Sections Pizza Was the Restaurant Hero of 2020 Its ease and affordability made it a pandemic staple for many families and a rare bright spot in an industry that has been decimated. Credit...Tony Cenicola/The New York Times Feb. 12, 2021 A few times a week, Elizabeth Reninger ambles to a pizza restaurant near her job for lunch. She orders the same thing every time: a cheese slice and fries for $6. For a little adventure, she sprinkles on some Parmesan and red pepper flakes. Before the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country, Ms. Reninger, a criminology student at Northern Arizona University who also works at a dog day-care facility, estimated that she ate pizza only once every couple of months. That changed late last summer when she strolled into a Slice and Ice pizza parlor.