Pizza is one of the most popular foods in America today. According to a recent report, more than three billion pies are sold in the United States each year. Although “restaurant” chains like Pizza Hut and Dominoes, along with other major chains, are the industry leaders, the vast majority of pizzas sold in the United States are made in small, family-run pizzerias.
To the average outside observer, making pizza may seem like a fairly simple process, but many of the skills required to make a good pie take years to perfect. In fact, it’s not uncommon for pizza recipes, skills, and techniques to stay in the family and be passed down from one generation to the next. That’s why chain restaurants like Dominoes and Pizza Hut fall short when up against quality family-owned pizzerias every time.
The average American consumer can smell and taste the difference. Unlike fast-food burgers, where it’s easy enough to mask the quality of the meat beneath mounds of lettuce, pickles, and assorted condiments, the average consumer can spot a poorly done pie like a three-dollar bill. Really, with pizza there is nothing to hide behind.
So when pizza chains try to hide the fact that their pies are bland by adding melted cheese to the crust or overloading them with inexpensive ingredients, the average consumer may see this for what it really is: a lot of unnecessary additions to a plain and ordinary. . cake.
At the other end of the quality spectrum is the neighborhood pizzeria that cares for tradition and crafts each and every pies with the freshest ingredients and homemade recipes. Sure, they may cost a little more than the pizza you get at the chain stores, but we’re talking quality here. And while the price of the average pizza has gone up in recent years, the cost of a regular pie remains affordable. I mean, how many other ways are there to feed a family of four for less than twenty bucks?
This is why a true pizza lover rarely stops at one of those so-called pizzerias where frozen and processed ingredients are microwaved for cooking or defrosting. No, they want to see a trained professional who has pizza making in his blood actually create their pie from scratch using fresh ingredients and original family recipes.