Kayla Young
Tootsie rolls, yummy cheesy pizza, and free bagels in a gym? Yes, you read that right. As weird as it seems, Planet Fitness gives them out for free to their members. But why does Planet Fitness have pizza (and Tootsie Rolls)? Is it a devious plan to get their members to stay fat and have to use their fitness club? Or do they just want to give their members a treat?
Well, there are two opposing reasons as to why they have them. According to Planet Fitness, it serves as a treat for its members. However, other people think that it is their way to attract clients.
Some feel it is a ploy to keep members unhealthy so they feel the need to keep their memberships! Let’s dive into the explanations below to better understand the issues.
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Does Planet Fitness Still Have Free Pizza in 2022?
After Covid hit, many franchises stopped offering pizza, reasoning that gathering a lot of people around a small space for pizza is a bad idea.
Unfortunately, many clubs have kept that policy and removed the pizza and bagels from the program. Many of these franchises switched to offering rewards through the app.
Check with your individual club to see if Pizza Monday has restarted in your location.
Why Does Planet Fitness Have Pizza and Tootsie Rolls?
The main reason why Planet Fitness gives out free pizza, Tootsie Rolls, and bagels is that it is their style of marketing. The customers Planet Fitness targets tend to like the freebies that they offer.
Planet Fitness markets itself as a fitness club without judgment. They won’t judge you based on your physical fitness status. They just want you to improve from where you are. And if pizza and Tootsie Rolls serve as an encouragement for people to go to the gym, then good!
This is a way for them to make their members feel comfortable.
A lot of people who think about getting fit end up failing because they think that their diet and exercise regimen is very restrictive and that you just can’t eat a pizza. They get exhausted and cancel their membership.
Although pizza or tootsie rolls do have a lot of calories and carbs, eating them in moderation won’t jeopardize all your hard work from working out on the rowing machines, or rocking out on the squat rack.
The key here is to eat them in moderation. That is the real challenge to fitness.
No matter what, you’ll be living in a world surrounded by unhealthy, incredibly tasty food. You need to learn how to deal with that and learn to eat these foods in moderation.
No matter what, you’ll be living in a world surrounded by unhealthy, incredibly tasty food. You need to learn how to deal with that and learn to eat these foods in moderation.
It is not only doing exercises but also being disciplined about what you eat. They have to be balanced and work together.
The Location of the Food
Usually, the food and candy are offered by the front desk. This gives an opportunity for those members who are grabbing a quick snack to talk to the Planet Fitness employees. It also gives an opportunity for those employees to upsell the customer on the Black Card plan, to encourage them to try doing some Personal Training, etc.
Also, keep in mind that Planet Fitness may be a fitness club with gym equipment and exercise machines, but not all members go there just to exercise. Some might go there for the other amenities that they have to offer like the tanning booths, hydro massage chairs, and Total Body Enhancement machines.
People’s Negative Reactions
People have different opinions about Planet Fitness’ decision to provide free treats to their members. Some consider PF a joke because they are feeding members with high-calorie foods for free.
The whole thing does seem a bit Bass Ackwards.
Although it is optional to eat the freebies and you won’t be forced out of the club if you don’t, it is a temptation that is hard to resist.
Some speculate that Planet Fitness doesn’t really influence its members to be fit and healthy. They just want additional members to join them. That is why they come up with some of the craziest marketing ideas like free tootsie rolls, pizza, and bagels in a place where you’re supposed to get healthy.
Other people advise those who are looking into joining Planet Fitness to look elsewhere because it would be hard for them to meet their goal at PF.
However, the goals of fitness are really personal. And no matter which gym you join, you have to be committed to working out and navigating a world that contains sweet, high-carb, high-calorie foods.
The Management’s Defense
In defense of the claims that their free pizza and bagels “undo” the workout, they released an article in Shape. According to the article, they gave away free pizza for members because they believe in being realistic. They said that people can still be healthier even if they eat pizza in moderation.
Also, they said that they believe that it is okay to treat yourself in moderation.
The free pizza at Planet Fitness isn’t available every day. It is only available every first Monday of the month. The free bagels are given every first Tuesday of the month and the tootsie rolls are at the front desk for all to get if they want to.
History Of The Free Pizza at Planet fitness
The free pizza that Planet Fitness gives away isn’t really a new thing. It was in 1998, when a club at Concord, NH had their water heaters broken. They provided the free pizza for everyone on-site as a “thank you” for patiently waiting for the heaters to be fixed. From then on, the tradition of giving pizza was started and is now practiced in every location.
Final Thoughts
The free Tootsie Rolls, pizza, and bagels at Planet Fitness are given simply as a marketing strategy. It is their way to attract their market of people who want to go to the gym in a judgment-free environment, similar to their providing free Wifi to members.
Many feel that it’s very strange, and at cross purposes to encouraging a healthy life, but it’s just the way Planet Fitness does things.
