- Foot traffic at pizzerias nationwide is surging compared to January, Zenreach data shows.
- Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York are seeing the biggest increases.
- The return to
pizza shops comes as ingredient prices rise and the labor crunch continues.
In one of the surest signs yet that life is returning to normal,
According to new data from marketing software firm $4, pizza
Of course, a passion for pizza is more prevalent in some locales than others. In Los Angeles, for instance, there's been a 156% increase in foot traffic at pizza shops, and a 120% increase statewide. Chicago and New York City saw 85% and 82% jumps, respectively.
Texas, Florida, and Arizona, on the other hand, trail behind the nationwide average with smaller gains in in-store traffic: 29%, 9%, and 4%, respectively.
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The collective return to pizzerias comes at a time when some restaurants are facing rising costs for ingredients. Anthony D'Aniello, the owner of Manville Pizza in Manville, New Jersey, recently $4 that his supplier told him he can expect "everything" to get more expensive in the near future, including flour.
Produce, dairy, and protein have also become more expensive for restaurants. Kevin Burke, managing director and member of the consumer team at Citizens Capital Markets, part of Citizens Bank, told Insider that some restaurants should expect to see a 10% increase in food costs.
The inflated food prices, combined with ongoing shortages like $4 and $4 in the US, means that customers could start seeing price increases. Subtle price jumps have already begun at fast-food chains like Chipotle, which has $4 to offset wage hikes and ingredient prices.
"Generally, if the prices are significantly higher for 30 days or more, restaurants will have to start making decisions," John Davie, the CEO of food-service software firm Buyers Edge Platform, $4. "Those decisions could either involve raising prices or in eliminating the higher-priced items from the menu."