This is the first day of Fall. To top off a week dominated by nutty Food News, I’ve found a gem from the Pizza Universe… What’s the Fall’s biggest Flavour Rage? Pumpkin Spice. What’s the last thing you’d expect to find it in? Pizza. And where would you expect someone to do that first? California? No!
A Pumpkin Spice Pizza in all it’s questionable glory. I say: YUK! To be fair, we haven’t seen
the real Villa version, yet. This is a ‘prototype’ by food blogger Anthony Rotio…
It’s happening in a mall food court near (some of) you…
I’ve said before, in this space, that some folks will put anything on a Pizza just to say they did it. Doesn’t have to make sense or taste good. It’s just a thing. Well, the Villa Italian Kitchen chain of Food-court outlets has officialized Pumpkin Spice Pizza, available for the next few weeks at all 230 locations.
The pie features Pumpkin Pie filling as a Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, and more dollops of the filling on top, Villa says, in a news release. It’ll be available ‘while supplies last’…
Why do we need this?
The simple answer is, we don’t. But Villa felt it needed something to, momentarily at least, elevate its marketing profile above the competition. That’s the way it works these days. It’s not enough to offer decent, interesting food, quick service and real value for the money. Fast Food outfits seem to think they also need to do something outrageous, at regular intervals, to keep the social media buzz buzzing.
Yesterday, I put the most-recent World’s Hottest Pepper in a category I call Novelty Food. It’s not really meant to be eaten and – in some cases, like the Hot Peppers – it might even harm or kill you. Novelty foods have no other reason to exist than to promote a brand.
I also said, earlier this week, that a move by Chili’s to trim its menu by 40 per cent may be remembered in the history books as the first shot of the Great Fast Food Sector Shakeout War. The appearance of Pumpkin Spice Pizza illustrates the ridiculous extremes players are going to, to be heard above the noise.
I’m keeping a close eye on the coming Fast Food Apocalypse and I’ll keep you informed…
~ Maggie J.