Valentine\u2019s Day related consumer spending<\/a> will hit $29.1 billion this year \u2014 a record high for the most romantic day of the year. Local pizza parlors are serving up heart-shaped pizzas to secure their slice of the nearly $30 billion dollar pie.<\/p>\nDespite their trendy appeal, heart-shaped pizzas aren\u2019t a new fad.<\/p>\n
Me-n-Ed\u2019s Pizzeria, which was founded in Sacramento back in 1958, has sold heart-shaped pizza pies for nearly three decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe consider ours the original,\u201d said John Ferdinandi, the president and CEO of Milano Restaurants. The Fresno-based restaurant group operates over 70 restaurant locations, including Me-n-Ed\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Heart-shaped pizzas are the company\u2019s best selling promotional menu item \u2013 leading to significant significant sales bump each year on Valentine\u2019s Day. The promotion often leads to lines out the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our busiest day of the year,\u201d said Ferdinandi.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their presentation may be novel and fun, but a lot of time and effort goes into each holiday pie. Each Me-n-Ed\u2019s location makes its dough in house over the course of two days.<\/p>\n
Pizza artists mix the dough on day one, then let it rise. On day two, the dough is worked in a process called \u201cpriming\u201d before being set aside to rest for another day. On the third day, the dough is rolled out into sheets and cut into the shape of a heart \u2014 ready to be prepped and baked.<\/p>\n
Customers can choose from a variety of toppings, but the classic pepperoni is their biggest seller \u2014 with roughly 90% of the orders being single-topping pepperoni.<\/p>\n
Ferdinandi described their heart-shaped pizzas as a fast and easy option for busy people on V-Day \u2014 including families with young children \u2014 as well as those looking to spend the holiday with friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to stay at home with your friends or go on a picnic \u2026 it\u2019s just a way of recognizing the day and having fun with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Me-n-Ed\u2019s may be the O.G., but there\u2019s no shortage of alternatives. Several other local businesses offer heart-shaped pizzas for customers who are looking to celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day, Galentine\u2019s Day or even Palentine\u2019s Day with a pie.<\/p>\n
Fresno-based pizza shop called 99 Craft offers a heart-shaped pepperoni pie covered in fluffy ricotta cheese hearts. For customers that prefer to buy now and bake later, Our Little Pizza Place in northern Visalia sells a heart-shaped take-and-bake pizza.<\/p>\n
Madera\u2019s Popolo\u2019s Pizza shared on social media that any of their large pizzas could be made heart-shaped at no extra charge.<\/p>\n
Firebaugh Pizza started offering their heart-shaped pizzas beginning Feb. 2.<\/p>\n
As for Me-n-Ed\u2019s, though Valentine\u2019s Day is their busiest day of the year Ferdinandi said that their Pi-Day pizza is their best deal of the year. Each year on March 14, the company offers their personal pizzas at $3.14 in honor of Pi, or 3.14.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat deal gets better and better every year. As prices go up, Pi-Day always stays the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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![\"pizza](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/heartpizza-v3.png\")
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