US pizza restaurant spending

As pizza spending has grown, more babies have been named Maverick, a correlation of 0.978 that connects the pizza economy to fighter pilot nomenclature with the delivery confidence of a chart that arrives hot and on time. The pizza is ordered, the baby is named, and both trends serve the same American household with the same appetite for things that are bold, satisfying, and require no explanation.

Pizza spending grew from about 36 billion to over 65 billion. Maverick grew to over 4,000 babies per year. Both eighteen-year upward curves. Pizza spending tracks population and income growth; Maverick tracks the mainstreaming of unconventional names. Both serve the same demographic: parents who order delivery and name their children with confidence.

Eighteen years of pizza and Maverick babies is a correlation between two forms of American boldness: one culinary, one nominal, both growing because the same culture has decided that more is more. The pizza arrives, the baby is named, and neither choice requires a committee. The order is placed. The certificate is signed. The correlation is cheesy.