Chain's first new menu item since reformulating pizza recipe
.svg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "Nation's Restaurant News")
Bret Thorn
Domino's introduced a Wisconsin-theme specialty pie Wednesday, marking the chain's first new product rollout since it revamped its pizza recipe late last year.
The Wisconsin 6 Cheese pizza features mozzarella, feta, provolone, Cheddar, Parmesan and asiago cheeses, Domino's said. Some, but not all, of the cheese, comes from Wisconsin, according to an Associated Press report.
Domino's is supporting the new pizza with ads that highlight its use of cheese from American dairy farms. The ads will feature customers in a focus group in what they think is an office until the walls come down to reveal a dairy farm.
Domino’s also said it would launch a website, called “Behind the Pizza,” that will take visitors to farms where 10 Domino’s ingredients are produced and allow them to earn points by playing games, viewing pictures or watching a story of how each ingredient gets to the pizza.
The Wisconsin 6 Cheese pizza is the first extension of the chain's American Legends line, which focuses on regional American flavors. The original pizzas are Honolulu Hawaiian, Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch, Pacific Veggie, Memphis BBQ Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Philly Cheese Steak.
Those pizzas, which are made with 40 percent more cheese than regular Domino’s pizza, were promoted with support from Dairy Management Inc., the marketing arm of the American dairy industry. DMI is continuing that support for the new pizza, according to a release from Domino’s.
Earlier this month, the pizza chain started promoting its American Legends line by offering two medium pies for $7.99 each, down from the usual price of around $13.99, said company spokesman Chris Brandon.
The deal parallels Domino’s two-for-$5.99-each pricing for regular medium pizzas.
“It’s kind of an attractive trade up. If you want to upgrade the $5.99 deal to one of those pizzas, it’s a bit more of a quality, specialty option,” Brandon said, noting that Domino's is focusing more on driving traffic than raising its check average.
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino's has more than 9,000 stores.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
