LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? The top choice among Americans? PIZZA! A new nationwide survey conducted by Harris Poll®* on behalf of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), celebrates National Pizza Month this October by revealing a ton of fun facts about the king of American food: PIZZA. The survey, conducted online among 2,296 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, revealed that if Americans could only eat one food for the rest of their lives, the number one food they would choose is pizza (20 percent). Additionally, a whopping 83 percent of Americans would be willing to give something up for a year to have free pizza whenever they want for a year; among them, the top four items are: taxi/ride sharing services (54 percent), bacon (36 percent), coffee (33 percent) and social media (31 percent). That’s some serious sacrificing – no wonder pizza reigns as America’s favorite food!
“Pizza is our middle name – literally! So it goes without saying that pizza is our favorite food any time of the year, but this National Pizza Month, it’s wonderful to confirm officially what we’ve always known: how much Americans really love and adore pizza!” said G.J. Hart, CEO and Executive Chairman at CPK. “As the results show, pizza brings people together in so many ways – from date night to sports night, and it’s the food we gather around when catching up with friends and family. In honor of all the pizza moments we’ve shared over the years, this October we are bringing back a fan-favorite, the Shrimp Scampi Pizza, for a limited time and introducing our delicious, new Piadinas, folded pizza-style sandwiches baked in our hearth oven. We’re also offering 31 guests the chance to win free pizza for a year – one winner for each day in October. Join us in celebrating the most delicious month of the year!”
Additional highlights of the California Pizza Kitchen 2017 Pizza Survey include:
- When it comes to sharing a slice with a celebrity, Americans are all about “The Rock.” People’s “Sexiest Man 2016,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is America’s top choice of celebrities to share a slice of pizza with (15 percent)**
- Touchdown! A majority of Americans (54 percent) say pizza would be their go-to meal when watching sports
- The Many Ways to Celebrate with Pizza: About 7 in 10 Americans (69 percent) say pizza would be their go-to meal when getting together with friends or family on a Friday night and roughly one quarter say it would be their go-to meal when celebrating a major accomplishment (26 percent) or for date night (23 percent)
- One of Millennials’ Go-To’s for Date Night: 33 percent of Millennials (ages 18-35) say pizza would be their go-to meal for date night
- Monthly Pizza Run: Americans typically spend $47.50, on average, per month on pizza - that's $570 a year!
For a full list of survey findings, please visit www.cpk.com/2017pizzasurvey.
In addition to releasing the results of its 2017 Pizza Survey, CPK will celebrate National Pizza Month by introducing new menu items, a Pizza Memories Sweepstakes – CPK’s largest sweepstakes to-date, with 31 chances to win free pizza for a year – and custom-crafted pizza-themed graphic tops for sale.
Fan-Favorite Shrimp Scampi Pizza Returns
“Every year for National Pizza Month, we love to bring back a fan-favorite pizza and do a unique twist on its ingredients to boost its flavor in fresh, new ways,” said Brian Sullivan, SVP of Culinary Innovation at CPK. “This year, we reimagined the original Shrimp Scampi Pizza, adding succulent grilled lemon-garlic shrimp with caramelized onions, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses atop our hand-tossed dough and finished with a sprinkle of red chili, fresh arugula and wild Greek oregano. The result is a truly unique CPK creation that’s bold on flavor yet light in texture – the perfect mix of light, sweet seafood, bright lemon and a hint of heat from the peppery arugula and chili flakes.”
Pizza-Inspired Sandwiches: Introducing Piadinas!
Joining the permanent menu, CPK introduces Piadinas, folded pizza-style sandwiches baked in the hearth oven with fresh pizza dough. Guests can enjoy the Ancho Chile Short Rib Piadina, featuring tender short rib, crushed tomato sauce, and wild arugula, as well as Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, or the Smashed Chicken Meatball Piadina, with housemade chicken meatballs, crushed tomato sauce, baby kale, fresh herb gremolata and Parmesan mustard aioli. Piadina sandwiches will be available on CPK’s Lunch Duos menu starting at $9.95 at participating locations.
CPK Gives 31 Fans the Chance to Win Free Pizza for a Year
Pizza makes us all nostalgic. Who can forget Friday pizza night with the family while growing up? Throughout the month of October, fans nationwide can participate in CPK’s Pizza Memories 2017 Sweepstakes by sharing their favorite pizza memory for a chance to win free pizza for a year. A new winner will be chosen for each day of the month – that’s 31 total winners and CPK’s largest free pizza for a year sweepstakes to-date! Watch CPK’s Pizza Memories video and enter to win at cpk.com/nationalpizzamonth.
The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, except Rhode Island, who are registered members of CPK’s Pizza Dough Rewards program. There are three ways to participate, (1) post a memory or experience related to pizza on Twitter with the hashtags #CPKPizzaMemories #Sweepstakes; (2) upload an original image and written memory or experience related to pizza at http://www.cpk.com/nationalpizzamonth; or (3) select a digital Sweepstakes postcard and write their memory or experience related to pizza at http://www.cpk.com/nationalpizzamonth. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.cpk.com/nationalpizzamonth.
Show Your Love for Pizza with a Fun CPK Graphic Tank or Tee
To join the CPK National Pizza Month party from anywhere in the country, pizza lovers can visit CPK online, www.cpk.com, to purchase a series of custom pizza-themed graphic tops. Tank top styles are emblazoned with “My Favorite Color is Pizza” and “Pizza Silences My Hangry;” T-shirt styles read “But First, Pizza” and “Love Triangle” accompanied by a pizza slice design.
Download CPK’s Pizza Dough® Rewards app for iOS and Android and check in to begin earning rewards for dining creatively. Follow CPK on Twitter at @calpizzakitchen (#NEWCPK), Instagram at @californiapizzakitchen and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/californiapizzakitchen.
*Survey Methodology: This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of California Pizza Kitchen from August 28-30, 2017 among 2,296 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact kate@coastprgroup.com.
** Other celebrities presented include: Idris Elba, George Clooney, David Beckham, Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres, Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Aniston, and Beyoncé.
About California Pizza Kitchen
In 1985, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) opened its first restaurant in Beverly Hills and introduced diners to innovative California-style pizza. Since then, CPK has become a global brand known for creative California cuisine. Today, CPK is approaching 300 restaurants in 16 countries around the world. Dedicated to a unique dining experience, CPK is now introducing its Next Chapter featuring reimagined menus, open kitchens, and unique renovations in all restaurants across the country. For more information on California Pizza Kitchen, visit www.cpk.com.
