ANN ARBOR Mich. Domino’s Pizza introduced on Monday a new pasta line, joining rival Pizza Hut in the competition to expand menu offerings, and sales, through noodles.
Domino’s pasta is available in individual-sized dishes or in bread bowls for between $4.99 and $6.99 in certain markets. Varieties include macaroni and cheese, chicken carbonara, pasta primavera, chicken alfredo, Italian sausage marinara or a build-your-own option.
ADomino’s spokesman at the chain’s headquarters in Ann Arbor would not comment on the menu introduction, saying the company was waiting a few days for its operators to feel comfortable with the line. Domino’s Pizza Inc. operates or franchises about 8,773 locations worldwide, most of which are franchised.
The largest pizza delivery chain promoted the pasta launch using its website and Twitter account. This menu introduction and its price points fit into Domino’s most recent strategy to drive traffic with lower-priced, lunch-focused menu items, including its Oven Baked Sandwiches. Company chief executive David Brandon had said in recent months that Domino’s average check had gotten too high for some consumers and had contributed to the chain’s fiscal 2008 same-store sales decline of 4.9 percent.
Competitor Pizza Hut launched its Tuscani line of pastas last April, starting with chicken alfredo and marinara pastas. It then added a bacon mac and cheese offering in September and lasagna in January. Pizza Hut brand parent Yum! Brands Inc. said earlier this year that the pasta introduction already had led to $500 million in sales. Pizza Hut sells 48-ounce trays of the pastas for between $13 and $15 each, and bills the offerings as a dinner option for families.
Other regional pizza chains have launched pasta lines as well, including 131-unit Vocelli Pizza, based in Pittsburgh, which in February added six 16-ounce pasta entrees for between $7 and $8, depending on the market.
Domino’s alerted consumers on Monday to the new offerings via the social media tool Twitter. The chain said: “Sounds like a lot of you have already tried them but our new BreadBowl Pasta came out today.” The items had been in test in certain markets, like Southern California, since last fall.
The Domino’s Twitter account, twitter.com/dpzinfo, was first used last week in the wake of a YouTube.com video that aired a stunt involving two Domino’s employees contaminating food. The employees, in a franchised unit in Conover, N.C., were promptly fired and face legal charges. Domino’s aired its own video in response, in a move hailed by critics as an example of savvy viral communications control.
By Monday afternoon, Domino’s Twitter account had more than 1,300 followers. The microblogging site, which allows users to stay in touch with followers or fans via 140 character status updates, has grown popular among restaurant operators exploring every way to build customer traffic.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
