Papa John's Is Coming for Pizza Hut in a Big Way

Pizza Hut is famous for its pan pizza. (For the uninitiated, it's a pizza cooked and served in a pan.) After introducing the pan pizza to its menu in 1959, the chain revamped its pan pizza recipe in 2019. Coincidentally, 2019 was the last time Papa John's had a pan pizza offering on its menu.

But now, after seven years of reinvention, Papa John's is ready to come for Pizza Hut's gig once again.

Papa John's Is Reintroducing Pan Pizza

Papa John's announced in a press release that the pan pizza will return to its menu. And it will be unrecognizable from its previous incarnation. The pan pizza spent years looking inward and working on itself, and now it's ready to show the world its glow-up.

What's so special about this new and improved pan pizza? Namely, more cheese. In addition to a re-engineered crust that promises to be "pillowy and airy," the edges are crispy. This is because before baking, the pan is coated with parmesan cheese and Papa John's signature garlic sauce, which gives the crust "caramelized edges and a savory crunch."

Despite its lightness and airiness, the new crust is designed to hold as many as seven toppings, edge-to-edge, without going limp and sending the toppings tumbling onto your plate. Unlike Pizza Hut's pan pizza, which has enough traditional crust on the end for you to hold it while you eat it, Papa John's offering more resembles tavern-style pizza, where the toppings and cheese go all the way to the edge of the crust.

“Consumer expectations for flavor and value are higher than ever. And the pan pizza category is crowded, which is why we took a deliberate, consumer-led approach to developing the perfect recipe, and focused on getting every detail right," the company's chief marketing officer said in the press release.

The new pan pizza will be available January 29, starting at $11.99 for a medium one-topping pizza.