During a recent survey, women love cheese, with 53% named it their preferred pizza topping, while many men like it meaty, 51% listed pepperoni as their favorite pizza topping. This, just one of many insights gathered from Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73's annual Canadian Pizza Month survey, conducted by Leger, as part of its mark National Pizza Month celebration.
The two sexes do agree on a few things though when it comes to their pizza, both sexes prefer ordering by phone (61 per cent of women vs. 57 per cent of men) and both prefer their crust thin (56 per cent of women vs. 46 percent of men). As well as, both men and women indulge in pizza leftovers with 41% eating it cold and 30% having it for breakfast every now and then.
The survey also revealed that beverages and chicken wings are what Canadians prefer to pair with their pizza as a whole. Thirty-four per cent of Ontario residents go for dipping sauce and 53% of Quebecers order French fries, while Western Canadians prefer bread sticks, where 24% of Alberta residents add it to their orders.
Quebec residents seem to be the pizza purists of the country, only 6% will go for dipping sauce with their slice and 73% say they have never eaten it for breakfast. They're also the least likely in Canada to order a Hawaiian pizza, with 6% going for pineapple and 7% going for ham on their pizza.
Pizza lovers in the Prairie Provinces are most likely to indulge in a cold pizza, 62% to be exact. Of all provinces, those in Atlantic Canada enjoy ground beef on their pizza the most with 33% listing it as their favourite topping. 49% of Ontario residents order quick-serve pizza at least once a month, the highest percentage in Canada.
"Canadians are unique in many ways, and one thing we can all agree to is the love of our most cherished foods: pizza!" said Pat Finelli, Chief Marketing Officer for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73. "Pizza is appreciated by Canadians of all ages and we only see its popularity rising in the future."
October is a big month for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73, in addition to the survey, the leading pizza chains will have several other activities to mark the National Pizza Month, including:
Slices for Smiles: Now in its 7th year, Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73's network of traditional restaurants will sell pizza slices to help Canadian children's hospitals. Canadian customers can support the semi-annual Slices for Smiles fundraiser by select discounted pizza items with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Children's Miracle Network. To date, Slices for Smiles has raised more than $1 million for children's charities nationally.
Free Pizza: Our Pizza Pizza's mascot, Dough Dude, will be showing up in unexpected locations in the GTA handing out free slice coupons. Follow along on Twitter (@PizzaPizzaLtd) and Facebook (PizzaPizzaCanada) to find out when and where he'll be showing up in a neighbourhood near you.
Halloween: Halloween is one of the three busiest days of the year for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73. It might seem surprising but it’s true! The company expects to process over 100,000 orders that night as families prepare their little ones for trick-or-treating.
Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 commissioned this survey to commemorate National Pizza Month, an industry observance that takes place each year in October to showcase the Canadian love affair with pizza.
About the survey
The survey was completed online from September 16th to September 18th, 2013 using Leger’s online panel, LegerWeb, with a sample of 1,502 Canadians age 18 years and older. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
