MEALS ON WHEELS

MAT-SU — In the time it took you to read this sentence, about 700 slices of pizza were eaten in the United States.

Pizza is more than a popular fast food, it’s big business. The Food Industry News reports that pizzerias make up about 17 percent of restaurants in America, account for more than 10 percent of all food service sales and comprise an industry that brings in more than $30 billion a year.

With enticing numbers like these, it’s no wonder even the Mat-Su Valley restaurant industry is trying to carve out it’s slice of the pie. And in the Wasilla area, pizza delivery seems to be one of the most popular choices for consumers. While Palmer has a handful of local pizza shops that will deliver, Wasilla has at least 11 between national chains and local mom-and-pop eateries.

Some pizza shop managers say the race to satisfy Wasilla’s hunger for pizza is becoming more competitive.

“I have noticed that our (delivery) sales are a lot lower than they used to be,” said John Carroll, manager for Great Alaska Pizza Co. “We haven’t been getting that many deliveries, partly, I think, because we have a pretty good deal for pick-up.”

Papa John’s is one of the new kids on the block in Wasilla, opening its local franchise nine months ago. The wealth of pizza delivery options hasn’t affected his business, said general manager Kyle Bates. If anything, Papa John’s is making it more difficult for all the other restaurants.

“I am the competition,” Bates said, adding his store sells more than 1,000 pizzas a week. “We do control the market pretty much. I don’t think there’s a company that can do as much as we do.”

Because Papa John’s is a franchise, it has a nationally known name and product, which is helpful because customers know what they’re going to get, Bates said.

“That gets our name out there, the word out,” he said. “It’s customer service, our delivery times and, of course, our product. … Repeat business is everything. That’s what you want. A one-time customer is not going to get you anywhere.”

While franchises like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut have name recognition, other locally or Alaska-owned restaurants rely on reputation and going the extra mile — sometimes literally. Sicily’s Pizza’s Wasilla outlet opened in February as the latest in the popular Southcentral chain.

Wasilla’s estimated population of about 7,200 people is deceiving, said owner Benny Hassouna, because thousands more customers live just outside city limits. Because most delivery services have a limit to how far they’ll go, Sicily’s will go beyond, he said. That also includes being the only pizza place to deliver 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“It is working for me,” he said. “We get late business and we have better service. I’m hiring a lot of people to get the service better, which is the challenge here in Wasilla.”

Also joining the pizza delivery race are established local Italian restaurants like Evangelo’s and Piccolino’s. Although both rely mostly on their dining rooms, they appeal to customers who don’t mind spending a little bit more.

With Piccolino’s, pizza is just the start, as the entire menu is available for delivery, said manager Tara Petricca.

“Everybody wants pizza,” she said. “It’s the cheapest way to feed a family. We seem to be pretty steady (with delivery orders). We always have a delivery driver on. Pizza’s a pretty universal food. Everybody likes pizza.”

Pizza Hut is known for its delivery, but at the Wasilla outlet, it accounts for only about 30 percent of overall business, manager Arilinda Johnson said.

More local competition, coupled with a tight economy, has affected businesses all over, not just restaurants, she said.

“It took a dive when the economy went down,” she said. “But we still do pretty fair. … Delivery is popular because people want anything driven to them, and pizza’s about the most popular.”

All the restaurants contacted for this story said they agree there is plenty of competition in a small geographic area, but won’t say there’s a local pizza war waging.

“There is competition, that’s for sure,” Bates said. “Is there a pizza delivery war? No more than Fred Meyer vs. Wal-Mart or whatever. This is America. Everybody has an opportunity to open up what they want.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.