Remember When Pizzas Were the Size of a Car Hood? The Great Pizza Wars of the 90s!
Okay, picture this: the 1990s. Grunge music is blasting, dial-up internet is screeching, and pizza chains are locked in an epic battle. Their weapon of choice? Ridiculously huge pizzas. Pizza Hut fired the first shot with its “Bigfoot,” a massive rectangular pie practically begging to be shared. But here’s the question that always pops up: Did Little Caesars jump into the fray with their own “Big Foot Pizza?” Well, the answer is a little…complicated.
So, no, Little Caesars didn’t technically have a pizza called the “Big Foot.” But don’t think they were sitting on the sidelines! They had their own behemoth: the “Big! Big! Cheese.” This thing landed in 1993, boasting 24 slices and weighing in at a hefty four-plus pounds. Why so heavy? Because it was absolutely loaded with cheese and pepperoni. While maybe not as long as Pizza Hut’s Bigfoot, Little Caesars made sure everyone knew the Big! Big! Cheese had more slices and, frankly, more stuff i.
And the story doesn’t end there! In 1996, Little Caesars unleashed another monster: “Pizza by the Foot” i. Yep, a three-foot-long rectangular pizza! Sadly, it’s gone from menus here in the States, but a similar beast called “Pizza by the Meter” still roams wild in Saudi Arabia i.
Think about it: Pizza Hut with the “Bigfoot,” Domino’s throwing down the “Dominator,” and Little Caesars answering with the “Big! Big! Cheese.” It was less about taste, and more about sheer, comical size i.
I even remember seeing a Little Caesars commercial where their monster truck squashed a smaller truck – pretty clearly a jab at Pizza Hut’s Bigfoot! The narrator even had the audacity to claim the Big! Big! Cheese was bigger, even if the measurements didn’t quite back that up i.
Of course, these giant pizzas were never really built to last i. The novelty wore off, and let’s be honest, wrangling a pizza the size of a coffee table probably wasn’t a picnic for the delivery drivers.
So, why all the confusion about the Little Caesars “Big Foot Pizza?” A few things probably contribute:
- Timing is Everything: Both the Big! Big! Cheese and the Bigfoot hit the scene around the same time, right in the thick of the giant pizza madness i.
- The Mandela Effect is Real: Sometimes, a lot of people remember something that just didn’t happen. Maybe the “Big Foot Pizza” is one of those things, a shared false memory i.
- Size Matters (or so they said): Both chains were screaming about the size and value of their pizzas, so memories probably blurred together i.
Even though the Big! Big! Cheese and Pizza by the Foot are ancient history, Little Caesars is still a major pizza player i. Mike and Marian Ilitch started the whole thing back in 1959 in Michigan, and now they’re famous for those super-affordable “Hot-N-Ready” pizzas and that catchy “Pizza! Pizza!” slogan – a throwback to the days when you got two pizzas for one i. As of a few years ago, they had over 5,400 locations worldwide i.
And Little Caesars isn’t afraid to get creative, either. Remember the Pretzel Crust Pizza? Or the Bacon Wrapped Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza? They even brought back Stuffed Crazy Bread, which is always a win i!
So, bottom line? Little Caesars never actually had a “Big Foot Pizza.” That honor belongs to Pizza Hut i. But Little Caesars definitely held its own in the giant pizza wars with the Big! Big! Cheese and Pizza by the Foot. And while those oversized pies are gone, Little Caesars is still kicking, proving that sometimes, simple, affordable pizza is all you really need i.