Fellow pizza people,
welcome to
To celebrate National Pizza Day, we dug into data from millions of orders made at independent pizzerias in 2023. On behalf of our 20,000+ partners, it’s an honor to present this five-part retrospective of how America ate the best thing to eat.
Contents
(Mostly Pizza)
(The Upper Crust)
(Dough)
(America the Pizzaful)
(Pizza Bytes)
IN CHEESE, SAUCE, AND CRUST WE TRUST
~
IN CHEESE, SAUCE, AND CRUST WE TRUST ~
In 2023, you didn’t just eat a ton of pizza.
29,003
YOU ate
tons of it.
In case you’re having trouble visualizing it, that’s about…
11,572,064,136
Pennies
7,521,654
Oscar Awards
19,395,200,000
Candy Hearts
And as hungry as you were for pizza, there was one type of pie you were less into than usual.
5.2% Drop
IN VEGAN ORDERS
Cheese pizza is, obviously, perfection. But we the people, in order to form a more perfect pie, love our toppings. Here’s how they ranked in 2023:
TOPPINGS
Unstoppable
No.1 Pepperoni
No.2 Mushrooms
No.3 Sausage
No.4 Extra Cheese
No.5 Onions
No.6 Bacon
No.7 Black Olives
Not every topping can be a winner though. Just ask one of the least loved toppings in ’23:
Sorry, kale — we kinda get it.
But pizza-lovers weren’t afraid to reach for some smoothie ingredients.
In 2023: ORDERS for pizzas with pineapple went up 5.7%
Last February, we forecasted an uptick in Pickle Pizza.
(Caution: Smugness ahead)
Good news: Our prediction aged like fine brine.
Orders for pickle pizza increased by 32.1% in ’23.
That’s Amore
A Big Pizza Pie…
Here’s a free kissing tip: Worry less about your own garlic breath and make sure your paramour also has garlic breath. It cancels out!
Just ask the 4,744 romantics who ordered pizzas with garlic, onions, or anchovies on Valentine’s Day.
Speaking of anchovies…
Our prediction for America’s next hot topping is
Tinned Fish
Sometimes smokey and always salty, tinned fish — especially anchovies, like our favorites from Fishwife — is winning the hearts and taste buds of pizza-lovers. We forecast major swells of tinned fish on pizzas in ’24.
❦
PIZZA IS LIFE IS PIZZA IS LIFE IS
~
PIZZA IS LIFE IS PIZZA IS LIFE IS ~
How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
And we, as a nation, spent our ’23 days eating pizza.
FOOTBALL (AND FRANKENSTEIN)
Not Required
The busiest days for pizza are usually a certain big football game and Halloween, but ‘23 proved that we don’t need an occasion to order our favorite meal.
Friday, December 1
MOST PIZZAFUL DAY OF 2023
Why do you think 12/1/23 was such a pizza day?
Don’t feel too bad for the least pizzaful day of ’23. It was…
Thanksgiving
Pizza is confident enough to share the spotlight with a turkey.
SPRING FORWARD,
FALL PIZZA
We gained an extra hour when daylight saving time ended this past November, but we confusingly did not use that extra time to get pizza.
Orders were 2.8%
lower than usual.
Dominic of N.J.
Most Frequent Orderer
MOST FREQUENT ORDERER
Dominic of New Jersey
348
Assuming one order per day, that’s only 17 order-free days. 2024 is a Leap Year, but Dominic: Let’s go for a full 366 orders this year.
We believe in you.
Pizza sun
Pizza moon
Pizza rising
What’s your sign? We mean, of course, your sign that it’s time to order pizza. For us, everything is a sign, but not all zodiac signs manifest equal amounts of the pie.
MOST
ORDERS
No bull: Tauruses — or, if you prefer, Tauri — ordered more pizza than any other astrological sign in 2023.
LEAST
ORDERS
Cartoon goats eat cans, but in 2023, celestial sea-goats — aka Capricorns — ate (or at least, ordered) the least amount of pizza.
TIME IS MONEY. MONEY IS POWER. POWER IS PIZZA.
~
TIME IS MONEY. MONEY IS POWER. POWER IS PIZZA. ~
Money talks, and sometimes it says “thank you for bringing me a pizza.” We call that a tip, and in 2023, the fine people of these states were the most generous to their pizza delivery drivers.
Biggest Tippers
No.1
NO. 1 HAWAII | 14.71%
NO. 2 Alabama | 14.24%
NO. 3 Oregon | 14.03%
NO. 4 South Carolina | 13.51%
NO. 5 Montana | 13.39%
Measuring the economy is a complex procedure. We stay focused on one critical aspect.
Average cost of a large cheese pie in 2023
All fifty states are united in pizza, but pricing varies: A pie will cost you the most in Washington.
For a full state-by-state breakdown, head to our Pizza Index.
Frances of New York
Biggest Spender
Most expensive ’23 order
$2,867.07
Frances: You have surpassed the best of us in performing the fine alchemy of turning money (not real) into pizza (really delicious). We salute you and are available for your next pizza party.
FRIDAY I’M IN PIZZA
Every day is a pizza day, but one day rules them all.
aka T.G.I.P.
Garfield was right.
Pizza and football are a classic duo, but a new sporty couple emerged in ’23: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. We couldn't help but wonder: How did this affect pizza sales?
Pizza orders on Kansas City game days increased by 10.4% once Taylor and Travis became an item.
OH BEAUTIFUL, FOR SPACIOUS PIES
~
FOR GARLICKED KNOTS OF GRAIN
~
FOR BUBBLED CHEESY MAJESTIES ABOVE THE SAUCY PLAIN
~
OH BEAUTIFUL, FOR SPACIOUS PIES ~ FOR GARLICKED KNOTS OF GRAIN ~ FOR BUBBLED CHEESY MAJESTIES ABOVE THE SAUCY PLAIN ~
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line,
but the best reason to travel any distance is a fresh pie.
In 2023, the average delivery distance for pizza was
This would
take a cheetah
7 Minutes
It would also take a snail 304 hours
And in 2023, most neighborhood pizzerias could make a fresh pie and trek…
9.14 miles in a mere
42.5 Minutes
That’s not too far from cheetah speed! And much less likely to arrive smushed (or licked by a cheetah).
We’re not sure how Pizz-a-Perfection in Bakersfield, CA does it. In 2023, once their pizzas were out of the oven, their average delivery time was just 4.25 minutes.
4.25
Minutes
Our compliments to the chef and pit crew.
Whether you’re exploring near or far, we’re firm believers that the best way to get a real taste of local culture is to head directly to a beloved neighborhood pizzeria.
Not sure where to go? Walk up to a friendly face and say…
HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, PIZZA
~
HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, PIZZA ~
Fabio’s Bistro,
New Jersey
Fabio’s Bistro in New Jersey
the Most Loyal Customers
Technology makes it easier for indie pizzerias to stay in contact with their beloved customers and keep ‘em coming back again and again. In 2023, nobody did this better than Fabio’s — our data shows that people were more loyal to this legendary New Jersey shop than to any other pizzeria.
Put Down
the Phone
Yes, you have a lovely voice, but phone orders slow your shop down: Each one takes about 1.8 minutes.
Even if your pizzeria can afford to hire someone to answer calls, phone orders put a cap on growth. Website and app orders are processed instantly, allowing for more orders with less stress.
Fee the People?
Delivery apps charge higher fees to customers and restaurants. To make up the difference, many restaurants raise their menu prices on delivery apps. The net result is that you and your pizzeria have to pay more when you use those apps. Check out these receipts from placing the same order, at the same time, from the same pizzeria.
The food is identical —
you just pay less when you order on Slice.
Pricing reflects orders placed on 2/5/24. Receipts are illustrative.
But Wait, There’s More
Digital ordering without crazy fees is just the tip of the Sliceberg. When you order through Slice, you’re supporting the development of new tech that gives independent pizzerias the same advantages as the big chains — without compromising quality or sacrificing charm.
But Wait,
There’s More
Digital ordering without crazy fees is just the tip of the Sliceberg. When you order through Slice, you’re supporting the development of new tech that gives independent pizzerias the same advantages as the big chains — without compromising quality or sacrificing charm.
AI was pretty hot in ’23, so we asked it for a glimpse into the future of pizza in ’24. Here’s what it predicted for the months ahead:
“Nano-oven delivery pods will revolutionize pizza delivery. These small, self-navigating pods equipped with advanced nano-oven technology will carry pizza ingredients separately. Upon reaching the customer's location, the pods will assemble and bake the pizza using a combination of rapid heating and molecular gastronomy techniques.”
Ok, supercomputer. We’re not so sure about nano-oven delivery pods, but as a company dedicated to helping local pizzerias thrive, we’re positive that 2024 is going to be a spectacular year for independent pizza.
