I accidentally stumbled across an article from USA Today that was put out in September 2020 about the Top 10 commonly ordered pizza toppings people request and it got me thinking, “are our customers ordering the same things?

The USA Today article echoed several articles from previous years discussing the same topics. As a matter of fact, the published lists haven’t changed since 2016, That was the oldest list I was able to quickly find. What? I love pizza, not researching. But the fact that the list showed no change over the years, even when the list was put out by different food blogs or food magazines seemed odd. I’ll admit I was thinking they just copied and pasted it into their own article and put their own spin on the topic. The cool thing about our organization is we carefully track our ingredient usage. It helps us maintain proper stock levels or the ingredients and ensure we are consistently using the freshest components to build out ultimate creations.

The USA Today list ranked the top 10 ingredients in this order.

  1. Pepperoni
  2. Mushrooms
  3. Onions
  4. Sausage
  5. Bacon
  6. Extra Cheese
  7. Black Olives
  8. Green Peppers
  9. Pineapple
  10. Spinach

There are only a couple of items on that list that will surprise some people. Of course, pineapple on a pizza may be the biggest food controversy since food was invented and spinach might seem odd to some but the other eight offerings are classics. As a matter of fact, the top topping combinations on pizza are just a combination of the different items on this list.

But how does it compare to our Ultimate California Pizza Customers. Let’s go through each one.

1. Pepperoni

This one wasn’t even close. As a matter of fact, UCP customers ordered Pepperoni two and a half times more often than the second-place ingredient.

We even devoted an entire blog to pepperoni pizza. You can check that out here.

2. Mushrooms

This one ranking seems like one many would argue. It must be a love it or hate it topping. I love it, but it is also one of the fist toppings people talk about pulling off of pizza. Either way, the ranking was the same of ingredient number two on our list as well. Want to know more about mushrooms? Check out our blog from April 2021 that is devoted to discussing mushrooms on pizza. 

3. Onion — UCP #3 Extra Cheese

It did not take long for us to hit a deviation. Onions seem to be another polarizing topping choice with “give them all to me” or “I don’t want them anywhere near me” attitudes controlling this argument. We aren’t really surprised by the extra cheese ranking from UCP customers thought. They like their cheese and they like multiple types of cheese on pizzas. We agree. GIVE US THE CHEESE!

4. Bacon & Sausage.

Why are we doing two ingredients for #4…. Well because for UCP they are a tie. I pulled the order data for the past year and they have been ordered the same quantity of times. Cannot argue with great tasting toppings!

5. Extra Cheese

Well, we already know that for UCP, extra cheese came in third place, so what takes the number six spot (bacon and sausage tied remember?)? Green peppers. Green peppers take the number six ranking on the most popular toppings ordered at UCP. We understand why customers order this so often. The sweet mild flavor of the green pepper provides an earthy texture to the pizza while providing a fun crunch.

6. Black Olives

Back on track! Our customers agreed with this one. Black olives are an extremely common topping. It is common for black olives to be added to tomato sauce because they help balance the acidity and add a pleasant texture. They also happen to be a favorite among children because of the mild flavor….and because they can be worn at the ends of their fingers. #facts

7. Green Peppers

Another variation….in the number eight spot, the UCP guests go for Pineapple. You got it. Pineapple. There is so much we could write about this…. maybe we will devote next month’s blog to pineapple…. Yes, why do something today that I can put off until tomorrow.

8. Pineapple

So, there wasn’t a huge difference in the pineapple ranking. At UCP it took the 8th spot, where the USA Today poll put it 9th. What is a surprise, is that the ingredient in the ninth spot at UCP was onions. That is a SIX spot drop from the USA Today list. That is a big difference. I guess we like what we like.

9. Spinach

No surprise that spinach did not even make the Top 10 on the UCP list. With so many better options on our list, spinach did not have a chance.

What did take the number 10 spot is chicken. Another protein to finish off the list. It goes well with pepperoni, it goes great with bacon, or mushrooms or peppers or many other things that we offer. Congratulations chicken!

Now we want some input from you. Any surprises on this list? Anything left off the list that you thought would make it? Let us know your thoughts.

Want to check out all of the amazing offerings that Ultimate California Pizza has to offer? Check out our online menu.

 Link to the September 2020 USA Today Article: https://thelistwire.usatoday.com/lists/the-10-most-popular-pizza-toppings/