The Caterer Blog

Say cheese, or a few other choice oaths if you’re Domino’s Pizza.

Hey inflation does funny things but it seems Europe’s crazy weather this year has compounded things and claimed another victim, with soaring milk and wheat prices causing the pizza chain some heartburn of its own.

Why? Well due to the collapse of its main supplier and the need to set up a new contract at the now higher cheese price, Domino’s has had to shoulder a £1,060 per tonne increase in the cost of mozzarella.

With more than 400 stores that’s significant and has left a stinking additional cost of £450,000.

Still rather than cry over very expensive milk, the company has introduced a new ciabatta base option for its pizzas, which it is sending out in an apparently sleek black box and marketing it as its poshest menu option.

For anyone intimidated by such a posh addition to the company's line up they’ve also published a tongue-in-cheek (I hope) etiquette guide, which is hard to top (sorry).

If you thought it was only weddings where people remarked “my, how much you’ve grown”, spare a thought for Chris Moore Domino’s new boss.

Moore, who succeeded Stephen Hemsely as chief executive of Domino’s UK and Ireland at the end of the previous calendar year, first joined the pizza brand as European marketing manager almost two decades ago.

At the time he was employed by Domino’s US and his area of coverage was all of Europe. Even so that accounted for just 37 stores back then compared to the UK & Ireland’s present day tally of 501 outlets.

With another record breaking year behind it and some £3.5m of marketing money aside for 2008, it looks like this particular success story has some way to run yet.

I was out in Leicester Square last night meeting a mate before heading to the cinema and in need of some casual dining fast (as was Keira Knightly who was attending a premiere at the Odeon next door).

We opted for the Tragus owned Bella Italia - it's hard not to as there's at least four scattered around the Square - and had a perfectly servicable meal, which had the important ingredients of being quick and - for London's West End - inexpensive.

However, what with restaurant space being pricey there the eaterie was predictably snug with a spiral staircase leading down to "compact" toilets in the basement.

Some bright spark - the sought that flicks a lightswitch to see if the blown bulb is on or off - had decided a busy Wednesday evening was the perfect time to paint said bannister and staircase and erect "warning wet paint" signs everywhere ( yes, transfer any responsibility for your actions in one easy step).

Although soap got the paint off my hand I suspect some of my fellow dinners were not so lucky.

Perhaps Tragus are simply hoping customers will follow the example of their other best known brand and paint the town Cafe Rouge, or in the case of the wet paint in question a far from romantic brown.

 Tragus to double Cafe Rouge restaurant chain>>

Tragus boss confident consumers will still spend>>