Pizza has always been a popular choice amongst those looking for a quick, affordable, last-minute dinner. However, during the recent indoor dining closures, pizzerias became a role model for restaurants looking to survive. Practically overnight, they became leaders in a restaurant industry devastated by COVID-19 closures, in large part because of their ability to provide carryout and delivery services.
Traditional restaurants turned to pizza places for inspiration when their normal operations were turned on their head during the COVID-19 crisis. Pizzerias became the model for the rest of the restaurant industry when it came to ordering services and delivery practices. Many restaurant operators even began modeling their business structure on successful local pizzerias.
According to public health experts, the extreme heat of pizza ovens, along with minimal handling and no-contact delivery, make pizza the perfect pandemic fare. In the stressed public's mind, pizza deliveries proved to be as essential as a toilet paper stash when it came to surviving the lockdowns!
Even now, as restaurants are slowly beginning to at least partially reopen, consumers still tend to view takeout in a different light than before the closures. Instead of being viewed as a poor substitute for a proper restaurant meal when consumers were in a hurry, pizza and other takeout options are now prized in their own right.
Consumers value them because they are delicious, easily available, reasonably priced, comforting, and offered via touch-less delivery. These features make them priceless in the face of the unease and stress that has occurred because of the current health crisis.
With most dining establishments either still closed, operating well under capacity, or only allowed to offer outdoor dining options, takeout is a viable way to keep restaurants alive. Adding pizza to your other menu options can increase your bottom line during what may prove to be a tough recovery.
If consumers begin relying on you for quality pizza, they are more likely to continue patronizing your restaurant when they tire of delivery and are ready (and able) to get back to dining in house.