New York Named Nation's Top Pizza State; Connecticut Ranks 16th
A recent survey by Maine Lobster Now places New York at the top for pizza quality, while Connecticut's marketing efforts fall short.
New York has been declared the number one pizza state in the United States, according to a new survey by Maine Lobster Now. The Empire State received a top ranking based on positive Google reviews, with 43.05% of its statewide reviews being favorable.
Connecticut, despite previous claims of being the nation's pizza capital and a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign, landed at number 16 with a customer satisfaction rate of 29.20%. This result has led to a spirited response from Connecticut officials, who expressed dissatisfaction with the survey's findings.
"Eat our words? Not a chance. We’ll be eating another slice of Connecticut pizza," Morgan Nyerick, Director of Connecticut Statewide Marketing & Tourism, told The Post. "We have tremendous respect for Maine Lobster Now when it comes to lobster, but we’ll keep the pizza title right here in Connecticut. After all, we did put ‘Welcome to Connecticut, Home of the Pizza Capital of the US’ on our highway signs. So, we’re pretty committed at this point."
The survey data, curated by Maine Lobster Now, analyzed positive Google reviews across all states. New Jersey followed New York in second place with 39% positive reviews, and Rhode Island secured third with 36.26%.
Connecticut's previous marketing efforts included billboards in Manhattan and Brooklyn with messages such as, "Connecticut Pizza Wins. NYC Takes The L" and "The Nation’s Best Pizza. Not You, New York." These were part of a campaign by the Connecticut Office of State Marketing and Tourism.
Other states also performed below expectations in the survey. Illinois, known for its deep-dish pizza, ranked 19th with 27.23% positive reviews. Even states not traditionally associated with pizza dominance, such as Texas, Oregon, and Missouri, ranked higher than Connecticut.
New York pizza proprietors expressed little surprise at the survey's outcome. Michael Vendome, owner of Fermento in the West Village, stated, "It’s 100% true and 100% accurate. I don’t think any other state is even close to messing with us when it comes to pizza. We’re the top dogs."
He highlighted New York's diverse pizza scene, with numerous shops offering various styles, shapes, and flavors. "There’s no other state that you could go to where you could find all these styles done well — done great –compared to what we are doing in New York," Vendome added.
Michael Ayoub, chef and owner of Fornino in Brooklyn, echoed this sentiment. "We are the best in the country. I could have told you that — They didn’t have to do all this type of investigation if they had called me up first. I would have saved somebody a lot of trouble," Ayoub said, noting his business was celebrating its 24th anniversary.