A common belief among pizza lovers is that large pizzas have gotten smaller over the years. While pizza chains advertise large pizzas as having the same 14-16 inch diameter as always, many customers insist that the pizzas they buy today seem smaller than the large pizzas they remember from years past. Is this just a case of “pizza nostalgia” and false memories, or have pizza chains really reduced the size of their large pizzas while keeping prices and advertised diameters the same? Let’s take a data-driven look at the history and sizing of large pizzas from major chains to find out.
The origin of large pizzas
Pizza has been around in some form for centuries, but pizza as we know it today traces its origins to the early 1900s in the United States. Pizza was brought over by Italian immigrants and began showing up in major cities like New York and Chicago in the form of simple tomato and cheese pizzas baked in coal-fired ovens.
In the early days, pizzas were small individual-sized pies, but pizza makers started offering larger pies cut into slices to feed families and groups. While sizes weren’t standardized back then, most of these large pizzas were likely in the 14-16 inch range based on the size of oven surfaces.
Pizza remained a predominantly local food until after World War II when pizza makers began opening up larger regional chains, often with “pizza” in their name. Some of the first nationwide pizza chains included Shakey’s Pizza and Pizza Hut, which were founded in the 1950s. These chains started standardizing pizza sizing across locations, cementing the idea of the “large pizza” as typically being a 14-16 inch pie.
The pizza boom of the 1980s and 1990s
Pizza saw a major boom in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of delivery chains like Domino’s and the increasing popularity of pizza for parties, work events, and family meals. During this era, a “large” pizza became firmly expected to feed 3-4 people for a meal.
While regional and national pizza chains experimented with different pricing strategies and product offerings, the large pizza size remained remarkably consistent, typically offered as a 14-16 inch diameter pie. For example:
- Pizza Hut’s large pizza: 14 inches
- Domino’s large pizza: 14 inches
- Little Caesars large pizza: 14 inches
- Papa John’s large pizza: 14 inches
This sizing held steady for decades, backed up by the expectations of customers that a large pizza equaled a certain amount of food for group meals.
The rise of fast casual pizza
In the 2000s and 2010s, new types of pizza chains gained popularity, often marketed as “fast casual” pizza places selling individual crafted pizzas. Some major fast casual pizza chains include Blaze Pizza, Mod Pizza, and PizzaRev.
These chains don’t rely as much on large group or delivery orders. Their typical customer is buying an 11-12 inch individual sized pizza for themselves rather than a 14-16 inch pizza to share. This helped reset many customers’ expectations around standard pizza sizing. A 12-14 inch pizza began to feel like a normal large pizza for an individual meal compared to the new fast casual pizzas.
Data on large pizza sizes over time
While the history gives some context around the expected size of large pizzas, what do the numbers actually show about pizza sizes over the decades? Has the size of a large pizza from major chains decreased even as prices have remained the same? Let’s dig into the data.
Large pizzas were once bigger
Although today’s large pizzas are marketed as 14-16 inches in diameter, large pizzas used to be even bigger. For example:
- In the 1970s, Pizza Hut’s large pizza was 16 inches.
- In the 1980s, Domino’s large pizza was 16 inches.
- In the 1990s, Little Caesars offered an “Extra Large” size of 15 inches.
So large pizzas have trended slightly smaller over the decades at some of the major national chains. But there is variation between different chains.
Diameters of large pizzas at major chains
Here is a comparison of the diameters of large pizzas today across some major national pizza chains:
| Pizza chain | Large pizza diameter |
|---|---|
| Pizza Hut | 14 inches |
| Domino’s | 14 inches |
| Papa John’s | 14 inches |
| Little Caesars | 14 inches |
As the table shows, 14 inches is the universal standard size for a large pizza today across the major chains. No major differences in diameter are seen between the large pizzas sold at Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, or Little Caesars.
Square inches of pizza over time
While the diameter gives a sense of pizza size, the total area and number of square inches of pizza is also important. After all, the overall amount of pizza matters more than diameter for determining how much food you’re getting.
Here is how the square inches of a large pizza have changed over the decades:
| Era | Large Pizza Diameter | Square Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16 inches | 201 square inches |
| 1980s | 16 inches | 201 square inches |
| 1990s | 15 inches | 176 square inches |
| Today | 14 inches | 153 square inches |
The data shows that large pizza square inches have decreased over time, from over 200 square inches in the 1970s and 1980s to only 153 square inches today for a 14 inch large pizza. That works out to around a 24% reduction in total pizza size over the decades.
Why large pizzas have gotten smaller
With the data clearly showing that large pizzas have reduced in size over the decades while keeping the “large pizza” label, why would pizza chains make this change? There are a few key business and customer demand factors at play.
Food costs
The cost of making pizza has increased over the years as the prices for ingredients like cheese, dough, sauce, and toppings have gone up. To maintain profit margins, pizza chains have had to reduce sizes without making an equal reduction in prices, in order to control food costs. A smaller large pizza means using less of the expensive ingredients in each pizza.
Customer expectations
Customers today often have different expectations around pizza sizes, shaped by fast casual pizzas and more focus on individual meals. Many customers no longer have the reference point of the huge 16 inch large pizzas of the past. A 14 inch pizza sounds like a normal large size today. Companies have been able to subtly reduce sizes based on this change in expectations.
More size options
Whereas large pizzas used to only come in one size, today there are more options. Many pizza places now offer both 14 inch and 16 inch large pizzas, or they have jumbo and mega sizes above large. This segmentation means they can save the biggest sizes for customers willing to pay a little more, while shrinking the standard large.
Coupons and deals
Pizza coupons and combo deals have become more popular, often involving bumping up to a larger size pizza for minimal cost. Chains can now play around with this by making their base pizza smaller, knowing that many customers will redeem coupons or deals to get a larger size anyway, boosting average order value.
Has perceived value declined?
While large pizzas have objectively gotten smaller in square inches, an equally important question is whether customers today perceive they are getting less value from a large pizza compared to the past. Has the change in size impacted the feeling of value for money when you order a large pizza?
Large still feeds a group
One consideration around perceived value is that modern large pizzas still feed a group. A 14 inch large pizza today still contains 4-6 slices, enough for 3-4 hungry people for a meal or more people for a snack. So the large pizza size often still aligns with the typical group ordering needs.
Lower price per square inch
Large pizza prices have increased over the decades, but not as drastically as might be expected based on inflation. Pizzas used to be pricier on a per square inch basis. So while sizes have reduced, the value per bite has gone up which may offset the lower total quantity.
Higher expectations around quality
There is more focus today on quality toppings, crusts, sauce, and cheese rather than just quantity. Many customers are willing to pay a little more for higher-end ingredients, so perceived value has shifted from pure size to the quality of what you’re getting.
Coupons and deals
The prevalence of pizza coupons and deals, often linked to bumping up size, means customers who want those bigger sizes can still get them for reasonable prices. This availability of deals increases the perception of value for money when thinking about base prices in isolation.
How pizza chains can improve value perception
Despite changes in sizing and perceived value over time, there are still steps pizza companies can take to ensure customers feel they are getting a fair deal and great value from large pizzas:
- Consider bringing back slightly larger sizes, like 15 inch large pizzas
- Offer more toppings and customization options on large pizzas as added perceived value
- Make coupons and deals frequent and easy to access
- Focus marketing language on quality, freshness, ingredients over size
- Introduce loyalty programs where customers earn rewards for frequency that provide additional value
- Make online ordering and delivery convenient and reliable to enhance the overall experience
Conclusion
The data indicates that large pizzas have gotten marginally smaller over the decades at most major pizza chains. A typical large pizza decreased from 16 inches to 14 inches in diameter, resulting in around a 24% drop in total square inches of pizza. This reduction seems to be driven by food cost savings and changing customer perceptions around sizes. However, large pizzas still feed groups and provide perceived value for money based on quality, coupons/deals, and price per square inch. Pizza chains have opportunities to further boost value perception through loyalty programs, fresh ingredients, and convenience. So while sizes have trended smaller, clever strategies can ensure customers still feel they are getting an abundant amount of delicious pizza for their money when ordering a large pie.