Do you fold the large slices in half, or do you eat them with a knife and fork?
Either way, the consumer wins and so do America’s dairy farmers.
New York Style Pizza is the latest innovation from Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza company with more than 20,000 stores globally. It also is one of the longest running foodservice partners of the dairy checkoff.
You may know the gist of the story, how in 2008 Domino’s was looking to grow its business and with support from Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), developed programs making delicious cheese the star of its pizzas. The rest is history and the relationship between Domino’s and the checkoff remains as strong as ever. Our DMI team continues to have a seat at the Domino’s table by providing consumer insights and trends, marketing support, and our science-backed knowledge on dairy, especially cheese.
The checkoff’s restaurant partners have long delivered results and Domino’s certainly has done so by remaining relevant with a consumer base constantly on the lookout for “what’s next?”
New York Style Pizza is delivering the “next” with an offering that is not unlike what you’d experience at many of New York’s famous pizzerias. The Domino’s pie is made with fresh, never-frozen dough that is stretched by hand and is topped with a melty blend of 100% real mozzarella and provolone.
Can I get a collective “yum?”
The pizza is a permanent menu item and since its April launch, it appears to have a strong fan base.
This is just the latest in how Domino’s innovates and continues to evolve its strategies, which includes thinking outside the pizza box. It continues to find success with menu items that are unexpected from a pizza company.
Take potato tots, for example. Yes, a staple of the American school cafeteria has gone through a complete makeover thanks to some Domino’s ingenuity. Domino’s Loaded Tots launched at the start of 2023 in three varieties: cheddar bacon, Philly cheese steak and melty three-cheese.
Here’s why this innovation matters. Imagine a family wanting to order Domino’s pizza for dinner but they have a child who maybe doesn’t like pizza but loves tots. It’s a win-win with everyone in the family getting what they want, and another opportunity for Domino’s to showcase cheese in a creative way.
It’s a similar story for Domino’s line of Stuffed Cheesy Bread. These oven-baked breadsticks are generously stuffed and covered with a cheese blend made of 100% real mozzarella and cheddar and then seasoned with garlic and Parmesan.
Domino’s customers are ordering these as a side dish or even as a main meal and have four delicious options to choose from: traditional cheese, pepperoni, spinach and feta, and bacon and jalapeño. Consumers can add dipping sauces, including those featuring buttermilk and blue cheese.
Appreciating farmers
One of the most rewarding aspects of our partnership is seeing how much Domino’s values the true source of the dairy that goes into its products – our American dairy farm families.
Domino’s has included farmers in promotions and invites farmers to its Worldwide Rally every two years. The event gathers franchise owners and management from 50-plus countries to recognize their achievements and review future business growth plans. About 9,000 people gathered recently in Las Vegas for this year’s Rally.
Dairy farmers were there to put a face to the farm, and this year’s Rally included producers Randy Roecker (Wisconsin), Patty Bikowsky (New York), Robert Brouwer (New Mexico), Greg Conrad (Ohio), Kim Korn (Idaho) and Mary Temme (Nebraska).
Domino’s also understands the importance of promoting the dairy goodness that keeps its menu popular with customers. It recently launched a series of June Dairy Month social media posts and celebrated National Cheese Day on June 4 with messaging such as “you can never have too much cheese, especially on #NationalCheeseDay.” The company also produced a mouth-watering cheese montage video for Instagram and TikTok, with a caption reading, “are you craving cheese yet?”
Our partnership with Domino’s stands the test of time thanks to working toward shared goals and having a healthy mutual respect and values. Domino’s will continue its ongoing commitment to meeting consumer trends in the most innovative ways possible, and the checkoff will be at its side to help make this a reality.
To learn more about your national dairy checkoff, visit www.USDairy.com/forfarmers or to reach us directly, send an email to TalkToTheCheckoff@dairy.org.
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