Yet another Upper Midwest frozen “tavern pizza,” Halftime was launched out of a popular rural bar an hour NW of Chicago. If you’re a regular reader here, you know how much I admire small business owners, and guys like this, trying to enter a very crowded field, with (presumably) a marketing budget that can’t possibly compete in the space, well you have to give them an “E” for effort, and wish them the best of luck.
The package boasts include “made by hand” and “The Official Pizza of Brookfield Zoo.” (If you’ve never been to Brookfield, it’s worth a trip). Ingredients are pretty straightforward, except there’s that dreaded corn syrup derivative, which I hate seeing in any product.
Instructions call for middle shelf, 450, 12-15 minutes. On a cookie sheet if you prefer a softer crust.
I checked at the 12 minute mark, and opted for another minute. On the plus side, I liked the larger chunks of hand-pulled Italian sausage, and the very thin crust is cracker crunchy. The sausage could use more flavor (for my taste, only), and the sauce is very strongly flavored. Cheese is adequate, but more would be nice.
The pies sell for $12 + at the bar, have a suggested retail price of $10 at the grocer, I paid $7.99 on sale. At a $10 price point, these guys are competing in the upper range of frozen pizzas, and they are in for a tough fight. As a smaller manufacturer, lacking the economies of scale, purchasing, and automation, their price probably reflects the minimum number to make a profit.
But for me, the taste, texture and ingredients are more reminiscent of a pie in the ‘value range’ of frozen pizzas, competing with brands like Tony’s, Tombstone and the like, but of course, those brands pricing is considerably less.
The pies are made in McHenry, IL at USDA est 51161, located at 4025 W. Main Street, and pictured below, if Google maps is accurate. Locator.
Halftime Pizza Review