Feb. 9 is National Pizza Day — which is celebrated with one topping above all others: pepperoni.
One of America’s favorite foods, pizza was initially developed in 18th-century Naples and has taken many different shapes over the years.
In the U.S., those variations range from New York- and Detroit-styles to Chicago deep dish and even Altoona-style — but pepperoni remains the most popular topping nationwide.
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The food website Chowhound released its list of the best fast-food pepperoni pizzas, and many of the picks are available nationwide.
The list was based on overall pizza flavor, quality of the ingredients and overall value.
See the fast-food pizza list below.
At the top of Chowhound’s list was Jet’s Pizza, a Michigan-based establishment.
Though the chain specializes in Detroit-style pizza, it offers a variety of styles — and pepperoni can be added to all of them.
Jet’s website indicates the brand operates hundreds of restaurants in 22 states — though most of them are in Michigan, which has 166 locations.
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“To this day, Jet’s stands for the freshest vine-ripened tomatoes, Italian herbs and spices, dough prepared by hand each day and hand-grated, premium mozzarella cheese,” its website states.
The chain serves states in the South, Midwest, West and two states in the Northeast — New York and Pennsylvania.
Coming in second on Chowhound’s list was Godfather’s Pizza, a Nebraska-based chain with over 2,000 locations, according to its website.
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain served as the chain’s CEO from 1986 to 1996.
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“Our pies are piled high with quality ingredients and topped with heaping layers of perfectly melted cheese, so you enjoy a mouthful of flavors in every delicious bite,” the company’s website states.
Pepperoni is featured in Godfather’s Pizza’s Humble Pie, Hot Stuff, Classic Combo and All-Meat Combo, giving fans plenty of options.
Pizza Hut ranked third on Chowhound’s list — no surprise given its popularity.
The Texas-based chain boasts 16,000 restaurants in 100 countries, according to its website.
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The restaurant offers a Pepperoni Lover’s Pizza with its classic crust and a tavern-style Pepperoni Duo pizza.
Customers who follow a gluten-free diet can also enjoy Pizza Hut’s Pepperoni Pizza with Udi’s Gluten-Free Crust, which the chain says features “classic marinara sauce, pepperoni and 100% real mozzarella.”
Founded in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Papa Johns has grown to become a household name with over 5,000 locations in 45 countries.
Known for serving pizzas with a signature pepperoncini pepper, the chain offers pepperoni as a topping on all of its pizzas — including its pan pizzas and stuffed-crust pizzas.
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Another popular pepperoni-filled offering is its Shaq-a-Roni pizza, inspired by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
The Shaq-a-Roni is an “extra large pizza made with more than half a pound of cheese and extra pepperoni on eight foldable slices of our fresh, never frozen original dough,” the Papa Johns website says.
Though Domino’s ranked near the end of the list, there’s no denying the chain’s popularity.
Domino’s operates 14,000 locations in over 85 countries — producing around 1.5 million pizzas each day, according to its website.
It’s also acclaimed for its value deals, and customers can enjoy a variety of offers on Feb. 9, including the Mix & Match Deal for $6.99 each and the $19.99 Perfect Combo meal.
The chain also offers an Ultimate Pepperoni Pie, which it describes as “two layers of pepperoni sandwiched between provolone, Parmesan-Asiago and cheese made with 100% real mozzarella then sprinkled with oregano.”
