Casey’s General Stores is rolling out a new employee-developed pizza that won the convenience-store chain’s annual pizza competition.
The Barn Burner Chicken Pizza, crafted and named by Casey’s district manager and Indianapolis-based Terrell Banks, features spicy BBQ chicken for a “punch of fiery, sweet and savory flavors,” the Ankeny, Iowa-based company said. Banks said he can’t take full credit for the pizza, though.
“It originated with the team at store 3552 in Fort Loramie, Ohio,” he said in a Q&A with Casey’s. “I just made a few modifications to further enhance the flavor profile.”
The pizza is made with a sriracha sauce, grilled chicken, bacon, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, red onion and jalapenos—and finished with a post-bake drizzle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce.
- Casey’s General Stores Inc. is No. 3 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by store count.
How the pizza competition works
The annual Casey’s pizza competition is a bracket-style culinary contest that invites employees to develop new flavors and showcase their creativity, Casey’s said. Entries are judged on visual presentation, taste and innovation, with four finalists earning a spot on stage at the annual Casey’s Commitment Conference to prepare their pizzas for a panel of judges that includes Andrew Kintigh, Casey’s executive chef and culinary director. For this competition, celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern also was a judge.
“I’ve tasted a lot of gas station food in my life, and Casey’s pizza is in a league of its own,” said Zimmern, an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef, TV personality, writer and social justice advocate. “The creativity I saw judging the Casey’s pizza competition was incredible, and Terrell’s Barn Burner Chicken Pizza stood out instantly. It’s bold, balanced and built with a spicy BBQ flavor that keeps coming.”
Zimmern added, “Casey’s shows what happens when passionate chefs have the freedom to innovate and that great pizza can come from unexpected places, and this slice is proof.”
Brad Haga, senior vice president of prepared food and dispensed beverages at Casey’s, said, “Our team members at Casey’s aren’t just making pizzas, they’re creating the next big flavors. When an idea like the Barn Burner Chicken Pizza comes out of our own kitchens, we don’t overthink it. We bring it to our guests. It’s a flavor-forward take on BBQ that works, and we knew our guests would be excited to try it. Bold flavors keep us true to what we’re known for.”
The pizza in available in select markets including Indianapolis; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Dayton, Ohio; and the following Illinois areas: Bloomington-Normal; Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Peoria and Springfield.
Casey’s has about 2,900 convenience stores in 20 states. It is the third-largest c-store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. In fiscal 2025, Casey’s built or acquired 270 stores, a record for the company. The majority came via Casey’s November 2024 acquisition of 198 CEFCO stores from Fikes Wholesale.
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