Have Chinese people stopped liking pizza?

Short answer: no — but the market is changing fast

The headline is provocative, but the data push back hard. China remains one of the world’s most attractive pizza markets: it has been reported that the market grew from about ¥48 billion in 2024 to over ¥50 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach ¥77.1 billion by 2027, at a compound annual growth rate north of 15%. So do Chinese still like pizza? Yes. Do they like the same pizza brands and formats they did a decade ago? Not necessarily.

Incumbents under pressure

The familiar quartet that built China’s pizza boom — Pizza Hut (必胜客), Domino’s (达美乐), Zunbao Pizza (尊宝披萨) and Bigg Pizza (比格披萨) — are showing cracks. It has been reported that Pizza Hut, operated by Yum China (百胜中国), had about 4,168 outlets by end‑2025 but posted only modest revenue growth, suggesting falling per‑store productivity. Domino’s China operator Dazhi (达势股份) expanded rapidly after listing, reaching roughly 1,315 stores, yet same‑store sales reportedly turned negative in 2025 (-1.5%). Zunbao’s GMV reportedly fell about 16% in the first three quarters of 2025, while Bigg has pursued aggressive price cuts to drive volume — a strategy that lifted store counts but squeezed ticket values.

What’s really happening on the ground?

The problem isn’t pizza itself; it’s substitution and format shift. Consumers increasingly buy smaller, cheaper portions, opt for convenience frozen/prepared pizzas via instant‑retail channels, and favor delivery‑optimized models built around central kitchens and satellite takeout stores. As a result, traditional big‑store, dine‑in economics face rising rent and labor pressure, and the market has seen a decline from a peak of about 45,000 outlets in early 2023 to roughly 41,000 by end‑2025. Price wars and down‑market moves have pushed nearly half of outlets into sub‑¥30 per‑cap segments — a worrying trend for brands with high fixed costs.

How brands are fighting back

incumbents are not standing still. Pizza Hut and others are leaning into smaller “mini” and delivery‑first formats, cross‑category menus (burgers, steaks, coffee) and SKU innovation to keep relevance. Bigg plans to add 610–790 stores between 2026–2028, reportedly as part of a three‑year scaling push. Meanwhile, new players in the convenience pizza and pre‑made category are nibbling at share through instant retail and grocery channels. The battle now is less about whether Chinese consumers eat pizza and more about which formats, prices and channels will win in a market that is growing — but evolving rapidly.