If you love that distinct flavor of the carmelized “cheese crown” on a classic pan pizza, a cult favorite road trip stop has big news for you.
Casey’s announced Monday it is adding pan pizza to its famous line of pies already available in nearly 3,000 stores across the Midwest and South.
Growing chain is growing its pizza options
Based in Iowa, Casey’s offers the usual trappings of a modern convenience store and gas station: bakery items, salty snacks, sugary drinks, fresh-brewed coffee, sweet treats and much more.
The chain is best-known for its pizza, however, and that is no accident. With fresh-made crust rather than the frozen stuff you probably expect to find at a gas station, the experience is more like you might find at a true pizzeria.
This is also meaningful for its customers because many of the stores are in smaller towns where options are not as plentiful for pizza as they are in big cities with every familiar chain and of course various local favorites.
Toppings options are also plentiful with specialty pizzas including pepperoni, chicken bacon ranch, supreme, veggie, Hawaiian and taco.
Casey’s also has multiple types of breakfast pizza, and all of them for any meal can be made to order or found hot and ready at the store.
What’s new? Pan pizza
The Casey’s crust story gets a new chapter this week with the introduction of a pan pizza option.
“We spent nearly two years developing a pan pizza with an amazingly thick, fluffy crust and crispy edges,” Casey’s chief merchandising officer Tom Brennan said in a press release. “It absolutely delivers what guests love about Casey’s: craveable abundance at a great value. We cannot wait to share our new pan pizza with our guests as we are confident they will love it.”
The pan pizza joins the original handmade crust, thin crust and a gluten-free crust already available at Casey’s.
The new crust is described as a hearty, thick and fluffy golden-brown square variety made with olive oil, honey, sea salt and double-zero flour that is finely milled.
Expect it to feature that melted, hardened cheese on the edges that sets pan pizza at places like Pizza Hut and Little Caesars apart from most hand-tossed and thin-crust varieties.
Where to find a Casey’s
If you don’t live near a Casey’s, you might want to keep an eye out for one on your next road trip.
Iowa is home to the most locations, but the chain has recently expanded throughout the Midwest and now has stores in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Tennessee, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Texas, Florida, Michigan and Alabama.
The expansion into Ohio and Michigan as well as Texas, Alabama and Florida is more recent.
With its recent growth, Casey’s bills itself as the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country behind Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Little Caesars.
