Study: Pizza-Loving Cities Also Have the Greatest Number of Bars

OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 3, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pizza and beer go together, whether for one meal or for an entire town. A study from Infogroup Targeting Solutions found that the cities with the most pizza restaurants per capita also tend to have the greatest number of bars.

Infogroup pulled information on the number of restaurants by cuisine type and bars in each city from its real-time business database, Data Axle™. By analyzing the number of each in the top 100 United States cities by population, the study found that the list of cities with the most bars and the most pizza restaurants per capita overlaps significantly. Seven cities appear on the top 10 lists for both of these categories.

"Data changes fast, and if marketers don't have the most accurate information about a town and its inhabitants, they may be missing out," said Jeff Khadavi, president of Infogroup Data Licensing. "The Data Axle sees nearly 40 address changes and over 100 business name changes per hour. If you're not using verified information, it can be difficult to accurately paint a picture of your average customer and his or her hometown."

Many of the cities with a high concentration of bars compared to population also lead the list of pizza restaurants per capita. These cities were most often found in Rust Belt cities and towns housing large breweries. Pittsburgh leads the list, with 12 bars per 10,000 residents. Cities famous for pizza, such as New York and Chicago, don't appear in the top five in that category. Orlando, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Buffalo top the list, all with at least seven pizza parlors per 10,000 in population.

Other findings by cuisine type:

• Orlando has the greatest number of restaurants per 10,000 residents (99.3), followed by Atlanta (95.7), Miami (90.6), Las Vegas (79.7) and St. Louis (77.3).
• Top barbecue cities tend to be concentrated in the south. Atlanta leads the list with 3.7 restaurants per 10,000 residents. Birmingham, Ala. (2.7), Orlando (2.4), Memphis, Tenn. (2.3) and Tampa, Fla. (2.0) round out the top five.
• Orlando has the greatest concentration of seafood restaurants, at 2.6 restaurants for every 10,000 people. Miami (2.1), Atlanta (2.1), New Orleans (1.7) and Virginia Beach, Va. (1.7) follow.
• Burger restaurants are centered in tourist towns. Orlando leads the list with 5.6 per 10,000 residents. Las Vegas (4.6), St. Louis (4.4), Cincinnati (4.4) and Miami (4.3) are close behind.

"The Data Axle is a real-time database that's updated by real people," said Dave McRae, president of Infogroup Targeting Solutions. "We deliver relevant, accurate and complete information to help sales and marketing professionals target more effectively. The insights contained, from pizza-loving cities to the greatest concentration of brewpubs, can power multichannel intelligent customer engagements that drive marketing and sales ROI."

Statistics about the number of restaurants were pulled from Infogroup's Data Axle in September and October 2013. Restaurants were classified using Infogroup's SIC based industry code 581208 and bars, 581301. For an Infographic representation of the U.S. Restaurant and Bar Capitals, click here. More information on Infogroup's Data Axle technology is available at Data Axle.

About Infogroup Targeting Solutions

Infogroup Targeting Solutions helps companies increase sales and customer loyalty through analytically driven consumer and business data and database marketing solutions. With exclusive access to the Data Axle™, we build multichannel solutions using contextually relevant information on 235MM individuals and 25MM businesses. For more information, visit www.infogrouptargeting.com.