Did we really need a macaroni-and- cheese pizza?
Some would answer with an unabashed “Yes.” Others, not so much. But before we think any more about this scintillating debate, some semantics: Domino’s Pizza calls its mac ‘n’ cheese pizza a “3 Cheese Mac-N- Cheese Breadbowl Pasta.” But the dough resembles that of a pizza, a thick-crust pizza, instead of a bread bowl.
It’s one of the many conundrums in the still-undefined, somewhat-questionable realm of delivery pasta — a new twist on pizza delivered to your door by the companies that have defined the pie business worldwide. As Domino’s and Pizza Hut attempt to stay on top of their millions of consumers’ desires, both companies have turned to another beloved Italian specialty.
And so far, the pizza-to-pasta expansion is bottom-line-enhancing business.
“It was one of our more successful launches,” said Doug Willmarth, brand director for Pizza Hut. “It was one of those launches that really took off not only from a sales standpoint, but we also captured the imaginations of a lot of people.”
Pizza Hut sees its primary pasta competition in the Olive Garden’s takeout business and various frozen-lasagna manufacturers, Willmarth said, snubbing the competition. But Domino’s Pizza’s pasta numbers are nothing to scoff at — and they have contributed to three solid growth quarters for the pizza giant that has been publicly refining its image and product in recent years.
“More than 80 percent of our menu consists of items introduced since 2008, and the pasta selection is a big part of that,” said Chris Brandon, a Domino’s spokesperson. “We know that we’ll have to offer more than pizza to please our customer.”
The idea of delivery pasta is hardly new. But when you look at the omnipresence of these two industry-leading chains — and their generous, prime- time advertising budgets — it’s fair to say that order-by-phone (or Internet) pasta has never been so widely available. And while each product is wildly different, so are their histories.
Domino’s is new to the game.
“The pastas have been cool, a new expansion into a product we’d never had before,” Brandon said.
Pizza Hut has been making pasta at certain dine-in locations since the late ’70s.
“And we’re looking at pasta as a long-term category for us to expand and grow,” said Willmarth.
But are they any good? And is that mac ‘n’ cheese monstrosity real?
Yes, Domino’s will have a cheesy, pasta bread bowl in your hands in less than an hour. But as we address the quality question, let’s remember these noodles’ sources. Delivery pizza is rarely savory or delectable — or memorable, even. It’s indulgent and immediate and thoughtless and filling. And the kids’ll eat it, too. And so these are the standards by which we’ll judge their pastas.
Pizza Hut’s Tuscani Pastas — a name that begs torment — arrives at your door looking like the insta-bake frozen pasta you’ll buy at the grocer. Packaged in a chintzy aluminum pan, the Creamy Chicken Alfredo is straightforward and without flair, passable even. It could use more chicken, but again, this is Pizza Hut, and chicken is this dish’s topping. If you want more, order (and pay for) more.
While the dish leaves you parched and feeling like you have sodium coming out of your pores, the same could also be said about the chain’s omnipresent pizzas. (Note: I ate at Pizza Hut at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, a few months ago, and it tasted the same as if I’d ordered it from my central Denver home.)
If the Pizza Hut effort is passable, Domino’s first jab at pasta takes home a failing grade. I ordered it twice, and never did the dough look like a bread bowl. It looked like the overweight brother to Domino’s traditional crust.
The answer to the pizza-or- bread bowl dilemma: How are you most inclined to eat it? I didn’t bother with silverware: In with the hands, lift it out and up to your mouth. Like you would a slice of pizza.
Also, this creation — made up of pasta inside an encompassing shell of bread — is a carbohydrate bomb that would have any diabetes doctor wagging a cautionary finger. It’s also completely over the top and unnecessary from an aesthetic and taste perspective.
“People come to Domino’s and can be as nutritious or indulgent as they want,” counters the company’s Brandon. “They can order something more nutritious. But the pasta bread bowl product is on the indulgent side of things, and it’s important for people to be able to get what they want from us.”
Touche. There are worse things you could eat. Like delivery pizza.
Even hard-core calorie- counters might be surprised to learn that three slices of a large Pizza Hut Meat Lovers pizza have more calories (1,320) than an entire tray of any of their pastas (1,040-1,260), which are meant to feed four people.
What Pizza Hut and Domino’s are finding out from their customers makes sense. Pizza Hut’s product is a midweek alternative for time-starved parents — and another potential entree for a home that might order pizza only on weekends. Domino’s made-for- one bread bowls are a quick and easy lunch option.
It’s a revolution of convenience — laziness, some might say. And with its older brother pizza leading the way, delivery pasta might just be the future for these international chains — and possibly your next birthday party.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
Pass the pasta
Pizza Hut Pasta: About $12; serves 4
Domino’s Bread Bowl Pasta: About $6-$7; serves 1
