It’s been a while since the Pizza sector saw the appearance of the first stuffed crust. Now, many of the big players have them. And the last major pizza chain is trying them out. Though initially skeptical, Domino’s is finally adding stuffed crusts…
Domino’s is one of original, foundational names in the American Pizza chain sector – along with legendary competitors Pizza Pizza, Little Caesar’s, and Pizza Hut.
And it’s the only player that’s tried stuffed crusts but (initially, at least) passed on them…
A bad fit
The stuffed crust concept was deemed desirable when Domino’s first looked at it. But it was a prob-lematic fit with the chain’s business and service models.
Now, the chain is taking a second look. It’s seen as a longshot move to try to steal back what some perceive as millions in sales lost to the competition over the past few years. Because many folks – especially the younger generations – just love those stuffed crusts.
The history…
Domino’s competitor Pizza Hut introduced the cheese-stuffed crust back in 1995. It as an immediate hit. And many other Pizza chains raced to copy the innovation. All except Domino’s.
Domino’s Brass will now admit the company’s decision-makers back then underestimated the value of getting on the stuffed crust bandwagon, The consensus then was, it would be nothing more than a passing fad. One reason for that was, it slowed down pizza prep to roll the cheese-stuffed edge. And service speed has always been a major concern in the Pizza biz. Remember the big kerfuffle when the ’30 minutes or free’ guarantee war got out of hand?
That was then…
So Domino’s set the stuffed crust concept aside – you might even say, chucked it into the back of their closet – for three decades. But after looking at thee numbers, the brand is hauling it out and giving it another look.
Numbers don’t lie. And they’ve been screaming ‘innovate’ at Domino’s strategists over the pas few months. Market research shows that Domino’s loses as many as 13 million customers to other chains looking for stuffed crust per year. And that amounts to a huge chunk of lost revenue. Which is a top priority concern these days, when all Pizza chains find themselves under unprecedented competitive pressure.
And there’s contemporary proof that stuffed crusts make money. Papa John’s introduced it’s first stuffed crust back in 2020. And credits the addition with a 30 percent increase in its sales during the fiscal quarter in which it was launched.
No matter how poor a fit it may be with Domino’s service model, the stuffed crust is what company insiders admit has been, “[the] only major gap in [Domino’s] menu versus national competitors.”
Filling the gap
But the company has bee working hard to fill that gap. Kate Trumbull, Domino’s Chief Marketing Officer, told CNN, it’s been, “one of the longest development efforts in our company’s history,” which involved 12 weeks of training across its roughly 7,000 US locations.
The company’s new take on stuffed crusts has also been supported by the advent of the ‘DJ Dough Spinner’, a new crust forming machine that makes stuffing faster and easier.
My take
Industry observers are predicting a significant sales increase once Domino’s stuffed crusts are up and running at full speed. They officially débuted earlier this week (Monday, March 3) across the chain.
But even if positive predictions come true, the fundamental pressures on the Pizza sector remain un-abated. Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner told shareholders on the company’s latest financial conference call, “As we look ahead to 2025, we believe the combination of pressured consumer spending and a value-driven (quick service restaurant) marketplace will continue.”
Translated to simple English, that means, the company isn’t predicting a better year. But the consens-us is, the new stuffed crust initiative will at least ‘soften the blow’.
My overall opinion? The Pizza sector will be a key industry segment to watch through this year…
~ Maggie J.