Pizza Hut started rolling out its giant pizza cookie. In partnership with chocolate giant Hershey's, the company officially introduced its new product called "Ultimate Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookie."
In May, Pizza Hut just introduced its barbecue pizza which Yum! Brands executive David Novak called a flop. He said the product was not enough to overcome the competitors' value-focused activities. Papa John's and Domino's grew 9.6 percent and 4.9 percent in sales respectively, while same-stores in the United States dropped five percent in the year's first quarter.
"Pizza Hut chefs are ecstatic," Pizza Hut's chief marketing officer Carrie Walsh said. "Our fans are in for an amazing, and great-tasting, experience."
Papa John's has a pizza apple pie and a similar chocolate cookie product while Domino's has the Cinna-Stix. Pizza chains are expanding their dessert products in recent years and the 18-year-old to 34-year-old very much coveted demographic like easy party snacks such as the extra-large, communal cookie. Among 1,000 polled customers, about 70 percent said they want dessert after eating pizza.
It is important for pizza chains to make these desserts shareable. It could have the same effect as the hookah which has been very appealing among Millennials who like to be part of social gatherings. Nobody gets a pizza only for themselves. A communal pizza will give you a party. Those who buy the pizza cookie with a pizza can get it for $4.99 while it costs $5.99 for a solo pizza cookie. It is available for delivery with pizza.
To put the focus on the cookie launch, Pizza Hut will have a "bake sale" at 6,300 restaurants in the U.S. on July 16. The pizza cookies will sell with 10 percent proceeds to the humanitarian agency World Food Programme.
Pizza Hut started selling cinnamon sticks in 2003 and in 2008; the pizza chain added chocolate dipping sticks called Hershey choco dunkers. It is only the start for Pizza Hut which says that the Ultimate Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookie is not just a one-off and more Hershey desserts are coming soon. Hershey's makes Reese's peanut butter cups and it could be the next Pizza Hut dessert in the future.
