I tried Pizza Hut's new Melts and they can be a better alternative to a personal pizza — if you're all about convenience

Pizza Hut announced a new addition to its menu last week, and it’s not quite pizza.
David Graves, the president of Pizza Hut US, told Insider the Melts are a “modern handheld” that capitalize on a few changes in customers’ eating behaviors.
The Melts, Graves says, are one way Pizza Hut is leaning into “newstalgia.”
I sampled each of the Melts at a recent tasting event previewing them before their launch. Here’s what I thought:
First up was the Buffalo Chicken Melt, which came with buffalo sauce and ranch on the side for dipping.
This Melt is filled with chicken, onions, buffalo sauce, and, of course, cheese.
Next, I tried the Chicken Bacon Parmesan.
The accompanying dipping sauce for this Melt is ranch.
This one is stuffed with pieces of chicken and bacon, as well as Alfredo sauce and, naturally, cheese.
Then it was time for the Pepperoni Lover’s Melt, which comes with marinara sauce.
Unsurprisingly, the contents of this Melt are just pepperoni and cheese.
Now for the fourth and final Melt: the Meat Lover’s, which also comes with marinara sauce on the side.
Biting into the Meat Lover’s Melt, you’ll find four different meats — pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, and bacon — and, you guessed it, cheese.
This was the most stuffed so far, with plenty of meat inside.
For me, the Meat Lover’s ties with the Chicken Bacon Parmesan for the top spot.
Overall, I think the Melts beat out a personal pizza in convenience factor.
As part of the Melts launch, Pizza Hut is running a digital sweepstakes.

Pizza Hut has unveiled a new product called Melts, which comes in four varieties.
It’s basically a folded-up slice filled with various toppings, and it’s meant to appeal to customers as a portable, personal-size snack or meal.
I tried Melts and found they can beat out pizza when it comes to convenience but may fall short in other areas.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Introducing Pizza Hut Melts. Each order comes with two folded slices on the chain’s signature Thin ‘N Crispy crust, stuffed with cheese and various toppings and served with a dipping sauce on the side.

There are four varieties of Melts, two of which are inspired by pizza flavors and two of which take after sandwich options. Each order is $6.99 and comes with two pieces and a side of sauce for dipping.

“With Melts, now there’s a new way to get the bold flavors of your favorite pizza – or what you might get on your favorite sandwich – just for you, whenever and wherever you want,” she added.

David Graves, the president of Pizza Hut US, told Insider the Melts are a “modern handheld” that capitalize on a few changes in customers’ eating behaviors.

For one thing, people are becoming more interested in snackable foods as they frequently eat outside of traditional meal times now. For snacks, many people want something portable and easy-to-eat.

The Melts, Graves says, are one way Pizza Hut is leaning into “newstalgia.”

“It’s about bringing all the signature flavors of Pizza Hut to the way modern people want to eat today,” he said.

I sampled each of the Melts at a recent tasting event previewing them before their launch. Here’s what I thought:

First up was the Buffalo Chicken Melt, which came with buffalo sauce and ranch on the side for dipping.

This Melt is filled with chicken, onions, buffalo sauce, and, of course, cheese.

I didn’t think it had much Buffalo flavor or chicken on its own, and it was a bit dry, but the sauces definitely helped and the crust was nicely crispy. Overall, this was definitely my least favorite of the four Melts.

Next, I tried the Chicken Bacon Parmesan.

The accompanying dipping sauce for this Melt is ranch.

This one is stuffed with pieces of chicken and bacon, as well as Alfredo sauce and, naturally, cheese.

Compared to the Buffalo Chicken Melt, this one was noticeably saltier and had more flavor and moisture on its own without the side sauce. I liked the addition of the bacon pieces inside, which seemed more plentiful than the chicken. This was definitely a step up from the Buffalo Chicken Melt.

Then it was time for the Pepperoni Lover’s Melt, which comes with marinara sauce.

Unsurprisingly, the contents of this Melt are just pepperoni and cheese.

My favorite part of this Melt was the crispy cheese oozing out of the side. There was just the right amount of toppings for the amount of crust, which was nice and crispy.

Now for the fourth and final Melt: the Meat Lover’s, which also comes with marinara sauce on the side.

Biting into the Meat Lover’s Melt, you’ll find four different meats — pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, and bacon — and, you guessed it, cheese.

This was the most stuffed so far, with plenty of meat inside.

For me, the Meat Lover’s ties with the Chicken Bacon Parmesan for the top spot.

Thinking more broadly of all of the Melts, they’re all dusted with oregano and parmesan on top, which I thought was a good addition visually and taste-wise. All four Melts also had a pleasantly crispy crust on both the top and bottom sides.

Overall, I think the Melts beat out a personal pizza in convenience factor.

They’re easier to eat, with no toppings falling off because they’re contained by the crust, and thus more portable. I also liked being able to dip the Melts and the varieties of dipping sauces available, compared to just the usual ranch that some people have with pizza.

At the same time, the trade-off, of course, is the relative lack of customization available for the product as a whole: If you want more options for the type of crust, sauce, or toppings, a pizza would definitely be the way to go. I did also miss the stretchy pull of cheese you might find on a regular slice of pizza; that was largely lacking here. And at $6.99, Melts also appear to be slightly more expensive than a personal pan pizza.

As part of the Melts launch, Pizza Hut is running a digital sweepstakes.

“In a world that promotes the oversharing of information, photos, personal stories and journeys, Pizza Hut decided to go the opposite direction to empower people’s desire to ‘go solo’ and indulge in their own craving with this new individual-focused menu item,” the press release says.

You can visit meltsarenotforsharing.com to sign a Melts Disclosure Agreement, or “MDA,” agreeing not to post about the product on social media, and 250 people will be chosen at random to receive $100 gift cards. There’s no purchase necessary, and the deadline to enter is October 30.