Dive Brief:

• Pizza Hut has launched Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza alongside a new lineup of permanent toppings, the company said in a press release Tuesday.
• The chain described the changes as “the biggest toppings menu overhaul in over a decade.” Pizza Hut is adding eight toppings and sauces. The toppings are chicken sausage, diced garlic, fire roasted peppers, grape tomatoes, crispy cup pepperoni, caramelized onions, while the sauces are spicy marinara, pesto swirl and spicy. 
• Pizza Hut’s menu launches have met with success in recent years, with the 2022 launch of Melts — a folded pizza sandwich — driving same-store sales growth that year.

Dive Insight:

The menu additions are part of Pizza Hut’s effort to add items that customers want and love with their pizzas, Rachel Antalek, chief food innovation officer at Pizza Hut, said in a statement. Pizza Hut said it is the first global pizza chain to offer the Chicago Tavern pizza — a cracker thin crust cut into squares and loaded edge-to-edge with toppings. A Pizza Hut spokesperson told Restaurant Dive that the Chicago Pizza is a “bold step forward” for the chain.

“Pizza Hut’s culinary experts wanted to offer customers another crust option and one that delivers a modern and light bite, perfect for snacking,” the spokesperson said. 

The pizzas are available in four different recipes: Pesto Margherita, The Ultimate, Spicy Chicken Sausage and double pepperoni.

The new toppings are expected to appeal in particular to younger audiences that crave a “more modern pizza experience,” the spokesperson said. This is also the first time it has added toppings like chicken sausage to its menu. 

The Chicago Tavern pizza and new toppings could help boost same-store sales, which lagged in the last quarter as Pizza Hut lapped high sales in Q1 2023 from Melts and a Big New Yorker Pizza limited-time offer. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales were down 6% in Q1 2024, but the two-year trend was positive, David Gibbs, Yum Brands CEO, said in the parent company’s May earnings call. 

Other pizza chains like Domino’s, Little Caesars and Blaze have been updating their menus this year. Domino’s added New York Style Pizza in April while Blaze is in the midst of a menu overhaul. Little Caesars entered the snack category with the addition of its Crazy Puffs in March.

Correction: A previous version of this article’s headline improperly identified when Pizza Hut last revamped its toppings menu. The topping overhaul is the biggest for the chain in a decade.