With an increasingly saturated market and the proliferation of reviews and online feedback, now more than ever it’s essential to stand apart from the competition. Pinpointing and capitalizing on your key differentiators can be a challenge, but it’s a great time to take a close look at your pizza offerings to see how they can better meet the challenges of the day — and tell your brand’s story.
Pizzas have always been a canvas for creativity. Simple tweaks can also bring them in line with new flavor trends, special diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, keto, etc.) and other consumer demands. From the crust up, there are plenty of ways to deliver what guests are looking for.
Describing where and how pizza ingredients are sourced is a great opportunity to tell the story of your menu to get your patrons interested. Consumers are paying closer attention to labels both at home and in restaurants and recognized toppings like Hillshire Farm® toppings help demonstrate that you care about quality in the same way. After crust, consumers look to sauce and toppings as the most important pizza components.2
Consumers are craving innovative dishes, and a familiar format like pizza is the ideal way for guests to try something new. Trending toppings, interesting combos, sauces, drizzles and crusts are all areas to explore when looking for new pie recipes. Consider LTOs, customer polls through social media or staff input to source ideas, and remember you can always trust Hillshire Farm® brand for toppings that can bring those recipes to life.
This Pacific isle BBQ features Hillshire Farm® Bakin’ Bacon™ Heat ‘n Serve bacon, tangy hoisin-teriyaki sauce, roasted red onions, pickled teardrop peppers, a blend of aged cheddar cheese, and mozzarella. It’s all topped with a fresh and bright pineapple-serrano salsa and garnished with a drizzle of sriracha.
This tasty pizza features our Hillshire Farm® Spicy Italian Sausage with sun-dried tomato pesto, roasted fennel, pine nuts, golden raisins, and a blend of asiago & mozzarella cheese.
This delicious pizza features our Hillshire Farm® All Natural* Pork Chorizo Crumbles with roasted poblano peppers and red onions, spicy red sauce, and a blend of chihuahua cheese and smoked mozzarella. It’s all topped with a roasted corn & black bean salsa and a final garnish of fresh cilantro and avocado-lime aioli.
The quality of individual ingredients in a pizza come together to create the overall perception of its taste and value. When any one element is off, the entire dish suffers. Using brands that have built their reputation on trusted quality, like Hillshire Farm® brand, ensures you won’t have to worry about your toppings.
Communicating your offerings and brand story is also essential. With so much on your plate, it can be a daunting task managing social media feeds, advertising and marketing, but there are plenty of resources out there that can help. If you can prioritize delegating those responsibilities to trusted staff members, the results should be quickly measurable. You’ve worked hard to craft pizzas you’re proud of, don’t be afraid to let people know any way you can!
No matter what shifts happen in the market and with consumer preferences, it remains true that pizza is a menu staple that can do it all. It can be a comforting classic or a trendy, flavor-forward choice. Whatever guests are hungry for, pizza delivers.
Sources:
1 Technomic Pizza Consumer Trend Report 2020
2 Technomic Pizza CTR, 2020
3 Technomic Pizza Consumer Trend Report 2020
4Mintel — Pizza US, 2021
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