By Matt Plapp, CEO, America’s Best Restaurants
Walk into any neighborhood today, and you’ll see what I see. Chain restaurants are on every corner, from Chipotle to Chick-fil-A. As someone who grew up eating at local pizza joints in Northern Kentucky, I’ve seen that the transformation in the restaurant landscape is staggering. What used to be 10 to 15 go-to local spots has now exploded to 150 to 200 options. National brands dominate both the physical and mental real estate of your customers.
As an independent pizzeria, your food is probably better. Your service? More personal. Your connection to the community? Unmatched. But if you’re struggling to grow sales, it’s not because of your product. It’s because you’re losing the attention war.
Let’s break down why—and, more importantly, how you can win it.
The Chains Aren’t Beating You With Better Pizza
They’re winning because they have:
- Massive footprints with location after location
- Deep advertising budgets
- A constant brand presence in your customers’ daily life
They’re everywhere: on highway billboards, TV ads, Spotify, and every time your customer opens Instagram. You can’t outspend them. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to.
“Hope and Pray” Isn’t a Strategy
Many local restaurants still rely on the outdated “hope and pray” model. You hope customers remember you when they’re hungry. You pray they choose you instead of hitting a chain drive-thru.
That worked when there were five restaurants in town. But now you’re one of 50 on the block. Hope is no longer a strategy. Instead, you need a model that lets you:
- Take aim by identifying exactly whom you want to attract
- Set expectations by deploying campaigns that create predictable results
This is how you compete—not by being louder, but by being smarter.
Meet Your New Battleground: The Phone
Your customers check their phones an average of 144 times per day. You know that’s true, because you do it, too. It’s where attention lives and dies.
Chains dominate the street. So you must dominate the screen. This is where the game is won today, and it’s why we created the three commandments of restaurant marketing at America’s Best Restaurants:
1. Attract: Create content and offers that grab attention.
2. Build: Develop trust and relationships through email, Messenger and text.
3. Retain: Keep your restaurant top-of-mind consistently.
Here’s Where You Win (And Chains Can’t)
Here’s the twist. Chains can’t copy you where it matters most: in personality and community. The best independent operators we work with aren’t just selling pizza. They’re selling themselves, their teams and their stories. Examples include:
- Jack from Blasiole’s Pizza in Streetsboro, Ohio, is constantly showing up on social media, sharing his team’s wins, spotlighting customers and celebrating the community.
- Aldo from Aldo & Manny’s, with three locations in Pennsylvania, isn’t only pushing pizza. He’s building a brand, one smile and behind-the-scenes video at a time.
- Operators like Jake from Cornerstone Pub & Pizza aren’t just promoting food photos. They’re connecting through personal stories, humor and transparency.
No chain can replicate that. They don’t have a YOU!
Your Job: Build an Attention Plan
Here’s how you start to win customers’ attention:
1. Own your four walls. Every guest that walks in offers a chance to collect a name, email and phone number. Incentivize it. Reward it. Build your database inside your restaurant first.
2. Dominate social, don’t just post. Stop treating Facebook and Instagram like digital Valpaks. Nobody’s on social to see your coupons. They’re there to connect. Show what’s behind the scenes, add employee shoutouts, and talk about community events. Make people care about you, not just your pizza.
3. Create consistency. Don’t blast and forget. Build a weekly rhythm across social, email and text. Be visible where your customers already spend their time. As an example, look at this simple snow contest post that Cindi from LaRocca’s Pizza in Topeka, Kansas, made. It’s not selling pizzas; it’s gaining engagement with a fun and topical contest. And it got 569 comments. This is how you steal attention from the chains!
You’re Not Outnumbered—You’re Outmarketed
Remember, Chipotle can open five stores in your city, but they will never have your story, your face or your community roots. You’ve got what they don’t. And in 2026 and beyond, that’s your greatest asset.
So ask yourself: What would it look like if you increased sales by 23%? That’s $230,000 on a $1 million business. It’s life-changing. More staff. Less stress. Finally getting out of the kitchen on weekends.
What’s in your way of finding that 23%? Attention?
Start Here: The Free Attention Audit
We’ve created a free tool called the Attention Audit. It takes less than five minutes, asks 20 key questions, and shows you where you’re winning or losing in your marketing. Take the audit at www.mattplapp.live/audit.
Most independent restaurants score a 28 out of 100. That means your competitors are likely in the same boat. The opportunity is wide open, but only if you take action.
A Final Slice
Remember: You don’t need to beat the chains at their game. You need to play a better game—your own.
Be louder online. Be real. Be seen. Be you. That’s how independent pizzerias win in 2026—and beyond.
My name is Matt Plapp. I’m the CEO (chief energy officer) of America’s Best Restaurants. I’ve worked with thousands of restaurants since 2008 when I started this company, and over the next 12 months, we will help 2,500-plus restaurants with their marketing. This is the latest article in my biweekly column for PMQ to help restaurant owners understand the gold mine we have to market in 2026—and beyond.
