When PIZZA opened on the corner of Girard and Shackamaxon in Philadelphia’s Fishtown back in April 2018, people complained. Maybe it was because another pizza joint was taking over the hallowed ground where Joe Beddia had been slinging 40 pizzas a night for five years, before closing last April to relocate and expand. Maybe it was because residents didn’t want another pizza shop in Fishtown. But from what I heard, it was because it was expensive.

Seven blocks east on Girard, Tommy’s Pizza sells a whole cheese pie for $7.00. A block further, Fishtown Pizza does too. So why would you ever pay $4.00 for a single slice at PIZZA (yes, the shop’s name is just PIZZA) when you could get a whole pie for three dollars more? If you ask me, it’s because cheap pizza is actually a terrible investment. If you want a good slice, you have to pay for it.

It’s long been assumed that all pizza is created equal: made with the same ingredients, using the same techniques, requiring the same overhead investment. That assumption should be buried. We’re past that. We’re in the midst of a sea change, as our everyday American slice evolves, improves, and yes, gets pricier as a result. If you need proof, go ahead and take note of the pizzerias leading the charge toward a more wholesome, delicious future.

There’s Scarr’s Pizza in Manhattan, which mills all their grains in-house to create fresh flour for the dough each day. At Brooklyn’s L’industrie, they let their dough ferment for three days, as opposed to overnight like most run-of-the-mill slice shops. At PIZZA, the produce is organic, and bought from Riverwards Produce, a grocer that works with local organic farms. Look to the crew at Pizza Jerk in Portland, OR. Or the team at Belleville in Portland, ME. Or the folks at Dino’s Tomato Pie in Seattle or Home Slice in Austin, TX. They’re all rising above the bar. Sure, it means they sell their slices for around $4.00—roughly twice (or three times) as much as their neighboring joints handing over a wedge. But they’re all worth it.

Pizza, like most foods, can only be as good as the ingredients from which it’s made. Longer fermentation means superior crust texture. Freshly milled flour means healthier, more flavorful dough. Organic produce from small farms means a healthier planet, happier farmers, and profits reaped by the people who actually put the effort in. All of these commitments require extra time, labor, and money from pizza makers, and they all make the stuff taste better. They also make a slice more expensive. But that’s not to be exclusive, alienating, or elitist.