Do Local Pizza Chains Qualify As Fast Food?

If your local pizza shop sells slices, that is technically "fast food" — you point, they reheat, and you are eating in minutes. The slice is premade and partially cooked for speed. And it's cheap, especially if you're getting a $1 slice, but even if you're spending $5 for a pepperoni slice, that's a price point commonly associated with fast food. Of course, if the place does not provide pizza by the slice but only by the pie, then there is no real argument for it being a fast food! However, if we're going by the colloquial meaning, I would argue that your local pizza chain is most likely not fast food. 

Fast food tends to have an association with lower quality ingredients and higher amounts of salt, sugars, and bad fats. The term has become synonymous with junk food. This can possibly describe your local pizza chain, especially if you spot a red flag that shows you're in a low-tier pizza place like a lack of specialization, but, more often than not, local pizza chains aren't as sophisticated as the giant fast food companies. They don't employ food scientists, using psychological techniques to create foods that we crave even though they are bad for us. I am only talking about the pizza joints in your region with a few locations, not the big guys like Dominos or Pizza Hut. If anything, these local chains are more fast casual than fast food. Sorry, I'll get off my pizza box.

Good pizza is no longer solely the domain of New York City or Chicago. Here in Los Angeles, you can find great pizza chains like Prime, LaSorted's, and Pizzana. And then there are the solo shops that are world-renowned like Pizzeria Sei and Quarter Sheets. The list could go on and on. My hometown of Portland, Oregon, boasts small, high quality mini-chains like Scottie's, Life of Pie, and Ranch. Plus single-location shops like Ken's Artisan, Lovely's Fifty Fifty, Hapa, Apizza Scholls, and No Saint can compare to any shop in the northeast. Both of these pizza scenes are so well developed that my lists are sure to anger people because I left off someone else's favorite, great pizza spot! What about where you live? There's sure to be some great local pizzeries these days that are making killer pies from local ingredients.

Where is all this coming from? During COVID, the pizza market grew while most other restaurants were closing their doors. The market for pizza is only growing, causing more pizzaiolos to get into the game of slinging 'za. Whatever the reason for this growth, it's good for us all because, when it's done right, it's a big-time pizza myth that it's an unhealthy food. That myth only holds up for the "fast food" pizza chains.