NATIONAL TAVERN-STYLE PIZZA DAY
October 22 is National Tavern-Style Pizza Day! Today we are celebrating the taste of Chicago with a hand-pinched crispy crust, zesty sauce and plentiful amounts of toppings! Join us as we discuss why National Tavern-Style Pizza Day is going to increase your need enjoy this cheesy delight.
#NationalTavernStylePizzaDay
People across the globe LOVE pizza and tavern-style pizza is a favorite among pizza lovers! In fact, tavern-style pizza lovers will tell you this unique pizza originates in Chicago and is the most popular type of pizza ordered in Chicago (yes, true Chicagoans' eat thin crust, not deep dish).
If you are wondering what makes tavern-style pizza so unique, it's the crust! Always made thin and crispy, tavern-style pizza delivers a delicious crunch with each bite. Add in generous amounts of toppings, you get the perfect amount of flavor. The pieces may be small, but the flavor is mighty!
Tavern-style pizza originates in the Home Run Inn Tavern in Chicago in 1923. The owners began serving free pizza to customers as a snack, instead of pretzels or popcorn, to go with their drinks at the bar. Cut into tiny square pieces, bartenders served the pizza on paper napkins to allow a beer to be held in the free hand. It was a genius idea to entice customers to have a bite to eat free of charge while enjoying a cold one. Today, tavern-style pizza is found across the country in taverns, restaurants and grocery stores.
5 Random Pizza Facts
Pizza is said to come from the Italian word "pizzica, "which means "to pinch."
Pizza was served to soldiers in Ancient Rome. It was believed pizza gave them courage and strength before battle.
Saturday night is the most popular night of the week for eating pizza.
Thin crust pizza is the most popular style pizza served in America.
Americans consume about 23 pounds of pizza per person each year.
CELEBRATE NATIONAL TAVERN-STYLE PIZZA DAY
If you're looking for a way to celebrate today's food holiday, we think finding a local tavern that serves it would be a great place to start. Consuming this pizza is a casual experience and requires you and an ice-cold beer. Just in case you can't find a local tavern, you can always invite your family and friends over and have a pizza party! Make a variety of tavern-style pizzas for everyone to sample. Afterall, enjoying tavern-style pizza is about atmosphere and enjoying the company while eating. Share your tavern-style pizza experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #NationalTavernStylePizzaDay.
NATIONAL TAVERN-STYLE PIZZA DAY HISTORY
In 2024, National Day Calendar and Home Run Inn began collaborating together to create the delicious new food holiday to be known as National Tavern-Style Pizza Day. Each year on October 22, we celebrate the culinary traditions of Chicago with hand-pinched crispy crust, zesty sauce and plentiful amounts of toppings!
About the Founder
Home Run Inn has been a beloved institution in Chicago for over 75 years, rooted in a legacy that began in the 1920s when Mary and Vincent Grittani opened their original tavern at the corner of 31st Street and Kildare Avenue.
Back in the 1940s, they had the bright idea to put pizza on the bar counter as a snack to go with a cold beer. Customers soon started asking for pizza more than drinks! Their original recipe from Bari, Italy—with its hand-pinched crispy crust, zesty sauce, and lots of cheese—was a huge hit. They started charging for the pizzas, and in 1947, Home Run Inn Pizza was officially named when a baseball from a local neighborhood game came crashing through the tavern’s front window.
In the late 1960s, a customer from Wisconsin suggested the idea of frozen pizzas. He always asked for his pizza partially baked, explaining that he would put them in his ice box when he got home and bake them at a later time. "We built upon this idea and started par-baking our pizzas, freezing them and dropping them off to nearby corner grocery stores," said Gina Perrino Bolger, a fourth-generation family member and Senior VP of Marketing. "We were one of the first companies to come up with the frozen pizza concept."
In the 1970s, they opened their first restaurant in Darien, IL, and then added nine more.
Joe Perrino, whose father Nick Perrino and his grandmother Mary Grittani created the original tavern pizza, took over the family business 1990. He led its growth both as a local Chicago restaurant chain and a regional frozen pizza brand. Still family-owned and operated, Home Run Inn is now one of the top 10 frozen pizza brands sold nationally and the number one in the Chicagoland area. It's the oldest family-owned frozen pizza company in the country, known for their thin crust tavern-style pizza.
The fourth-generation family members are still passionate about building their family legacy, sticking to the values their great-grandparents taught them, and giving back to the communities they serve and beyond.
For media inquiries about National Tavern-Style Pizza Day, please contact:
Janie Goldberg-Dicks
jdicks@korshak.com