Serving Hot Pizza
& Cooler Derivatives 🍕
***Roundup by: Paige Hogan (@paigewilhog) Founder of Hotline Tips
Pizza will always be hot, but how are the big chains making it so "cool” right now?
With the growing craze of Chain (@eatatchain), I’ve noticed a lot of our favorite places getting a little more loose & creative in their approach to move from customer satisfaction to fan-level excitement. Notable fast food & fast casual chains are finally realizing we (as the customer) will always come for the classics during times we need that comfort, but to immediately boost community clout (and revenue) they need an outrageous idea or activation to buzz people right through the doors and onto their TikToks.
Here are the current chains leading pizza’s most viral moments:
Pizza Hut x Yeastie Boys Pizza Bagel
If you didn’t grow up burning the sh*t out of your mouth from a tiny pizza bagel, then you wouldn’t understand the appeal.
For us the pizza bagel has forever left a scar in our mouths, but we’re always wanting more. Pizza Hut partnering with popular bagel food truck Yeastie Boys makes perfect sense; a callback to that classic yearning for an after school pizza bagel snack.
“Pizza Hut was an integral part of my childhood and so were pizza bagels." We’re glad Evan Fox, founder of Yeastie Boys, gets it.
We’re just sad this is only available at Yeastie Boys food trucks in LA & NYC for a limited time. Take it all the way Pizza Hut, we dare you.
Little Caesar’s Crazy Puffs
Little Caesars is most known for their uncomplicated approach to a “hot and ready pizza” at any time. But over the years this concept was really only beneficial for a sad last-minute corporate pizza party.
While a cupcake style pizza isn’t a new concept, this is a fresh approach to combine their most notable crazy bread with classic ready-made pizza. The added bonus is the natural progression that this new handheld pizza pairs perfectly with the viral craze of consumers reviewing food in their cars. To send it all home, P.U.F.F.Y. Fest fabulously showcased this idea with creators like Rashad Mooreman (@mr.chimetime) and a literal mini-dining-table bib that had us dying.
Honestly, this is the best resurrection of a pizza chain we’ve ever seen.
KFC’s Chizza & Chizzeria
As far as brands going completely unhinged, KFC decided to go waaay out of their lane and parody pizza with their “Chizza” concept. KFC has definitely been out of pocket with creations over the decades, but this was the first time they went beyond just a limited-time menu drop by doing a full-scale takeover of an NYC KFC location, creating an entire Chizzeria.
We appreciated all the design work put into making this feel special. It goes to show how an immersive experience can really get people talking. Love it or hate it, we do think it shows real talent in thinking beyond the brand and how playful it can be within their own IP.
But also no surprise with the parent company, Yum! Brands, owning both KFC AND Pizza Hut.
Chick-fil-A Pizza
As far as the viral trickle down effect, we’re now seeing other “pizza-never” chains drop concepts of their own.
Chick-fil-A recently teased they are testing pizza in their concept kitchen, “Little Blue Kitchen”. Chick-fil-A pizza isn’t a new idea, it’s a hot-tok from the fast food culinary creators who have been menu hacking this for a while now… and we’d try it at least once.
We’re curious to see where this goes and if it expands to all locations!
Pizza clearly played a big role for March.
It is curious though, as far as missed opportunities with this craze and the release of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” that no chain has partnered with Slimer to release a special pizza. The slimed pizza doesn’t have to stay forever, but give the people what they don’t know they want!
Just some final food for thought there big chains.
While we put our leftovers in the fridge (because some of these definitely won’t last sitting on the counter overnight), are you looking for more pizza derivatives from your favorite chains, or are you all pizza’ed out?