Food & Beverage

From streetwear to 'peach pies,' pizza brands roll out summer specials

Photo courtesy of Papa John's.

June 3, 2021

Pizza brands nationally are vying hard for customers in what might be called this "comeback summer" following many of the more restrictive provisions laid on restaurants over the last year's pandemic realities. The efforts run the gamut from a glorification of an nontraditional pizza cheese at Papa John's, to peach-adorned pies at Your Pie.

First off, on the Papa John's campaign, it's all revolving around that sharp-tasting cheese, cheddar, which the brand is making the little darling of its latest marketing campaign, a news release said. In fact, Papa John's is so sure customers will fall hard for its cheddar pizza offerings, it's giving them an assist in "dressing the part" with a new and thoroughly yellow-fied Cheddar X clothing line it the brand said was styled to reflect the everyday wear of its delivery drivers and their efforts as key workers over the last year.

The line features 30 clothing items available on a first-come, first-served basis that includes visors, parkers, polos and statement pieces, like an original delivery driver helmet. The line also mirrors the brand's global Papa X Cheddar advertising campaign running in UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Belarus, Poland, Germany and El Salvador, and other markets later in June.

Prices for the clothing items start at what Papa John's said is "the price of a large pizza" and all profits are marked for charity, though the brand did not delineate which organizations the proceeds would go to.

The advertising around the brand's big push for cheddar cheese-lovers, however, is actually a bit of a satire playing off the styles of Gen Z street culture, that Papa John's said plays well to its customer base. Included are lots of fashion shots of models "interacting" with the pizza adorned in the trendy garb.

From 'street' style to regional style

Your Pie's Peach Prosciutto Pizza. (Provided)

Meantime, at California Pizza Kitchen, the style the brand's latest additions celebrate is definitely that of the U.S. West Coast with menu items like California focaccias and crispy artichoke salad, along with a pair of California-inspired pizza LTOs.

California focaccias come in spicy honey bee, smashed avocado and Malibu varieties, while the two pizza entrees include spicy honey bee pizza and vegan-friendly avocado super green pizza.

"At California Pizza Kitchen, we're always innovating," Brian Sullivan, senior vice president of Culinary Innovation, said in a news release. "These new spring menu additions are reflective of the latest evolving trends, but done in a uniquely California-inspired way with fresh, seasonal flavors and ingredients. We've added flavors and textures like red chili honey on spicy Capicola ham to veggie-forward smashed avocado and baby greens — continuing to leverage the latest trends with a creative, California twist on the small plates category."

And over on the other side of the nation in Georgia, it's sweet Georgia peaches that are garnering the summer menu attention at Your Pie, in the brand's Summer Peach Craft Series. The LTOs line-up is headlined by the brand's well-loved Peach & Prosciutto Pie featuring ricotta, prosciutto, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, fresh peaches and a honey-balsamic glaze, first offered in the summer of 2015.

Your Pie's 2021 Summer Peach Craft Series also includes a Summer Peach Salad, Peaches and Cream Sticks and a summer float featuring a Blood Orange Sorbet added to a Sprite soft drink, a news release said.

The Craft Series has been a seasonal feature of the Your Pie menu since the brand's inception in 2008 and is available until early August.

"The Peach & Prosciutto Pie is a staple of our summer menu and one of our customers' favorite and most anticipated pizzas of the year," Your Pie CMO Lisa Dimson said in the release. "We have also added several other delicious offerings featuring peaches, which gives these items a sweet summertime flavor."

Pizza on the 'barbie'

Finally,, at Grimaldi's locations nationally, beginning June 8, the pizzas are heading for the barbecue, just like many of the brand's customers this summer. The summer LTO pie that the brand will play its barbecue menu off of is a barbecue chicken pizza that features the brand's traditional pie along with Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce, oven-roasted chicken, smoked bacon and red onion, garnished with fresh cilantro.

Accompaniments for this hot-weather pie include a strawberry spinach salad, along with blueberry and strawberry cheesecake varieties, and drinks like a summertime sangria, salted watermelon margarita and watermelon mule.