Dive Brief:
- Domino’s has added stuffed crust pizza to its permanent menu, roughly 30 years after rival Pizza Hut first added the option to menus.
- The crust is stuffed with mozzarella and topped with a sprinkle of garlic seasoning and parmesan.
- Domino’s initially refrained from launching a competing product because of the operational complexities required, per a separate, emailed press release. The chain worked with franchisees to implement a systemwide retraining program on crust making and launched a custom dough spinner to support stuffed crust.
Dive Insight:
Domino’s lack of stuffed crust options was a key vulnerability in competition with other pizza chains, internal research showed.
This risk was compounded by sluggish same-store sales growth of just 0.4% year over year in Q4. While that was stronger than the performance of Domino’s immediate challengers, close competitors like Papa Johns are planning significant strategy shifts. Rising brands are aiming for aggressive growth in 2025.
The addition of stuffed crust could capture traffic that would otherwise go to rival pizza brands.
“Nearly 13 million Domino’s customers each year are buying stuffed crust from competitors,” Domino’s said in the emailed press release.
About 48% of consumers, including 66% of Gen Z consumers, surveyed by Domino’s said they were very interested in stuffed crust. Adding stuffed crust could help Domino’s preserve its position as the largest American pizza brand.
In the announcement of the new menu item, Domino’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kate Trumbull said “one of the most common questions we're asked is, 'When will you launch stuffed crust?'”
Domino’s has served stuffed crust pizzas in some international markets since 2011, according to the emailed press release. When adapting the menu item for the U.S., the company’s research and development team tested eight possible variations and underwent “two large scale consumer taste panels — one that tested crust only and a second that tested flavoring options, which is how the brand landed on the final Parmesan Stuffed Crust product.”
