Coronary heart-shaped pizzas, adorned with toppings of affection, have turn into the most recent craze amongst romantics and pizza fans alike.
It is February and meaning love isn’t just within the air however on plates as effectively.
Coronary heart-shaped pizzas, adorned with toppings of affection, have turn into the most recent craze amongst romantics and pizza fans alike. From pepperoni ardour to cheese-filled devotion, pizzerias are cashing in. As Valentine’s Day approaches, pizzerias see a surge in heart-shaped pizza gross sales, as {couples} search the proper mix of tacky indulgence and heartfelt expression. These pizzas turned greater than only a meal — they turned an emblem of affection and cash within the register.
Pizza Market talked to a variety of pizzerias by e mail to be taught why — and the way effectively — heart-shaped pizzas are massive movers throughout February.
Joyful Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream
At Joyful Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream, the heart-shaped pizza is so in style that the model has customized stainless-steel mould made. Tom Sacco, chief happiness officer, CEO and president, stated the model makes use of the pans, as they are not capable of mould the pizzas into hearts quick sufficient to maintain up with enterprise.
Final 12 months, the model offered a whole lot of the pizzas. With Valentine’s Day on a Tuesday, Joyful Joe’s offered nearly all of heart-shaped pizzas on the weekend prior.
“Joyful Joe’s Coronary heart-Formed Pizza turns into our No.1 promoting pizza between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14,” Sacco stated. “No different pizza overtakes the notorious Taco Pizza at Joyful Joe’s besides the Coronary heart-Formed Pizza when it is rolled out. It’s an extremely in style pizza with all age teams, throughout all ethnicities and does not matter whether or not we’re in a metro space or a rural group.”
Joyful Joe’s additionally ships its pizzas across the nation through Goldbelly.
“Our Coronary heart-Formed Pizza is rising in reputation across the nation, even in markets the place we shouldn’t have any brick-and-mortar areas,” Sacco added. “Romance isn’t just a midwestern factor, even when that is the place Joyful Joe’s hangs its hat and calls Iowa house!”
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Photograph: Hungry Howie’s |
Giordano’s
At Giordano’s, the eating places in all 9 states the place it operates have traditionally been a vacation spot for couple who rejoice Valentine’s Day.
Coronary heart-shaped pizzas on that day symbolize greater than 50% of all dine-in gross sales.
“Along with this robust in-restaurant demand, Giordano’s ships, by means of its e-commerce enterprise, over 30,000 coronary heart formed pizzas all through the US throughout the three days which precede Valentine’s Day,” Yorgo Koutsogiorgas, CEO of Giordano’s, stated in an e mail interview.
Donatos Pizza
Donatos Pizza‘s heart-shaped pizzas symbolize 4.2% of all pizzas offered throughout the week they’re accessible.
“As a particular and enjoyable method to share love with buddies, household, and important others, 65% of our heart-shaped pizzas are offered on Valentine’s Day itself,” stated Jodie Conrad, CMO of Donatos Pizza, in an e mail interview.
The model makes use of a heart-shaped cutter to kind their pizzas, which can be found as one toppings on the identical worth as a medium pizza.
To market the pizzas, which can be found for a restricted time, Donatos focuses on paid and natural social media. Conrad stated influencer advertising is a good way to leverage social media, sharing enjoyable, user-generated content material centered across the Valentine’s Day vacation.
Hungry Howie’s
Hungry Howie’s makes use of coronary heart shapes for each its pizza and it is signature Coronary heart-Formed 3-Cheeser Howie Bread. Each are fastidiously pressed right into a heart-shaped pizza pan to the sting and coated in cheese. As a result of its form, the pizza’s crust — for which Hungry Howie’s is thought — can’t be flavored.
The bread and the pizzas are offered for 2 days solely — Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 — whereas provides final. The Coronary heart-Formed Pizza may be ordered as a one-topping pepperoni or in cheese. The model additionally provide the pizza and bread for carryout and supply.
“Final 12 months, we offered over 54,000 heart-shaped pizza menu gadgets between the Coronary heart-Formed Pizza and Coronary heart-Formed Howie Bread,” Jeff Rinke, VP of promoting and product improvement at Hungry Howie’s, stated in an e mail. “With the promotion being dwell for simply two days in 2023, it accounted for practically 20% of gross sales over the Valentine’s Day promotion. We’re excited to convey these things again in 2024 for our friends and provide a scrumptious method to indulge this Valentine’s Day.”
The model makes use of digital advertising techniques to assist drive clients throughout the two-day promotion. The recognition of final 12 months’s heart-shaped pizza gadgets has continued to drive pleasure from word-of-mouth and considerably provides to Hungry Howie’s gross sales for the month of February.
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen‘s heart-shaped pizzas are one among its hottest promotions, with many friends now making it a practice to go to CPK to rejoice Valentine’s Day.
Ashley Ceraolo, SVP of promoting for CPK, stated that whereas actual gross sales numbers range from 12 months to 12 months, about 25%-30% of the model’s pizzas are requested as heart-shaped throughout its candy deal promotion.
“It is a enjoyable and reasonably priced method to rejoice the vacation, whether or not that is along with your whole household, your romantic associate, or greatest buddies on an evening out,” she stated in an e mail interview. “Like all of our pizzas, our particular heart-shaped pizzas are made recent with CPK’s signature dough recipe — however making one your self will not be for the faint of coronary heart (pun meant).
If you happen to’re contemplating including a heart-shape to your personal pizzeria, Ceraolo stated persistence is step one.
“Be affected person with your self and be sure you use room-temperature dough as you gently kind it within the form of a coronary heart,” she stated. “And if it does not work out the way in which you deliberate, know you’ll be able to all the time discover the proper one at your native CPK!”
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the location editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has greater than 20 years’ expertise overlaying meals, individuals and locations.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings greater than 20 years’ expertise to Networld Media Group. She has spent practically 20 years overlaying the pizza business, from unbiased pizzerias to multi-unit chains and each measurement enterprise in between. Mandy has been featured on the Meals Community and has received quite a few awards for her protection of the restaurant business. She has an insatiable urge for food for studying, and may inform you the place to search out the most effective slices within the nation after spending 15 years touring and consuming pizza for a dwelling.
