Home Run Inn launches National Tavern-Style Pizza Day on Oct. 22

Home Run Inn Pizza is using Oct. 22 to spotlight Chicago’s tavern-style pizza, the thin-crust, square-cut tradition long overshadowed by deep dish. The company plans Chicago promotions through Oct. 25 as consumer interest in thin-crust pizza grows nationwide.

Why it matters: - Home Run Inn is putting Chicago’s tavern-style pizza in the national spotlight with a holiday meant to build awareness for the city’s original thin-crust style. - The push comes as thin-crust pizza continues to gain attention nationwide, giving Home Run Inn a marketing opening beyond the Chicago market.

What happened: - Home Run Inn Pizza created National Tavern-Style Pizza Day for Oct. 22. - The company is inviting pizza lovers across the country to celebrate Chicago’s square-cut, thin-crust pizza tradition. - Home Run Inn says its tavern-style pizzas will be promoted at its Chicago-area taverns from Oct. 22 through Oct. 25.

The details: - Home Run Inn dates its roots to 1923, when it started as a neighborhood tavern on Chicago’s South Side. - The brand is now a fourth-generation, family-owned pizza company with six Chicago-area restaurants and frozen pizzas sold in grocery stores nationwide. - Tavern-style pizza is defined by a thin, crispy crust, zesty sauce and generous toppings, cut into small square pieces instead of triangles. - The Home Run Inn family created the style in the 1940s as a bar snack meant to pair with drinks. - By the 1950s, Home Run Inn had begun par-baking and freezing pizzas for customers and local grocery stores. - That frozen pizza business later expanded into a nationwide retail business. - Chicago tavern locations will offer 5x loyalty points, special discounts and merch during the Oct. 22-25 promotion window. - Home Run Inn also plans a four-stop food truck tour tied to the holiday. - Promotion details will appear on Home Run Inn’s Facebook page and other social channels. - Home Run Inn’s history section says the company operates six pizzerias throughout Chicagoland and sells frozen pizzas in grocery stores nationwide. - The company’s frozen pizza business began in the late 1950s, when the family started par-baking and freezing pizzas for local grocery stores. - More information is available on Home Run Inn’s website.

Between the lines: - The holiday is a branding play as much as a celebration, giving Home Run Inn a recurring date to own in a crowded pizza category. - Dan Costello, CEO of Home Run Inn, said tavern-style pizza is having “a real moment” and that it is exciting to see the rest of the country discover a style Chicagoans have long loved. - A 2025 American Bakers Association survey found 49% of consumers prefer thin-crust pizza, which suggests broad consumer interest in the style.

What's next: - Home Run Inn’s Oct. 22-25 promotions are designed to drive traffic to Chicago locations and amplify the holiday on social media. - The company will likely use National Tavern-Style Pizza Day as a repeatable annual marketing moment for its frozen and restaurant businesses.

The bottom line: - Home Run Inn is turning a local Chicago tradition into a national tentpole event, betting that thin-crust pizza’s growing popularity can help tavern-style pizza break out beyond its hometown roots.