National Pizza Day

Why is February 9th a truly a great day?  It is National Pizza Day! The origin of National Pizza Day is not well understood although accounts of National Pizza Day began to emerge around the 2000s.

I happen to love pizza! Round Table’s Pepperoni, Linguica and Black Olive on original crust is my all time favorite. The vast majority of people, in America and around the world, love pizza and eat it on a regular basis. It is very versatile, with a huge assortment of things you can put on it, including meats, vegetables, fruits. Some people even put fish in the form of anchovies (not me). There are even dessert pizzas.  I find that pizza is good any time of the day or night. I eat it for breakfast (cold is delish, especially thin crust), lunch, dinner and as a late night snack.

Here is some interesting trivia about pizza:

• Pizza ranks the #2 most popular fast food in America behind hamburgers. (43% of Americans rank pizza as their favorite.)
• Pepperoni is the most popular, preferred by 36% of the people.
• Over 3 Billion pizzas are sold n the U.S. each year.
• More pizzas are sold on Super Bowl Sunday, than any other day of the year.
• Halloween is the second most popular day for eating pizzas.  
• Over 17% of restaurants are pizzerias or serve pizza.
• The first pizza was sold in Naples Italy in 1738.
• Pizzas most likely evolved as a variation of flatbreads.
• Americans consume over 23 pounds of pizza per year.

National Pizza Day History

• In 1905, America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in New York.  Since then, pizza consumption in America has increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have emerged.
• The world’s largest pizza, named Ottavia, was made on December 13, 2012 in Rome, Italy.  With a surface area of 1,261.65 m², the pizza was made by Dovilio Nardi, Andrea Mannocchi, Marco Nardi, Matteo Nardi and Matteo Giannotte.  To spread a message of good health, the pizza was made entirely gluten-free.
• In the 5-year period ending in March 2018, the pizza restaurant industry grew by 2.5%, reaching revenues of $47 billion in 2018. The industry also saw a 1.7% growth in the number of businesses and a 2.5% growth in the number of employees.
• According to gross sales earned by pizza chains, the top 5 American pizzerias are:
  Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
  Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
  Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
  Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
  Papa Murphy’s, gross sales of $7.85 Million
• Ranking of America’s favorite pizza brands:
  Pizza Hut (31%)
  Papa Johns (22%)
  Domino’s (17%)
  Papa Murphy’s (10%) (My #2)
  Little Caesar’s (8%)
  Sbarro (3%)
  Cici’s Pizza (2.8%)
  California Pizza Kitchen (2.8%) (My #3)
  Round Table (2.6%) (My #1)
  Chuck E. Cheese’s (1%)

National Pizza Day References and Related Sites

Guinness World Records: Largest Pizza
US Dept of Agriculture: Pizza Consumption
Pizza Today: Top 100 Pizza Companies
IBIS World: Pizza Restaurants
NIH: Where Kids Get Their Empty Calories
https://nationaltoday.com/national-pizza-day/
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/February/national-pizza-day.htm
https://www.wincalendar.com/Pizza-Day

So today go visit your favorite pizzeria and celebrate.  Bonus most pizzerias will offer discounts and specials to celebrate National Pizza Day so do an online search for coupons before you head out or call for delivery!  Let me know in the comments what your favorite pizza is and if you plan to celebrate!