The local pizza place should be one of the few beneficiaries of tough economic times, as cheap but satisfying slices have always been a staple of the pressed and penurious. But that’s not the case, according to the Daily News. Pizza joints are being squeezed by rising costs. Flour prices have tripled, mozzarella has gone up 25 percent, paper costs are skyrocketing, and that’s not all: “The rising cost of ingredients comes on top of the price hikes everybody is dealing with; insurance, gas, electric, and water and sewer bills are soaring.” And because everyone expects pizza to be cheap, even small rises in price hurt business. “Nobody makes money,” laments the eponymous owner of Vinny Vincenz.

Pizza Makers Say Their Slice Shrinks [NYDN]