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Through the passing of time, different challenges (such as pandemic outbreaks) are spread over the world like melting hot cheese. Yet the pizza industry continues to rise like the perfect dough. After several years in business, it remains at the top of the fast food market in terms of market growth. In the United States only, there are currently over 90,000 pizza businesses. But the fanaticism over pizza reaches every corner of the world. Different countries have incorporated this traditional dish into their cuisine, adding their personalized touches according to their own culinary preferences. Pizza makers innovate in toppings and crusts to stand out, but such a crowded market calls for further advances to stay as fresh as basil. The emergence of online ordering, the trend towards healthy and organic ingredients, and the use of social media are just some of the things expected to drive the growth of the pizza industry in the coming years. Technological developments – from smartphone apps to drones and self-driving cars – are being integrated into the game. Food trucks and trailers are opening strategic roads to independent mobile pizzerias. Through different channels, the pizza world continues to surprise us with new ideas.

In 1991, researchers at the private university of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created a sophisticated voice activated robot with a single purpose: to make pizzas. With one single arm, the Pizzabot would construct pizzas using ingredient bins at a built-in workstation. It was originally developed to assist physically disabled people in operating pizza franchises, but turned out to be a novelty act with a short lifespan. Years later, NASA commissioned the Systems Materials and Research Corporation to create a food printer for astronauts. In 2013 they presented the prototype for a 3D pizza printer that cooks pizza in 70 seconds. The trend towards automation continues today, with merchants and shipping companies moving towards drones and bots to drop off goods without direct assistance from human staff. This strategy aims to lower costs and speed up delivery. Along these lines, FedEx is currently developing a robot equipped with radar, mapping tools and cameras that might soon be delivering your pizza and asking for tips.

Innovations geared towards facilitating the delivery of pizza have extended to the field of home appliances. In the early 2000s, developers were working on bringing lightweight, affordable computers with internet access to consumers. Many came with factory-set function keys to make the devices easy to use. The “i-opener”, for example, came with a key for pizza delivery that, when pressing it, would open an order form for a local pizzeria. Nowadays, there is a diverse availability of devices that offer practical solutions related to the consumption of pizza. Home pizza warming lamps, single slice stoves and pizza ovens with timers and temperature control that need not even warming up before laying down the dough are accessible online. Furthermore, there is a portable pizza oven that can be connected to your car! I bet you always wanted to make pizza while stuck in traffic.

Many innovations have come in the shape of sophisticated pizza utensils. Not as flabbergasting as the technological developments mentioned above, they cleverly respond to inconveniences commonly encountered when consuming pizza. The challenges related to cutting pizza have inspired many creations such as the simple and efficient pizza scissors, the pizza fork with an incorporated cutter, and the multi-blade pizza cutters that fit over a regular sized pizza to divide it into equal slices. Sliceable baking trays have appeared to make serving easy and avoid using plates while another tray, the pizza butler with its z-shaped design, came to help in the difficult task of fitting pizza in the table. To avoid the one-too-many ingestion of pizza, you can keep that last portion fresh in an individual leftover slice bag until you have digested the seven eights you devoured by yourself. Or you can take it to work or school in a collapsible pizza box.

Not every innovation is oriented towards convenience. Sometimes, creativity is applied with the sole purpose of self-expression. True pizza lovers must be grateful that the inventiveness in the pizza industry have extended towards fashion. Pizza prints adorn T-shirts, pants, socks and even underwear. Together with a pizza friendship necklace and a pizza shaped hat, I could wear a tasty outfit from my head to-ma-toes. If you wish to celebrate your passion for pizza in the privacy of your bedroom, there are full pizza bed sets available for you. That way, you can eat pizza in bed without worrying about dropping any toppings, as they will be camouflaged in the bedding pattern. To take this even further, Toronto advertising agency John St. has created a pizza box for Boston Pizza designed precisely for eating pizza in bed. Meanwhile, your pets could watch you enjoy your meal from the comfort of their own pizza cat/dog bed. Your friends, on the other hand, could watch you happily dream about pizza while wrapped in a pizza sleeping bag on a camping trip.

With so many actors sharing a portion of the pizza market, it is not surprising to see the most imaginative ideas tossed in the oven. The world of pizza has extravagant areas to explore. However, many pizza consumers are loyal to tradition and need nothing more than a well made pizza to be satisfied. Amicci’s solid subsistence relies on the passion with which they produce quality pizzas that cater to everyone’s cravings, including health-conscious foodies. Staying on top with exciting deals and offers, Amicci’s will never stop surprising you.