Few pizzerias out there can match Pizza Hut when it comes to new pizza variations. They
did invent stuffed crust after all. But not all of their creations have had staying power,
so keep watching to discover the discontinued Pizza Hut items we desperately miss.
When Pizza Hut was attempting to make Sicilian Pizza even better than it already was, they
took a lesson from their sister brand Taco Bell and thought outside the bun, or in this
case, the crust. They knew that people loved both lasagna and pizza, but usually you order
either one or the other for a meal. But Pizza Hut wanted to give customers both experiences
in one order, so they created the Sicilian Lasagna Pizza, and it was every bit as decadent
as you can imagine. It was advertised as "limited time only," so customers knew that they had
to pounce quickly or be banished to the dreaded "Land of Those Who Missed Out."
This offering wasn't simply a lasagna thrown on top of pizza crust, though it's easy to
see why people might think that. It was devoid of noodles, which is very unlike lasagna.
That wasn't a mistake, though. Pizza Hut also made sure to include ricotta cheese, a completely
new ingredient for the chain. Then, ground beef, parmesan cheese, and zesty marinara
sauce were layered onto a square Sicilian crust. It was rich and hearty, similar to
Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. It's too bad the world may never see it again.
If there's one thing Americans crave, it's more, more, more. The bigger, the better!
Especially when it comes to food. Why pay 100 bucks for a luxuriously decadent, but
unsatisfyingly small-portioned meal when you can shell out just ten bucks at any fast food
joint and leave full and happy? You can always count on Pizza Hut to keep its ear to the
ground when it comes to what the public wants, so at one point they served up the Panormous
Pizza to satisfy any unquenchable pizza cravings.
"Thank goodness for Panormous from Pizza Hut."
With 16 slices and the claim that it was 40 percent larger than any other pizza they ever
offered, the Panormous was an ideal choice if you had a large group gathering. While
the name "Panormous" was new, the pizza itself wasn't any different than simply ordering
two large pan pizza-crusted pies. So if you already liked Pizza Hut's pizza, you were
going to be just fine with the Panormous. Plus, customers were offered two extra toppings
to spice things up. Alas, the Hut eventually decided enough was enough and did away with
this monster.
You knew exactly what you were getting into when you ordered the Big Italy. At nearly
two feet long, it's safe to say it warranted that "big" in its name. Customers could get
it with up to three toppings, and they only had to fork over 12 bucks to take it home.
Pizza Hut bragged that it was made with a unique blend of special Italian spices to
give it that authentic feel of the beautiful country.
Spices aside, the major perk of The Big Italy was the chance to mix and match three different
toppings, with hundreds of different possible combinations. Carnivores could pile on three
different types of meat, vegetarians could indulge in their daily serving of greens,
and those who loved the sweet-and-salty combo of Hawaiin pizza were covered as well. Unfortunately,
the time eventually came when The Big Italy became "The Obsolete Italy," and now it forever
remains in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to snag a slice while it was available.
When companies are struggling to come up with a new product, many attempt to spruce up an
already existing item. The idea is that if you put a spin on something successful, you
might entice new customers and retain loyal ones. Pizza Hut is no different, as evidenced
by the time they added twisted crust to their menu.
Even though there weren't any new ingredients in the Twisted Crust Pizza, the concept was
unique. Basically, the outer edge of the crust surrounding the pie had an additional ring
of breadsticks baked on top that was easily removable. Dipping sauces were provided with
each order so that customers were getting a pizza and an order of detachable breadsticks
in one pie. It was a great option if you love to go heavy on the carbs. There's a certain
pleasure inherent in dippable finger foods, and that's exactly what Twisted Crust Pizza
offered. With both marinara and melted cheddar cheese dipping sauces provided, it was easy
to convince yourself to stop counting those pesky carbohydrates for a night.
"Stop it, I'm starving!"
Subway has a pretty firm stranglehold on the submarine sandwich market. It takes a ballsy
move to attempt to disrupt that playing field. But Pizza Hut apparently isn't afraid of anyone,
which they proved in 2012 when they launched the P'Zolo, three different pizza dough-wrapped
sandwiches. They were confident that once customers caught wind that they were navigating
the sandwich landscape with vigor, they would abandon Subway in favor of the Hut. At three
bucks a pop, or five bucks for two, why wouldn't they? As Pizza Hut CMO Kurt Kane put it in
a press release,
"At Pizza Hut we're known for constantly dreaming up great new flavor experiences on behalf
of our consumers. When we took a look at the sub category we decided consumers needed us
to bring this same approach to that space. We think people are quickly going to see they
can get a lot more for their $5 with the new P'Zolo. It's more than a sandwich. It's a
new flavor creation that is leaving the sub category behind."
Pizza Hut was so enthusiastic that they actually took over two subway cars on Chicago's Red
Line for the marketing campaign, with employees handing out free P'Zolos at various stops
along the way. Alas, they ultimately weren't strong enough to topple the almighty Subway
empire.
"Eat fresh? Eat fresh?"
"Eat fresh."
"That's my man!"
The only acceptable response to hearing the words "taco pizza" is "yes, please!" How could
anyone look the other way when presented with the amazingness of a taco plopped onto a slice
of pizza? In 1979, Pizza Hut introduced customers to exactly that. No longer did you have to
make a trip to both Taco Bell and Pizza Hut when cravings for both foods hit.
All of the delicious fixings of a taco were included: lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded
cheddar cheese, and ground beef. If you've ever taken a bite out of a taco shell only
to have half of the innards spill out the other side, then that problem was solved by
eating it on a triangular disc of dough. You might assume that this idea was generated
so that people would steer clear of Taco Bell and instead think of Pizza Hut when a burning
desire for Mexican cuisine struck. But seeing as this Taco Pizza no longer exists, it's
safe to say that when it comes to tacos, the Bell still reigns supreme.
"Pizza? Now that's what I call a taco!"
When describing pizza, you would probably never use the word "light." It's marinara
sauce sandwiched between dough and a thick layer of melted cheese, after all. When Pizza
Hut rolled out the Priazzo in 1985, customers were introduced to a whole new meaning of
"heavy indulgence." You'd eat one slice of it and scratch everything off your to-do list
that day. The only thing you had time for was a nap afterward. It was a whopping mouthful
of so many ingredients that it made your head spin, and that's exactly what Pizza Hut wanted.
"Italian pie. We call it: Priazzo."
To start, there were two layers of dough to the Priazzo, so it was basically a plain cheese
pizza cooked right on top of another pizza. The inside was a metropolis of meats, veggies,
and a full pound of cheese. There were three Priazzo options. The Roma consisted of pepperoni,
Italian sausage, pork, onions, and mushrooms. The Milano had bacon and beef plus everything
in the Roma except for mushrooms and onions. And finally the Florentine was made up of
spinach, ham, and five kinds of cheese. Although customers enjoyed the flavor, these monsters
sat in their stomachs like blocks of cement. The Priazzos' demise eventually came in 1993.
Even though some were sad to see them go, their cholesterol levels certainly weren't.
This particular product was interesting because it was both cloaked in mystery and overall
sort of redundant. In a bold attempt to join the wave of healthy eating that many establishments
were adopting, in 2009 Pizza Hut announced a new pie called "The Natural" that had a
multigrain crust sweetened with honey. At the same time, Pizza Hut's then-president
Scott Bergren said that the brand was "redefining quality in the pizza category" by doing away
with the likes of artificial preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, beef fillers, and
nitrites. In other words, the cheap stuff that fast food is typically made of. Instead,
Pizza Hut claimed to incorporate "vine-ripened tomatoes," "Rustica [RUSS-tih-kuh] sausage,"
and "fire-roasted red peppers." Despite this new commitment, few people ever got the chance
to experience The Natural.
As it turned out, the Natural hit the menu about as quickly as it disappeared. The artificial
ingredients Pizza Hut used prior to its launch were far more cost-effective, so there's a
good chance that upper management navigated back to the money-saving route, which led
to The Natural's inevitable demise. Will we ever receive real confirmation from Pizza
Hut regarding The Natural's fate? Not likely, which makes this mystery all the more interesting.
There was never a pizza product that went by the name of the "Bag Bag." Instead, this
non-edible item was one of Pizza Hut's more random ideas that they offered to customers
who ordered any medium or large pie. For an extra dollar, you could leave with a red Pizza
Hut-branded gym bag. Sounds kind of odd, doesn't it? It wasn't even in the shape of a pizza
box, so it's not like people could easily carry leftovers out in it.
The commercial that Pizza Hut aired for the Bag Bag was pretty outlandish. It featured
a bunch of customers dancing like enthused maniacs over the sheer excitement that the
bag offered. A catchy jingle accompanied the dance moves, and you better believe that the
actors who weren't cutting up rugs were still grooving along with those who were. As the
commercial proudly stated at the end, you could get the Bag Bag for just a "buck buck."
Cleverness clearly wasn't in abundance during that particular brainstorm. Ultimately, what
the Bag Bag was good for was to carry workout clothes, so after a huge Pizza Hut feast,
customers could head straight to the nearest gym and burn off all the calories that they
just inhaled. Maybe this was a clever idea after all.
"You better not be alone" when you order the Bigfoot Pizza, according to Pizza Hut's 1993
commercial for this particular pie. Those five words are rather ominous for a chain
restaurant, and they certainly grabbed people's attention. Diving into the landscape of cryptozoology
is risky, but Pizza Hut knew how to market this new offering. The commercial began in
a foggy forest full of gnarled unsettling trees followed by a slew of eyewitnesses fearfully
describing something big. There's even a super young Haley Joel Osment long before he saw
dead people. The Hut was clearly parodying the mystery surrounding everyone's favorite
elusive ape-like creature.
The Bigfoot Pizza marketing campaign was in response to Little Caesars coming out with
their "Big! Big! Cheese," two large pizzas with pepperoni for under 10 bucks. Customers
flocked in droves for the double deal, so Pizza Hut responded quickly and efficiently.
They garnered attention by using the "Bigfoot" moniker and dumping $4 million into a branded
blimp, although that blimp accidentally crashed into a Manhattan apartment building.The Bigfoot
Pizza was a 12-inch-by-24-inch pie that was bigger than both large Caesars pizzas combined,
at a price of $10.99. Customers everywhere soon sang to the tune of Bigfoot, and it didn't
hurt that later promotions included a free HBO trial. And you can bet that they weren't
alone when it arrived, because this wasn't exactly the type of pizza that you could finish
by yourself.
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