Often, I take leisurely strolls up and down the streets near my house. To my left as I turn the corner, there is a pizza place with a bright yellow awning and a welcoming smell. The chairs are arranged around a small round table and there are regularly three or four customers sitting outside, waiting for their meal. The middle aged man in the corner sits on his computer, typing away as a fresh pie is delivered right to his table. A couple feeds their kid small bites of cut up pizza. On the rare occasion that I come here, I am overwhelmed with the aroma of the basil leaves and the smell of warm bread cooking in the oven. When I order, my meal comes on a large platter, and the welcoming staff hands me a glass of water to go with my food.
However, today, I walked past this place and went across the street to another pizza place. This one is smaller, more hidden within the folds of the city. The building is the type of brown that you see in the fall, when the leaves change color and fall to the ground. It seems almost squeezed between buildings, itching for more space. It has a small door and two windows, and as you walk in a young man greets you with a “Hello! What would you like to order?” He knows me, and I often reside here after a long school day or when I need a break. In the back, stacked on top of each other, are hundreds and hundreds of pizza boxes ready for delivery.
Today, as I sit down on my favorite table in the corner, I start to wonder where it all came from. On every block, there is a pizza place, each one bustling with people throughout the day. Who thought of this idea? How did it gain so much popularity? Who was the first to make the pizza box?
History of Pizza and the Pizza Box
The history of pizza started with the making of flatbreads. Flatbreads are a simple dough made without yeast, and can be topped with various vegetables or foods of your liking. They initially came about as a cheap and easy alternative to feed large groups of people during the Neolithic times. In the 18th century in Naples Italy, an Italian baker, Raffaele Esposito, created the first ever recorded pizza. This pizza was topped with lard, cheese and basil, called the “Mastunicola.” This is one of 687 pizzas types to come. Esposito’s work gained an immense amount of popularity and attention, and the news of this new food soon spread across the world.
Closely following the “Mastunicola,” Margherita pizza came into the making. Specifically, the idea emerged in the late 19th century, and was a pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. It was first introduced in Italy, and it correlated with the colors of the Italian flag; green, white and red. It is said to have been created to honor Queen Margherita during her visit to Naples in 1889. During her time in Naples, she fell severely ill after eating rotten food. Esposito was called to curate a pizza for the Queen, using higher quality foods. She wanted authentic Italian pizza.
It wasn’t until soldiers came home after World War II that pizza became popular internationally. They wanted a taste of the food they had had back in Italy. As production increased, so did the need for delivery.
As Pizza spread to New York, there was a rise in pizza chains such as Dominoes, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesar’s. To improve the functionality of these places and improve customer satisfaction, Tom Monoghan was the first to patent a design for the pizza box. This box was a simple, stackable box made of thin cardboard. This was the beginning of years of innovation. Companies continued to improve features such as heat retention and improved carriage during transport. The box was aimed at not only preserving heat but also presenting a visually appealing and reliable package to the customer.
More so than that, it became a canvas and a large space for slogans advertising, or displaying company names.
What seems like a simple construction has had to undergo many technological changes. The first ever pizza boxes were prone to sogginess and little heat retainability.
There has been an increased focus on making the packaging more environmentally friendly such as using more recyclable cardboard. To target the issues with heat retention, smart pizza boxes have been equipped with built in heaters. This way, your pizza arrives warm and fresh for consumption.
A fun fact is that in recent years, edible pizza boxes have come into the making, which replaces the traditional carboard with yet another actual pizza.
Further concerns in the functionality and efficiency of pizza boxes arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. The boxes were modified to include tamper-evident seals in order to assure that the food was not compromised during delivery.
Notable Innovations
“Pizza Hut Blockbuster Box” : This is a pizza box containing four different packaging designs, all based on sci-fi, romance, action, or horror films. The box contains a little circle which you can pop out and replace with a projector lens that comes with the box. You can scan the QR code, place your phone inside the box, and sit back and enjoy your meal and your movie is being projected out of a pizza box.
Pizza chains are ever-evolving in their branding and business, and pizza boxes stand as a focal point of this progression. While providing the customer with their long-awaited food, this seemingly ‘simple’ packaging creates a lasting connection. Its impact goes beyond the confines of the small cardboard box.
Pizza chains are ever-evolving in their branding and business, and pizza boxes stand as a focal point of this progression. While providing the customer with their long-awaited food, this seemingly ‘simple’ packaging creates a lasting connection. Its impact goes beyond the confines of the small cardboard box.