The CMO Of Pepsi Wants To Give You A Free Taste Of Pepsi-Roni Pizza - Exclusive
Todd Kaplan, Pepsi's CMO, wants everyone to know that pizza tastes #BetterWithPepsi. In an exclusive interview with Mashed, he said that Pepsi drinks are "served at over 70% of national pizza locations across the country." According to Kaplan, the pairing of pizza and Pepsi works well because "the signature flavor and bright citrus blend of Pepsi cuts the fat in foods like hamburgers and pizza, giving them a delicious taste."
Per a YouGov poll from 2021, pepperoni is America's favorite pizza topping, with over 60% of those surveyed saying they enjoy it. Since Pepsi is the most popular soft drink served with pizza, it only makes sense that Pepsi and pepperoni would make a good fit. Per Kaplan, pepperoni pizza is the ultimate complement to Pepsi: "When adding the pepperoni to the pizza, it blends more of those Italian spices and brings out all the flavor profiles even more."
Pepsi decided to take the Pepsi-pepperoni connection a step further by collaborating with the Culinary Institute of America to create Pepsi-Roni, a soda-infused sausage. Kaplan said, "Pepsi-Roni is pork-based, combining the citrus zest and caramel notes of Pepsi Zero Sugar with traditional savory pepperoni seasonings."
Where can you get your hands on Pepsi-Roni?
Pepsi held several pop-up events around the country where it gave away free slices of Pepsi-Roni pizzas. The first event was held on May 20th in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which is where Todd Kaplan says pepperoni was first born. The following two events featuring Pepsi-Roni were in the pizza hotspots of Detroit and Chicago.
If you missed those events, don't worry; there's still time to snag a free taste of Pepsi-Roni pizza (at least if you live in Florida or Southern California). On June 3rd, Pepsi is holding Pepsi-Roni pizza events in Los Angeles (at Round Table Pizza) and Miami (at Groovy's Pizza).
As of right now, going to one of the events is the only way to taste Pepsi-Roni. We asked Kaplan whether the product will ever be available for purchase, and while he didn't promise anything, he didn't totally rule out the idea, either: "In the past, limited-time drops have become part of the permanent product lineup as Pepsi is constantly evaluating and evolving the portfolio to continue to engage fans in new ways."
You can try Pepsi-Roni pizza at events in Miami and Los Angeles on June 3. Information about these events can be found here.