As the year winds down, temperatures may be dropping, but Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is turning up the heat through a partnership with Brooklyn-born brand Mike’s Hot Honey. On the Grimaldi’s new winter menu, launching on December 5, guests can indulge in the Exxtra Pepperoni & Hot Honey Pizza at the pizzeria’s dozens of locations across the country. True to name, the pizza features extra pepperoni and Mike’s Extra Hot Honey, creating the perfect “swicy” (sweet and spicy) slice.
“We are incredibly proud of our Brooklyn roots, and we could not be more thrilled to partner with another great Brooklyn company, Mike’s Hot Honey, to create a seasonal pizza,” said Grimaldi’s Pizzeria CEO Joseph Ciolli. “We’ve created a coal-fired pizza that delivers both sweet and spicy flavors as a topping to Grimaldi’s own extra pepperoni pizza, and Mike’s Hot Honey was the perfect product to add that special flavor. Mike and his team were fantastic partners, and we can’t wait to share these pizzas with our fans.”
Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, is also fired up about his newest pizzeria placement. “As this latest collaboration with Grimaldi’s shows, the interest in hot honey continues to grow—it has become almost ubiquitous as a pizza topping,” Kurtz said. “Partnering with such an authentic and well-known pizzeria chain like Grimaldi’s is a highlight for our brand, and we look forward to consumers enjoying this latest creation.”
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In addition to the Exxtra Pepperoni & Hot Honey Pizza, Grimaldi’s will be offering other seasonal menu items on its winter menu. These include an Espresso Martini, the Merry Cherry Margarita, a Spinach Pecan Salad, and two new cheesecakes in Espresso and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup flavors.
The menu is available for dine-in and takeout from December 5 to March 4 at Grimaldi’s locations nationwide, except those in New York and New Jersey. Grimaldi’s accepts carryout and delivery orders through a range of options, including DoorDash, GrubHub and UberEats. But Grimaldi’s encourages ordering direct by offering Grimaldi’s Pizzeria Rewards members the opportunity to earn points with orders through dine-in, phone, and the Grimaldi’s website and mobile app.
In 2023, Grimaldi’s also celebrated 20 years since its expansion beyond New York to neighborhoods across the United States. The first location of Grimaldi’s outside of New York opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, on February 14, 2003, and it continues to be one of its busiest locations. Over the past two decades, Grimaldi’s has brought its traditional coal-fired, brick-oven pizza and casual-yet-upscale New York-themed restaurants nationwide.
Mike’s Hot Honey, meanwhile, has been on fire as a pizza topping and condiment since its 2010 conception at Paulie Gee’s pizzeria in Brooklyn became a word-of-mouth sensation. Once a small-batch, hand-labeled brand, Mike’s Hot Honey has infiltrated thousands of restaurants and retailers across the country with its original recipe of honey infused with chili peppers.
