By Charlie Pogacar
As we barrel toward 2026, it’s time to take stock of which pizza stories dominated 2025. Did you know that President Trump got into the pizza business this year? Or that a pizza shop manager—Justin Pioppi—became a contender on season 48 of “Survivor”?
This is the third year we’ve compiled a list of PMQ Pizza’s most-read stories. Something we noticed this year: Positive stories achieved greater popularity. Could it be that 2025 delivered more positive storylines than previous years? Or that readers were craving feel-good stories?
Whatever the case, we at PMQ Pizza love covering this industry. We never take for granted the colorful, wonderful characters who open up pizza shops and take the time to share their stories. Without them, our jobs would be pretty boring. Thankfully—as you’ll see—they are anything but.
Related: Bankruptcies, Store Closures and Free Pizza: PMQ’s 10 Most-Read Stories of 2024
Without further ado, here are the ten most popular stories on PMQ.com this year.
10. How Dave Portnoy’s 8.1 Review Backfired for One Pizzeria—and How He Still Saved the Day (November)
Perhaps the only surprising thing here is that it’s Dave Portnoy’s only appearance on the list—and it checks in at number 10 no less. But consider this: the story was published in late November and has dominated our analytics over the past few weeks. It’s easy to see why: Love him or hate him, the Barstool Sports founder has become a larger-than-life pizza influencer. Add into the mix a piece of bad news—and how it turned into good news—and readers were intrigued. We can confirm it’s worth a read (if you haven’t read it already).
When Emil Chiaberi bought Burattino Brick Oven Pizza, the pizzeria was struggling. It was, in Chiaberi’s own words, in a terrible location. The original shop, which is located in San Pedro, California—about 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles—enjoyed almost zero organic foot traffic and wasn’t near any other businesses. So how did Burattino go from less than $200,000 in annual sales to $1.5 million in about 18 months? It’s at least partially explained by Chiaberi’s radical approach to social media, where he methodically grew the restaurant’s following to 1.1 million followers on Instagram, 800,000-plus on Facebook and over 600,000 on TikTok.
8. How a Clip from “Seinfeld” Launched One of the Midwest’s Hottest Pizza Chains (February)
Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, is known as one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S. So it’s safe to assume that the judges at the Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition—an annual contest at Purdue that promotes student entrepreneurship—had never witnessed a presentation begin with a clip from “Seinfeld.” Further, you’d have to assume few if any competitors are pitching a business plan about pizza. But that’s what the judges got from Brad Niemeier: A plan to create the “Subway of pizza.” Niemeier’s Azzip Pizza was founded upon the prize money he won as a student in the Burton D. Morgan Business Plan Competition, and has since grown to over 13 locations across Indiana and Kentucky. Azzip’s staying power has been especially impressive considering other fast-casual pizza chains, like MOD and Blaze Pizza, have faced considerable headwinds of late.
7. Trump Pizza: Donald Trump Becomes First U.S. President to Get into the Pizzeria Business (April)
When Trump Pizza opened at Trump Tower in New York, President Trump became the first U.S. President to claim a stake in the pizza business. While details were scant at the time—and still are—Trump Pizza appears to still be in operation.
6. Pizza Power Report 2026: Why Independent Pizzerias Might Be Perched in the Catbird Seat (December)
The Pizza Power Report is a labor of love. It’s something the editors of PMQ Pizza think about all year long, and begin to compile in the fall. The finished product is a look back at the year that was and a preview of the year that will be. This year, a single quote from Loren Padelford, chief revenue officer at Slice, set the tone for the way we were seeing the industry. “The era of the chains is over,” he declared. Hear, hear.
5. Keep an Eye on Katie Lee: She’s About to Become a Nationwide Brand (May)
A profile of St. Louis pizzaiola Katie Lee became one of PMQ’s most inspiring reads of the year, charting her rise from personal rock bottom to the fast-growing food entrepreneur she is today. Her ‘Golden Ticket’ win at Walmart’s Open Call in 2024 marked a new chapter—and a powerful validation of her business vision and approach to pizza making. It’s a reminder that some of the industry’s biggest growth stories are still being written by independent operators betting on themselves.
4. When This Shop Flooded, the Community Donated $26,000 to Cover Lost Wages (September)
Checking in at number four is another bad-news-turned-good story. In July, Chapel Hill, North Carolina was the site of catastrophic flooding. A location of The Loop—a small pizza franchise based in Jacksonville, Florida—was wiped out. What followed was a testament to the “pay-it-forward” philosophy that has always been a key part of The Loop’s DNA. Members of the Chapel Hill community rallied together to donate more than $26,000 to cover lost wages as the shop was rebuilt.
3. How Robert’s Pizza Co. Became One of 50 Top Pizza’s Best Pizzerias in the World (April)
This deep dive into Robert’s Pizza and Dough Co.—our April 2025 cover story—traced how a former punk-era hot dog vendor and his artist-educator wife quietly built one of the world’s most respected pizzerias. From obsessive dough development to a restaurant designed as a literal and emotional “journey,” the story showed that excellence doesn’t always come from trend-chasing or rapid expansion. Instead, it’s the result of patience, craft and an unusually thoughtful approach to hospitality. It’s a reminder that some of the industry’s most celebrated brands are built slowly—and with purpose.
2. This Renowned Chicago Deep-Dish Brand Is Closing Its Last Location After a 54-Year Run (May)
Alas, this year had its share of bad news, especially for pizza chains. This story shared the news that My Pi—founded in 1971 and once boasting over 25 locations—was closing its final store. That’s a pattern we’ve noticed on the site: nostalgic, storied brands meeting their end attracts a lot of clicks. That doesn’t mean we enjoy writing stories like this, because we certainly do not.
1. Meet the Pizza Guy from ‘Survivor’: Justin Pioppi’s Hard-Fought Journey to Fame on TV’s Smash Hit (February)
When Justin Pioppi appeared on the 48th season of Survivor, he told the audience that he wanted to win to donate the $1 million to his mother (side note: apparently the Survivor grand prize is the only thing inflation hasn’t touched!). If that gesture wasn’t touching enough, the story behind it was even headier. A lifelong pizza guy at his family’s 44-year-old neighborhood institution, Luigi’s Pizzeria in Revere, Massachusetts, Pioppi grew up balancing school, work and a series of family health crises, including his mother’s long battle with cancer. The most-read PMQ Pizza story this year traced how those experiences shaped Pioppi’s resilience, work ethic and people skills—the same qualities that made him a natural fit for a show built around endurance, adaptability and social strategy. It was a portrait of a pizza family, a community business and the kind of quiet perseverance that defines so much of the independent restaurant world.
