Pizza Hut rides the flavor wave again with the return of Hot Honey Pizza and Wings.
The sweet and spicy flavor trend, dubbed 'swicy,' forecasted to dominate 2024's culinary scene, is rapidly gaining traction among food companies. Food industry experts who predicted this popularity are observing its widespread adoption.
Notable examples include jalapeno-infused agave and Shake Shack's Bourbon Bacon Cheddar Chicken, indicating a growing enthusiasm for this unique taste combination across various menus.
Survey Reveals Pizza Hut's Winning Flavors
Predicting food trends is often tricky, and grasping consumer desires can be challenging. To navigate this, Pizza Hut conducted a survey to uncover current pizza preferences. The results highlighted a strong preference for the return of a beloved favorite.
Last year, Pizza Hut introduced Hot Honey Pizza and Hot Honey Wings as limited-time offerings in select locations, and they were enormously popular. In a unique twist, Pizza Hut baked it directly into the pizza instead of adding hot honey as a topping after cooking. This approach significantly enhanced the flavor and overall dining experience.
Pizza Hut's limited-time offerings highlight the trending sweet-heat flavor, particularly through hot honey, a rising star in current menus. According to Technomic, a sister company of Restaurant Business, hot honey now features on 5% of chain menus.
It's used in various dishes, from breakfast sandwiches to ribs, wings, pizza, grilled vegetables, salmon, and cocktails.
While many menus mention using Mike's Hot Honey, a popular boutique brand from Brooklyn, Pizza Hut opts for its version, a signature hot honey infused with chili peppers, to enhance its new menu items.
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Revamping Flavors: Pizza Hut's Bold Culinary Approach
Food Sided reports Rachel Antalek, the Chief Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut, emphasizing the brand's dedication to refreshing and modernizing flavors.
Antalek stated, "Our commitment to leading trends and amplifying flavors is central to our identity. This was demonstrated by the remarkable success of our Hot Honey test, which surpassed guest expectations. Such innovative moves enhance our pizza and present new possibilities to highlight our wings."
Pizza Hut's Hot Honey Pizza combines a classic pizza crust with marinara sauce, abundant cheese, and a mix of classic and crispy cupped pepperoni. This blend perfectly counterbalances the sweet heat of the honey with the savory taste of pepperoni.
The unique shape of the crispy pepperoni cups is designed to capture the honey drizzle effectively.
The Hot Honey Wings, available in bone-in and boneless options, are generously coated in hot honey for a double-dose sweet-heat flavor.
Priced at $5.99 for a set of six, these wings offer an indulgent taste experience. The Hot Honey Pizza, priced at $11.99, completes the offering. Both items are available for a limited time while supplies last.
The Hot Honey Pizza might be the current star at Pizza Hut, but insights from their recent survey suggest potential expansions in their menu. Notably, a growing preference for thin-crust pizzas reflects a desire for less heavy options or a fondness for a crispier texture.
This trend raises the question: will Pizza Hut reintroduce its Edge pizza? This pizza, known for its fully-topped, thin crust, aligns well with current tastes.
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