Based on the 2025 Pizza DELCO Study by Intouch Insight in partnership with PMQ Pizza.
As the global pizza market pushes toward a projected $499.5 billion by 2032, the race to win over customers has never been fiercer. Pizza chains are no longer competing just with each other; they’re battling against convenience stores, grocery stores, and even frozen pizzas. So, what separates a good pizza experience from a great one?
The 2025 Pizza DELCO Study, conducted by Intouch Insight and PMQ Pizza, goes beyond taste to uncover what truly drives satisfaction in both delivery and carryout pizza experiences. With data from 660 mystery shop evaluations across 12 major brands (including C-stores), the study offers powerful insights into the customer experience landscape.
Let’s dig into the takeaways that every operator should know.
Key Findings at a Glance
Friendliness Boosts Satisfaction Big Time
- Satisfaction jumped 73% when pickup employees were friendly.
- A 65% boost when the person taking the order was friendly.
- Even drivers experienced 32% higher satisfaction when they were personable.
Food Temperature Matters More Than You Think
- When the pizza arrived warm, satisfaction was 58% higher.
- Large chains maintained temperature better than mid-sized ones (95% vs 80%).
Speed of Service = Loyalty
- Restaurant-employed drivers were faster than third-party services by an average of 2 minutes and 38 seconds, and customers rated their experience 19% higher.
- Carryout orders outperformed delivery in satisfaction across nearly all brands.
Automation May Be Hurting You
- When calls were fully automated, order accuracy dropped from 97% to 88%, and satisfaction fell as well.
- Customers rated satisfaction 5% lower when their phone interaction was handled entirely by automation.
Brand-by-Brand Highlights
- Domino’s ranked at or near the top in delivery speed, friendliness, and order accuracy, with no observed third-party delivery use.
- Hungry Howie’s had top scores in friendliness and pizza taste.
- Marco’s Pizza impressed in carryout speed and order accuracy.
- C-stores were surprisingly competitive, with some beating traditional chains in taste, temperature, and pickup friendliness.
Third-Party Delivery: A Hidden Weakness?
While third-party services increase reach, the data showed some drawbacks:
- Delivery time was slower.
- Food temperature suffered.
- Satisfaction with the overall experience dropped.
Only Domino’s consistently used branded, in-house drivers, and it showed.
The Metrics That Matter Most
Top Drivers of Customer Satisfaction:
- Food temperature & taste
- Speed of service
- Friendliness of staff
- Order accuracy
- Consistency across all touchpoints
What It Means for Pizza Operators
In 2025 and beyond, excellence in pizza delivery and carryout isn’t just about making a great pie; it’s about delivering a complete, seamless, and friendly experience.
Operators must:
- Focus on training staff to deliver friendly, personalized service.
- Tighten up speed and accuracy through operational improvements.
- Reevaluate the role of third-party delivery in their brand experience.
- Combine human interaction with tech smartly, not blindly.
Ready to Benchmark Your Brand?
Mystery shopping is one of the best tools to measure what matters most, not just what customers say, but what actually happens at every step of the journey.
To learn more or to conduct a mystery shopping study tailored to your business, reach out to us.
Special thanks to Intouch Insight and PMQ Pizza for conducting and publishing this study.
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