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The pizza industry is constantly evolving, with new trends, consumer preferences and innovations shaping how this beloved food is enjoyed. One of the goals of the 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report was to find out small shifts that business owners possibly wouldn’t notice unless they were seeing them on a macro level. What’s happening in the pizzeria market in the United States? How can this information help businesses? The LloydPans Innovation Team narrowed down our favorite takeaways from a look below the surface in a recent webinar—deeper than your favorite deep dish pizza.
Third Party Delivery
One of the common themes when respondents were asked an open-ended question regarding business trends. Over a decade ago, one of the most influential pizza owners in the country, Tony Gemignani, started utilizing third party delivery in San Francisco. At the time, he wrote that it was a game-changer for his business, and it was to be the “wave of the future.” And it is in 2025, yet 53% of operators still don’t participate in third party delivery. Reasons included shifting to an in-house online ordering system, collaboration kinks between pizzeria owners and operators and third party delivery companies, and not having designated space for carryout orders.
LloydPans Takeaway: Operators who prioritize better on-the-go, sustainable packaging and streamline third party delivery—ensuring efficient operations and an enjoyable customer experience—will thrive.
Recapturing Dine-In
One of the lingering effects of the pandemic that pizzerias are trying to recapture is the allure of the dine-in experience. The industry was forced to shift to delivery or carryout only models so quickly that the business model was thrust into the spotlight. Operators reported that they’re seeing a decrease in dine-in, but restaurants nationwide are reporting an uptick.
LloydPans Takeaway: Turning the tables on dine-in takes focus, planning and great marketing. How will you keep customers coming into your dining room?
Catering to Catering
Pizza Today asked operators where revenue streams are coming from, and catering was listed as the No. 1 additional revenue source in the pizzeria industry. Weddings, parties, corporate events and even local hospitals are placing big orders before normal business hours begin.
LloydPans Takeaway: Catering has been a part of pizzeria business for a long time, but survey data shows it will be a renewed focus in 2025 and beyond. Operators who aren’t happy with catering revenue should take time to adjust strategy.
Bringing Style(s) to Your Pizzeria
The more things change, the more they stay the same, and even though we see innovation in pizza, favorites are there for a reason. The No. 1 trending style is New York, but Pizza Today noted that it also fits into a top trending style to add. So, pizzerias that do not offer this style are looking at how to add it slowly onto the menu through limited time or seasonal offers. Other styles that topped the list are tavern-style, Detroit-style, Sicilian and Grandma.
LloydPans Takeaway: The No. 1 thing respondents wanted to see more of were recipes, reflecting that pizza is shareable in more than one way. If you’re a California eatery looking to add Detroit-style to your repertoire, for example, just ask your peers for pointers on recipe development!
Newstalgic Pizza
Speaking of testing, getting a new pizza into your rotation can come down to a different dough, different procedures or different baking methods. The styles may not be new per se, but they are new to customers. Roman, according to Pizza Today, is a style that will come up, fall, and then come up again. It’s a great style to look at because of its digestibility, where you can par bake and then customize to order. And NEONeapolitan allows pizzerias to experiment, not adhering to each and every tenant of the original Neapolitan standard.
LloydPans Takeaway: Newstalgia, a huge trend in food and beverage, takes something “old” and adds a modern twist. Enterprising pizzeria operators can do this with Roman-style, for example–down to even paying by the inch instead of a full square!
Rolling in the Dough
Dough is the area where the most change is happening in pizzerias. Pizza crusts are at the height of exploration; pizzaiolos are looking for ways to either adapt doughs from their own applications or simply looking to make dough better via adding items to elevate flavor or lift.
LloydPans Takeaway: Throw dough rules out the window! Experiment with different flours, temperatures and ingredients. Who knows what you’ll discover.
Topping-Esque
Spoiler alert: bacon is a top 10 topping. But, operators are elevating that and other favorites to experiment with the flavor explosion that is U.S.-based pizza. Instead of spicy jalapenos, what about a milder poblano? Or soppressata or mortadella instead of American-style pepperoni? Other explorative toppings mentioned included microgreens, berries, green chiles, pickles (still a huge favorite with customers), Italian beef and lemon infusion in ricotta.
LloydPans Takeaway: Here is where knowing your audience can pay dividends. If your customers love ingredient and flavor experimentation, the possibilities are endless.
Hot Honey is Hot, Hot, Hot!
Hot honey has been trending for a while, so much so that it’s moved into a standard. The experts say that if you’re not serving some form of hot honey, you’re missing out. Consumers look to hot honey as a condiment, topping or drizzle.
LloydPans Takeaway: There are no bounds to hot honey infusions. The key now is to elevate the standard with even more: chiles, flavors or spices. You name it—anything goes.
Top Toppings
If there’s one mainstay in pizza, it’s favored toppings. There are plenty of opportunities to shift and move, as we’ve seen, but the top 10 toppings in the survey come as no surprise.
- pepperoni
- sausage
- mushroom
- extra cheese
- bacon
- chicken
- onion
- bell peppers
- basil
- black olive
LloydPans Takeaway: Lean into favorites. Focus on showcasing why these toppings are the gold standard in U.S. pizza.
The 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report was produced by Pizza Today with analysis and coordination by Executive Editor Denise Greer and Editor In Chief Jeremy White.
