The Gas Station Pizza That's Unexpectedly High Quality, According To Reviews

Casey's has been making pizza for over 40 years. The Iowa-based chain had already been around for over 15 years when it started slinging freshly-baked pies in 1984, and its almost 3000 gas station and convenience store outlets are now spread across 19 Midwestern and Southern states. In addition to being the third-largest convenience store chain in the country, it also shells out some of the best gas station food around. As one fan describes it on Reddit — "it's not 'gas station pizza,' it's a gas station with an attached pizzeria" — and therein lies the secret to Casey's success. It's not making the best pizza you'll ever eat, but it's definitely making better pizza than you'd expect to find at a gas station.

While outlets equipped with a full-fledged kitchen give Casey's an edge over other gas stations, convenience stores, and even some QSR pizza chains, it does come with certain downsides. The label of "gas station pizza" has some questioning whether the price is worth it. "Sure, it's great for a quick grab, but if I'm getting a whole pizza, I'm splurging and going somewhere else," says one detractor. At $14.99 for a 12-slice pie, Casey's isn't technically expensive, especially considering the dough is made in-house and topped with real mozzarella and high-quality ingredients delivered by the company's own supply chain. Supporters feel like Casey's pizzas are an underrated gas station secret, with one saying, "If you know, you know. New Yorkers would pay $30 a pie if they knew how insanely good these are."

Over the years, Casey's has quietly grown into the country's unexpected fifth-largest pizza chain in terms of outlets. Menu items like its sandwiches and sides also benefit from the on-site kitchen, but it's the chain's pizza that's the main draw. The menu balances staple favorites and novelty spins, with their breakfast pizza introduced back in 2001. Topped with eggs, bacon, cheddar, mozzarella, and a choice of cheese sauce or sausage gravy, these breakfast pizzas are a staple of the chain. Exclamations like "That breakfast pizza is on a different level than anything else. Worth it," are quite common on threads that compare Casey's pizzas. The taco pizza, which comes loaded with a bunch of taco fixings, is another Casey's icon.

In 2023, the chain doubled down on its pizza's popularity by calling itself "The Official Pizza and Beer Headquarters." In addition to offering pizza delivery and curbside pickup, it also introduced pizza and beer pairings, allowing customers to order combos like a sausage breakfast pizza and a six-pack of Blue Moon Belgian White.

By focusing on the rural and small-town market, Casey's has cornered what the company's head, Darren Rebelez, calls an "underserved" sector (per CNBC). "If it wasn't for them, most rural towns probably wouldn't have an operating gas station, let alone one with hot take-away, decent donuts, beer, bare necessities," adds one Reddit user. Others have also attributed Casey's superior pizza to outlets not having to deal with the kind of high-volume traffic that sometimes negatively impacts comparable pizza chains like Papa John's and Domino's.