Pizza Hut announced its latest addition, Chicago tavern-style pizza, along with a “toppings transformation” to its menu. According to the pizza QSR, it’s the company’s biggest toppings menu overhaul in over a decade.

The company also said in a statement that it is the first global pizza chain to offer a tavern pizza, along with being the first global pizza brand to add chicken sausage, pesto swirl and spicy sauce to its permanent topping offerings.

Pizza Hut’s take on the tavern-style pizza “offers a trendsetting, modern experience that delivers a deliciously crispy bite with its thin-crust and innovative, contemporary flavors.” The pizza is available in four recipes: Pesto margherita, the Ultimate, spicy chicken sausage and double pepperoni.

"These menu additions represent a bold step forward as part of our culinary mission to bring our guests modern innovation that embraces what we know our customers are loving and looking for in a pizza," said Rachel Antalek, chief food innovation officer at Pizza Hut. "We perfected these recipes to truly pay homage to Chicago and the hundred-year-old style in a modern way while pushing the boundaries of what's possible in a pizza with fresh new toppings and flavors."

Pizza Hut announced that eight new toppings and sauces will be joining its menu permanently as part of this launch. These include spicy marinara sauce, pesto sauce swirl, chicken sausage, fresh diced garlic, grape tomatoes, caramelized onions, fire roasted peppers and crispy cupped pepperoni.

Marco’s Pizza launched its new Fiery Flavors menu nationwide. The new limited time menu introduces a variety of items including pizzas, breads, bowls and handhelds that feature a spicy cheese blend. The new cheese blend is also available as a topping for customers to add to their usual pizza orders.

"Consumers continue to crave spice—and Marco's Pizza has delivered with the launch of our new Fiery Flavors Menu," said Denise Lauer, chief marketing officer, Marco's Franchising, LLC. "Our culinary team turned up the heat to create a truly innovative line-up of menu items that achieve the perfect balance of next-level flavor unmatched in the category."

Marco's new Fiery Flavors Menu features a spicy cheese blend made with Monterey Jack cheese infused with jalapeños, habaneros and Carolina Reaper peppers. The seven new items featuring this spicy cheese blend include:

• Fiery Pepperoni Pizza: Featuring crispy, cupped Old World Pepperoni and the spicy cheese blend.
• Fiery Sausage and Peppers Pizza: Loaded with Old World Sausage, red onions, green peppers and the spicy cheese blend.
• Fiery Pepperoni Pizzoli: House-made dough stuffed and rolled with pepperoni and the spicy cheese blend.
• Fiery Sausage and Peppers Pizzoli: House-made dough stuffed and rolled with Old World Sausage, red onions, green peppers and the spicy cheese blend.
• Fiery Sausage and Peppers Pizza Bowl: Crustless pizza baked in a bowl with Old World Sausage, red onions, green peppers and the spicy cheese blend.
• Fiery CheezyBread: Original CheezyBread topped with the spicy cheese blend.
• Inferno CheezyBread: Original CheezyBread topped with the spicy cheese blend plus jalapeños for an extra kick.

Are you curious about what’s next in the world of pizza? Check out “Predicting Pizza” in the January 2024 issue of NACS Magazine.