Papa John’s Introduces Fritos Chili Pizza

Papa John’s newest culinary innovation is a Fritos Chili Pizza.

The pizza chain’s latest menu addition which it describes as a comforting fall dish contains beef, chili, Roma tomatoes, onions, cheddar, mozzarella, and of course Fritos corn chips. A large will set you back about $12, but you need to act fast as it reportedly will only be available for a limited time (through November 23).

A company executive explained that “At Papa John’s, we love offering our customers exciting pizzas that add some flavor to each season. It seemed like a no-brainer to collaborate with our beverage partner PepsiCo to bring its popular Fritos corn chips snack to our pizza and combine these traditional tailgating fall favorites — chili, cheese and added crunch– with Papa John’s signature fresh-dough crust.”

The company statement also indicated that Fritos Chili Pizza apparently traces its origin more than 80 years ago to a casserole recipe. “The Fritos Chili Pie, a popular food dish that traces its origins back to the 1930’s when PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division was originally founded, consists of Fritos corn chips, cheese and chili. It is a unique dish that is often regionally localized across the United States.”

The Consumerist observed that Pizza Hut rather than Papa John’s would have been a more likely candidate for this new pie given its corporate heritage.

“One would think that if a Frito-pizza thing came from any chain pizzeria, it would be Pizza Hut. After all, Pizza Hut and Frito-Lay were once part of the same parent company, Yum! Brands.”

As alluded to above, PepsiCo now owns Fritos.

Commenting on the new pizza concoction, the Eater website claimed that “Papa John’s has crafted a winning new pizza. The Frito Chili Cheese Pizza combines the saucy, cheesy, bread-y quality of a Papa John’s pie with the crunchy, meaty quality of a bag of Frito pie.”

In August, the franchise unveiled a spicy pulled pork pizza.

Separately, it remains to be seen if the new Fritos Chili Pizza can be a winner, for instance, with the munchies crowd in Colorado, where personal marijuana use is legal.

Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning — who appears in the Fritos Chilli Pizza commercial embedded below — diplomatically yet “bluntly” seemed to acknowledge in September that Amendment 64 (the ballot measure that legalized recreational pot) has enabled his pizza restaurants to “smoke” the competition in the Mile High City area. Manning owns 21 Papa John’s franchises in the state.

“Pizza business is pretty good out here, believe it or not, due to some recent law changes,” the future NFL Hall of Famer admitted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCQ4uBN0YF4

Would you consider giving Papa John’s new Fritos Chili Pizza a try?

[image via Facebook]