Insights

Take Family Pizza Night To A Whole New Level

You know how great pizza is for families, but what about how valuable families are for pizza?

Our latest research has confirmed what many of us already knew by heart—when families order pizza, it creates special family time. And because you want your brand to be top-of-mind whenever Family Pizza Night rolls around, we think there’s an opportunity for your brand to grow sales & stand out even more by approaching families in a fresh and innovative way.

How? By leaning into that special family time, enhancing it with branded entertainment and strengthening families’ emotional connection to your brand along the way.

After all, Families are huge revenue-drivers for the pizza industry—more than for any other restaurant segment. 43% of traffic ordering from pizza restaurants is from families with kids under 13, a full 15 points higher than the restaurant average for family traffic, which is 28%. Since those family customers are so pivotal, pizza brands have a strong incentive to focus on them and grow their share of the business, especially considering they consistently bring in checks that are 46% higher than average!

Is your brand ready to be a leader in at-home family entertainment? Read on to learn why it matters.

Being kid-friendly drives sales

Kids have a voice: when kids have a good experience, families will return again and again.

A graphic of a round pizza, with a slice taken out to reveal a pie chart. The main part of the pizza has toppings that include mushrooms, olives, green peppers, what looks like cheese, and a white die. The slice that is removed is white and has an upward-pointing arrow, a blue plus sign, and a percentage symbol. The background is white with light blue checkered patterns in the top left and bottom right corners.

85%

of parents say their kids have inﬂuence over which pizza restaurant they choose

21%

say kids choose

38%

say adults choose but ask the kids’ opinion

23%

say adults choose but consider kids’ preferences

say kids and adults take turns choosing

15%

say the adults choose

Source: C3 Pizza Night Study, October 2020,
n=382 Parents

Pizza brings families together

When a family orders pizza, it automatically makes that day special.

Pizza is the perfect family-friendly food: it’s made for sharing and kids love it! But beyond that, pizza represents something even more important: an evening full of smiles and family connection.

What does ordering pizza mean in your family?

58% say we get to relax and have fun

56% say it‘s a chance for family bonding

40% say it’s a special treat

36% say it means we’re too tired or don’t have time to cook

Source: C3 Pizza Night Study, October 2020,
n=382 Parents

A playful, cartoonish drawing of a pizza box that has arms and eyes. The box is light blue, and the lid is open, revealing a pizza with pepperoni and green peppers inside. The box's arms are raised in excitement. Crayon-like drawings of a blue crayon, a red crayon, gears, stars, and two dollar bills are floating around the pizza box. The background is solid white.

Your pizza brand can enhance families’ pizza experience

We see a great opportunity to innovate the at-home pizza experience by celebrating family togetherness and creating truly memorable family moments … and parents agree!

A whimsical, cartoonish illustration of a shiny gold trophy with eyes and arms. It has a star and the text ‘FAVORITE PIZZA’ on its face. Several green dollar bills are fanned out at the top of the trophy. The trophy is standing on a dark brown base. Gold stars and an abstract light blue checkered pattern are in the background.

92%

of parents like or love the idea of pizza orders coming with family-friendly items or activities

67%

love the idea

25%

like the idea

Source: C3 Pizza Night Study, October 2020,
n=382 Parents

A decorative banner graphic consisting of two rows of alternating light blue and white vertical rectangles. The pattern resembles a checkerboard or a digital tile mosaic. The background is solid white.

Here’s what parents had to say:

“

I love places that will do something extra for the kids. Sometimes we parents are so tired, it feels like we’re kind of being taken care of, too.

”

“It’s something the kids can look forward to as if we were eating at a restaurant, but in the comfort of our home.”

“I love that idea … as it would be a fun extra to our tradition.”

“My kids would love it and will be wanting to order more often.”

“There should be a fun atmosphere while eating pizza to feel the difference from other meals.”

“I think it’d be an innovative idea to offer something more for families as a thank you for choosing their restaurant over another.”

A stylized, cartoonish illustration of a vintage red telephone receiver with eyes and a smiling face. A light blue speech bubble extends from the mouthpiece, containing a slice of pepperoni pizza and a blue question mark. The phone has a curly cord at the bottom. The background is a white surface with a light blue checkered pattern.

It’s time to grow your sales and build brand affinity through innovative at-home entertainment

Not only do parents like the idea of family-friendly entertainment with their pizza order, but they also tell us it would increase their pizza orders from that brand.

A playful, cartoonish drawing of the planet Earth with a happy face, large eyes, and a smile. Next to the Earth, a large slice of pepperoni and olive pizza is floating, with a red heart and several stars above it. The Earth and the pizza appear to be connected in a whimsical way, suggesting a love for pizza on a global scale. The background is solid white.

If a pizza restaurant were to offer family entertainment, it would …

81%

make my kids more excited to order from there

76%

make them stand out from other pizza restaurants

74%

make us more likely to order from there

73%

make us order from there more often

73%

make their pizza seem like a better value for the $

Source: C3 Pizza Night Study, October 2020,
n=382 Parents

Adding at-home entertainment to your pizza experience could make a big difference to customers.

Are you ready to take family pizza night to a whole new level?

Your brand could be the first to make pizza night family entertainment a part of your brand experience—no other pizza brand is known for this. We at C3 will work with you to create a custom, brand-tailored solution that fits your budget and marketing strategy, with the goal of bringing your brand’s personality into families’ homes and making their experience with your brand truly memorable.

Interested in hearing more?

Contact C3 President Jennifer Loper
at 913-626-9669 or jloper@c3mail.com
or
Group Account Director Jonathan Bowyer
at 816-225-9860 or jbowyer@c3mail.com

A horizontal decorative banner with a repeating pattern of stylized game pieces and other whimsical icons. From left to right, the icons are a sparkling star, a blue Lego-style brick, a coin with a dollar sign on it, a red jack, a yellow pawn, a green gear, a blue splash shape, a white die with black dots, a red Lego-style brick, a yellow splash shape, a green pawn, a blue gear, and a sparkling star.

About C3

C3 is a Kansas City-based marketing and design agency that brings brands to life for families with children through experiences and entertainment. C3 uses insights, strategy and expertise to produce award-winning programs and custom products to help major restaurant, hospitality and service industry partners connect with families wherever they are—in person, at home or in the community at large.

About our Pizza Night Study

Online survey of n=382 parents of kids 3-12 from across the U.S. All respondents had ordered pizza for their
families in the last 2 months. Included a mix of Moms (58%) and Dads (42%). The survey fielded Oct 23-29, 2020.

More information about C3 and our kid and family expertise can be found here.