Pizza Hut rolls out a new stuffed crust — minus the pizza

New York(CNN Business) Pizza Hut is doubling down on one of its classic innovations as the pandemic-era pizza wars rage.

In a nod to the 25th anniversary of stuffed crust's debut, Pizza Hut is offering a pizza-less ring of cheese-stuffed dough.

The name? "Nothing But Stuffed Crust," of course.

The cheesy promotion — which comes just weeks after rival Papa John's rolled out its own stuffed crust pizza — is limited to participating locations in Dallas and Los Angeles this Tuesday through Thursday. The company says Nothing But Stuffed Crust is free each day for the first 50 customers who make a $10 purchase at each location. Customers can also buy a three-topping stuffed crust pizza for $11.99 for a limited time at participating restaurants.

"Many have tried to recreate it, but there's still only ONE original stuffed crust pizza," Pizza Hut said in a statement.

Competition among big chains has been fierce during the coronavirus pandemic, which has fueled a surge in pizza demand from Americans who are spending more time at home and avoiding dine-in restaurants. Papa John's, Domino's (DMPZF) and Pizza Hut began hiring thousands of new employees in the spring.

On October 29, Pizza Hut's parent company Yum! Brands (YUM) reported the chain's offsite sales had surged 17%-21% during the third quarter of 2020. Pizza Hut also opened 148 new restaurants in 32 countries during the same time frame, according to financial records.

Yum! CEO David Gibbs says the fast food conglomerate's year-over-year digital sales set a single quarter record of $4 billion between July and September.