Article

What the best-dressed pizzas are wearing now

Almonds, arugula, potatoes and eggs, are just a few of the players in the results of our completely unscientific poll of cool and surprisingly tasty pizza toppings, the first of a two-part series on what's "up" in pizza.

September 19, 2016 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Almonds, arugula, potatoes and eggs are just a few of the players in the results of pizzamarketplace.com's completely unscientific poll of cool and surprisingly tasty pizza toppings.

Since pizzamarketplace.com grudgingly goes along with all those "Hallmark holidays" that food service marketing professionals love to build events around, we thought a poll of some of the market's prime players about cool and adventurous toppings might be a good way to usher in the upcoming National Pizza Month in October.

Last week, this site sent out questions to more than a dozen pizza restaurant brands to see what pizzaioli across the globe are topping out their pies with these days. Although some chose not to respond, most obliged in their usual over-achieving way when it comes to all things food.

The result is an extremely creative and interesting list of ideas that point to a possible trend toward using eggs as a topping, as well as potatoes and even nuts.

Just for kicks, we also reviewed a few studies on the pizza toppings subject (yes, there are studies) and took a look at some of the ways other nations top their pizzas — which, as it turns out, is in no way just "an Italian thing" any more.

Some of that information will appear in the next part of this report tomorrow. But now, here are some of the standout responses of our poll, presented in no particular order:

Sliced, toasted almonds — Malawi Pizza

"I would have never thought to have sliced, toasted almonds on a pizza," said Malawi Pizza Spokeswoman Diane Smiroldo, "But, Chef Kent Andersen really wowed us with his Island Retreat creation. They add a bit of crunch and help create a delicious balance with the Canadian bacon, roasted pineapple and [the brand's] signature barbecue tomato sauce."

Eggs, sausage, chilled arugula and banana peppers — Gatti’s Pizza

Gatti’s Pizza President Michael Poates actually had a ranking system for his favorites, with "fried eggs" in the top spot, followed by "fine, crumbled sausage," sliced banana peppers and "fresh, chilled arugula, applied after slicing."

Pickles and oversized sausage — Papa John’s

According to Papa John’s Chief Ingredients Officer Sean Muldoon, "Pickles, deli pepperoni and large Pinch sausage — our current Italian sausage but 33 percent larger — are new toppings … included on our recent LTOs, like bacon cheeseburger pizza. … Oversized toppings are trending for consumers."

Balsamic roasted onion — Your Pie

"For me, whichever topping/ingredient really brings the pizza together as a whole, and makes it work as a complete dish is my favorite," said Your Pie Purchasing and Supply Chain Manager Grant Fox. "Right now, my favorite ingredient is the balsamic roasted onion that we put on our current craft series pizza, the Pitmaster Pie.

"One of the most rewarding aspects of cooking is going through this trial-and-error process, and then finally taking that first bite when you realize that you’ve nailed it! This is the feeling I got when I first tasted the Pitmaster Pie with … balsamic roasted onions. The sweet-and-sour flavor ... really works well with the other ingredients."

Drizzles and potatoes — Toppers Pizza

"We have eight sauces … that customers can choose for a base or drizzle; it’s tasty and can look great, too," said Toppers founder and President Scott Gittrich. "One of our best-sellers is our Buffalo chicken topper, which comes with both a ranch and a buffalo sauce drizzle. I’ll also throw potatoes in as a great pizza topping. We sell … the loaded Tot-zza, which is loaded with Tater Tots. It’s fricking awesome."

Feta, roasted red pepper and spinach — Domino’s:

"At Domino’s there are 34 million ways you can make a pizza … including less traditional toppings, such as feta, roasted red pepper and spinach," said Domino’s Public Relations Director Jenny Fouracre. "Despite all these options, we know that customers 'No. 1 choice remains pepperoni."

Come back tomorrow to find out what’s cooking atop pizza around the world, and why lots of data indicates this particular menu item’s flexibility makes it one of the most promising food service trends of the foreseeable future.

About S.A. Whitehead

Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.