Posted on Sat, Jan. 10, 2004

Donatos rolls out no-dough pizza for carb counters

Associated Press

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GAHANNA, Ohio - One pizza, extra pepperoni - and hold the crust.

Donatos Pizza is responding to the low-carbohydrate diet craze with its new "NoDough" pie. The chain based in this Columbus suburb has tested the new pizza at stores in the suburban Upper Arlington and Westerville, and it's ready to roll it out at most of its 183 locations later this month.

Instead of a crust, the toppings are spread over soy-based protein crumbles. The individual-size pizza is served on a paper plate, to be eaten with a knife and fork.

The company says it has 14 grams of carbohydrates, compared with 53 in a small, thin-crust pizza.

More than 10 million Americans are following one of several diets that call for more protein - what's found in meat and cheeses - and less carbohydrates - the stuff of bread and noodles, according to NPD Group, a market-research company in Chicago.

"Chains are working hard to introduce new items to deal with this trend," said John Imbergamo, president of the Imbergamo Group, a restaurant marketing and consulting firm based in Denver.

Donatos founder and owner Jim Grote said he watched dumbfounded as customers would order a pizza, scrape the toppings onto a plate and toss the crust.

"Our crust has always been one of our hallmarks," Grote said. "Now, people weren't even eating it. We thought we were doing something wrong."

Information from: The Columbus Dispatch