Pizza Hut is starting with another fast food popular with Americans: hamburgers.
The Plano, Texas-based chain introduced the Cheeseburger Melt to its menus nationwide on Tuesday.
Although it contains all the ingredients you might find in a burger at McDonald’s or Wendy’s, the Cheeseburger Melt is actually a burger-pizza hybrid.
It is filled with beef, bacon, onions, mozzarella and cheese like any normal cheeseburger.
The difference is that they come in a folded pizza crust instead of a bun, and the beef comes in smaller pieces instead of as a patty.
But it’s served with the brand’s ‘Burger Sauce’ on the side – which is thought to be modeled after McDona’d’s famous Big Mac sauce.
Pizza Hut’s Cheeseburger Melt is a burger-pizza hybrid. Instead of a bun, a pizza base is folded over – and filled with beef, cheese, bacon and onions like a normal burger
The Pizza Hut burger is different from the traditional burger that Americans are used to, such as this one
“We are excited to embark on this new venture into the burger sector, especially as a brand known for its exceptional pizzas.” said Lindsay Morgan, CMO at Pizza Hut, in a statement.
‘We wanted to start our citizen journey with a powerful statement. That’s why we’re making waves at the burger chain’s drive-thrus and offering our delicious new Cheeseburger Melt to all burger lovers.’
To promote the new melt, Pizza Hut is offering free vouchers – to customers who queue at the burger chain’s select drive-thrus for a limited time.
The Cheeseburger Melt is also part of the new My Hut Box offer, which starts at $6.99 at participating restaurants.
The deal allows customers to choose between Melts or a Personal Pan Pizza with two toppings, plus a side of fries or four boneless wings and a 20 oz drink.
This new addition to the menu is being marketed by the pizza chain as a better way to eat an on-the-go cheeseburger than a traditional one — thanks to its folded exterior that prevents both soggy buns and topping spills.
“For the first time ever, we’ve encapsulated everything we love about a cheeseburger in our irresistible Thin N’ Crispy crust to create the new Cheeseburger Melt,” said Rachel Antalek, Chief Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut.
‘Unlike a traditional cheeseburger, the Cheeseburger Melt pairs perfectly with what we believe is the best burger dip in the world.
‘We challenge you to find a better burger and sauce experience.’
In addition to the Cheeseburger Melt, Pizza Hut now offers a total of five different Melts. The remaining four options were added to the menu in 2022.
To promote the new melt, Pizza Hut is offering vouchers to get free vouchers – to customers queuing at the burger chain’s select drive-thrus for a limited time
Pizza Hut, owned by Yum Brands, was hit by a 7 percent drop in same-store sales in the first quarter of this year.
This move into burgers isn’t the first time brands not typically associated with burgers have tried to enter this lucrative market.
In 2018, IHOP attracted a lot of attention with its ‘name change’ to IHOb to promote its new line of burgers.
There is also a long-standing partnership between Donatos Pizza and Red Robin, with the burger chain adding pizza to its menu, which benefits both companies.