their pizza.
- Many respondents shared their favorite pizza and wing flavor
profiles with combinations ranging from 1. pepperoni pizza with
honey wings, 2. veggie pizza with spicy wings, 3. onion and
mushroom pizza with sweet and sour wings, 4. meat lover's pizza
with Old Bay seasoned wings, and 5. Hawaiian pizza with BBQ
wings.
Right now, you can enjoy the fan-favorite pairing with the new
Stuffed Crust Pizza & Wings Bundle at Pizza Hut, offering the
ultimate combination of flavor and value. Available now through
April 7, 2025, the Stuffed Crust
Pizza & Wings Bundle includes one large 1-topping Stuffed Crust
pizza, 16 Boneless Wings (choice of 2 flavors), and 2 dips priced
at a total of $19.99.
To Dip or Not to Dip?
- Dipping sauces are loved by pizza fans to add an extra burst of
flavor. Over half (58%) of respondents claim they dip their pizza
into sauces, at least on occasion.
- Kentucky is the state that
dips their pizza in dipping sauce the most. The other dippiest
states include Idaho (28%),
Mississippi (27%), New Mexico (27%), Oklahoma (28%) and Tennessee (28%).
- Ranch (38%) reigns supreme as the most popular sauce consumers
polled are most likely to dip their pizza into.
- Respondents also said they would likely use garlic sauce (27%),
marinara sauce (23%), blue cheese dressing (8%) or buffalo sauce
(8%) as preferred dips for their pizza.
Toppings, Crusts & Flavors
- 2025 emerges as another year of bold flavors and modern
toppings that push the boundaries of traditional pizza.
- When looking at on-trend and unique pizza toppings, mushrooms
(57%) were ranked most popular. Garlic (41%), pineapple (38%),
anchovies (8%), pickles (8%), cherries (2%) followed as other
unique toppings ranked by pizza lovers.
- The experts at Pizza Hut predict thin crust continues to grow
in popularity and consistent with Pizza Hut's 2024 survey findings,
thin crust remains the most popular type of pizza crust (29%)
followed by stuffed crust (24%) and hand-tossed crust (23%).
- When it comes to eating a stuffed-crust pizza, many shared what
stuffing they'd like to try: unique cheeses (47%), meat (34%),
garlic (31%), ranch (19%) and jalapeños (18%).
- New York topped the charts as
the most popular pizza style again, with 29% claiming New York
Style pizza is the best, followed by Chicago Deep Dish (22%),
Sicilian Style (8%) and Detroit Style (4%).
- As customers look to experience global flavors, 37% of
Americans report that they'd most like to try a Mexican-inspired
(37%) or Greek-inspired pizza (21%). They would also like to try
French (12%), Korean (11%) and Thai (10%).
Pizza Consumption Habits & Behaviors
- Pizza Hut looked to settle the great debate over how to eat a
slice of pizza. Sorry New York,
the debate of how to eat a slice of pizza has been resolved, with
nearly half of people saying the proper way is "tip first", not
folded.
- Plus, 44% of people say eating pizza with a fork is a food
crime
- Cold pizza, anyone? Over half (57%) of the survey respondents
said they like eating cold pizza as a leftover the next day.
- Consistent with 2024, Friday is the most popular day (43%) to
eat pizza. Saturday (23%) and Wednesday (11%) follow as the next
most popular days of the week.
Pizza Fun Facts
- Pizza > social media. Eighteen percent of people would give
up social media for a year if they could have free pizza every
day.
- Others would give up alcohol (28%), coffee (20%), and sweets
(14%).
- Many pizza lovers shared which celebrity they would most want
to grab a slice of pizza with. At the top was Morgan Freeman (9%). Other celebrities they want
to grab a slice with include Taylor
Swift (7%), Paul McCartney
(7%), Joe Rogan (6%) and
George Clooney (5%).
Survey Methodology
This online survey of 5,000
American adults, split evenly by state, was commissioned by Pizza
Hut and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in
accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data
was collected from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30,
2024. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose
team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and
the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
(ESOMAR).
About Pizza Hut®
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM),
was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and since then has
earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the
creation of icons like Original® Pan and
Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut
pizza was the very first online food order. Today, Pizza Hut
continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with
over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital
orders. Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza
experience – from order to delivery – and has Hut
Rewards®, the Pizza Hut loyalty program that offers
points for every dollar spent on food any way you
order. Hut Rewards is open to U.S. residents 18+. See
applicable terms
at https://hutrewards.pizzahut.com/terms/. A global
leader in the pizza category, Pizza Hut operates more than 19,000
restaurants in more than 100 countries. Through its enormous
presence, Pizza Hut works to unlock opportunity for its team
members and communities around the world.
For more information,
visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up to date
on what's happening at Pizza Hut by following us
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and
subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Press Contact
ALISON BROD MARKETING +
COMMUNICATIONS
pizza@abmc-us.com
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