Good news for those who need to avoid gluten but still want
to indulge in a late-night college habit that we just can’t break (and don’t
really want to): good old chain-store pizza. Gluten-free masses, Pizza Hut is
looking at you: Answering one of its most frequent customer requests from the last year, the company is offering cheese-only or pepperoni gluten-free pizza starting
today.
The Plano, Texas-based chain is taking this foray
pretty seriously, partnering with Udi’s, a major gluten-free-food
producer, and the Gluten Intolerance Group. The crusts, cheese, marinara, and
pepperoni are stored separately from the standard pizzas’ ingredients, in a
“gluten-free kit.” The cooks preparing the pizzas wear gloves, bake the
pies on parchment paper, slice them with gluten-free-specific cutters, and package them in gluten-free-specific boxes. "For us, it was about doing [gluten-free] the right way, and we think our partnership with Udi’s and certification from the Gluten Intolerance Group demonstrates that to the gluten-free community," Pizza Hut spokesperson Doug Terfehr told us. The pies come in 10-inch sizes, are cut into six pieces, and are priced at $9.99.
Pizza Hut joins other chain restaurants,
including our weekly go-to, Chipotle,
in responding to customers’ desires for gluten-free foods. The gluten-free
pizza will also probably draw in those watching their gluten for caloric
reduction; the cheese version has about 150 calories per slice.
Pizza Hut tested its new offerings at an after-party for the
20th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards on January 15. We will stay tuned to see if the brand shows up front row at
this year’s Oscars.