Dive Brief:
- Casey’s General Stores will debut pan pizza on its menu on Wednesday, according to a Monday announcement from the company.
- The retailer spent around two years developing its pan pizza, which is square with a “fluffy” crust and edge-to-edge toppings, the announcement stated.
- The company said it decided to add pan pizza in part because it found consumers in many of its markets did not have easy access to the crust type.
Dive Insight:
While nearly half of consumers who responded to a survey Casey’s commissioned said pan pizza was their favorite, they also noted that some areas lacked easy access. One in four respondents said they have to go out of their way to get one, and many of the rural markets where Casey’s operates don’t have a restaurant that offers it.
“Pan pizza rounds out a strong lineup of crusts, in addition to original and thin, that gives our guests something for every pizza occasion,” said Andrew Kintigh, executive chef and culinary director at Casey’s, in the announcement.
Casey’s customers can order any type of pizza on a pan crust, including specialty and breakfast options, according to the announcement. The crust is made with olive oil, honey, sea salt and finely milled flour.
Casey’s Rewards members who buy a pan pizza on Oct. 28 will receive credit for a free one-topping large pizza they can redeem in the following three weeks.
The new crust type is the latest foodservice expansion for Casey’s. It started testing chicken wings at its stores in 2025 and plans to roll those out to all of its stores over the next two years. The chain also offers pizza limited-time offers, like a bacon cheeseburger variety it sold earlier this year, to keep consumer interest high.
Casey’s foodservice offerings have helped the company outperform industry peers when it comes to inside store sales.
“We are not playing [the] c-store foodservice game — we are playing [the] restaurant game,” CEO Darren Rebelez said during a press conference back in June.
Casey’s has made several acquisitions as it pursues 400 new stores in the next three years and continues to rebrand stores it has bought. The company also recently expanded its use of artificial intelligence-powered ordering agents.
