The pizza industry is experiencing an unprecedented divide

The pizza industry been going to the extremes lately.

Commercial chains like Pizza Hut and Little Caesar’s have released low-brow offerings like the wacky hot dog stuffed crust pizza and a pretzel crust pizza with Cheez Whiz instead of sauce.

But on the other end of the spectrum, artisanal chains are blowing up.

With players like Blaze Pizza, Pieology, Chipotle’s Pizzeria Locale, and Pie Five, pizza has been getting a fancy makeover with a personal touch — in the custom, assembly line style of Chipotle.

The divide is causing a decline in classic pizza chains that simply serve cheese or pepperoni.

According to a study by Smart Flour Foods and The Center For Generational Kinetics, millennials love pizza.

Millennials also can truly influence many markets. “If [millennials] like a brand … our parents are looking at us on Facebook,” millennial expert and marketing strategist Jason Dorsey of The Center for Generational Kinetics told Business Insider. “Our belief is if you win millennials, you have a really good shot at winning everybody else.” He also said, “if you are unable to win millennials, you risk losing everybody else.”

More critical to retailers, “we see millennials are the driver of retail, as well as food trends,” Dorsey said.

The survey revealed what people (millennials, particularly) like about pizza, and it sheds on light on recent trends. According to the survey,  77% of pizza lovers say they care about the ingredients of their respective pizza being natural, and millennials care about having a gluten free option more than any other generation.

54% of millennials post pictures of their pizzas; only 26% of people in other generations do. This could account for the Instagram-friendly pie.

Since millennials care so much about these qualities, it might justify the onslaught of all-natural, highly customizable, beautiful looking pizza.

It’s not just millennials, though. “Millennials…are more knowledgeable [about food] and boomers are looking for healthier options, trying to live a healthier lifestyle so they can live longer,” said Dean Small, CEO of Synergy Restaurant Consultants. Synergy is particularly knowledgeable about about pizza trends, as the firm’s clients include California Pizza Kitchen and Pizza Hut.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pizza-is-going-high-class-or-low-class-2015-7#ixzz3gpasDwFJ

Skip to content