Patrick Oconnell
The stuffed crust pizza has become a staple for pizza lovers everywhere, but who invented this cheesy masterpiece? The origin story of this mouth-watering delicacy is a disputed one, with multiple people claiming to be the first to have created it. The most well-known version of the stuffed crust pizza is associated with Pizza Hut, which launched its version in 1995, but a man from Brooklyn, Anthony Mongiello, claims to have invented it first.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist at Pizza Hut |
| Anthony Mongiello, a Brooklyn man and son of a cheese industry professional | |
| Year of Invention | 1990s |
| 1987 (when Mongiello filed a patent) | |
| Invention Inspiration | A focus group participant who didn't eat pizza crusts |
| Mongiello's crew's leftover pizza crusts | |
| Invention Process | Scheibmeir's initial experiments involved wrapping string cheese in pizza dough |
| Mongiello got the idea by accident when making pizza for a friend's mom | |
| Invention Outcome | Pizza Hut spent $45 million on advertising its stuffed crust pizza in 1995 |
| Mongiello sued Pizza Hut for $1 billion |
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What You'll Learn
- Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist, invented it for Pizza Hut in 1995
- Scheibmeir's experiments involved wrapping string cheese in pizza dough
- Brooklyn's Anthony Mongiello claims he invented it first and sued Pizza Hut
- Mongiello got the idea by accident, seeing lunchboxes with leftover crusts
- Mongiello had to prove his crust was useful, novel, and non-obvious for his patent
Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist, invented it for Pizza Hut in 1995
Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist, invented cheese crust pizza for Pizza Hut in 1995. Scheibmeir's innovation was to infuse dough with mozzarella, making the crust more appealing to customers who would usually leave it behind. In fact, the idea came to her when a man in a focus group said he didn't eat his pizza crusts. Scheibmeir's experiments involved wrapping string cheese in pizza dough, and the development process took about three years.
Scheibmeir's invention transformed the industry, and she helped kick off a fast-food arms race for decadent creations. Since its invention, stuffed crust pizza has taken on new forms. For example, Pizza Hut once launched a pizza with a hot dog stuffed crust. In New Zealand, they sell Marmite-stuffed crust pizza, and in Japan, there are shrimp and mayonnaise stuffed crust pizzas.
However, the origins of the dish may actually lie with Brooklyn's Anthony Mongiello, a cheese maker who filed a patent for the idea in 1987. Mongiello, known to his friends as the "Big Cheese", got the idea for stuffed crust pizza by accident when he was 18 years old. He sued Pizza Hut for $1 billion, but lost.
Scheibmeir has since moved on from Pizza Hut. In 2015, she was working as vice president of research and development for Pie Five Pizza, a chain based near Dallas.
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Scheibmeir's experiments involved wrapping string cheese in pizza dough
Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist at Pizza Hut, is credited with inventing the stuffed crust pizza in the early 1990s. Her initial experiments involved wrapping string cheese in pizza dough. The development process took about three years, and the result was a pizza with a crust stuffed with cheese and other toppings.
Scheibmeir's experiments aimed to address the issue of customers not eating their pizza crusts. By infusing dough with mozzarella, she made the crusts more appealing, ensuring that no part of the pizza was left uneaten. This innovation transformed the pizza industry, with Pizza Hut spending a reported $45 million on advertising to promote their new offering when it launched in 1995.
However, the origins of stuffed crust pizza are disputed. Anthony Mongiello, a cheese maker from Brooklyn, claims to have invented the concept first and even sued Pizza Hut for $1 billion, alleging that they stole his idea. Mongiello, known as the "Big Cheese" to his friends, obtained a patent for his invention in 1987. He had noticed his construction crew's leftover pizza crusts and recognised the potential for a stuffed crust pizza that would eliminate food waste.
Despite the controversy, Scheibmeir's experiments with wrapping string cheese in pizza dough ultimately led to the popularisation of stuffed crust pizza. This innovation sparked a fast-food arms race for decadent creations and inspired a variety of spin-offs, such as hot dog-stuffed crusts and shrimp and mayonnaise-stuffed crusts in other countries.
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Brooklyn's Anthony Mongiello claims he invented it first and sued Pizza Hut
Brooklyn's Anthony Mongiello claims to have invented the stuffed-crust pizza in 1987, obtaining a patent for the method of making it. He tried to license his idea to several big chains, including Pizza Hut, who he says passed on his idea. However, in 1995, Pizza Hut launched its own stuffed-crust pizza. Mongiello was shocked to see this and sued the chain for $1 billion in 1998, claiming patent infringement.
Mongiello's lawsuit against Pizza Hut is the subject of the 2023 short docudrama "Stolen Dough". In the film, Mongiello details how he came up with the idea for stuffed-crust pizza and the subsequent fallout with Pizza Hut. He also discusses his family history of food innovation, including his grandfather's creation of a specialized tin cup for ricotta cheese and his father's involvement with the first string cheese product.
Mongiello's patent for the method of making stuffed-crust pizza is number 466 1361A. In early 1988, he sent a copy of the patent to Pizza Hut, offering them a license. Pizza Hut rejected the offer, stating that it was "not a new concept" for them. Despite this, Mongiello argues that Pizza Hut's subsequent launch of stuffed-crust pizza violated his patent.
In response to Mongiello's lawsuit, Pizza Hut denied the claims and argued that their method of making stuffed-crust pizza did not infringe on his patent. They maintained that their technique involved placing longer pieces of cheese touching end-to-end in a continuous ring around the crust, which they believed differed from Mongiello's patent.
The outcome of the lawsuit is not clear, but it appears that Mongiello's initial lawsuit was rejected in a summary judgment. However, the case continued to be disputed, with court documents showing that Angelo Mongiello's Children, LLC was still engaged in legal proceedings with Pizza Hut in 1999.
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Mongiello got the idea by accident, seeing lunchboxes with leftover crusts
While Pizza Hut's Patty Scheibmeir is often credited with inventing the stuffed crust pizza in the 1990s, a man from Brooklyn, New York, named Anthony Mongiello, claims to have created the idea first. Mongiello, a cheese maker and the son of a cheese industry professional, got the idea by accident when he was just 18 years old. He noticed his construction crew's lunchboxes with leftover pizza crusts and thought of infusing dough with cheese to make the crusts more appealing.
Mongiello's eureka moment led him to file a patent for his revolutionary idea in 1987. However, years later, he was surprised to learn that Pizza Hut had launched stuffed crust pizza, allegedly without his knowledge or consent. Mongiello reached out to the company and was offered $50,000 for his idea, which he declined. He decided to take legal action against Pizza Hut, suing them for $1 billion.
The case of Mongiello vs. Pizza Hut brings up interesting questions about culinary innovation and intellectual property. To obtain his patent, Mongiello had to prove that his stuffed crust pizza idea was useful, novel, and non-obvious. He had solid evidence that it was useful, as it addressed the common issue of wasted dough from uneaten crusts. However, proving novelty was more challenging, as a patent examiner initially believed the concept infringed on existing foods like apple turnovers or ravioli.
The outcome of the legal battle remains unclear, but the story of Mongiello, also known as the "Big Cheese," highlights the complexities of patenting food inventions and the potential ethical dilemmas that arise when large corporations are accused of appropriating ideas from individuals.
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Mongiello had to prove his crust was useful, novel, and non-obvious for his patent
For Anthony Mongiello, a Brooklyn-based cheese maker, to obtain a patent for his cheese-filled crust pizza, he had to prove that his invention was useful, novel, and non-obvious.
Firstly, to prove usefulness, Mongiello had to demonstrate that his crust had a useful purpose and was operable. In this case, the cheese-filled crust served the purpose of making pizza crusts more appealing to customers who would usually leave them uneaten on their plates.
Secondly, to prove novelty, Mongiello had to show that his invention was substantially different from anything else in the public domain. This includes anything that has been patented, written about in a publication, or sold in the open market, anywhere in the world.
Thirdly, to prove non-obviousness, Mongiello had to demonstrate that his invention was not easily perceived or created by someone with ordinary skill in the field. In other words, a skilled practitioner in the field would not have been able to combine existing knowledge and techniques to create the cheese-filled crust without Mongiello's invention.
It is worth noting that the criteria for usefulness, novelty, and non-obviousness are specific legal terms under patent law and may be interpreted differently by patent examiners. Therefore, Mongiello may have had to adapt his patent application to ensure it met these criteria.
While Mongiello filed a patent for his cheese-filled crust pizza, it was Pizza Hut that first introduced the concept to the market in the 1990s. Patty Scheibmeir, a food scientist at Pizza Hut, was the one who developed the idea after hearing feedback from a focus group participant who mentioned they did not eat their pizza crusts.
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Frequently asked questions
Patty Scheibmeir invented the cheese crust pizza while working as a food scientist at Pizza Hut in the early 1990s.
Scheibmeir was inspired when a man in a focus group told her that he didn't eat his pizza crusts and usually fed them to his dog.
She is currently working as the vice president of research and development for Pie Five, a chain based near Dallas.
Yes, Anthony Mongiello, a cheese maker from Brooklyn, claims to have invented the stuffed crust pizza and sued Pizza Hut for $1 billion.
