Since the beginning of time, pizza boxes were square and the round pies inside of them were topped with meat. Not anymore. On October 23, Pizza Hut introduced a limited-time test of a plant-based pizza topping served up in a game-changing ROUND pizza box. The test of both innovations will take place exclusively at one Pizza Hut location in Phoenix where America’s Original Pizza Company will introduce the new Garden Specialty Pizza topped with Incogmeato™ by MorningStar Farms Italian sausage.
“We innovate for human’s sake and we’ll win on taste. At Pizza Hut we don’t do anything halfway and improving the customer experience and delivering a better tasting pizza is our core mission,” said Marianne Radley, chief brand officer, Pizza Hut. “When we talk about feeding more possibilities we mean it—and I can’t wait to share these two new industry-changing innovations with our customers.”
Pizza Hut partnered with Zume, a company pioneering the shift to a more sustainable future of food, to design a way to put a round pizza in a round box. Not only does the round box contain less overall packaging compared to a typical square pizza box, it’s also industrially compostable (where available) and interlocks easily to ensure a smoother delivery. In other words, no pizza insurance policy needed and freed up space in the fridge for leftovers. Following the event in Phoenix, Pizza Hut will look at ways to roll the box out more widely in the near future.
“This revolutionary round box—the result of a two-year journey—is the most innovative packaging we’ve rolled out to date,” said Nicolas Burquier, chief customer & operations officer, Pizza Hut. “The round box was engineered to make our products taste even better—by delivering hotter, crispier pizzas. This box is a win, win—it will improve the pizza-eating experience for our customers and simplify the operating experience for our team members.”
“Pizza Hut is an undisputed leader in its use of technology to deliver on its promise of hot, fast and reliable food,” said Alex Garden, Chairman and CEO of Zume, Inc. “We’re thrilled to support Pizza Hut’s packaging efforts to provide its fans with a great pizza-eating experience.”
“Incogmeato™ is a new-to-the-world brand created to challenge convention on delicious plant based food,” says Wendy Davidson, Kellogg Away from Home President. “Pizza Hut is the innovation leader in its category and we are excited to partner with them to develop a tasty, first-ever plant-based pizza to satisfy what flexitarians are seeking today.”
This new product combo will be sold for $10 and be available in-store only. All proceeds raised from the sale of the Garden Specialty Pizza and round box during the one day event in Phoenix on 10/23 will be donated to Arizona Forward, a Phoenix-based sustainability organization.
Key features of round box:
-New Round Shape to Keep Pizza Hot and Crispy: Pizza Hut’s round box has ridges and grooves that lead to a central circular recess – keeping hot air in and cool air out. It also features a secure lid with a snap closure to retain heat. In addition, the ridges hold a pizza up from the bottom, which maintains heat and creates airflow and thus separation from oils and moisture, keeping the crust crispy.
-Plant-Based Materials for a More Sustainable Experience: Pizza Hut’s round box is made of sustainably harvested plant fiber with a smooth finish, providing a beautiful and industrially compostable (where available) alternative to cardboard.
-Easy to Serve, Fold and Compost: For the first time ever, you can flip the top lid under the bottom to elevate the pizza and serve to guests. When done, it can be folded inside a tiny, at-home countertop bin before being composted in an industrial facility (where available).
-Easy to Assemble and Deliver: Cardboard boxes come in a flat pack and have to be assembled; the new round box is pre-molded, ready to use and takes up less storage space. They nest together when stacked, allowing easier handling at the restaurant and throughout the delivery experience.
Source: Zume & Pizza Hut website
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