Changes You May See At Pizza Chains In 2026

Pizza is one of America's favorite comfort foods, yet fast-casual pizza chains haven't had their best years recently. The Wall Street Journal asserted that Americans have been falling out of love with this food and are ordering home delivery considerably less.

Last year saw bankruptcy filings from chains like Pieology and Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta, and overall revenue generated in the pizza industry decreased by 0.3%. Beloved chains that are at risk for closing in 2026 include The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and Pie Five Pizza Co.

In order to keep Americans in love with pizza and avoid being one of the pizza chains disappearing across the country, big brands are making strategic updates to stay competitive in 2026. In 2025, we saw pizza chain trends like kiosk ordering and new CEOs, and the changes coming this year at Papa John's, Casey's, and Blaze Pizza follow similar patterns.

AI is embedded in the restaurant industry — from coffee shops to fast food restaurants, and now Papa John's. The pizza chain recently announced a partnership with Google Cloud, in which it will use Google's AI tools like BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Gemini in an attempt to improve the customer experience. Papa John's has formed an innovation team specifically for this update; the priorities will include implementing an AI-powered customer chatbot, using predictive ordering, reducing service costs for customers, and streamlining restaurant operations.

What does this mean for the customer? Expect more personalization when it comes to Papa John's marketing and loyalty programs, especially in terms of menu deals and points that are offered based on past order history. By using Google Cloud's POS system, the intention is to make orders and deliveries more efficient. Papa John's, however, is not the first pizza chain to incorporate AI — Domino's started using it as early as 2014 with a voice assistant feature in its app.

Blaze Pizza is best known for its super customizable pizzas and 800-degree wood-fired ovens. Now, a new CEO, John Owen, is heading the company. Owen recognizes that the fast-casual pizza industry has not had its best years recently, and his approach with Blaze is to focus on what sometimes lacks in the space: hospitality and efficiency.

Owen explained to NRN in an interview, "One of the reasons that the sector has lost ground over time is because it has become more and more transactional. We need to bring hospitality and the experience back beyond just getting your pizza." Owen went on to say, "The sector still continues to be huge, and there's a great opportunity for us to take the lead and stand out with greater hospitality."

The new CEO detailed that calling customers by name and allowing them affordable customizations will be a part of the chain's improved hospitality. In terms of efficiency, the goal is to have the pizza fired in 180 seconds.

Casey's, a regional pizza chain that operates out of convenience stores, is bringing a new pizza to its menu. The Barn Burner Chicken Pizza was developed by a district manager and was selected as the winner for the company's yearly pizza creation competition. The new flavor incorporates BBQ chicken, sauce made with Sriracha, a combination of mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bacon, red onions, jalapeños, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce. The flavor combos for new pizza are always creative — in 2024, it was a Pickle Wrap pizza!

One of the judges who selected the employee-developed pizza was celebrity chef and restaurateur Andrew Zimmern, who told Convenience.org, "I've tasted a lot of gas station food in my life, and Casey's pizza is in a league of its own."

Now that you're up to date on some of the changes come to pizza chains this year, here are some updates you should expect to see from fast food restaurants in 2026.