A notable early version of pan pizza is the "Pizza al Padellino" from the city of Turin in Northern-Italy, with historical references since the beginning of the 20th century.[3][4]
Dan and Frank Carney opened a pizza parlor in
Wichita, Kansas which would later become Pizza Hut. At first, the brothers focused on a thin crust pizza which included cheese, pepperoni or sausage. The pizza parlor franchised into Pizza Hut in 1959 and added a thicker crust pan pizza.[5][6]
Other pizza companies also later included pan pizza. In 1989,
Domino's introduced its deep dish or pan pizza. Its introduction followed market research showing that 40% of pizza customers preferred thick crusts. The new product launch cost approximately $25 million, of which $15 million was spent on new sheet metal pans with perforated bottoms.[7]