News

Donatos Pizzeria rolling out ''NoDough' low-carb pizza chain-wide on Jan. 20

January 13, 2004

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Donatos Pizzeria will end a limited-market test phase of its "NoDough" low-carb pizza by rolling it out chain-wide on Jan. 20.

According to a news release, the 182-unit chain's founder Jim Grote was "dumbfounded" to see some of his patrons scraping the toppings and cheese off his pizzas and tossing the crusts.

Concerned something was wrong with the crust, Grote asked customers why they were chucking the base. He discovered they were restricted-carbohydrate dieters following Dr. Atkins and South Beach plans, who were trying to enjoy the high-carb portions of their pizzas.

Addressing the needs of a growing contingent of low-carb diners, Donatos developed a pizza base from high-protein, low-carb soy crumbles. The base holds all the sauce cheese and toppings used on Donatos' standard pizzas. According to the release, the product is best eaten with a fork and knife.

"We've always been about giving our customers what they wanted," said Grote. "The NoDough pizzas are great for those customers who watch the amount of carbs they consume, or they are also great for a lighter change-of-pace meal."

According to the release, between 25 percent and 30 percent of all people now monitor their carbohydrate intake. Preliminary research findings from The Duke University Medical Center show that a low-carbohydrate diet can lead to significant and sustained weight loss.

An individual NoDough pepperoni pizza contains only 14g of net carbohydrates (net carbohydrates = total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber and sugar alcohols) as opposed to 53g in Donatos' normal individual-sized pepperoni pizza.

According to registered dietician, Nadiya Timperman, MS, MPH, RD, LD, "There are a lot of choices out there when looking for something fast. Some of them may taste good but aren't good for the body. It's encouraging to see companies, like Donatos, start to offer choices that include not only food that tastes good, but is also a good choice."