This Is the Most Disliked Pizza In America Right Now
Following the rise in popularity of the Detroit-style pizza pie, Pizza Hut released its own version of the square-shaped midwestern classic back in January. Promising a thick, caramelized crust and cheese that stretches all the way to the edges in all directions, it was supposed to be a slam dunk launch for the chain that no one can out-pizza.
Unfortunately, based on a mostly negative response to the pie on social media and in some food publications, it sounds like Pizza Hut may have inadvertently created the most disliked pizza in the country (at the moment…) instead.
You'd think that a pizza created with laser-like precision (it includes exactly 32 pepperoni slices) and one that had gone through 500 iterations in the year it took to develop it would leave no room for error. Sure, "everyone's a critic" is certainly true with every fast-food novelty, and some negative comments are par for the course, but it looks like Pizza Hut may have gotten it genuinely wrong with this regional favorite.
According to Deadline Detroit, locals have taken offense at the chain's mass-produced pie for its weak resemblance to the cheesy, crusty, deep-dish legend that has put their city on the national pizza map.
Violence manifested in pizza form. https://t.co/6Z2zDfX0tn
— Erin Marquis (@TheErinMarquis) March 4, 2021
That's not what Detroit Pizza looks like, we promise. pic.twitter.com/rUrVlxXBd4
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) March 4, 2021
Yeah that genuinely looks like a pan of breadsticks with a couple handfuls of cheese and some sauce drizzled over it. ?
— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) March 4, 2021
So, what are some of the most common gripes? Not crispy enough, not enough sauce, tastes like cheesy breadsticks, "looks like vomit" … you name it, and the complaint has been lodged.
Maybe Detroit-native Chris Powers, a bar owner quoted by Wall Street Journal's food writer Emily Heil, explained it best when he said the pizza "looks like a Detroit pizza—all the cornerstone elements are represented. But they're all a little off, so when you put them all together it ends up entirely different."
For better or worse, Pizza Hut's Detroit-style pizza is a limited-time item, which means the chain can yank it off the menu if the negative feedback starts to affect sales. But so far, that hasn't been the case.
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UPDATE: Based on the sales numbers, it sounds like the haters may just be the loud minority. In fact, a representative for Pizza Hut who reached out to Eat This, Not That! stated the pizza's sales are exceeding expectations.
"Pizza Hut's Detroit-Style pizza has been incredibly popular and is exceeding forecasts. In fact, customer demand was so high we had to pull Detroit-Style advertising nearly two weeks early because we are selling out of it even earlier than expected," the statement read, adding the demand has been higher than the national average in the Detroit area.
For more on the latest fast-food trends, check out the 6 Most Anticipated Fast-Food Menu Items Launching This Year, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get all of the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
