Pizza Hut announced the launch of its Crispy Parm Pan Pizza on Tuesday, a new offering built on the chain's Original Pan Pizza base and topped with parmesan cheese on the outer crust and extra cheese across the entire pie. The pizza is available nationwide at participating locations starting at $10 for a medium, one-topping pie.
Pizza Hut has positioned the new item under its Hut Crust platform, an initiative the Yum! Brands subsidiary developed to draw attention to the variety of crust styles it offers. Internal research cited by Pizza Hut found that roughly one in five customers leave the crust on their plate, a statistic the chain says drove the development of the new menu item. At its base, the new pie is an extension of the Original Pan Pizza, a format Pizza Hut first introduced in 1980.
Tied to the release is a sweepstakes called "For the Love of Hut Crust," through which Pizza Hut is asking consumers to share where they stand on crust via Instagram or TikTok posts, with a year's worth of free pizza up for grabs. The contest runs through June 15.
"Crust has always been at the heart of what makes Pizza Hut iconic. With its bold, parmesan-baked edge, we are confident the Crispy Parm Pan Pizza is a crust that can change minds and turn everyone into a crust lover," Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Friebe said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Pizza Hut also updated the recipe for its Hand-Tossed Pizza — the crust's first revision in over a decade — and separately created a Hut Crust Connoisseur role, a paid consumer position focused on sampling and evaluating new crust options, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
The launch comes as Pizza Hut faces broader pressure on its U.S. business. The chain's U.S. same-store sales fell 4% in the most recent quarter, with global same-store sales flat and operating profit down 14%. Yum! Brands has said it is exploring strategic options for the chain, including a possible sale, and has recorded roughly $37 million in charges tied to that review. The company also said it would close approximately 250 domestic Pizza Hut restaurants before the midpoint of the year.
Customers can place orders through the Pizza Hut app, on the company's website, or at participating locations in person.