A major shift is underway in Canada's competitive pizza delivery and carryout market, according to a new comprehensive study. Released on January 5, 2026, by Ottawa-based customer experience firm Intouch Insight, the annual report indicates that mid-sized pizza chains are successfully closing the performance gap with national industry giants by prioritizing food quality.
Quality Trumps Speed in Customer Satisfaction
The 2026 Annual Pizza Delivery and Carryout Study, conducted in partnership with PMQ Pizza, employed mystery shoppers to place and evaluate 600 orders across ten leading national and regional chains. These included heavyweights like Domino's, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, and Little Caesars, as well as mid-sized players such as Marco's Pizza and Jet's Pizza.
The data presents a clear narrative: food quality is the most significant driver of overall customer satisfaction. This focus on the product itself is creating a more level playing field. Notably, the study found that poor food temperature had a larger negative impact on satisfaction scores than traditional metrics like delivery speed or staff friendliness.
Mid-sized chains capitalized on this trend, achieving a 9.9 percentage point gain in overall satisfaction for delivery order service compared to the previous year.
Operational Challenges: Third-Party Delivery and Automation
While mid-sized brands are gaining ground, the study uncovered significant operational hurdles. A surprising 25% of the 300 delivery orders placed directly with pizza chains were ultimately fulfilled by a third-party delivery service. This outsourcing introduces critical quality control issues.
In 64% of these third-party deliveries, drivers failed to use an insulated pizza bag. For mid-sized chains, which already face average delivery times 5 minutes and 31 seconds longer than large chains, this omission was devastating. Food temperature scores plummeted from 100% when a bag was used to just 74% when it was not.
Another evolving trend is the rise of automation to combat labor shortages. The use of fully automated phone ordering systems increased from 9% to 14% year-over-year. However, this efficiency comes at a cost: satisfaction scores remain 5.7 percentage points lower with automation compared to interactions with live employees.
In-Store Service Declines as the Battle Evolves
The research also highlighted a concerning drop in traditional service standards. There was a significant year-over-year decline in staff attentiveness for in-store service, with large chains experiencing the steepest fall—a 15.1 percentage point drop.
Sarah Beckett, VP of Sales & Marketing at Intouch Insight, summarized the findings: "The narrative of the 'Pizza Wars' is evolving. While speed remains vital, our data confirms that quality will be the decisive factor for customer satisfaction. Mid-sized chains are proving they can compete with the giants by focusing on product excellence. However, their heavier reliance on third-party delivery presents a distinct challenge. Without the ability to enforce quality controls, specifically the use of insulated bags, brands risk sacrificing the very product quality that is driving their success."
The complete 2026 Annual Pizza Delivery and Carryout Study offers detailed, brand-by-brand comparisons on speed, accuracy, and customer service. The full report is available for download.
