What's Pizza Worth to You? Americans Would Have to Be Paid $14 Million to Give Up Pizza For Life
Current Backyard, the world's first electric outdoor brand, today released the findings of its new 'Pizza Wars' survey exploring pizza preferences, habits and ratings among over 6,500 respondents in America's 25 most populous metropolitan areas. When asked how much money it would take to stop eating pizza for life, survey takers' demands averaged a whopping $14,677,634.
The 'Pizza Wars' survey showed that pizza is permanently on the American plate: on average, respondents said they order nearly 5 pizzas each month, at $23.51 each, totaling $114.20. Diners in the New York and Chicago areas rated their cities' pizza options highest in the nation, while the least pleased pizza palates were in Portland and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Respondents most often chose New York style as their favorite pizza style and pepperoni as their favorite topping, while mushrooms edged out sausage for second place. Anchovies were the least popular topping nationwide. White pizza / alfredo was chosen as the top alternative to red sauce. And nationally, 48% of Americans identified undercooked pizza dough as the worst 'Pizza Crime,' followed by pineapple on a pizza (24%), and broccoli on a pizza (23%).
City Slices
The 'Pizza Wars' data revealed provocative regional differences among cities (DMAs) in America. For example, every city in the survey chose pepperoni as a favorite topping – except for Chicago, where sausage is king and pizza is the priciest in the nation. New York-style pizza ranked #1 everywhere except Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis, the only cities that preferred deep dish pizza. Each metro area's residents rated their local options and expressed their city's local flavor when it came to favorite and least favorite toppings:
Most pizza orders: Atlanta (7.5 per month)
Fewest pizza orders: Portland (3.1 per month)
Priciest pizza: Chicago ($28.20)
Cheapest pizza: Dallas Ft. Worth ($20.63)
Meatiest pizza: St. Louis (most meats)
Healthiest pizza: Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto (most veggies)
Most loaded pizza: Raleigh-Durham (most total toppings)
Plainest pizza: Philadelphia (plain cheese)
Cheesiest pizza: Orlando-Daytona-Melbourne (mozzarella, feta, ricotta)
Spiciest pizza: Dallas Ft. Worth (jalapeños) and Denver (spicy marinara)
Fishiest pizza: San Francisco (anchovies)
Most adventurous: Portland (most alternative sauces)
Popeye's favorite pizza: Chicago (spinach)
Most frozen pizzas eaten: Atlanta (1.5 per month)
Fewest frozen pizzas eaten: Tampa-St. Petersburg (.75 per month)
Rank
DMA
Avg
Local Pizza Rating
(0 lowest to 10 highest)
Cost per
Pizza
Orders per
Month
Unusual Topping
Affinity*
Unusual Topping
Aversion*
1 New York 7.315 $23.48 5.79 Plain Cheese Bacon
2 Chicago 7.313 $28.20 5.66 Sausage Chicken
3 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 6.736 $22.16 5.62 Pineapple Onions
4 Houston 6.730 $23.69 6.49 Chicken Pepperoni
5 Philadelphia 6.712 $21.93 4.69 Plain Cheese Bacon
6 San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose 6.680 $27.62 4.70 Anchovies Ground beef
7 Detroit 6.676 $23.22 5.24 Bacon Sausage
8 Cleveland - Akron - Canton 6.670 $22.56 4.86 Banana Peppers Mushrooms
9 Orlando - Daytona - Melbourne 6.670 $22.61 5.40 Garlic Chicken
10 Sacramento - Stockton - Modesto 6.640 $26.80 3.60 Black Olives Ricotta
11 Atlanta 6.619 $24.29 7.47 Ground Beef Basil
12 Los Angeles 6.510 $23.28 4.53 Pineapple Bacon
13 Boston - Manchester 6.473 $22.08 3.98 Ricotta Garlic
14 Washington DC - Hagerstown 6.443 $24.98 5.93 Basil Plain cheese
15 Charlotte 6.411 $22.67 5.28 Ground Beef Black olives
16 Phoenix - Prescott 6.359 $20.98 3.33 Pineapple Jalapenos
17 Raleigh-Durham - Fayetteville 6.353 $23.79 4.42 Extra Cheese Salami
18 Seattle - Tacoma 6.310 $23.62 5.41 Black Olives Green peppers
19 Dallas-Ft. Worth 6.304 $20.63 4.55 Jalapenos Spinach
20 Tampa - St. Petersburg - Sarasota 6.268 $21.87 3.61 Extra Cheese Jalapenos
21 St. Louis 6.266 $23.74 4.00 Bacon Feta
22 Denver 6.190 $23.87 3.26 Black Olives Ground beef
23 Indianapolis 6.190 $23.08 4.38 Sausage Black olives
24 Minneapolis-St. Paul 6.108 $22.68 3.55 Green Peppers Banana Peppers
25 Portland-Auburn 5.830 $22.28 3.13 Feta Banana Peppers
*Statistically higher affinity/aversion compared to respondents in other cities
Pizza Crimes
The Current Backyard 'Pizza Wars' survey presented respondents with an array of potential pizza flaws and questionable pizza eating behaviors. Pizza eaters from the Philadelphia and Phoenix areas were the 'toughest' on Pizza Crime overall, the most likely to identify at least one Pizza Crime, while Sacramento and Dallas were the 'softest' on Pizza Crime. Here's the full rap sheet, in order of perceived criminality:
Pizza Crime Toughest on Pizza Crime Softest on Pizza Crime
Undercooked pizza dough Portland New York
Pineapple on a pizza New York Sacramento
Broccoli on a pizza Cleveland New York
Pizza with too little cheese Indianapolis New York
Pizza with too little sauce Indianapolis Sacramento
Floppy pizza Chicago Charlotte
Eating only the cheese and toppings Washington, DC - Hagerstown Miami
BBQ sauce on a pizza Orlando - Daytona - Melbourne Indianapolis
Using a fork and knife to eat pizza Raleigh-Durham Minneapolis-St. Paul
Dipping pizza in ranch sauce New York Indianapolis
Eating cold pizza Dallas-Ft. Worth Raleigh-Durham
Leaving only uneaten crusts Washington, DC - Hagerstown St. Louis
Dabbing pizza with a napkin Houston Miami
Stuffed crust Atlanta Washington, DC
Square-cut pizza
Seattle
Demographic Trends
Men were more likely to rank meats among their favorite toppings, while women were more likely to put vegetables on top – except for jalapeno peppers, the only veggie men preferred more often than women. Men order pizza 44% more often than women (5.9 times per month vs 4.1) and spend 52% more on pizza monthly ($143.01 vs $94.37). They also eat 33% more frozen pizza each week (1.2) than women (.92). With all that pizza eating, it's not surprising that men were more likely than women to know the differences among styles (90% vs 82%). But when it came to naming their price to quit pizza, women wanted 29% more compensation than men demanded: $16,221,205 compared to $12,556,199.
Nationwide, city dwellers order 41% more pizza than suburbanites, spending $171.57 monthly, compared with $96.75. They also eat 40% more frozen pizza per week (1.3 pizzas vs .94). But no group spends more money on pizza each month than parents, who order 6.1 pizza per month on their way to a $174.95 monthly spend. While overall, respondents said they most often order pizza when they want comfort food, parents were more likely than others to say they choose pizza when they need something to share with a larger group or something inexpensive.
'At Current Backyard, we love how passionate people are about pizza – they literally wouldn't give it up for a million dollars,' said Tom Penner, CEO of Current Backyard. 'This survey shows that how people prefer their pizza is clearly a form of self-expression – it's a reflection of their lifestyles, their traditions and the cities they love. We're excited to participate in the American pizza culture by making it easy for people to make pizza at home, whether in a big backyard, a cozy suburban kitchen or while looking out from their apartments at a cityscape.'
Current Backyard began pre-orders last week for its Model P Smart Electric Pizza Oven, the first Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-connected smart electric pizza oven approved for use both indoors and outdoors. Priced at $699, the all-electric Model P takes the guesswork out of pizza-making with a smart app and Pizza Build Calculator that tailors each cook to the crust style, thickness, and pizza toppings each user chooses. The Model P's 850°F maximum temperature is perfect for Neapolitan-style pizzas ready in just 2 minutes and is up to 3x more efficient than gas ovens, reducing environmental impact and operational costs.
Survey Methodology: Current Backyard's 'Pizza Wars' survey findings are based on a Pollfish survey conducted in February 2025, comprising responses from over 6,500 adults aged 18-75 who resided in the top 25 Nielsen Designated Market Areas (DMAs) and regularly make decisions about cooking, dining out, and food takeout and delivery.
About Current Backyard
Established in 2023 and backed by W. C. Bradley Co., Current Backyard is seamlessly integrating technology, uncompromising design, and industry-leading performance into state-of-the-art products and experiences to elevate outdoor living. Current Backyard believes the backyard should be an oasis of flavor and fun with family and friends — and that with smarter technology connecting those elements, our customers' outside space can become their home's favorite place. Current Backyard is redefining the landscape for those in search of an electric grilling experience with unparalleled results. Welcome to the unexpectedly electric lifestyle of Current Backyard, where new-wave tech enables next-level precision, control, confidence and enjoyment.
Media Contact:
Brianna Bruinsma
415 848 9175
SOURCE: Current Backyard
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