Dive Brief:
- In an effort to combat lagging profits and compete with healthier consumers, Pizza Hut is testing out a lower-calorie pizza called the "Skinny Slice."
- The new pizza is made with thinner crust, lighter cheese, and fewer toppings. The calorie count of a Skinny Slice clocks in at 210 calories, whereas a regular slice of Pizza Hut pizza is around 290 calories. It will not, however, be sold by the slice.
- Pizza Hut is testing out in the Skinny Slice in two very different markets: Toledo, OH and West Palm Beach, FL.
Dive Insight:
The Skinny Slice has the same price point of a regular Pizza Hut pizza, coming in at under $11. In 2008, Pizza Hut started selling a "Fit n' Delicious" pizza with a similar premise as the Skinny Slice—thinner crust and less cheese. If the Skinny Slice does well in the test markets, it will replace the "Fit n' Delicious" pizza. Despite Pizza Hut's good intentions, some are not convinced it will make anyone healthier. "Give them less and they'll probably end up eating twice as much," said Steve Green, publisher of PMQ Pizza Magazine.