Vocelli Pizza introduced an imported Pinsa Romana crust across its full network of locations on May 18, 2026, the Pittsburgh-based chain announced, adding a high-protein, Roman-style alternative to its existing crust lineup in a bid to attract health-conscious consumers.
The crust is sourced exclusively from Di Marco, the Italian company credited with commercializing Pinsa Romana — a centuries-old flatbread distinguished from conventional pizza dough by its blend of rice, soy, and wheat flours, which yields a lighter, more digestible product with a higher protein profile. Vocelli said its research-and-development team spent more than a year evaluating competing suppliers before selecting Di Marco as its partner.
The launch positions Vocelli within a broader consumer shift toward better-for-you restaurant options, a trend that has pushed operators across the casual and quick-service segments to reformulate core menu items rather than rely solely on add-on health offerings. Imported, artisan-style crusts also carry premium price signaling that can support average-check growth without requiring full menu restructuring.
For Vocelli, a regional chain competing against national quick-service pizza brands, the differentiation play is strategically significant. Pinsa Romana remains a niche format in the United States despite growing visibility in upscale Italian dining, giving the operator a product story that larger chains have not yet moved to replicate at scale. The partnership with Di Marco — whose intellectual claim to the format dates to 2001 — adds provenance credentials that support marketing positioning. The move also reflects a wider pattern of regional pizza chains investing in proprietary ingredients to counter margin pressure from delivery aggregators.
"Our R&D team worked for over a year tasting various Pinsa crusts, but nothing compared to Di Marco's quality," said Toni Bianco, chief executive of Vocelli Pizza. "As the inventors of Pinsa, Di Marco's is the best partner for Vocelli Pizza." Bianco added the company's longtime positioning line: "Italy invented pizza, Vocelli perfected it." The company did not disclose pricing for the new crust option, projected sales volumes, or the number of units carrying the product at launch.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
