Historic Chicago Pizza Brand Enters Pan Category Home Run Inn, the Chicago-based tavern-style pizza maker operating since 1923, has introduced its first pan pizza to the frozen retail market. The new line, available in five varieties—Cheese, Sausage, Sausage Pepperoni, Meat Lovers, and Pepperoni—launches in Chicagoland Jewel and Tony's Fresh Market locations starting November 2026. The 9-inch frozen pans feature Home Run Inn's signature hand-pinched crust, thickened from its iconic thin tavern style, topped with freshly sliced mozzarella and the brand's tomato sauce blend. The product is made from scratch using all-natural ingredients, according to the company. "We're proud to introduce Pan Pizza to the Home Run Inn frozen pizza lineup while staying true to the quality, flavor, and tradition that have defined our brand for nearly 80 years," said Dan Costello, Home Run Inn CEO and fourth-generation family member. "Made from scratch just like our original tavern-style pizza, with all-natural ingredients, our new Pan Pizza offers customers another delicious way to enjoy the Home Run Inn flavor they know and love, now with a thicker crust."
November In-Restaurant Promotion Home Run Inn is running "Free Pizza Fridays" throughout November at its six Chicagoland locations, offering a free frozen pan pizza with the purchase of any extra-large cheese or sausage pizza for dine-in or carryout (one per order). Home Run Inn ranks among the top 10 frozen pizza brands nationally and holds the number-one position in the Chicagoland market. The brand serves as the official pizza of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field.
Why It Matters
The pan pizza entry expands Home Run Inn's retail footprint at a time when frozen pizza continues to perform as a stable category. The move leverages the brand's local heritage and existing frozen pizza distribution to capture consumers seeking regional, thicker-crust alternatives in mainstream grocery channels.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Home Run Inn entering pan pizza now when they already own the #1 position in Chicagoland frozen?
Category expansion. Home Run Inn ranks top 10 nationally in frozen pizza—pan pizza is the second-largest frozen pizza format after thin crust, and they're capturing share within their existing retail doors at Jewel and Tony's Fresh Market. It's a direct line extension that uses their core competency: hand-pinched dough and all-natural ingredients.
What's the retail strategy here—why just Chicagoland at launch?
They're testing with stronghold retailers where brand equity is highest before potential national rollout. Jewel and Tony's Fresh Market give Home Run Inn controlled distribution in their backyard, where they can measure velocity and optimize before approaching broader chains like Kroger or Albertsons.
How does the product positioning differ from their tavern-style frozen line?
The new pan pizzas feature a thickened crust versus their signature thin tavern style, but maintain the same hand-pinched technique and all-natural ingredient deck. It's a format play, not a recipe overhaul—same flavor profile, different texture and structure to compete in the pan segment where Palermo's, Tombstone, and private label dominate.
What's the 'Free Pizza Fridays' promotion actually doing for them?
Sampling mechanism. They're converting in-restaurant diners to frozen retail buyers by bundling a free frozen pan pizza with a dine-in or carryout order throughout November. It's a trial driver that moves frozen inventory off their six locations and builds awareness ahead of retail shelf placement.
How significant is the Cubs/Wrigley Field partnership to this launch?
Material for local penetration. As the official pizza of Wrigley Field, Home Run Inn has built-in credibility with Chicago consumers and trade support—that halo helps secure better shelf position at Jewel and Tony's and provides marketing leverage they don't need to buy elsewhere.
