Can Domino's New Menu Additions Boost Average Ticket Size?

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. DPZ is leveraging menu innovation to drive both customer traffic and higher check sizes, with its Parmesan Stuffed Crust pizza emerging as a standout growth driver. Introduced late in first-quarter 2025, the product has exceeded expectations across multiple metrics, attracting new customers, generating strong repeat orders and lifting per-order spending.

The premium crust carries a higher price point, adding $4 when paired with Domino’s mix-and-match deal, directly supporting average ticket growth. In second-quarter 2025, same-store sales in the United States rose 3.4%, with pricing contributing 1.4 percentage points, helped by Stuffed Crust’s impact. While carryout orders, which typically have a lower ticket, reached record highs, the addition of this premium menu option helped offset the mix shift.

Operational execution has been key. Domino’s invested heavily in training to ensure smooth preparation of the more complex product, earning strong consumer praise, reportedly the highest for any launch since its “New and Inspired” pizza. Management also sees Stuffed Crust as a long-term menu fixture rather than a limited-time offer, positioning it as a sustainable contributor to both traffic and average ticket growth.

Combined with loyalty program enhancements and expanded delivery partnerships, the new menu addition forms part of Domino’s broader “Hungry for MORE” strategy. If performance trends continue, Stuffed Crust could remain a durable ticket booster, helping Domino’s capture market share in a flat QSR pizza category.

Competitive Landscape: How Rivals Are Using Menu Innovation

Two of Domino’s primary rivals, Papa John’s International, Inc. PZZA and Pizza Hut, owned by Yum! Brands, Inc. YUM, are also leaning on menu innovation to drive ticket growth and traffic. Papa John’s has pushed its premium crust options, including the “Epic Stuffed Crust,” alongside specialty pizzas aimed at upselling customers. These offerings, often tied to limited-time promotions, seek to capture higher spend per order while differentiating from standard menu items.

Pizza Hut, meanwhile, continues to leverage stuffed crust as a core product, but has broadened its approach with indulgent variations and bundled deals designed to lift average checks. The brand has also experimented with premium topping combinations and larger-sized pizzas to entice customers to trade up.

For Domino’s, competing against these established stuffed-crust players requires sustained product quality, marketing muscle and value positioning to maintain its recent ticket-size momentum.

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