The Chicago pizza brand’s first frozen Pan Pizza arrives in five varieties, with a November restaurant promotion designed to introduce customers to the new format.
Home Run Inn has introduced its first frozen Pan Pizza, expanding its range with a thicker-crust format built around the flavours associated with its original pizza. The new line is available at all Chicagoland Jewel stores and Tony’s Fresh Market locations, giving the launch an initial retail presence in the brand’s home region.
The nine-inch pizzas come in five varieties: Cheese, Sausage, Sausage Pepperoni, Meat Lovers and Pepperoni. Home Run Inn says the range combines a thicker version of its crust with freshly sliced mozzarella and its signature tomato sauce. The change centres on the base, while keeping familiar toppings and the company’s existing flavour identity.
For a brand closely associated with Chicago tavern-style thin crust, the launch offers a different eating experience within an established range. It gives shoppers another crust option under the same name, with continuity coming from the ingredients and preparation story rather than an identical pizza format.
Chief executive Dan Costello, a fourth-generation family member, describes the new Pan Pizza as made from scratch, like the company’s original tavern-style product. He says the addition is intended to retain the quality and flavour associated with Home Run Inn while offering customers a thicker crust. That framing positions the launch as an extension of the brand’s approach to pizza-making.
The company is also connecting the grocery launch with its restaurant business. Every Friday in November, Home Run Inn restaurants will offer a free frozen Pan Pizza with the purchase of an extra-large cheese or sausage pizza for dine-in or carryout. The promotion is limited to one free frozen pizza per order.
The offer creates a direct route for restaurant customers to try the new frozen product at home. It also brings the two parts of the business together around one launch: an established restaurant purchase introduces a different format intended for a later meal, without requiring shoppers to discover it first in the freezer aisle.
Home Run Inn traces its origins to a South Side Chicago tavern opened in 1923, with the Home Run Inn name adopted in 1947. The family-owned business now operates six Chicagoland pizzerias and sells frozen pizza nationally, although the announced Pan Pizza distribution is specifically focused on Chicagoland. The release does not disclose pricing or a timetable for a wider rollout.
The addition gives Home Run Inn a new way to develop its frozen range while retaining a recognisable connection to its restaurant roots. Crust thickness provides the main point of difference, with the regional retail launch and restaurant sampling offer supporting its introduction.
