Pizza Trivia & Facts

How much do you know about America’s favorite food?

Photo by mahyar motebassem on Unsplash
  • Pepperoni is American’s favorite topping, with over 36 percent of all orders featuring this meat topping.
  • Although there is no exact record of the first time pepperoni was used on a pizza, it became popular between 1930 and 1950.
  • About 252 million pounds of pepperoni are consumed on pizzas each year.
  • When asked to choose from a list of common pizza toppings, anchovies are always ranked last as people’s favorites.
  • Manufacturers’ sales of pizza is almost $32 billion each year.
  • The U.S. per capita consumption of mozzarella cheese is almost 11 pounds.
  • Meat is found on about 62 percent of all pizzas consumed.
  • Women are twice as likely as men to order a vegetarian pizza.
  • In the U.S., there are about 350 slices of pizza eaten each second.
  • There are almost 70,000 pizzerias in the United States. Independent pizza chains make up 65 percent of that total.
  • Pizzerias comprise almost eight percent of all U.S. restaurants.
  • Per capita, Iowa has the most pizza stores per person, with 4.13 per 10,000 residents. Mississippi has the lowest, with only 2.41 per 10,000 people.
  • Americans eat an average of 46 slices of pizza a year.
  • There are about 3 billion pizzas sold each year in the U.S. and over 5 billion pizzas sold worldwide each year.
  • When asked, most kids between the ages of 3 to 11 will list pizza as their favorite food.
  • Pizza Hut is the largest seller of pizzas in the world. They have more than 12,000 restaurants and delivery locations worldwide. In the United States, they hold 17 percent of the pizza sales market.
  • Domino’s Pizza delivers the most pizzas in the world.
  • In the United States, 83 percent of pizzerias offer delivery and 91 percent offer take-out.
  • Among independent pizza operations, 61 percent serve alcohol.
  • Sixty-one percent of the American population prefers regular thin crust pizza. Eleven percent choose extra thin.
  • Thick crust and deep dish pizza are tied for the second most popular type of pizza preferred, with 14% for each.
  • More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year.
  • Pizza is the number two item in food service, after hamburgers.
  • Pizza is the number two item in take-out food, after chicken.
  • More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year.


When the Moon Hits Your Eye ...

In 1953, Dean Martin had a hit with “That’s Amore,” which first appeared on the soundtrack fo the Matin and Lewis comedy, The Caddy. It is a song that is synonymous with Dean Martin and will always be linked to him. It is a tongue-in-cheek look at the stereotypical Italian-American, a playful and affectionate take on immigrants, their food, and their way of life. Here, for your enjoyment, are the lyrics to the song.

That’s Amore!
(In Napoli where love is King)
(When boy meets girl)
(Here’s what they say)

When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a pizza pie,
That’s amore!
When the world seems to shine
Like you’ve had too much wine,
That’s amore!

Bells’ll ring,
Ting-a-ling-a-ling,
Ting-a-ling-a-ling,
And you’ll sing “Vita bella.”
Hearts’ll play,
Tippi-tippi-tay,
Tippi-tippi-tay,
Like a gay tarantella.

When the stars make you drool,
Just like pasta fazool,
That’s amore!
When you dance down the street,
With a cloud at your feet,
You’re in love
When you walk in a dream,
But you know you’re not dreamin’, signore,
Scuzza me, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that’s amore!

(When the moon hits your eye,)
(Like a big-a pizza pie, that’s amore!)

That’s amore!

(When the world seems to shine,)
(Like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore!)

That’s amore!

(Bells will ring)
(Ting-a-ling-a-ling)
(Ting-a-ling-a-ling)
(And you’ll sing, “Vita bella.”)
(Vita bell-vita bella)
(Hearts will play,)
(Tippi-tippi-tay, tippi-tippi-tay)
(Like a gay tarantella.)

Lucky fella!

When the stars make you drool,
Just like pasta fazool,
That’s amore! (that’s amore)
When you dance
Down the street,
With a cloud at your feet,
You’re in love.
When you walk in a dream,
But you know you’re not dreamin’, signore,
Scuzza me, but you see
Back in old Napoli, that’s amore!