Is Little Caesars Halal?

Little Caesars is a national US pizza chain. The company does not offer chain-wide halal certification, and halal toppings are not part of its standard menu. HMS, a US halal certifier, says it has not inspected or certified Little Caesars and cannot confirm its meat toppings are zabiha ^[1].

What does exist is halal at some single franchise stores. The best-known example is in Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a large Muslim community. In 2017, a Little Caesars store there had a "Halal Pepperoni" sign in its window ^[2]. Photos of the store's halal signs were also reported in national news ^[4].

So the answer depends on the store, not the brand. A halal topping at one franchise does not make other stores halal.

This case is the main reason people search for Little Caesars and halal. It shows why checking matters.

In 2017, a Dearborn customer sued Little Caesars for $100 million. He said he ordered halal pepperoni pizza twice and was served pork pepperoni both times ^[2]. The lawsuit cited a Wayne County ordinance against false halal and kosher labeling ^[2]. According to the lawsuit, the store manager said the customer had ordered regular pepperoni and asked for a halal sticker on the box, which the customer denied ^[2][4].

Little Caesars said it investigated and found the claims to be false, and that the customer's lawyer agreed to dismiss the case ^[3]. The customer's lawyers disputed this. They said the dismissal was only so they could add more plaintiffs ^[3].

We don't take a side on what happened. The useful lesson is simple: a halal sign or sticker is not the same as a verified halal supply.

Many people skip the meat and order a plain cheese pizza. That avoids pepperoni, but it raises other questions:

• Cheese enzymes. Some cheese is made with animal rennet, and scholars differ on whether that matters.
• Shared ovens and cutters. Cheese pizzas are baked and sliced in the same kitchen as meat pizzas.

Little Caesars does not certify its cheese pizza as halal. Our separate page on whether Little Caesars cheese pizza is halal goes into this in more detail.

If a Little Caesars near you says it has halal toppings, use these steps:

1. Ask to see the halal certificate for the topping. It should name the certifier and have an expiry date.
2. Ask how halal toppings are stored. Are they kept apart from regular pepperoni?
3. Check your order. Halal and regular pepperoni can look the same. Ask staff to confirm before you eat.
4. Keep your receipt if halal was part of the order. In the Dearborn case, receipts and signs were part of the evidence ^[4].

Local rules can help too. Some counties, such as Wayne County in Michigan, have rules against false halal labeling ^[2].

If you want halal meat toppings, look for pizza shops that hold a halal certificate for the whole store. Pizza Twist advertises halal options, though they vary by store. Compare the big chains on our Domino's and Pizza Hut pages.

For background on toppings, read whether pepperoni and cheese pizza are halal.