National Calzone Day
A convenient street food at its finest, calzones offer an easy way to eat a pizza-like meal on the go. And National Calzone Day is just the right time to do it!
Drive foot traffic and sales at pizzerias and Italian restaurants by positioning calzones as the ultimate convenient, customizable meal—perfect for family celebrations and quick dining.
- DIY family calzone-making challenge: each person designs their own filling and marks their pocket
- Partner with local pizzerias for limited-time calzone specials and flash discounts on National Calzone Day
- Behind-the-scenes content: the 300-year journey from Naples street food to modern American favorite
- User-generated content campaign: #MyCalzone featuring creative topping combinations and family celebrations
Calzones have a history that dates back a few centuries. The idea is a simple one: just take pizza dough, fill it with whichever toppings are preferred, fold it in half and bake it!
During the 1700s in Naples, Italy, calzones acted as a street food that were meant to be consumed on the go. A calzone could make a simple lunch for an Italian tradesman who needed to get back to work, so they were sold on the street.
In fact, the word for calzone means “trouser” in Italian, since it was a useful meal for people to walk around with. Since that time, calzones may have evolved a little bit, but the idea is still just the same, using pizza dough and filling, then baking it to golden perfection.
Over the past few decades, calzones have become more popular in the United States. Pop culture references may have helped, like the calzone’s feature in the sitcom series Seinfeld in 1996, or the love of calzones by Parks & Recreation character Ben Wyatt during the show’s run from 2009-2015.
Getting its start in 2016, National Calzone Day was founded by Minsky’s Pizza, located in Kansas City, in celebration of the restaurant’s 40th anniversary. Now, this day offers a chance for people, not only in Kansas City but all over the world, to celebrate this fine Italian cuisine.
Eat Some Calzones
It’s time to head over to a local Italian restaurant and order up a calzone for lunch or dinner in celebration of National Calzone Day. Don’t forget to invite a friend to celebrate the day together! Choose from a variety of filling options on the menu, including items like pepperoni, mozzarella, sausage, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce and much more.
Celebrate National Calzone Day at Minsky’s Pizza
Enjoy National Calzone Day in the place where it all began, Minsky’s Pizza in Kansas City. Take a little trip to this historic city to soak up some jazz, enjoy some barbecue and, of course, pop into Minsky’s Pizza for some calzones. The restaurant typically offers a special discount in honor of National Calzone Day, and even tends to let customers get access to the discount on the day before and the day after, just to be generous!
Try Making Calzones
Although one might think by how delicious they are that calzones are difficult to make – they really are not! In fact, the process is very similar to making homemade pizza, except that it’s folded into a little pocket instead of laying the dough out flat. The fun thing about making calzones as a family is that each person can choose their own individual items to fill their calzone with. Once filled, and folded, don’t forget to make marks (like initials) to indicate which calzone belongs to whom!