By Rick Hynum
I’m no sage—not by a long shot—but if there’s one tiny nugget of wisdom I’ve gleaned as old age has thinned out my hair, stiffened my joints and ripened my soul, it’s that pessimism won’t get you far in life—in business, in relationships, in anything that matters. So, when seeking an experienced operator’s perspective for PMQ’s 2026 Pizza Power Report, I knew I wanted to stay away from the inveterate pessimists and the woe-is-me complainers. Instead, I turned to Michael LaMarca, master franchisor of Master Pizza.
Michael is a past PMQ cover star, a longtime member of PMQ’s U.S. Pizza Team, and a stand-up guy who is loved, respected and trusted by all. He’s also an outstanding pizzeria operator who has the forward-thinking mindset of a chain executive but the heart of an independent. Best of all—at least for the purposes of this year’s Pizza Power Report— Michael is also a card-carrying, clear-eyed optimist. I wanted to find out why he sees a bright future ahead for our community in 2026, and in this condensed and lightly edited Q&A, he lays out his reasons, plus his tips for success.
Related: Click Here for the Full 2026 Pizza Power Report!
PMQ: As you know, Michael, the Pizza Power Report is PMQ’s annual state-of-the-industry analysis. So I guess the obvious first question would be, from your perspective, what do you think the state of the pizza industry looks like going into 2026?
Michael LaMarca: I really think the industry is in a good position—maybe not good shape, but a good position. The restaurant industry, as a whole, is definitely having some turbulent times with costs and the labor market and stuff like that. What makes pizza stand out a little bit more than other segments of the restaurant industry, I believe, is that pizza is in really high demand right now. It has emerged from being a fast food, if you will—less expensive and more quick-service—into a culinary category of its own. So I really feel it’s in a good position. I think the outlook for the pizza industry is strong and positive.
PMQ: Along with higher demand for pizza, we’re also seeing an increase in the quality of pizza. Even the chains are ramping up on the culinary side with more specialty pizzas, and convenience-store pizza and frozen pizza are getting better and better. So when customers have all of these different pizza options, what should independent pizzeria owners do? How do you stay competitive?
LaMarca: So one thing that has helped us is creating the customer expectation. What does a customer expect from Master Pizza? I believe if we can understand what the customer expects from us—a higher quality product, convenience of online ordering through an app, a rewards program, an opportunity for savings with coupons and stuff like that—and when they walk in, the pizza is hot and ready, and when they walk out, there’s no transaction, because it’s already paid for—the convenience of all that…when we hit those expectations, our stores are monsters. When we lose that customer expectation, our stores struggle.
To get any kind of fame or recognition, you have to answer the question, “Why should I choose you over these other options?” It’s because we’re quick, good, easy—those three things. When the customer walks in, if it’s a good pizza, if it was quick and it was easy, boy, they’re going to call back again. But if the order’s wrong, if it was a struggle to order, or if they had to wait 15 extra minutes after they walked in, they’re not calling you back. They’re going to go to the next option. So I really feel like, if you can focus on developing your customer expectation—here’s what we offer you—and you win there, that’s how you do it. Then you don’t have to worry about the 1,000 other [competitors] that are out there. You have to excel at what you offer. That’s what we do.
PMQ: I know you have a lot of friends who are also independent operators. What do you think their big concerns are right now? What’s weighing on everyone’s minds?
LaMarca: I think one of the prevailing challenges right now is profitability. Sales are pretty strong, but costs are up with labor and cost of goods sold. So I think profitability is a challenge, because we’re starting to pierce that veil of value and convenience, with the cost, you know, starting to be like, “Well, it’s a little expensive for a pizza.” But people don’t understand. You go to a grocery store and it’s $18 for a steak before you even go home and cook it. You know what I mean?
PMQ: Right, the customer perception is still that pizza should always be cheap.
LaMarca: But it’s a very, very expensive commodity. In fact, flour, tomatoes, cheese—these are all expensive commodities. Twenty years ago, the margin of error was a lot bigger. And to operate your business now, you have to be lean and mean to even [achieve] 2% to 3% profitability.
And as far as labor, the talent that’s out there is hard to get, and the cost of the talent is high. So I think that’s a huge challenge. In my opinion, labor will always be a challenge. So I don’t worry about labor. It’s always going to be an issue.
Back in the day, if you wanted something delivered, it was pizza or Chinese food. Now everyone delivers, so we don’t own the delivery game anymore. That’s definitely opened up more competition, so we have to be a little more creative and cognizant of how we send our food out: the boxes, the flute, the packaging we use. All of that is very, very important.
PMQ: What about the technology side of the business? Pizzerias now have access to a range of tools that can make them more competitive, but not everyone is using them.
LaMarca: A lot of people talk about technology, POS systems, credit card fees, and the fact that people don’t pay cash anymore—finding the technology to handle all these transactions and ordering online. And I know it sounds like a lot, but there are solutions out there….You’ve just got to find which one works best for you.
We have an app that, once a customer uses it, they never go back to online ordering. They just use the app all the time, which is huge. And I know a lot of people that struggle with not even having an app. They just have an average ordering online system, but if it’s a struggle to order online, people aren’t going to do it. They want to grab their phone, order food and wait for you to knock on the door.
Our plan was to drive everyone to online ordering. And right now 97% of all of our pick-up and delivery orders are online, which means less labor with phones. If you call our store right now, a message will play that says:
“Our easy-to-use app is the quickest way to order. And right now we’re offering 25% off your first order of pizza and salad. Just use the code EASY at checkout.”
PMQ: That is really smart. So it’s the first thing every customer hears when they call in to place an order, before a human actually picks up the phone?
LaMarca: Yes, and when you get that first online order with their name, email, all that stuff, the benefit is this: My email list is now, like, 70,000 people. So each week I send out an email with our specials to 70,000 people who are directly ordering pizza from us. I have 11,000 people on my text messaging group. I always send out a code so they will order online and save. So with just three clicks of a button I’m touching 70,000 people. And I tell you, there’s so much benefit to that, where I’m marketing directly to the people that already know me and already are inclined to order from us. And, like I told you, once they use the app, they never touch a computer screen. Their credit card is saved in there. It’s bang, bang, bang, touch, done! You know your pizza’s coming.
PMQ: Exactly. So looking ahead, what are some reasons to be optimistic about 2026?
LaMarca: I really feel that pizza has emerged and is so beloved. People have a passion for pizza. You can go to any Facebook group and say, “What’s your favorite pizza?” and 500 messages will come up, and people are arguing back and forth about which is the best pizza…which is awesome, you know? You don’t see that with hamburgers, steaks, anything like that.
So I think we have a huge reason to be optimistic about pizza. I think it’s stronger than ever. It’s a really, really good segment to be in. It still offers high value, and it’s still ordered every Friday. I mean, come on, every Friday is pizza Friday, and no other food has that. No one else owns that Friday night!
I feel like inflation’s coming down or at least being managed. I think it’s down to 2.3% now, where it’s steady. Costs are still high, but I feel like that’s a lagging indicator; things are going to start hopefully coming down. And with costs coming down, profitability will open up a little bit.
I feel like we’re sitting in the catbird seat. Unlike other segments in the restaurant industry that are really struggling, I feel like we have the best opportunity, out of all of them, to not just survive but excel in 2026 and further on. I’m not saying pizza is excelling right now. I’m saying pizza has the best opportunity to excel, to make the best of the situation we’re in. No one ever says, “Oh, man, we’re gonna have pizza tonight?” No one ever complains about getting pizza.
PMQ: Absolutely not. So, closing things out, what’s your best advice for pizzeria operators in 2026?
LaMarca: You really need to get hyper-focused on your operations. Get hyper-focused on figuring out what you’re going to offer a customer and run with it, again thinking in terms of speed, convenience and quality if that’s what you’re running with. Make sure you get that message out there.
People ask me all the time, “What do you think about your competition?” I’m, like, “I don’t care about my competition.” The competition is what’s going on in our own building. You get one shot at a customer—we call it winning every order. That’s a big statement in our company. If you win that order, they’ll call you the next time they want pizza. If we don’t win every order, it doesn’t matter what my competitor is doing because [the customer] will go there anyway. But if we win the order, they will stick with us.
PMQ: That’s great. “Win every order.” I like that!
LaMarca: Now you’ve got me all hyped up. I’m going to go into the store and be all riled up. Win every order! I’ll be clapping and hooting and hollering when I get there. I feel bad for whoever’s working with me tonight!
Rick Hynum is PMQ’s editor in chief.
