Could “better pizza” work in Australia?
Euromonitor International talks about "better pizza" and the Australian market.
The firm recently published a report on the American trend towards "better pizza", noting it's the next big culinary trend in the West.
"With better burgers speeding toward its apex, forward-looking fast casual consumers are looking toward the next big culinary trend, and better pizza seems poised to take up the mantle. These chains aren’t just fast casual pizza chains, they’re artisanal, usually wood-fired and Neopolitan-style pizza concepts that emphasise a fresher, healthier positioning and a whole new kind of pizza dining occasion. They’re customisable and flexible, with strong branding and a focus on ingredients, and they’re spreading quickly across the US with high potential for international expansion over the long-term," noted Elizabeth Friend, Senior Consumer Foodservice Analyst at Euromonitor.
Click here to read the full report
This trend is of interest to Australian quick service restaurant operators given the popularity of gourmet pizzas through home delivery and takeaway.
"Could “better pizza” work in Australia?" asks Julia Illera, Research Analyst of Euromonitor International.
"Fast casual dining, an emerging dining trend that combines the speed of fast food with the ambiance of casual dining, has experienced a 30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in value terms over the past five years, and featured menus dominated by “better burgers” – particularly sliders – and Latin American-inspired fare such as burritos and tacos. Given the recent growth within independent pizza restaurants, an important aspect of “better pizza” success could be positioning the business as a small-scale, more grassroots venture rather than a chained operation," she noted.
"Premiumisation continues to be a trend in pizza in Australia. In 2013-14, the majority of players continued their drive to innovate through higher-quality ingredients and menus featuring exotic ingredients, and positioned along healthier lines. While the premiumisation trend is particularly evident in NPDs from chains competing within home delivery/takeaway pizza, it’s not restricted to at-home dining. Independent pizza restaurants has similarly adopted gourmet ingredient positioning, with the added advantage of being able to position themselves along “authenticity” lines, hence the proliferation of wood-fired pizza restaurants."
"“Better Pizza” could offer an independent-meets-chain experience for Australian consumers, with Neapolitan-style pizza concepts accessible on a wider scale. It’s a concept already adopted by Sydney-based venture, Mad Pizza, which offers customisable health and wellness options, such as gluten-free bases and vegan cheese, and like 800 Degrees, Mad Pizza eschews delivery, encourages both dine-in and takeaway, caters to single diners and groups, with a focus on both lunch and dinner dayparts," Illera explained.
Adding, "“Better Pizza” could well provide the answer to a question that’s been on the minds of Australian pizza foodservice operators for some time: how to bring the attractiveness of a fast casual model – and resulting flexibility in dayparts – to a food type best suited to at-home occasions."
