Pizza Brands to Watch 2027: The best chapters are still being written

Every great restaurant brand starts somewhere. Sometimes it's a family recipe passed down through generations. Sometimes it's an idea that takes shape in a neighborhood kitchen, on the napkin at a bar or through conversations with family or friends.

But the stories that make these concepts worth watching aren't about where they started. They're about what comes next and the chapters still being written.

That's the thinking behind Pizza Marketplace's 2027 Brands to Watch in 2027, an annual recognition of emerging and established pizza concepts demonstrating the creativity, resilience, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit shaping the industry's future.

Expanding this year's list from 25 to 27 brands is more than a nod to the year ahead. It's an acknowledgment of the remarkable number of pizzerias, both chains and independents, finding new ways to grow, compete and connect with consumers.

And while the brands represent different markets, business models and stages of development, they share something important: potential.

For some, that potential is rooted in expansion. Best Pizza & Brew, founded in San Diego by childhood friends Joey Freis and Mitchell Millar, has grown to nine locations and is building the infrastructure and leadership needed to reach its goal of 35 restaurants by 2035.

Parlour Pizza + Pints is pursuing a regional growth strategy, while Slice House by Tony Gemignani is accelerating its national franchise footprint. Fresh Brothers, meanwhile, has launched a franchising program following its acquisition by Craveworthy Brands, positioning the Southern California concept for a new phase of growth.

Other brands are taking a more deliberate approach, demonstrating that growth doesn't always have to mean moving as quickly as possible.

Partenope Ristorante has expanded from a single Dallas restaurant to three North Texas locations, all through family ownership and self-funded growth. Tievoli Pizza Bar, which has tripled sales since opening in 2023, is preparing for a second location while developing the next generation of pizzaiolos. And Glenside Pizza continues to build its independent business through a delivery model that keeps operations in-house rather than relying on third-party platforms.

These stories reflect an important reality of restaurant growth: The challenge isn't simply replicating a successful concept. It's preserving what made it special in the first place.

Reinvention creates new possibilities

For some brands, the next chapter isn't about becoming bigger. It's about becoming something different.

Chuck E. Cheese is approaching its 50th anniversary in 2027 with a significant brand reinvention, including its Adventure World entertainment concept and plans to expand internationally into the United Kingdom. Peter Piper Pizza is similarly reimagining its longtime eatertainment model through updated restaurant prototypes, expanded entertainment offerings and digital ordering.

Happy Joe's is rebuilding its iconic family-dining concept through refreshed restaurant designs, menus and technology, while MOD Pizza is navigating corporate restructuring and operational changes designed to stabilize the business and establish a path forward.

These changes for each reflect far more than a traditional growth pattern, they reveal something deeper: a willingness to reconsider traditional restaurant formats while maintaining the personality that has defined the brand.

Technology is becoming part of the growth story

Innovation is another common thread among this year's honorees. From back-office systems to artificial intelligence and automation, brands are exploring how technology can strengthen operations, improve the guest experience and create new opportunities.

Dodo Pizza, with more than 1,600 locations, has built its business around proprietary technology and AI-driven daily operations, using data to guide decisions while adapting its menu to local preferences across international markets.

Donatos Pizza is exploring the possibilities of autonomous restaurant operations through PeppTron, a robot-operated concept designed to prepare fresh pizzas around the clock. The brand also is testing autonomous delivery and implementing AI voice ordering.

Meanwhile, Hungry Howie's is undertaking a broad digital and operational overhaul across its nearly 500 restaurants, integrating new ordering, loyalty, point-of-sale and restaurant management platforms. While Cicis Pizza is investing in guest engagement through its first loyalty program, which surpassed one million members in its first year.

And even smaller concepts are finding ways to use technology and operational discipline to support their ambitions. One World Pizza combines globally inspired, chef-driven pizzas with a proprietary automated back-office platform, while Mythical Pizza has built a digital-first ordering model that eliminates phone orders entirely.

Yet, for all these investments in technology, franchising and new restaurant formats, the foundation of these businesses remains the same: the pizza itself.

Several brands are building their identities around craftsmanship, distinctive ingredients and a willingness to explore different interpretations of the category.

What about the dough

L'Industrie has developed a following through its high-hydration, long-fermented dough and premium toppings. Pizzeria Sei combines classic Italian techniques with Japanese influences, even introducing a pizza omakase tasting experience. How Ya Dough'n is preparing to scale its naturally fermented sourdough concept, while Truly Pizza is expanding its coastal California presence with five-day-fermented dough.

EZPZ is approaching pizza as a lifestyle brand, pairing artisan pies with organic soft-serve, neighborhood design and community partnerships. Pizza A Modo Mio offers seven distinct pizza styles, from New York and Grandma to Detroit, Roman and Chicago tavern-style. And One World Pizza is bringing globally inspired flavors such as Korean Bulgogi and Jamaican Jerk Brisket to its menu.

Others are finding opportunities in adjacent categories and changing consumer preferences. Glenside Pizza introduced a micro menu with smaller portions, while TailGate Brewery is combining scratch-made pizzas with craft beverages and expanding its production and retail distribution.

Brenz Pizza Co. also is demonstrating how hand-stretched quality can be maintained at higher volumes through central commissaries and data-driven site selection.

Together, these concepts illustrate that innovation doesn't always require reinventing the product. Sometimes it means finding new ways to deliver something consumers already love.

Growth is a story still unfolding

The 27 brands on this year's list are at different points in their journeys. But each of their accomplishments deserve recognition and celebration. After all, 2026 has been a tough year for every brand, but within this year's challenges lies innovation and, perhaps more interesting, what these accomplishments make possible.

A single-location independent can become a regional favorite. A regional chain can develop the infrastructure to compete nationally. An established brand can find a new audience by rethinking its format. And a founder who once managed every detail of a restaurant can build a leadership team capable of taking the business somewhere entirely new.

Because these aren't simply 27 brands that have made their mark. They're 27 stories still unfolding, each with a different vision, a different challenge and a different definition of what's possible.

And their next great chapters, just like the industry's, may be the ones still being written.