Domino's Pizza Opens First Halal-only Store - But Not Without Opposition - Must be a slow news day at The Daily Telegraph

A Domino's Pizza outlet has infuriated locals after becoming the first in the country to take pork off the menu and offer only halal food.

The takeaway has told customers in the mixed-race area of Hall Green, Birmingham, that if they want ham or pork on their pizza they will have to go elsewhere.

Chris Yates, 29, a hospital worker living in Moseley, Birmingham, said he was told he couldn't have a 'Meteor' pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ground beef and smoky bacon, when he called up at the weekend.

He said: "It's a disgrace, I can appreciate them having it as an option but to have it completely halal is just not on," he fumed.

"I'm all for racial and religious tolerance but if anything this is intolerant to my beliefs and discriminatory against me.

"Instead I had to travel two miles out of my way to another branch – I was appalled. "Hall Green is a mixed race area and should therefore cater to its multicultural make-up.

"In a society that promotes racial and religious integration, this sort of things only isolates people."

While Peter Merholz, 38, from Hall Green, added: "This is a global pizza chain that is isolating western values and choice. It's alienating people and that's just not on.

"I'd been coming here for ages but now I'll go elsewhere because I can't get a pepperoni pizza, which is what I always have."

Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey – all produced and stored within the Halal Food Authorities guidelines.

The change intends to appeal to the area's Muslim customers.

A worker at the store said: "The store wasn't doing very well so we had to do something – we needed people who weren't getting halal options to come to us.

"It's been like this for four weeks and business has picked up a little."

A spokesman for Dominos, who recently announced their profits were up 33 per cent, said: "In that particular area of Birmingham there are a large number of Muslims so there is naturally more of a demand for halal based products.

"We appreciate we cannot please everybody but there are alternatives, such as turkey ham, and we have thought long and hard about this decision and we are sure it is the right one."

For meat to be deemed Halal, it must meet certain conditions. These include that the animal should be killed by having its throat cut by a Muslim and any flowing blood of the carcase should be completely drained.

Masood Khawaja, President of the Halal Food Authority, said: "It's good news for Muslims, with changing pallets, who want a bit of variety in their diet. This is only the beginning and we are delighted that Domino's has participating in this trend."

Domino's Pizza Lauches "Secretary of Taste" Campaign

On Monday evening, President Obama pushed his stimulus plan to a national TV audience from the East Room of the White House.

The Secretary of Taste, meanwhile, took to the airwaves to promote a separate stimulus deal.

Pundits offered no opinion on which stimulus package has the better chance of success, but the Secretary of Taste's recipe had already been deemed an "American Legend" by its creators.

Indeed, the Secretary of Taste himself is a creation of the minds at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, and the stimulus package in question is the new "American Legends" line of specialty pizzas from Domino's Pizza.

While Republicans have criticized President Obama's stimulus package as too bloated, Domino's Secretary of Taste--in commercials that debuted Monday--boasts that the new pizzas contain 40% more cheese than consumers would normally find in their pies.

The ad series, starting with two spots and more planned, will run through April 12 on cable and broadcast networks shows, including "Medium," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Bachelor" and "The Simpsons." GroupM's Mindshare is the media buyer.

The "American Legends" campaign will also include online, promotional print, direct mail and packaging--with redesigned pizza boxes reflecting the American Legends theme.

"These pizzas are packed with so much bold taste in every bite, I had to endorse them as a part of my taste stimulus package," the Secretary of Taste was quoted in a press release. "These specialty pizzas are as American as apple pie, and they will comfort young and old through these tough times. I've even lobbied for 40% more cheese and the approval of America's Dairy Farmers."

The American Legends line of pizzas, featuring new topping combos in addition to cheesy crusts and the extra cheese overall, includes Honolulu Hawaiian, Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch, Pacific Veggie, Memphis BBQ Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Philly Cheese Steak.

Eating Pizza Should Turn You On For Valentine's Day

In the run-up to Valentine's Day, Canada's largest pizza chain claims cheese is a natural aphrodisiac conducive to romance.

In a release from its Toronto headquarters, Pizza Pizza said it had commissioned experts to examine the properties of various pizza toppings regarding their ability to heighten passion.

"Cheese contains phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural amphetamine that the brain manufactures in response to the feelings of love," the release said. "In fact, cheese contains 10 times the levels of PEA normally found in chocolate."

Other romance-inducing toppings cited were olives, jalapenos and tomatoes, but they all paled beside cheese, the company said. No mention was made of the multiplying effects off all the ingredients.

The Pizza company also added information on how to set the mood for Valentine's day at it's pizzapizza.ca Web site.

Papa John's Pizza Honcho Warns Against Eating Too Much Pizza

Will this prove to be a "Gerald Ratner" moment for ol' JS? Let's hope not. Here is the story

The U.S. founder of Papa John's Pizza warned customers during a British interview that it is unhealthy to eat more than two slices of his pies.

John Schnatter, 47, hailed the nutritional value of his chain's pizzas during an interview with BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, saying: "Pizzas are healthy for you if you don't eat too much of it," The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

However, he warned that the health benefits of pizza, which Papa John's does not sell by the slice, wane with higher quantities.

"You can't eat five or six slices," he said. "But if you eat one or two slices it's very nutritious. A slice or two is good for you."

The show's business presenter, Adam Shaw, joked that Schnatter's statement might upset shareholders.

"I'm not sure your investors would want to hear you tell people don't eat too much of our pizzas," he said.

Domino's Pizza Halifax Becomes First Pizza Delivery Business in Calderdale to Be Awarded 5 Stars by Local EHO

Domino’s Pizza in Halifax has become the first pizza delivery store in the Calderdale area to score top marks in the Scores on the Doors food hygiene scheme.

The store at Ward End has been awarded five stars – the highest possible rating for Scores on the Doors, which provides consumers with the official local authority ratings for food businesses across the country. All premises are inspected under the Food Law Code of Practice issued by the Food Standards Agency. Domino’s Halifax was awarded the five stars for excellence based on the store’s standard of hygiene, structural condition of the premises and the management of the business.

Kevin Jones, owner of the Domino’s Halifax store, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering high quality, delicious pizzas and take our hygiene and operational standards extremely seriously. We are delighted to have been awarded the highest possible rating in the Scores on the Doors scheme. This is a great achievement and one which is down to the hard work, care and meticulous attention of the staff to meeting the high standards that are synonymous with Domino’s. This is the first time the Halifax store has been assessed under the Scores on the Doors scheme and I’m delighted that we’re the only pizza delivery shop in Calderdale that has achieved this standard.”

To order a pizza from Halifax’s top scoring pizza delivery store, telephone Domino’s on 01422 366166 or visit the store at 4 – 5 Southgate House, Ward End, Halifax.


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Pizza Hut UK Goes Heavyweight on Direct Advertising

Pizza Hut is to launch an innovative advertising campaign to promote its new, fixed price 'Happy Hour' menu.

The menu, which is available from January 19, will be amplified through an atmAd campaign, which goes live on January 26 and will run for 2 weeks across atmAd's national network of cash machines.

The advertisements will be carried across 3.3 million transactions at over 1,650 cash machines across the UK, ideally situated in close proximity to Pizza Hut restaurants. The campaign will also include 825,000 take-away receipts that will feature the address of the nearest restaurant in the area and menu details.

Claudia Nicholls-Magielsen, Marketing Director of Restaurants, Pizza Hut, said: "We needed an advertising medium which allowed us to engage in a dialogue with our target audience."

"The combination of geographically targeted ATM advertisements and 'reminder receipts' appealed to us as a powerful way of communicating with our customers. We look forward to welcoming families to try our new Happy Hour offering at a time of year when saving money is a high priority."

The atmAd advertisements are part of a wider, awareness-raising campaign, which will include TV, radio, roadside 6-sheets, mall 6-sheets and branded phone boxes. By highlighting the new Pizza Hut menu, the adverts aim to drive consumers to restaurants directly from the cash machines.

Ana Stewart, CEO of i-design multimedia, said: "atmAd is a powerful media platform and is particularly effective as a highly targeted element within a wider integrated campaign. Our ability to run this campaign simultaneously across three different UK banking networks enables Pizza Hut to reach a wide and relevant audience in proximity to their restaurants."


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Another Big Pizza Story!

Measuring four and a half feet long and more than three feet wide, a monster of a pizza was the creation of Guiseppe Cincinnato, inspired by a dare from his son. He says, "he said Dad, I dare you. You can't make a pizza this big."

That was a few years ago in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That pie landed Guiseppe in the "Guinness Book of World Records". This one, which is the same size as the record breaker, is on its way to the fourth graders at Hilltop Elementary School in Canfield.

Guiseppe's been in the restaurant business since coming to this country from Naples in the mid 1970's. He still uses the same commercial pizza oven he had in Michigan that he had customized to make everything fit.

Besides this one, the crew at "Bella Napoli" in Canfield is also making several smaller versions for the school to make sure there are enough slices to go around.

Getting this big pie in and out of the oven is a two person job, and this trip occurs twice.

After its been boxed and sliced, it's off to Hilltop for lunch, where the kids get to show their appreciation. Then it's right back to work, where there are plenty more pies to make.




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