Article by Billy Marino | Photos courtesy of Leona’s Pizzeria
It seems like we hear about restaurant closures daily, signaling a transformation that some find alarming. However, I view it as a natural evolution—or perhaps a disruption of sorts.
Historically, pizza has dominated the delivery scene, especially in Chicago, where I was born, raised and now operate Leona’s Pizzeria. Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads of innovation and a return to basics—a progression that normally would have taken years or even decades to come full circle. Our worldwide pandemic was the accelerant that forced a tectonic shift in consumer behavior.
In short, the pandemic disrupted the delivery business and changed pizza forever. But recent changes in pizza delivery reflect broader shifts in the entire restaurant sector.
How Disruption Became the Norm
When I was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, Friday nights were synonymous with pizza delivery. Aside from pizza, only Chinese restaurants and some outliers, like sub shops, offered delivery. Inevitably, pizzerias owned the delivery world. They were so dominant that certain pizzerias would pretty much lay claim to an area of the city where they delivered—say, a 16-block, two-mile area around their restaurant. Every neighborhood had a go-to pizza delivery spot.Â
The landscape began to change with the rise of online ordering in the early 2000s. This shift allowed businesses to operate more efficiently by reducing the need for staff to handle phone orders. The prevalence of electronic payments also started to drive online ordering. Still, many customers continued to prefer traditional methods, like phone calls and paper menus.
The real shift in consumer behavior paralleled technological disruptions in other industries, such as Uber’s impact on taxis. Smartphones, launched in the early 2000s, started to gain traction. Gradually, platforms like Grubhub and Postmates began to use similar technology, allowing customers to track their deliveries and access a wide range of restaurants through apps. However, the pandemic was the catalyst that transformed the market dramatically.
People who had resisted changing their behavior were forced to quickly get on board with online ordering. The third-party apps, like Grub Hub, Postmates, UberEats and Door Dash, launched massive campaigns to sign up users. Simultaneously, they launched equally aggressive campaigns to sign up new restaurants.
Overnight, e-commerce rebirthed a digital “mail-order style” way of buying everything from groceries to dinner, just as Amazon brought back the Sears catalog for online users. This digital transformation also made menus accessible online, pushing even those who were reluctant to embrace technology into the digital ordering age.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
As a result, the pizza industry lost its monopoly on delivery. Now, customers can order everything, from French fries to gourmet steaks, from various restaurants through delivery apps.
UberEats statistics tell the story of how we got here. From 2017 to 2024, UberEats revenue went from $600 million to a staggering $13.7 billion. Its user base grew from 5 million to 95 million users by 2024. In the same period, it expanded partner restaurants from just 80,000 to over 1 million.
Equally staggering is how dominant third-party ordering apps have become. These stats note that, as of May 2021, DoorDash owned 56% of the U.S. food delivery market, with UberEats and Postmates (combined) owning 27%.
Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
So how can pizzerias thrive today? First, they can no longer rely solely on delivery. In Chicago, where pizza by the slice was never as popular as in New York, pizza places are now positioning themselves in high foot traffic areas to attract direct customers.
We have also seen more streamlined menus. There just isn’t a need to carry so many items. In the ’80s, ribs or fried chicken delivery was only available from local pizzerias. Today, you can order from a dozen barbecue or fried chicken places. The consumer has a lot of choices at their fingertips, so you’d better bring your A game on anything you’re selling.
The good news is that this renaissance has created a robust market for carryout food. It can be argued that the demand for pizza has never been bigger. The third-party explosion has unearthed a treasure trove of potential customers. A local pizza place is no longer limited by a two-mile delivery zone. Now, operators can tap into the delivery network of the third-party apps and reach customers they would never even know in decades past. Technology has made delivery seamless and easy.
The real challenge is to embrace it, learn and grow with it. AI is now entering the arena as well, and that is going to put things into overdrive.
Back to Basics
At Leona’s, my Chicago-based pizzeria group, we adapted by returning to basics. The growth of delivery apps, coupled with the pandemic, really put a dent in the dine-in segment of our business. We saw our dine-in business shrink to a fraction of our sales.
In response, we’ve reduced our footprint, focused on delivering anywhere and streamlined our menu. Staying true to our 75-year-old brand and focusing on our iconic items has been our focus. We realize that we don’t need to have everything on our menu. In the ’80s, Leona’s had a 12-page menu; in 1953, it was a single page.
We have also immersed ourselves in everything technology, leveraging the readily available tools like POS system integration, AI marketing and consumer data metrics. Social media and the digital world have made it crucial to stay on your customers’ minds. We communicate with them regularly, without bombarding them.
Meanwhile, AI will continue to grow and expand, and if you intend to stay relevant, you better grow along with it. The speed with which AI is changing is both amazing and slightly frightening. Social media and ad content that once required graphic design skills can now be created in seconds using affordable AI apps. The same is true for inventory controls, sales analysis, marketing and order management. Don’t get left behind.
Ultimately, the food industry is undergoing a significant transformation. Pizza places must innovate and find new ways to reach customers profitably. At Leona’s, we’re embracing a simpler, more focused approach to meet today’s consumer demands. It’s just like returning to our roots—albeit a 21st-century version of those roots.
A U.S. Army veteran with a business degree from DePaul University, Billy Marino is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of operational and executive experience. He uses his diverse background in construction, real estate, logistics and international trade to drive innovation in the pizza industry. He has collaborated with major foodservice brands—including Hormel, Rich Foods, Walmart and Fontanini Italian Meats—to support product development and international pizza initiatives. He has also contributed to the creation of frozen pizza concepts for emerging global markets.
Billy was mentored by the late industry icon Eugene Fontanini and continues to be guided by Fontanini Italian Meats co-founder Joanne Fontanini, gaining valuable insight into branding, sales, supply chain strategy and evolving market trends. In 2022, he acquired the legacy assets of Chicago’s historic Leona’s Pizzeria and has since focused on revitalizing the brand and expanding its product offerings.
