It's a known fact that most Americans love pizza, with expected spending on pizza alone to be $45 billion, but one demographic really loves pizza. As in, loves it so much that they're in a committed relationship with it: millennial women. And what's not to love about delicious dough topped with cheese, sauce, and other goodies? Nothing.
In fact, Millennial women love pizza so much, they're literally changing the way pizza is made, sold, and eaten. No longer the territory of a guys night, pizza is largely being consumed by millennial females — as much as 63%, according to PMQ Pizza Magazine, CNBC reports.
While chains like Domino's still earn a huge chunk of our pizza money, the customized-dining experience is expected to be a huge growth market. What that means is more small chains, like 1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza and Pizzeria Locale (the Chipotle-owned pizza chain), are popping up with build-your-own models. Their menus have higher-quality ingredients and more variety than traditional pizza chains.
For example, 1000 Degrees offers more than 50 toppings, like traditional tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni, and garlic; and unique options like thinly sliced rib eye, grilled chicken, pineapple, jalapeño, banana peppers, blue cheese, a smoky bourbon barbecue sauce, and more. Its CEO told CNBC that, "Customers want a lot more input into what they're getting. They want to see that the ingredients are fresh, and they want to be able to customize and make stuff their own. A lot of it is millennial-based. They like having control."
So...what are you having on your pizza tonight?