By Deb Miller, Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.
March 2026
A national pizza chain announced this week they are closing 300 locations due to “under-performance”. Translation: low sales. The announcement comes a few weeks after another pizza retailer announced it was closing locations and cutting corporate headcount. According to The Wall Street Journal, growth in fast-food pizza sales has been flat for the past couple of years. Has America’s appetite for pizza waned? Or, is there something else behind the shrinking demand?
What was your experience the last time you ordered pizza for delivery? Was there ease in ordering? Did a human thank you for the pleasure of serving you? Was your pie delivered timely by a friendly human? Was it hot and delicious? Was your tip received graciously or did a smirk telegraph disdain for your lack of generosity?
It’s my experience repeat business occurs when the initial interaction with a vendor is positive. If it’s okay but not great, the opportunity for a second chance is significantly diminished. If the initial experience is poor in any aspect, a second chance is most likely lost.
The quick answer is to close those locations producing marginal results. Perhaps the under-performance is chalked up to a bad location based on exposure, visibility, or socio-economic demographics. Chances are those factors were reviewed before the location opened. So, what’s left? Perhaps they should review locations which are performing at exemplary levels.
I know of no customer-facing business which can survive without focusing on who is providing the face. What’s it like to work at the pizza company or the grocery store or the home supply store? Attitude matters, but no company regardless of their business segment can dictate team member attitude. They can, however, create an environment where team members choose a good attitude. How a team member feels about the company they work for – starting with their immediate supervisor – impacts how they do their job. It’s hard to deny there’s a direct relationship. When a team member feels they matter, their work is valued, and they are treated with respect, it creates conditions under which they are more likely to choose a good attitude toward their job and toward the customers they serve.
I stopped for a quick lunch this week while traveling. Granted, it wasn’t a pizza restaurant, but it was in the fast-food segment. I won’t name the company, but they claim they invented the chicken sandwich. I had to wait to get into the parking lot. Not just wait to park. I had to wait to get into the lot. The drive-through line wrapped around the building and once I entered the parking area, I circled the lot three times before I scored a parking place. Inside I was greeted by a smiling face asking, “How may I serve you today?” When my food arrived, the response to my “thank you”, was “My pleasure”. This company knows that while they may be in the food business, they’re really in the customer service business.
We live in a health-conscious society, and I know pizza isn’t always a healthy choice, but that awareness doesn’t make me like pizza less. However, where I buy my pizza or my burgers depends not only on the food, but how I feel about the experience of buying it. You can’t make up for an inferior product with polite service, but even good food doesn’t sell itself. How the customer feels about doing business with you determines whether they will continue the relationship.
It’s not enough to hire good people and provide them with tools and training. That’s just the beginning. Culture matters. At KC&A, we help our clients create great workplaces by building strong cultures resulting in committed team members, retention, and ultimately, enhanced customer experience. If customers aren’t waiting in line to get into your parking lot, we’d like the opportunity to help.