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Could mom n' pop pizza parlors end up being the last survivors of the economic meltdown? Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, writing in Salon, says so. She writes:The titans -- national hawkers of furniture, shoes, clothing, computers, auto parts, electronics, jewelry and embarrassingly themed steakhouses -- are toppling, fatally bloated by mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and roll-ups. But amid the colossal corpses strewn on the corporate battlefield, a ragtag army of small businesses soldiers on: the pizza industry, 76,355 restaurants strong across America.
But pizza still belongs to the mom n' pop joints, as corporate chains just can't get ahead in the pie biz. Major chains account for just one third of the pizza business in the U.S., and that number has been falling for years. Why? For one, their crust stinks. Either make it from scratch, or don't bother. Secondly, pizza is in thrall to regional preferences, which chains can't meet. Thin crust in the East, deep dish in the Midwest, wood oven with creative toppings out West.
If we double our annual pizza consumption, pizza industry spending would rise to $172 billion a year, more than 150 times the $1 billion allotted for small businesses in the Obama stimulus plan, says Marx de Salcedo, someone tongue-in-cheekly. But eating moregood local pizza is never a bad idea.
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2-24-2009 @6:22PM Pyrofish said... That's a good enough excuse for me! :-)
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2-24-2009 @6:42PM Bear Silber said... Yes! It's so true. I agree wholeheartedly :)
She does make a valid point.
http://www.pizzapartyonline.com
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2-24-2009 @8:33PM doodoolemonque said... Amici's in the Bay Area. Lordy how I miss them. I wish they shipped.
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2-24-2009 @8:51PM Todd said... Great! Let's all double our pizza consumption. With the increase in diabetes, obesity, and heart disease likely to follow, we'll be able to spend even more tax payer money on health care costs. Pizza makers will gain, drug makers will gain, and tax payers will gain (more weight that is). I'm all for helping small businesses and enjoying pizza, but this is a bit ridiculous.
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2-25-2009 @8:54AM Pyrofish said... Dang Todd, chill out. You know, moderation is a strategy many of us employ regularly. Not every bite of pizza is a trip down the diabetes/fat highway. It is possible to incorporate most non-processed foods into a healthy diet, exercise routine.
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2-25-2009 @12:09PM Todd said... Pyrofish,
This post wasn't about enjoying pizza in moderation, it was about doubling our consumption. As I said in my original comment, I'm all for enjoying pizza (meaning in moderation), but doubling our consumption when two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese is not the best way to boost our economy. If you're presently enjoying pizza in moderation, doubling your consumption without a subsequent increase in exercise volume will lead to weight gain and long-term health problems.
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