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5 pizza trends to optimize operations

Tyson Food Service has identified five trends in the pizza industry to drive successful operations.

June 19, 2015

Tyson Food Service has identified five trends in the pizza industry to drive successful operations, the company said in a press release.   

"We’ve combined our pizza segment experience, consumer research and industry insights from the BONICI brand and Tyson Food Service to show operators how they can optimize their pizza operations and increase profitability," Tyson Food Service Senior Brand Manager Tiffany Jetter said in a statement. "We tapped our extensive resources to identify both customer needs and profitable trends for operators to consider when developing their 2015 menu strategies."

1. Expand menu options by repurposing standard pizza ingredients. Consumers still want familiar pizza tastes, but also want versatility. According to Technomic’s 2014 The Pizza Trend Report, 19 percent of consumers want more than pizza on the menu. Operators can broaden their menus by utilizing traditional pizza products and ingredients to develop unique pastas, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, and other appetizers. By expanding their menus with already-stocked pizza ingredients, they will accommodate more tastes, improve waste management and boost sales.
2. Add a balanced protein mix to lower cost and increase margins. To manage fluctuating commodity prices, operators should menu a mix of protein products like meatballs, ingredient chicken and multi-protein products such as chicken and beef pepperoni. Using a form of this mix offsets costs and extends protein dollars. These lower-cost proteins also cover multiple recipe applications as a substitute for beef and pork in dishes. Operators that develop creative menu offerings to balance costs while appealing to consumer cravings will support stronger margins long-term.
3. Extend products with all day breakfast offerings. According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast, seven out of 10 consumers wish restaurants would serve breakfast all day long. To capture more customer traffic, pizza operators could extend the use of pizza toppings, including sausage, cheese and dough to create breakfast-inspired menu items, such as breakfast pizzas or flatbreads. With the increasing popularity of breakfast, many fast-food and QSR restaurants are going full-force into this daypart. Having a cost-effective breakfast solution will help operators be competitive, especially if these menu items are available all day.
4. Develop hand-held products for on-the-go customers. Consumers now demand quicker options and seek out snacks and meals that can be enjoyed on-the-go. According to the same Technomic report, 26 percent of consumers want pizza establishments to offer portable handheld pizza snacks. Operators can reach new customers as well as improve current customer satisfaction by modifying existing offerings to provide smaller, portable items, such as a snack-sized portion breadstick stuffed with all of the great fillings consumers have come to expect from their favorite pizza.
5. Optimize purchase decisions with multiple-brand providers. To consolidate purchasing costs and cover multiple dayparts, operators should partner with foodservice providers with several food brands under its umbrella. The benefit to the operator includes usage ideas across brands and products to optimize menu offerings and valuable research and insights on effective pairings.