A trendy pizzeria in Norwich, England, has launched a bold campaign against the controversial pineapple pizza, pricing the Hawaiian variety at an eye-watering £100 ($123) in a bid to deter customers from ordering it.
Lupa Pizza recently added the ham-and-pineapple pizza to its food delivery app, cheekily describing it as: “Yeah, for 100 pounds you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” This provocative move aims to highlight the restaurant’s strong stance against what they see as an unsuitable pizza topping.
“We vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” said Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf. “It simply doesn’t belong on pizza in our opinion.” Co-owner and head chef Quin Jianoran added that while they do keep tinned pineapple on hand for any potential orders, such requests have yet to materialize.
As pizza’s global popularity continues to rise, unconventional toppings have stirred debate, leaving many Italians particularly perplexed by such culinary innovations.
A survey conducted by YouGov in January 2024 revealed that over half of Britons either love or enjoy pineapple on pizza, while 16% expressed dislike and nearly 20% admitted to hating it. The divisive nature of this topping has led several public figures to weigh in on the matter, with former British politician Ed Balls calling pineapple on pizza an “appalling” idea.
Despite the criticism, supporters of the Hawaiian pizza have come to its defense, particularly on social media. One user declared, “Pineapple on pizza is life,” while another appreciated the pizzeria’s “great bit of harmless marketing” in their stance against the topping.
The controversy even extends to Lupa’s local customers. Builder Simon Greaves, 40, argued that pineapple on pizza is fundamentally wrong, while 14-year-old Johnny Worsley disagreed, ranking the Hawaiian as his second-favorite pizza after pepperoni. However, Worsley was firm in his belief that the £100 price tag would deter anyone from actually ordering it.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether Lupa Pizza’s bold marketing tactic will succeed in turning the tide against the Hawaiian pizza or simply add fuel to the ongoing discussion.
