Pizza Continues to Prove its Adaptability

Looking at how pizza changed in 2020 is a great way to see what consumers want to see in food trends. It's basically the finger on the pulse of innovation.Why is this? Because pizza is not only ubiquitously loved in almost every demographic, but it's also the perfect platform for flavor creativity. Think about some of the crazy pizzas you've seen over the past few years: Unicorn pizza, the Hot Dog Bites pizza, or the 30-lb taco pizza from Tony Boloney's in New Jersey.While these pizzas may not have the resilience of classic pepperoni, they do prove something. You can put almost anything on a pizza and people will enjoy it.But let's look past the more "viral" pizza endeavors to those with staying power. Here's how 2020 changed pizza forever.

How 2020 Changed Pizza

Crusts Rethought

Let's start at the bottom.2020 showed a heavy investment in changing what the crust of a pizza could be. Many of these iterations, like the Fathead Pizza from Boston's and the trio of Donatos pizzas all featuring cauliflower crusts, were born from excitement around the low-carb diets. 1000 Degrees Pizza also launched a cauliflower crust in partnership with Caulipower®, but their intent was more focused on the power of vegetables.Uno Pizzeria launched a Sausage Crust Pizza, which, if you couldn't guess, featured a crust made from Italian sausage. But it's not all about less carbs. Pizza Hut made a bold move with their Mozzarella Poppers Pizza, and both Cici's and Little Caesars added a crispy cheese crust to the offerings.Other innovations included fried chicken pizza crusts, Alfredo stuffed crust, and bacon-wrapped crusts.

Plant-Based Meats

2020 became the year of plant-based (PB) proteins. With a mix of trends around health, environment, and the humane treatment of animals coupled with the leap forward in plant-based protein quality, it was the perfect opportunity for PB proteins to shine.Pizza Hut launched a duo of Beyond Italian Sausage™ Pizzas, Donatos launched a trio of plant-based pizzas, and Papa Murphy's went with a PB pepperoni offering. All of these options were well-received by the restaurants' customer bases and show promise for a future of plant-based protein innovation.

Global Flavors

Global flavors have been rising for some time now, but it seems pizzas are going to help take things to the mainstream. 2020 had some surprising hits around the concept of globally influenced pizzas.Domino's successfully launched a Chicken Taco Pizza, while Jet's Pizza made waves with their Mexican Pizza featuring chorizo and jalapenos. Also, Topper's Pizza made a great run with their Vegan Korean BBQ Chicken-Less pizza (also hitting the PB protein trend), while California based Pizza Guys launched a Curry Veggie Delight pizza featuring curry seasoning, potatoes, and garlic sauce.Finally, fast-casual chain Your Pie went a step further with their Chicken Al Pastor Pizza topped with avocado pineapple salsa, jalapenos, and smoked-chipotle ranch sauce.

Hot Hot Heat

Lastly, heat is in. This observation, however, is not new, it's more of a constantly building trend. We've seen piquant pizzas for some time, but the creativity in heat is starting to change.Nashville Hot Chicken pizzas, for example, are a more non-traditional way to get heat on pizza. Chains like MOD pizza are using specific chile callouts (i.e. the Calabrian chile red sauce) to drive interest in new forms of heat. Even pizza adjacent categories like condiments are driving the heat trend. A great example is the growth of New York-based Mike's Hot Honey.Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co. combines heat and global flavors with their Latino Pie featuring a spicy poblano pepper mole sauce. That's a lot more interesting than sprinkling on some chili flakes!

Order Up!

Consumer trends will continue to reshape what a pizza can be, while culinary innovators will continue to reshape trends with ambitious pizza platforms to excite and intrigue. Around and around, we go. Pizza is proving to be the world's most interesting culinary merry-go-round; whose limitations are only those of the imagination. What trends do you think we'll see next in pizza? Let us know in the comments below.