MOD Pizza | New Menu Launch
Since its founding, MOD Pizza built its identity on individuality, speed, and set pricing that allowed guests to build their own custom pizzas and salads with unlimited toppings. As the fast-casual category matured and consumer expectations evolved, we set out to refresh the restaurant’s menu.
The existing menu board structure presented operational friction and missed important opportunities. MOD Pizza embarked on a comprehensive menu design refresh aimed at creating a seamless customer journey, boosting guest satisfaction, and maximizing business performance while maintaining the soulful essence of the brand.
The Strategic Vision
The objective was not to re-invent MOD Pizza, but to unify design messaging, simplify the ordering experience, and connect the dots across the entire customer journey through the restaurant. By pairing modern visual design principles with operational practicality, the refreshed menu serves as both a welcoming guide for the guest and a high-performing engine for the brand.
The Challenge: Balancing Brand Identity with Frictionless Ordering
Over time, menu language inconsistencies, evolving product offerings, and changing customer preferences created a gap between what guests wanted and how the menu communicated with them. New guests found the customization process intimidating, while returning guests missed high-value opportunities like sides, add-ons, and rewards. To bridge this gap, MOD established four core objectives for the redesign:
De-Mystify the Ordering Process
Visual Guidance: Introduce a clear, intuitive visual explanation of “How to MOD,” walking guests through the step-by-step process of constructing their favorite pizza or salad.
Standardize Language & Options: Eliminate instructional and sizing inconsistencies across markets, while clearly communicating available options and premium upgrades.
Highlight Desirability & Drive Average Order Value (AOV)
Flavor-Centric Naming: Align new product names and refresh brand descriptions to better convey flavor profiles and remove outdated terminology.
Promote Sides & Add-Ons: Strategically showcase sides, drinks, and extras to drive impulse purchases, cater to value-driven decisions, and increase AOV.
Amplify Customization & Discovery: Maintain strong emphasis on “Build Your Own” while offering low-friction entry points for guests to “try something new.”
Encourage MOD Rewards Enrollment
Logical Placement: Position loyalty prompts naturally along the customer journey where purchasing intent and value perception are highest.
Hype Benefits: Clearly articulate the value and exclusive perks of joining the MOD Rewards program.
Address Practical & Architectural Needs
Operational Flexibility: Design panel layouts and divisions that accommodate more affordable, modular menu updates.
Physical Compatibility: Optimize substrate sizing for seamless hardware compatibility and ease of hanging across diverse store footprints.
1) Defining “MOD” as Unlimited Value
Previously, “MOD” referred to a size (an 11-inch pizza or 2-serving salad), while the top-selling “build your own” option wasn’t explicitly named. We shifted “MOD” from a sizing term to our core differentiator: an Unlimited Toppings, One Price entrée. Sizing was simplified to Small, Regular, and Large.
2) Flavor-First Signature Menu Builds
We overhauled all 12 Signature pizzas and salads to better match guest preferences. By shifting from founder-centric product names to intuitive, flavor-forward naming, we removed ordering friction while keeping the brand’s signature irreverence.
3) Consistent, High-Impact Wayfinding
We re-engineered the layout to eliminate inconsistencies in sizing labels, messaging hierarchy, and nutritional info. Clearer navigation helps guests instantly spot products and pricing, while giving sides, desserts, and beverages elevated real estate to drive higher Average Order Value (AOV).
4) Agile, Modular Messaging
To showcase limited-time offers and localized promotions without replacing entire boards, we introduced magnetic menu frames for featured messaging. Pre-printed inserts allow stores to pivot featured products, highlight inventory, or launch localized campaigns in days rather than months.
5 and 6) Journey Optimization
Refreshed panels at the makeline and POS counters guide guests at every step of their journey. Clear ordering steps, brand messaging, and loyalty perks are visible throughout the store, empowering guests to order with confidence.
Pizza with Personality
MOD Pizza’s new menu launched in August 2026. Our team was not only challenged with designing the menu, but also communicating it to guests. In one of our largest campaigns ever, we were tasked with hyping 12 all-new pizzas and salads, 3 new desserts, and several additional limited-time offerings. We knew we had to find balance in communicating change and newness while honoring the legacy that our brand is built on. Pizza with Personality allowed us to juxtapose old and new, using vintage, campy photos and themes to hype our love of pizza. This design language mixed delicious with absurd and asked guests to “Keep Pizza Weird”.
A New Digital Experience
With a whole new menu, we needed to capture all-new product and lifestyle photography for online ordering, social media, and other digital channels. Coming off the heels of this year’s recent brand architecture refresh, we were able to consistently capture delicious-looking pizzas and salads and grow our editorial catalog with photography from local launch parties. After more than a year of planning and development, a modern MOD Pizza emerged that celebrates uniqueness, embraces weird, and delivers consistently great food.
CREDITS
Designers: Jamie Pearson, Andy Biggs
Project Manager: Allison Devine
Social Media Manager: Chase Kolby
MY CONTRIBUTION: Creative, Design, Lead