Pizza pockets, also known as pizza rolls or pizza poppers, have been a beloved frozen snack staple for decades. Known for their crispy outer shell and molten hot inner filling, pizza pockets offer a quick and easy way to get that pizza flavor in bite-sized form. Brands like Hot Pockets, Bagel Bites, and Totino’s have become household names, synonymous with pizza pockets themselves.
So when rumors started swirling earlier this year that Nestlé, owners of the Hot Pockets brand, may discontinue the popular snack, fans went into an uproar. Message boards and social media exploded with nostalgic fans reliving childhood memories and wondering if this could really be the end of pizza pockets as we know them.
In this 4000+ word article, we’ll investigate the validity of the rumors, look at the history and cultural impact of pizza pockets, explore why discontinuing them would be a poor marketing move, and ultimately determine if this favorite frozen food is still being produced or if it has gone the way of Dunkaroos. Grab a plate, preheat your oven, and read on to get the answers on the future of pizza pockets.
Addressing the Rumors
First, let’s examine the source of the rumors that pizza pockets were being discontinued. In February 2023, a Reddit user started a thread titled “RIP – Hot Pockets discontinuing pizza pockets” in the popular subreddit r/EatCheapandHealthy. The post simply read “Just a heads up they are being discontinued this year” with no additional context or citation for the claim. As expected, panic ensued in the comments as redditors mourned the potential loss. The post gained traction, amassing over 5k upvotes and over 1k comments with users reminiscing about enjoying Hot Pockets as kids and speculating on the reasoning behind this alleged decision.
The problem? The original poster provided absolutely no proof to back this bombshell announcement up. A search of Nestlé’s website and official press releases shows no mention of Hot Pockets pizza pockets being discontinued. In fact, their latest press release from January 2023 highlights exciting new pizza pocket flavors being added to their permanent lineup including Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza, Meatball Pizza, and Ultimate Cheese Pizza. All signs point to pizza pockets still being an active part of the Hot Pockets portfolio.
It seems this viral Reddit post was simply an unsubstantiated rumor started by an anonymous internet user that got accepted as fact and spread rapidly across social platforms. Without any statement from Nestlé to back it up, there is no credible evidence to suggest Hot Pockets pizza pockets are being discontinued at this time. The key takeaway here is not to believe everything you read on the internet without looking into the original source. Viral posts can quickly propagate misinformation without fact checking. So rest assured frozen pizza fans, your beloved snack does not seem to be going anywhere soon if Nestlé’s marketing is to be believed.
The History and Rise of Popularity of Pizza Pockets
Now that we’ve established the discontinuation rumors were unfounded, let’s take a nostalgic trip back and explore the origins of pizza pockets and how they became a staple snack enjoyed by generations.
While Nestlé’s Hot Pockets brand was one of the first to achieve mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 90s, pizza pockets traces their origins back to the frozen calzones produced by Jeno’s Pizza Rolls in the late 1960s. The inventor was Jeno Paulucci, a food entrepreneur who also created beloved frozen brands like Chun King Chinese food and Michelina’s frozen dinners. Jeno’s calzone-like snacks were marketed as “pizza you could eat like a sandwich” and came filled with traditional pizza toppings like cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni or Italian sausage.
In the 1980s, the Hot Pockets brand was launched by Chef America Inc, the creators of Lean Pockets. They saw the potential to expand the calzone concept beyond Italian flavors into more of a handheld sandwich. While pizza remained a flagship flavor, Hot Pockets also offered smoked ham, chili, and other fillings. National distribution in the US began in 1983 and eight years later Chef America was acquired by Nestlé. Under the global food giant, Hot Pockets achieved massive popularity through marketing campaigns and innovations like croissant crust pockets. Nestlé reported 500 million Hot Pockets sold by 1999 and over 1 billion by 2001.
Meanwhile, the pizza pocket concept continued expanding with new brands and flavors entering the market. Bagel Bites were introduced by Chef’s Quality Foods in 1985, offering mini pizza pockets with a bagel crust. Totino’s Pizza Rolls from General Mills came in 1989 with smaller bite-sized pepperoni rolls. The 1990s saw new flavors like supreme, meatball, and barbecue chicken emerge across brands to complement the classic pepperoni and cheese.
With ubiquitous commercials and school lunch inclusion, brands like Hot Pockets and Bagel Bites became a definitive part of 90s pop culture. Pizza pockets took their place alongside Lunchables and Dunkaroos as snacks synonymous with the decade. Portable and easy to microwave, they remain a quick meal staple for kids after school, teens, and busy adults today. Over 50 years since their invention, Americans eat over 2 billion pizza pockets every year. Their convenience and customization continues to appeal across demographics, making discontinuation seem extremely unlikely from a business perspective.
Why Discontinuing Pizza Pockets Would Be a Poor Marketing Move
Given the nostalgic connection and continued popularity of pizza pockets, discontinuing them would likely prove a poor marketing move for Nestlé. Here are some of the key reasons why removing them from the Hot Pockets lineup could hurt more than help:
Loss of a Signature Product
While Hot Pockets offers breakfast sandwiches, subs, and turnover bites, pizza remains one of their flagship flavors. The Pepperoni Pizza pocket is prominently featured in their logo and commercials. Losing this signature item would remove one of the brand’s most iconic and best-selling products that built their identity over decades.
Alienating a Loyal Demographic
Discontinuing pizza pockets would upset and alienate a huge portion of Hot Pockets’ customer base who grew up enjoying this reliable staple. Brand loyalty is difficult to earn but easy to lose. Removing this nostalgic product could lead many consumers to switch to other brands that still offer pizza flavors.
Missing Out on Nostalgia Marketing
Pizza pockets have strong generational appeal. Millennials who enjoyed them as kids now have their own children to introduce to Hot Pockets. Playing into this nostalgia and “passing down” beloved items from childhood is powerful marketing. Losing pizza pockets removes this opportunity.
Surrendering Share of Frozen Snack Market
The frozen snacks and appetizers category is projected to keep growing, already worth over $4 billion annually. Discontinuing a top-selling legacy product in this competitive space would allow rivals to capture more market share at Hot Pockets’ expense.
Out of Sync with Consumer Tastes
Consumers today crave convenience, customization, and comfort foods. Pizza pockets deliver on all three fronts with their portable format, variety of fillings, and satisfying flavor. Removing them would put the brand out of sync with current tastes and demands.
Considering these factors, pulling Hot Pockets pizza pockets from production seems highly unlikely unless Nestle’s market research showed a drastic drop in sales, which has not been indicated. Discontinuation rumors appear to just be unfounded speculation.
The Current State of Pizza Pockets
Now that we’ve established pizza pockets’ lasting appeal and the questionable logic of discontinuing them, what is their current status? Is this beloved snack here to stay or slowly being phased out?
All signs point to pizza pockets remaining a permanent fixture in the frozen food aisle. As mentioned earlier, Nestle is dedicating marketing resources to promoting new Hot Pockets pizza flavors as recently as January 2023. They clearly remain committed to pizza as a key part of their product mix. Hot Pockets social media also continues to highlight pizza pocket offerings.
Additionally, other major brands like Totino’s and Bagel Bites show no indications of abandoning the pizza pocket market. Totino’s has shifted focus toward snack rolls but still produces traditional pizza pockets in pepperoni and supreme varieties. Bagel Bites recently launched new improved recipes for their Original Bites and Minis, both featuring pepperoni pizza flavor.
Retail availability provides further confirmation. Hot Pockets, Totino’s, and Bagel Bites pizza pockets all maintain prominent placement and shelf space in major grocery chains like Walmart, Target, and Kroger. Their popularity as convenience snacks ensures retailers will continue stocking them to meet demand. If discontinuation was imminent, shrinking inventory and clearance sales would be apparent. But for now, ample supply at regular prices indicates steady production.
Barring an unpredictable discontinuation announcement from Nestle in the future, all observable evidence suggests pizza pockets are firmly still on the market and in consumer good graces. Their convenience, customization, nostalgia factor, and taste continue resonating with audiences decades later. Pizza pockets appear poised to remain a staple snack for the foreseeable future.
The Cultural Impact of Pizza Pockets
Beyond their commercial success, pizza pockets have had a notable cultural impact, cementing their place in American food culture over the past 50 years. Here are some of the key ways these snacks left their mark beyond the freezer aisle:
Fusion of Pizza and Sandwiches
By essentially infusing pizza ingredients into handheld, bite-sized sandwiches, pizza pockets created an ingenious food hybrid. This fusion took the consumability of sandwiches and topped them with the bold flavors Americans love about pizza.
One-Handed, On-the-Go Snacking
The portability of pizza pockets allowed for easy one-handed snacking on the go. Kids could hastily microwave them for quick meals between activities. Road trips and pocket-friendly packaging also went hand in hand.
Customization and Variety
Beyond just pizza flavors, pizza pockets evolved to offer fillings from cheeseburgers to buffalo chicken. This customization and variety to suit preferences aligned with the rise of personalization trends.
Microwaveable Convenience
The microwave instructions made pizza pockets an icon of convenience cooking in the 80s/90s. Their commercial ubiquity aligned with the appliance’s surging household popularity.
Nostalgic Connection
As a snack ingrained in childhoods across generations, pizza pockets maintain strong nostalgic appeal. They are frequently referenced as a time capsule to the culture of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s based on millennials’ fond memories.
Prevalence in School Lunches
Alongside Lunchables, pizza pockets were a hallmark of pre-packaged school lunches for decades. Cafeteria trays were filled with their recognizable box packaging.
Humorous Internet Memes
The perceive lack of authenticity of frozen snacks led to numerous memes poking fun at weird pizza pocket ingredients and branding them “not real food.” Their processed aspects made them an internet punchline.
Cameos in Movies and TV
Appearances in shows like iCarly, Friends, and Silicon Valley and films like Napoleon Dynamite and Fred: The Movie demonstrated pizza pockets’ cultural footprint. Brands paid for product placement or were referenced as cultural touchpoints.
This demonstrates that pizza pockets ultimately transcended being just another frozen snack. Their unique place in multiple generations’ upbringings, humor, nostalgia, and ease of use made them far more than a household name. Pizza pockets became ingrained as icons of culture,which contributes to their lasting appeal against potential discontinuation.
Reasons for Potential Discontinuation
Although concrete evidence is lacking, there are some hypothetical business reasons Nestlé could justify discontinuing Hot Pockets pizza pockets:
Declining Sales
If market research showed a major sustained drop-off in pizza pocket purchases and consumer uptake of new flavors, Nestlé may cut their losses on a lagging product line.
Manufacturing Costs
Rising ingredients prices, especially for cheese and meat, could make it less profitable to keep producing certain pizza pocket varieties.
Labor Shortages
Like all manufacturing, Nestlé’s factories rely on sufficient staffing. Ongoing labor shortages could impact their ability to maintain full production.
Health Perceptions
Some consumers perceive pizza pockets as highly processed and unhealthy. Nestlé may shift focus to more natural and nutritious products.
However, Nestlé has not indicated struggles with any of these factors. And even if they did, eliminating their most iconic product seems an unlikely solution compared to pricing adjustments or recipe changes. But major corporations have made surprising decisions before, so fans should never take favorite products for granted.
How Consumers Could Petition to Save Pizza Pockets
If concrete confirmation did emerge that Nestlé planned to discontinue Hot Pockets pizza pockets, consumers would likely petition aggressively to reverse the decision. Here are some actions that could potentially influence Nestlé:
Social Media Comments
Flooding Hot Pockets’ social media pages urging them to reconsider discontinuation and sharing fond memories of enjoying the snacks.
Change.org Petition
A Change.org petition has potential to go viral and attract media coverage pressuring Nestlé to change course.
Boycotting Other Nestlé Products
Refusing to buy Nestlé products like Haagen-Dazs, Coffee Mate, or DiGiorno could incentivize them to avoid backlash.
Flood CEO Email Inboxes
Coordinated emails to Nestlé’s CEO and leadership team may influence a policy change.
Contact Grocery Stores
Calls and emails from shoppers demanding stores continue stocking Hot Pockets could persuade retailers to pressure Nestlé as major accounts.
Seek Public Figures’ Support
Influencers like celebrities or politicians tweeting support for saving pizza pockets could garner publicity.
Satirical Memes
Humorous memes bringing negative attention to Nestlé’s unpopular move could damage PR and build momentum.
While viral campaigns don’t always succeed, concentrated consumer outrage does have power to make corporations re-evaluate decisions. Pizza pockets’ strong nostalgia and loyal fanbase would likely motivate people to take action if this snack was truly threatened.
Pizza Pocket Alternatives
If Hot Pockets pizza pockets did get discontinued, consumers would still have some alternative frozen pizza snacks to choose from:
Totino’s Pizza Rolls
These smaller shotgun-style bites remain in production under PepsiCo with loyal fans.
Bagel Bites
Bagel Bites pizza pockets offer a bagel crust twist and are still sold today after over 35 years.
Trader Giotto’s Pizza Pockets
Aldi sells an affordable generic version under their private label brand.
Celeste Pizza Pockets
Another budget option found at dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Save-A-Lot grocery locations.
Jack’s Original Pizza Pockets
This new challenger brand launched in 2021 targeting shoppers with nostalgia for classic pizza pockets.
| Brand | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Pockets | 2.5 oz | $5.99 (12 count) |
| Totino’s | 1.9 oz | $10.49 (90 count) |
| Bagel Bites | 1.5 oz | $8.99 (32 count) |
While results may vary, pizza fans do have comparable frozen alternatives to turn to. But of course, none can perfectly replace the exact nostalgic experience of biting into a steaming Hot Pocket.
Conclusion
Based on all evidence, there is no credible indication that Nestlé plans to discontinue Hot Pockets pizza pockets at this time despite viral rumors suggesting otherwise. Removing this signature product would deprive the brand of their most popular offering and alienate loyal fans. Both the company’s continued marketing investment in pizza flavors and their strong retail presence confirm pizza pockets remain in active production and distribution.
Barring an unforeseen announcement from Nestlé management, Hot Pockets pizza pockets appear poised to be a staple in the frozen food aisle for the foreseeable future. Their unique fusion of portability and pizza flavor helped pizza pockets embed themselves in American food culture since the 1960s. For generations who grew up microwave cooking these snacks, discontinuing them would remove an iconic piece of childhood nostalgia. However, multiple alternative brands also continue producing pizza pocket variations for shoppers seeking that crispy outside and melted inside experience. So fear not frozen pizza lovers, stock up on the snacks that shaped your upbringing – pizza pockets are here to stay.