How Does Your Pizza-Eating Style Reflect On Your Personality?

Nothing beats a fresh, gooey pizza pie. With about 3 million pizzas sold each year in the United States and an average of 46 slices of pizza eaten per person each year, you aren’t alone in your pizza eating activities.

• Straightforward Tip-to-Crust Method
• Crust-First Method
• Fold-It-Over-And-Eat-It Method
• Inside-Out Folding Method
• Rolling-Method
• Cut-With-A-Knife-And-Fork Method
• Double-Decker Method
• Save-The-Crust-For-Later Method
• Separate-Toppings-From-Crust Method

You know just what to do when your piece of the pie hits your plate. You don’t waste any time digging in, but how exactly do you eat your pizza? Have you thought about the many different ways to eat pizza?

The way you eat your pizza can give some insight into your personality. Do you opt for the traditional method of picking it up and eating it from tip to crust? Or do you fold the crust first? Do you laugh in the face of pizza-eating norms, instead blazing a new path?

Discover your pizza eating style personality profile! You may learn something about yourself or your pizza-eating comrades.

Straightforward Tip-to-Crust Method

Eating a slice of pizza from cheesy tip to doughy crust is perhaps the most traditional of pizza eating methods. It is a logical progression from the narrow end to the wide end of the slice. The crust serves as a sturdy handle as you consume the piece of pie. Going with the standard method of eating a pizza is convenient because you don’t need any extra utensils or gear. You don’t even need a plate. Simply grab the slice of pizza, and you’re ready to eat.

• How It Works: This method of eating pizza involves picking up the slice with your bare hands. It’s okay — everyone else is doing it. Your hands may get a little messy, but that’s what your jeans or for — or a napkin if you prefer a more civilized approach to cleanup. With the tip pointed toward you, start taking bites until you reach the crusty end of the piece.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: This traditional style works well with most types of pizzas, especially pizzas on the thinner side. As you get thicker or add more toppings to a pie, the slices get heavier and more difficult to manage. A thick pizza requires a two-handed hold with plenty of napkins or wet naps on hand, while a thin crust pizza gives the freedom of a single-hand hold for this method.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You know what works, and you refuse to mess with tradition. You know what to expect when you pick up your favorite type of pizza. You probably order the same toppings each time, because, again, you know what you like and what works, so why mess with your order? That same sense of familiarity likely transfers to other areas of your life. You like your routine, and you like to stick with methods and experiences that work.

Crust-First Method

The logical order is to start at the tip and work your way to the crust, but some people prefer to flip the pizza eating tradition on its head, and start at the crust. It may seem odd, but it is a valid way to enjoy a slice of pizza. The crust-first method can be a little messy. Once the crust is gone, you don’t have a good place to hold on to the slice. After you eat the built-in handle, you may end up with lots of grease and cheese on your fingers.

• How It Works: Hold the slice of pizza in your hand. Flip it around, and bite into the thick, fluffy crust. Once the crust is gone, finish the rest of the pizza slice. Wipe off the extra pizza debris from your hands.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: You need a substantial crust to bite into, so a thicker pizza with a fluffy crust works best. You can try this method on a thin crust pizza, but you won’t have much to eat first, so there’s not much point to starting at the crust.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: Eating the crust first shows you do your own thing. You know others start at the cheesy point first, saving the crust for last, but you won’t give in to those societal norms. You like to rebel, and you don’t care who sees you. It could also mean the cheese is too hot or you like the crust least of all and want to get rid of it first to savor the cheesy topping portion last, but you can still wear that rebel badge proudly. Rebellious methods can be observed in other areas of your life. You are considered an influencer. You like the spotlight. Dare we suggest you may have a flair for the dramatic with a booming voice that demands attention.

Fold-It-Over-and-Eat-It Method

Folding is for more than your clean laundry. Some folks like to fold their pizza slices in half before enjoying the delicious taste. This method traps the toppings inside, making it possible to eat cleanly or multitask while you snack on your favorite pizza. Folding can also significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to consume your pizza, giving you precious minutes to do other things.

• How It Works: Pizza eaters using this method pick up a slice of pizza as they would for a normal approach. Instead of eating it right away, they fold the sides upward and together to trap the toppings inside, leaving the bottom crust exposed on either side.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: This approach to eating pizza works well when the slice of pizza has many toppings that you don’t want to lose. Folding it traps the toppings inside the slice. Folding is easiest on a thinner slice of pizza with a flexible crust. A thick slice will not fold over completely, making it difficult to bite. A crispy, rigid or crumbly crust is more likely to crack or break apart when you try to fold it, leaving you with a destroyed shell. A messy slice shouldn’t stop you from eating it, but stick with a flexible crust if you insist on folding your slice.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You can handle more than one task at a time. You know how to be efficient, and you also know how to stay clean. You may miss some of the subtle flavor nuances by smashing the toppings together inside the crust, but that’s okay, because you are built for efficiency and multitasking. You multitask when you have a slice of pizza folded between your hands, and you take charge and multitask in other aspects of your life as well. You like things fast paced. You might get bored easily when you don’t have plenty of things to keep your hands busy. You’re not afraid to take charge of a situation and get things done.

Inside-Out Folding Method

Instead of folding the slice inward so the toppings stay inside, inside-out method requires you to fold the pizza the opposite way so the toppings point outward. Why would you consider this method? Some people want a full blast of flavor from the toppings hitting the taste buds first, instead of tasting the crust first.

• How It Works: Hold the pizza slice in your hand. Fold it in half lengthwise by bringing the edges together with the toppings on the outside of the folded slice.
• Best Top of Pizza for This Method: Just like the original folding method, the inside-out fold works best with thin slices of pizza that bend easily. We also recommend perfecting this method on pizzas with limited toppings. Any large chunks or loose toppings will fall off, so a basic cheese pizza is an ideal choice.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You are trendy and not afraid to try something new. You want to experience the full flavor of life head on. You aren’t afraid to get a little messy in the pursuit of the finer things in life. You don’t mind people looking at you a little funny. After all, people are likely to stare if you eat your pizza folded with the toppings out.

Rolling Method

Another method that makes some people stop and stare is the rolling method. While not as common, some people opt for this method to keep the toppings inside or to shake up the routine. This method also makes it much faster to polish off your piece of pizza, although you may find it difficult to fit the rolled piece of pizza in your mouth. Beware the potential for a topping spill out the ends of the rolled pizza tube.

• How It Works: Simply roll the pizza from the crust end to the tip with the toppings toward the inside of the roll. This method is similar to the folding method in that the crust forms the outside of the slice once rolled. Once rolled, start at one end of the roll and work your way to the other side. Keep the roll as flat as possible to prevent lost toppings out the end.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: Just like the folding method, rolling your slice requires a thin, flexible pizza pie. A thick slice is difficult to roll and results in a log of pizza too thick to bite. Pizza with a fluffy crust is also difficult to roll, as the edge crust adds bulk.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You like to come up with new ways to do things. Traditional methods may work, but why go the boring route? You also like to do things as efficiently as possible. It may take both hands to support the rolled pizza slice, but you can finish off that slice much faster in a roll.

Cut-With-a-Knife-and-Fork Method

Pizza is a food you reach in and grab with your hands, yet some people take a more delicate approach, bringing a knife and fork to the pizza-eating party. Before you judge, consider the perks. Being prim and proper with a fork and knife in hand keeps your hands nice and clean, so you can move on to the next task without leaving a trail of pizza grease wherever you go. This method is also a good way to avoid losing toppings if you prefer a loaded pizza.

• How It Works: This method of eating pizza requires a little more gear. You need a sturdy plate, a knife and a fork. Like cutting a steak, the fork is used to stabilize the pizza, while the knife cuts through the layers of cheese, toppings and crust. Using the fork, you delicately enjoy one cut piece at a time.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: You can take the knife-and-fork approach with any type of pizza, but it is particularly well suited to a thick, substantial deep-dish pizza or any thick pizza piled with toppings. This method makes tackling a thick pizza a little less messy and minimizes topping loss — a serious problem in the world of pizza eating. You may find it difficult to cut through crispy thin crust pizzas.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: Using a fork and knife shows that you have the patience to eat your pizza carefully. You want to savor each individual bite, rather than shove it all in at once. You don’t like to get messy, and you don’t want to lose any delicious toppings. The 10-second rule does not apply in busy pizza restaurants —you’re no savage. Eating with utensils saves you from losing delicious toppings. Eating pizza with a knife and fork also means you like to stick to tradition. You feel comfortable with a knife and fork in hand, and you don’t intend to give up that method of eating, even for pizza. You’re probably as careful and polite in other daily pursuits. You likely approach each task with a systematic plan.

Double-Decker Method

Stacking pizza slices is a legitimate method of eating pizza for some hardcore pie eaters. Call it a challenge for the serious pizza eater or simply an efficient way to consume large quantities of pizza. Whatever your reason for stacking pizza slices, this method says a lot about your personality.

• How It Works: Place one piece of pizza directly on top of another slice. Proceed to eat the crust-sauce-toppings-crust-sauce-toppings layered pattern as you would any other pizza. If you want less mess, you can flip one slice of pizza upside down, so the toppings point inward on both slices, creating a sort of pizza sandwich with the crusts forming the top and bottom.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: The double-decker method works best with thin-crust pizza. If you opt for pizza with a thick, fluffy crust, you’ll find it difficult to align the slices because the crusts get in the way of an even, level stack. Try it with a deep dish, and you will end up with a stack way too thick for the average mouth. If you’re up for a challenge, go for it!
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You don’t mess around. You don’t have time to eat individual slices. You need a hot melty pie in your mouth right when you want it. You are efficient, packing away twice the pizza in the same amount of time as your lesser counterparts. Or maybe it simply means you prefer a thicker pizza, while the one in charge of ordering prefers thin crust. Whatever the case, you aren’t afraid of a challenge and you know how to problem solve. You are efficient in everything you do, often finding ways to simplify or speed up everyday tasks.

Save-the-Crust-for-Later Method

For some people, saving any part of a slice of pizza seems unfathomable, but some diners feel compelled to save the crust once the cheesy, topping-covered portion of the slice is gone. We’ve heard rumors that some people simply don’t eat the crust, although that seems difficult to believe. Others save the crust as a sort of breadstick used to dunk in extra sauce, or perhaps you simply like the crust the best and want to save your crusts for last.

• How It Works: You eat the main part of the pizza slice as you would, nibbling all the way to the edge crust, where you stop. The crust either sits on your plate until you decide to eat it, gets dunked into sauce or gets tossed in the trash.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: The save-the-crust-for-later method works best on a pizza with a thick edge crust. You won’t have much left to save on a super thin crust pizza.
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You like to squeeze every bit of pleasure out of life. You’re not afraid to get creative to improve things, including the taste of the pizza crust. If you abandon the crust completely, you’re the type of person who knows what you like, and you aim to achieve it.

Separate-Toppings-From-Crust Method

Some people dissect their pizza slice as soon as it hits the plate. This method is frequently observed in young pizza eaters — typically the ones who still take naps and rely on mom and dad to drive them to the pizza shop. Don’t let that stop you from trying this method if you feel pulled in the direction of separating toppings from crust.

• How It Works: You peel off the top layer of gooey cheese and toppings before eating.Some people eat both parts separately. Others pick some of the toppings off before replacing the rest of the toppings back on the crust. Others eat only the toppings or only the crust.
• Best Type of Pizza for This Method: This option works for any type of pizza!
• What This Method Says About Your Personality: You’re a picky eater, or you know what you like. Perhaps you don’t want to get bogged down by a heavy crust. Perhaps you lost the toppings selection battle, so now you’re stuck peeling off the things you don’t like. Either way, you know what you like and you’re not afraid to personalize your pizza-eating experience. You enjoy the pleasures of life and don’t want to ruin your pizza experience with the parts you don’t enjoy. You also aren’t afraid to work to get what you want.

Test Your Favorite Pizza-Eating Methods

After exploring all the ways to eat pizza, consider trying them on a tasty Giordano’s pizza. We don’t mind you experimenting with our pizzas to get a feel for your preferred pizza-eating style. Ninety-three percent of Americans eat at least one slice of pizza per month, so there’s a good chance you will have an opportunity to analyze your own pizza-eating habits soon.

Order our famous stuffed deep dish pizza if you want to test your knife-and-fork skills on a thick, hearty slice of pie. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the save-the-crust-for-later method or the crust-first method on a deep dish slice. If you’re a pizza folder or a pizza stacker, try our thin or extra thin crust pizza.

Whether you stick with your usual pizza-eating method or try something new, Giordano’s pizza pleases your palette. If you decide to share your Giordano’s with friends, don’t forget to analyze their preferred pizza eating methods to gain a little more insight into who they are.