A TheFork Report Finds Pizza Chains Are Gaining Ground in Italy

Pizza chains are gaining ground in Italy as organized restaurant groups expand on digital booking platforms, according to a new report released in Milan on Monday by TheFork, the restaurant reservation company owned by Tripadvisor. The study found 767 restaurants linked to 71 large groups on TheFork in Italy, with pizzerias standing out as one of the country’s most common and most scalable chain formats.

The findings come from the Osservatorio Ristorazione Moderna-TheFork, a study based on proprietary data collected between April 2025 and March 2026 through TheFork’s booking app and its management software, TheFork Manager. The research focuses on full-service restaurants in Italy and measures restaurant distribution, cuisine types, bookings, reviews and other customer behavior. Because the sample is drawn from restaurants listed on TheFork, the report reflects the platform’s network rather than the entire Italian restaurant market.

TheFork said it currently has more than 18,000 active restaurants in Italy on its platform, rising to about 20,000 when seasonal venues are included. Within that group, large chains, defined in the study as restaurant groups with more than five locations, represent 4% of the total. Those 767 restaurants are spread across 71 groups.

The report shows that chain formats remain concentrated in the northern part of the country. Of the large-chain restaurants counted on TheFork, 62% were in northern Italy, 24% were in central Italy and 14% were in southern Italy and the islands. The study also found that 71% of those chain restaurants were in provincial locations rather than major cities.

Pizza was one of the clearest growth models in that segment. The report counted 161 chain pizzerias on TheFork in Italy, with 132 in the North and 29 in the South and the islands. TheFork described pizza as especially suited to structured, repeatable expansion because it combines a familiar product, broad demand and relatively clear operating standards.

Across the platform as a whole, Italian cuisine remained the largest category, accounting for 22% of restaurants on TheFork in Italy. Mediterranean cuisine followed at 13%, while pizzerias represented 10%. Fish restaurants accounted for 8%. The numbers suggest that pizza is not only a staple of informal dining but also a significant part of Italy’s organized full-service restaurant business.

The consumer side of the market points in the same direction. According to TheFork’s survey data cited in the report, 82% of respondents said pizza is among the dishes Italians love most. Among women, that figure rose to 89%. The company said that attachment helps explain why pizza continues to work across family dining, casual meals and chain expansion.

The report also pointed to specific brands as examples of how the model has evolved. Fradiavolo, which started in Genoa, now operates a network of 34 restaurants in Italy and abroad, including openings in Miami and France, according to the study. Pizzium, founded in Milan in 2017, has grown to 54 pizzerias in Italy, including 12 in Milan alone. TheFork said those cases show how a local pizzeria concept can be turned into a national or international format when the brand, menu and operations are standardized.

The broader picture in the report suggests that Italy still trails some other European markets in the spread of chain dining, at least on TheFork’s platform. The study said chain groups make up 35% of restaurants on TheFork in the United Kingdom, 18% in Spain and 14% in France, compared with 4% in Italy. That gap reflects Italy’s more fragmented restaurant market, where independent and family-run businesses still dominate.

Still, the platform’s data indicate that organized groups are becoming more visible in Italy’s digital dining economy. The observatory said 12% of all bookings on TheFork involve large chains. It also found that mobile use is central to restaurant discovery and reservations, with 88% of interactions between customers and restaurants on TheFork taking place through the mobile app.

The study ties that shift to changing customer habits. Reviews now play a major role in restaurant selection, especially among younger and middle-aged diners who book online. According to the report, 45% of Italian users over age 25 said reviews are the most important factor in choosing a restaurant. TheFork said that trend favors structured groups that can reproduce the same service model, menu identity and customer experience across multiple locations.

Carlo Carollo, TheFork’s country manager in Italy, said in a statement that pizza remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Italian cuisine while also being one of the easiest formats to scale and organize. The report argues that this mix of tradition and operational repeatability is one reason pizza is becoming a leading model in Italian chain dining at a time when restaurants are under pressure to improve consistency, efficiency and digital visibility.