Pizzerias nationwide are seeing a major spike in foot traffic even as restaurants face shortages of ingredients and workers
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- 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.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
In one of the surest signs yet that life is returning to normal, pizzeria visits are soaring nationwide.
According to new data from marketing software firm Zenreach, pizza restaurants across the country are seeing a 49% surge in foot traffic, compared to January 2021.
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.
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 told Insider 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 chicken wings and a labor crisis 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 increased menu prices by about 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, told Insider. "Those decisions could either involve raising prices or in eliminating the higher-priced items from the menu."