Little Caesars Welcomes New Pocket-Sized Crazy Puffs Pizzas To Menu
They're hot and fans are ready. Popular pizza chain Little Caesars has just announced a new product: Crazy Puffs, the handheld pizzas billed as "pocket-sized" and "portable," per an official press release. They come in two varieties: pepperoni with cheese or classic cheese, both drizzled with garlic butter and Italian herbs. Crazy Puffs are cup-shaped pizza dough filled with sauce and cheese (plus pepperoni, if you want that) and baked until melty and golden brown. The bite-sized pizzas are tailor-made for pizza lovers on the go, for quick meal breaks, parties, or snacking during errand-running days in the car. They can feed a pizza-loving crowd without someone committing to an entire pie. Incidentally, Crazy Puffs could also make a great handheld concession for Red Wings fans to chow down on in Little Caesars Arena while they watch a hockey game.
Fans have already taken to social media to express their excitement. In a recent post on the official Little Caesars Instagram teasing a "new" then-unrevealed product, fans still managed to insert Crazy Puffs Mania into the comments section. One wrote, "I'm just sitting here waiting on my PUFFY Fest," and another wanted the product pronto. Crazy Puffs hit Little Caesars menus nationwide on Monday, March 11 at $3.99 for a four-pack. Or, fans can also upgrade their Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready combo meal to include a pizza and a size of Crazy Puffs.
Bigger isn't always better, says Little Caesars (and competitors)
Crazy Puffs may be new to Little Caesars, but competitor pizza brands have introduced new handheld options over the last few years. Late last year, Ohio-based Marco's Pizza introduced the Pizzoli, breaking into the handheld category with a stromboli-adjacent, roll-up-style pizza loaded with toppings and cheese. Also last year, Seattle-based MOD Pizza dropped the limited-release Pocket Pie, another handheld, calzone-esque "approach to pizza on the go". In 2022 Pizza Hut launched Melts, designed for individual eaters and marketed as "not for sharing."
Unlike Little Caesars' Crazy Puffs, Pizza Hut's Melts come in a wider variety of flavors like Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Bacon Parmesan, and Meat Lovers. MOD Pizza's Pocket Pies came in Italiano, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Four Cheese. Time will tell whether Little Caesar's expands its Puffs flavors. Although, considering that the chain has made a name for itself by offering a straightforward, minimal, reliable selection of workhorse pizzas for busy, unpretentious pizza lovers, expecting to see innovative flavors for the new Puffs seems a little unrealistic. Still, Little Caesars has been expanding in big ways. Last fall the company signed onto a multi-year partnership with the NFL, so it's probably safe to say that big things are on the horizon for the Hot-N-Ready champs.