Pi Day Facts and Stats and How to Increase Cash Flow

3 Min Read

In celebration of Pi Day, the team at Otter dug into the one billion+ orders they’ve processed to discover pizzeria and pizza chain trends. They've also shared about shifts and growth in the pizza industry and three ways to increase a pizzeria or pizza chain’s cash flow.

Ways to Increase Cash Flow

  1. Pay attention to internal issues and delivery orders – especially during peak hours. Fifty-one percent of pizzeria and pizza chain orders come through from 4to 8:59 pm, but 51.5 percent of pizza order cancellations happen between the same window. In an industry with razor thin margins, keeping cancellations down can have a huge impact on your bottom line. The top reason for cancelled pizza orders is “internal issues/kitchen closed.” If your busy pizzeria or pizza chain faces challenges like incorrect online hours or out of stock inventory resulting in the “internal issues” cancellation reason, consider utilizing a menu management tool to update your hours and menu across all online platforms from one place.
     
  2. Use delivery promotions to boost your AOV. Utilizing delivery promotions like buy-one-get-one or X-percent off of y is not only a great way to set yourself apart from the competition online, it can also be a means of driving up your average order value. For pizzerias and pizza chains in particular, the AOV of an order with a promotion is +25.6. percent greater than the average AOV.
     
  3. Make sure you’ve got the fan-favorite menu items covered. Since 38.3 percent of total orders are for pepperoni pizza, it’s critical to make sure this item is present at the top of your menu. It’s also key to constantly keep the inventory in stock to deliver plenty of pepperoni pizzas – since this topping in particular happens to represent 42.4 percent of total order cancellations. In addition to pepperoni, make sure you have options for chicken pizza on your menu, whether BBQ, Buffalo, or your own special recipe. 19.6 percent of total pizza orders are for pizza with chicken. Unsurprisingly, when it comes to one of America’s favorite cuisines, the bigger the better – large pizzas were preferred over medium and small sizes, so make sure this is reflected accordingly on your menu.
Pizza Facts and Stats 

At any given second, Americans are devouring 350 slices of pizza, 93 percent of Americans order pizza at least once a month and 36 percent of Americans believe that pizza qualifies as a breakfast item. The first pizza pie was delivered in 1889, and pizza’s popularity has continued to climb ever since.

Industry Growth

The pizzeria location count increased by 4.97 percent from 2022 to 2023, and in 2023, pizzerias made up 5.84 percent of the total restaurants in the US. Not only are there many pizzerias, but most of those pizzerias are highly rated – with an average rating of 4.43 stars.

Most Popular Toppings

One of the classics, pepperoni, continues to be a fan favorite making up 38.3% of total pizza orders. Other beloved toppings include:

  1. Pepperoni – 38.3 percent of total pizza orders
  2. Chicken – 19.6 percent of total pizza orders
  3. “Meat” – 10 percent of total pizza orders
  4. Hawaiian – 4.7 percent of total pizza orders
  5. Veggie – 3.4 percent of total pizza orders

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Pizza Facts by State

While many believe New York has the best pizza, it doesn't have the most pizzerias. The states with the highest density of pizzerias relative to general restaurants are:

  1. New Hampshire – 9.04 percent of all restaurants
  2. West Virginia – 8.94 percent of all restaurants
  3. Iowa – 8.29 percent of all restaurants
  4. Nebraska – 7.62 percent of all restaurants
  5. Maine – 7.58 percent of all restaurants

The states with the least pizzeria coverage are:

  1. Hawaii – 1.51 percent
  2. California – 1.67 percent
  3. Texas – 2.30 percent
  4. Florida -2.30 percent
  5. Georgia – 2.33 percent

As with any other cuisine type, the quality of a pizzeria can be measured by order ratings. The states with the top rated pizzerias are:

  1. New Hampshire
  2. Maine
  3. Wisconsin
  4. Kentucky
  5. Oklahoma

The states with the lowest rated pizzeria are:

  1. Wyoming
  2. South Carolina
  3. Montana
  4. Kansas
  5. Pennsylvania

The amount spent per order also varies by state. When compared to the mean average order value for pizzerias (AOV) of $31.10, the states with the highest AOV are:

  1. Hawaii – $48.5
  2. California – $40.1
  3. Montana – $38.9
  4. Wyoming – $38.3
  5. Nevada – $37.6
  6. Illinois – $37.4

The states with the lowest AOV are:

  1. Mississippi – $21.6
  2. Utah – $21.8
  3. Alabama – $23.4
  4. Louisiana – $25.3
  5. Indiana – $25.6
  6. New Mexico – $26.4