By Mike Pomranz | FoodAndWine.Com
Troy Warren for CNT #Foodie
With the cost of ingredients increasing, the pizza chain is opting to cut the number of wings instead of raising the price.
When we think of inflation, we tend to think of prices going up. But in an effort to keep prices steady, a brand may opt for less expensive ingredients or smaller packaging sizes or — in a very specific example — give you two fewer chicken wings in your order.
Across the country, pandemic-induced inflation has hit nearly every industry, from the cereal you eat in the morning to the glass of wine you drink at night. Pizza is no exception: New York dollar slice joints are no longer charging $1; Little Caesars jacked up the price of its Hot-N-Ready pizzas for the first time in decades; and now, Domino’s will reportedly be dropping the number of chicken wings in its $7.99 carryout deal from ten wings to eight.
Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison made the announcement yesterday during a virtual ICR conference, citing “unprecedented increases” in ingredient costs, which are up between 8 and 10 percent from last year, according to CNN Business. Currently, the $7.99 deal offers either ten wings or a large three-topping pizza, but the smaller takeout-only deal is slated to take effect in a couple weeks.
Chicken wings, especially, have seen large spikes in price in recent years, and since customers can choose either a pizza or wings, reducing the number of wings may be an easier option than charging different prices for the pizza deal versus the wing deal.
Also, as an additional cost-cutting measure, Allison said the $7.99 deal would move to online ordering only, a decision that not only allows Domino’s to better track consumer data on the deal, but means less employees taking phone calls. Plus, customers tend to spend more money when ordering online.
Guiding customers to online ordering is nothing new. Nation’s Restaurant News reports that almost half of Domino’s orders are now digital, a number that is likely to increase further. As Allison explained, “As we continue to invest in our business will continue to invest in technology that’s helped us to drive growth.”
