General Mills Foodservice shares national survey results where consumers get candid about crust and its role in a great pizza.
MINNEAPOLIS (March 11, 2024)—A good crust is a must with 91 percent of Americans agreeing that a bad crust can ruin a pizza, according to a nationwide survey conducted online by The Harris Poll and commissioned by General Mills Foodservice. In addition, more than three-quarters of Americans (80 percent) say they would pay more for a pizza with a high-quality crust.
General Mills Foodservice, which offers a full range of flour, dough and crust solutions, breaks down the results of the recent poll and shares tips for pizzerias and foodservice operations to identify a signature pizza crust that aligns with their back-of-house needs. The nationwide poll surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to learn how they eat pizza and preferences related to pizza crusts when dining out or ordering from restaurants and foodservice operations. Download an infographic showcasing the poll results here.
“The survey demonstrates that the crust is truly the heart of the pizza,” says Paras Bansal, who analyzes consumer insights for General Mills Foodservice. “We learned that consumers are passionate about pizza crust, which indicates pizzerias and operators want to make sure they get it right to please their pizza-loving patrons and be more profitable with pizza.”
Results from the poll show consumers are more likely to eat pizza when dining out or ordering takeout if they know the pizza has a good crust (87 percent) and cite the top attributes of their favorite crust as having just the right taste/flavor (58 percent), thickness (51 percent), texture (38 percent), golden brown color (35 percent) and char (12 percent).
Other findings:
“A good crust is the heart of any great pizza yet it can be a challenge for many pizza makers to get consistent and quality results,” said Tom Santos, senior technical training specialist at General Mills Foodservice who also serves on the Doughminators™ team and specializes in helping pizza makers find the best crust solution to meet their needs. “We are here to help operators find the flour, dough or crust to give them peace of mind and help them serve pizza they can be proud of every time.”
General Mills Foodservice offers a multitude of pizza crust solutions for any back-of-house process including its expansive flour line-up, sheeted dough, READI RISE™ and parbaked options from the BONICI® and TNT Crust™ brands as well as the new Gold Medal™ All Trumps™ Dough Balls. For more information on the variety of pizza crust solutions available as well as technical resources and troubleshooting tips to overcome common crust challenges, pizza makers are encouraged to visit General Mills Foodservice’s new digital pizza experience at https://www.GeneralMillscf.com/industries/pizzeria.
Survey Methodology:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of General Mills Foodservice from February 2 - 6, 2024, among 2,097 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95 percent confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact General Mills Foodservice.
About General Mills Foodservice
General Mills Foodservice serves the foodservice and bakery industries by providing quality products from time-trusted brands along with culinary support, nutrition education, and marketing resources to help operators succeed. Its distinguished brand portfolio includes Big G Cereals, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardetto’s, Annie’s and TNT Crust/BONICI®. For more information, please visit GeneralMillsFoodservice.com.
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Media Contact: Sarah Peterson763.764.6354 Media.line@genmills.com