Article - Using Produce on Pizza

Challenging a Ubiquitous Industry using Produce on Pizza

“Produce is the primary driver of innovation,” says Brian Sullivan, executive chef and senior vice president of culinary innovation for California Pizza Kitchen.¹ In the past decade we have seen a growth in pizza chains differentiating themselves by claiming to offer fresh, locally sourced ingredients. A few to mention are Rise Pie, California Pizza Kitchen and Fired Pie. These businesses do a great job emphasizing the quality and artistry put into each pizza pie and positioning themselves as the higher end pizzeria. This shows how customers value quality, fresh ingredients - even in their pizzas. In a saturated market, be the restaurant to stand out from the crowd through innovation using not your typical pizza toppings. Unique produce for toppings could make for a higher value menu item. Adding produce will increase the perceived value of your food, especially if ingredients look fresh.

The Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC) was created by food industry data research firm Datassential. Datassential claims that “a trend's life cycle is defined by where that trend shows up, from Inception level at fine dining restaurants to eventually finding its way to Ubiquity in mainstream supermarket shelves and beyond” ² Stages of Menu Adoption

Inception Stage

SWEET POTATO, BROCCOLINI & CAULIFLOWER

ASPARAGUS, FIGS, KALE, AVOCADO & POTATOES

ARUGULA, EGGPLANT & GREEN ONIONS

Adoption Stage

To test out how your customers feel about a certain newly trending item, many operators introduce the concept in a limited-time o er to see how it sells first. Customers are more likely to try something new on your menu if it is marketed as a limited time o er.

At this stage trends start to pick up momentum, but are still perceived as unique. You might see these concepts at progressive fast casual restaurants and specialty food stores.

Here, the concept is adapting to mainstream appeal and can be found in many operators from casual dining to food retailers.

Proliferation Stage

Ubiquity Stage

PINEAPPLE, GARLIC, TOMATOES, MUSHROOMS, PEPPERS & SPINACH

In almost every pizzeria you walk into you will see pizza with these ingredients. Fred Recchiuti, general manager at PA-based mushroom grower, Basciani Foods, says “The Wild Bunch, a combination of shiitake, cremini, portobello and yellow oyster mushrooms, available sliced in 5-pound, ready-to-use bags, are one of our most popular foodservice products for pizzas.” ¹ Consumers in today’s world have high accessibility to inspirational dining experiences through social media. This has created an ideal space for growth in venturesome food choices. Produce toppings add color and definition to your typical slice of pizza. This accessibility at our fingertips will only get easier as we shift to a more technologically integrated society. How are you choosing to use innovation in your menu to emerge from the noise?