Pizza pantomime plays out in fast food fiasco

BRISBANE fast food franchises Domino’s Pizza and Eagle Boys are embroiled in toil for market share for their respective pasta offerings.

Domino’s Pizza CEO Don Meij considers Eagle Boys an ‘expensive low-quality fringe player’, but the Annerley-based Eagle Boys expects to overtake Pizza Hut as Australia’s second largest pizza player this year.

Both companies have reported increased sales since launching new menus in February and while Domino’s now holds just under 50 per cent market share in the chain pizza industry, Eagle Boys remains on target to open another 60 stores this financial year.

Eagle Boys national marketing manager Scott Hamilton, says his company is extremely price competitive and customers will see through Domino’s recent menu changes.

“Domino’s attempts at quality with the odd product here and there lack substance and customers won’t be fooled,” says Hamilton.

Meij meanwhile says online expansion and store upgrades have been positive for Domino’s, and it will help the company to gain more than 50 per cent market share.

“One of the amazing things is also how fast the online business has grown, as one-in-five orders are now online. We’re the number one food and beverage retailer online, period – by a golden mile,” he says.

“There have been savings in the economy for commodities such as cheese and flour and we’re putting all of those savings back into higher quality ingredients. We take Pizza Hut very seriously and gourmet chains such as Pizza Capers and Hell’s Pizza have been positive for the expanding market, but Eagle Boys are much more expensive than anyone else.”