 Taco pizza from Casey's | |
| Type | Pizza |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Midwestern |
| Created by | Joe Whitty, potentially |
| Invented | 1974, potentially |
| Main ingredients | Taco |
Taco pizza is a pizza that uses taco ingredients. The owner of pizza chain Happy Joe's claimed to have invented taco pizza. The pizza has been served by other locations.
The pizza parlor chain Happy Joe's in Davenport, Iowa, claimed to have invented taco pizza. After refusing to allow a franchisee to add tacos to their menu, Happy Joe's owner Joe Whitty decided to make something better than tacos. Whitty claimed that the taco pizza was created in December 1974 when he topped his pizza with taco chips, lettuce, and tomatoes. Whitty's daughter, Kristel Whitty-Ersan, said, "At the time, no one was making specialty pizzas." [1] In 1979, restaurant chain Pizza Inn wanted to patent the name taco pizza, but competitor Pizza Hut disagreed by saying that the creation is not special and not worth rights to its name. Previously, Pizza Inn had trademarks for the name in eight states and then tried to receive a national trademark. Pizza Hut came up with their version of taco pizza while using the name in their menus and advertisements. Pizza Inn sent a letter to Pizza Hut claiming that they have exclusive rights to the name and Pizza Hut responded that taco pizza is only a description. [2] Happy Joe's partnered with Pizza Hut in court and agreed that taco pizza is only a generic name of the food. [3]
Gas station chain Casey's is known for their taco pizza. Author Chuy Renteria said, "Taco pizza, the second thing that makes Casey's stand out, is a little harder for outside folks to wrap their heads around. Casey's taco pizza consists of ground beef, lettuce, and tomato on a crust lined with a bean dip spread." [4] Taco pizza has also been served at the pizza chain Godfather's Pizza. [5] In 1995, The Pillsbury Company created a taco pizza recipe using Totino's frozen pizzas. [6] A 2020 study by Zippia of each state's favorite pizza concluded that taco pizza is the favorite pizza of Iowa. [7]
Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldwide as of 2023.
Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, novelty, and speciality items, and a variety of "value menu" items. As of 2023, Taco Bell serves over two billion customers each year, at 8,212 restaurants, more than 94 percent of which are owned and operated by independent franchisees and licensees.
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Yum! Brands, Inc., formerly Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc., is an American multinational fast food corporation listed on the Fortune 1000. Yum! operates the brands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill, except in China, where the brands are operated by a separate company, Yum China. Yum! previously also owned Long John Silver's and A&W Restaurants. The company was created as a spin-off of PepsiCo in 1997.
Happy Joe's is an American pizza parlor chain based in Bettendorf, Iowa. The restaurant chain was founded in 1972 by Lawrence Joseph "Happy Joe" Whitty, a former Shakey's Pizza manager. Their United States locations are spread out across the Upper Midwest and Florida, with a location in Egypt, which opened in October 2022. In 2022, Happy Joe's has declared an intent over 10 years to open at least 25 locations across the Middle East and North Africa, including in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The idea for Happy Joe's came from a combination of a pizza parlor and ice cream palace.
Casey's Retail Company is a chain of convenience stores in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The company is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. As of October 1, 2023, Casey's had 2,500 stores in 16 states. Following 7-Eleven's purchase of Speedway, Casey's is the 3rd largest convenience store chain in the United States and the largest that is wholly American-owned. It is one of two Iowa-based Fortune 500 companies. Casey's is famous for their pizza including a breakfast pizza and a taco pizza resulting in Casey's being the fifth largest pizza chain in the U.S.
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Eagle Boys was an Australian fast food pizza chain.
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In 2006, there were several outbreaks of foodborne illness from spinach and lettuce contaminated by E. coli O157:H7.
Tasty Tacos is a Des Moines, Iowa based Mexican-inspired restaurant founded in 1961 by Richard and Antonia Mosqueda. It is family owned and operated and has five restaurants in the central Iowa area. The flour taco is their signature dish and features a homemade fluffy flour shell, filled with choice of meat, lettuce and cheese.
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The Mexican Pizza, originally called the Pizzazz Pizza, is a menu item at the U.S.-based chain Taco Bell. It consists of two tortillas with a filling of seasoned beef and refried beans, topped with tomato sauce, three cheeses, and diced tomatoes.
Brian R. Niccol is an American businessman and the chief executive officer of Starbucks, a role which he started on September 9, 2024, replacing Laxman Narasimhan. He previously was chairman and CEO of Chipotle until August 31, 2024.
