Pizza Hut is an American chain of pizzerias that was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Frank and Dan Carney. By the early 1970s, it was already beating its competitors in sales and number of restaurants, eventually expanding to over 16,000 stores globally to become one of the most recognizable pizza brands in the world. In 1995, the chain debuted its stuffed-crust pizza, which features over a half pound of cheese encased in the crust, and it became the life of parties in the ’90s.
There was some controversy about this product launch, however, since a man named Anthony Mongiello actually took out a patent for a stuffed crust pizza nearly 10 years earlier, in 1987. Despite the contested origins of this now-famous variety of pizza, the Hut still claims that its version is the original, and much of the public continues to associate stuffed crust pizza with this chain.
A lot has changed over the last decades, including the prices of food, and that goes for the price of a stuffed-crust pizza at Pizza Hut. When this pizza debuted, a large one-topping pie cost anywhere from $8 to $10, and that price remained more or less the same throughout the decade. Fast forward to 2026, and the price is over twice as much for the same pie. However, if you take inflation into account, that’s about where it should be. If you assume a stuffed-crust cost $10 in 1995, that would be over $22 in today’s money, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, some other things have changed since the Hut came out with this extra-cheesy creation.
Stuffed-crust pizza was truly revolutionary in the ’90s
When Pizza Hut launched ads promoting its new stuffed-crust pizza, it was a marked change from what the chain had specialized in up to that point and also challenged how pizza purists approached eating a slice. Before then, many pizzerias stuck to traditional formats inspired by regional American styles of pizza, and each chain, more or less, specialized in one or two. Pizza Hut was largely known for its pan pizza, which is similar to Detroit’s traditional deep dish variety (not to be confused with Chicago’s), except that the Hut’s rendition was round instead of rectangular.
The deep-dish pizza was not only different in that it encased a ring of melted cheese, but it was also thinner than the chain’s traditional offerings. Commercials advertised how it was similar to a pizzeria-style pie with a crust that was neither too thick nor too thin, which reflected the two styles — pan and thin crust — that had been on the Hut’s menu — although it ended up being reminiscent of other pizza chains’ offerings.
Ads also encouraged diners to eat their pizza crust first, and they reinforced this suggestion by having Donald Trump give in and enjoy a slice backward, showing how if New Yorkers — considered authorities on pizza at the time — could do it, then it must be okay. The popularity of this innovative pie inspired Pizza Hut to launch some other creative options in the ’90s, including the Triple Decker pizza and dessert pizza. In short, the last decade of the twentieth century was one of groundbreaking culinary innovation … at least at Pizza Hut.
There’s more competition in 2026 than there was in the ’90s
Besides the price hike, there are other things that have changed throughout the past 30 years that have influenced how diners enjoy stuffed crust pizza and where they actually source it. The biggest change is that while Pizza Hut had a monopoly on stuffed crust in the ’90s, it now has steep competition from other major chains. In 2020, Papa John’s debuted a stuffed crust option; around five years later, Domino’s launched its version, and Little Caesars has a couple of iterations of it, too. Pizza Hut doesn’t even deliver on flavor, appearance, and texture as much as its competitors do in a stuffed crust showdown between these chains, and its version seems to skimp on the star ingredient.
Additionally, some online have suggested that the size of a whole pie at the Wichita-born chain appears to have shrunk over the years, though this is a common complaint among customers at a wide variety of establishments. Officially, the size of a large pie at the Hut has been the same 14 inches since the ’90s. One positive thing about ordering a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut in 2026 as opposed to decades past, though, is that you now have the option of toppings that would have been considered gourmet and only found at high-end Italian restaurants 30 years ago, like pesto and caramelized onions. However, if you’re still craving that ’90s price tag, your best bet would be to order from Little Caesars, where a large one-topping pie is still under $10.