Survey Shows Pizza Dipping Preferred 2-1 Over Unadorned Slices; Nearly

    Business Editors

    DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2005--The trend toward dipping pizza into sauces may be bigger than first thought. The results of a new poll released today by Pizza Hut(R) indicate that among those surveyed, 67% of pizza eaters are dippers.
    And, while the numbers show that dipping is in style, there is wide disparity on how people dip. In the survey, people characterized themselves as either "Little Dippers", "Double Dippers" or "Triple Dippers" most often from a list of six dipping style definitions.
    "Little Dipping, double dipping, triple dipping - it sounds like a rap song and it's music to our ears," said Tom James, Pizza Hut chief marketing officer. "Once we confirmed the dipping trend included pizza, we introduced this new dipponomically-designed Dippin' Strips pizza. And, the survey results show we do, indeed, have the answer for the entire family - easy to dip strips and three different sauces."
    The survey was conducted by i.think inc., a Dallas-based online market research company, and surveyed pizza consumers among its database of almost 250,000 Internet users asking if they like to dip their pizza into a sauce while eating it. Pizza Hut initiated the survey after its own research in 2004 indicated that 57 percent of pizza consumers dip their pizzas into sauces.
    Pizza Hut is conducting a second survey via its website www.pizzahut.com, to gain more information on this dipping trend. The real-time poll is happening now and will run through the company's product launch period.
    The i.think survey was conducted in conjunction with the introduction of the new Pizza Hut Dippin' Strips pizza, the first pizza made just for dipping, that is changing the geometry of the industry from triangles to rectangles. The new rectangle-shaped pizza is sliced into 16, 1-inch by 4-inch slices are much easier than traditional triangle slices to dip. Dippin' Strips also comes with three dipping sauces: marinara, garlic and ranch.

    Exactly Who's Dipping and How?

    Women responding to the i.think survey indicated they are slightly more inclined toward dipping into extra sauce as 71.7 percent say they are dippers. Among men, 67.3 percent say they like to dip their pizza.
    While the majority of pizza eaters responding to the i.think survey say they do, indeed, like to dip their pizzas, when it comes to their dipping style, the largest group says they are "Little Dippers", dipping just the tip of the slice without risking chin drips.
    The second largest dipping group - 19.8 percent - takes a more aggressive tact, naming themselves "Double Dippers", capable of dipping and eating in one fluid movement to keep their slice constantly tipped with dip. Another 16.3 percent of respondents want to make sure they get their extra sauce, saying they are "Triple Dippers" making sure each bite is covered in sauce.
    The Dippin' Strips pizza may also be encouraging new dippers into the fold, according to the i.think survey results. Among those polled who said they did not dip their pizza, 52.4 percent say the new pizza sounds like something they want to try.
    While results from the Pizza Hut website survey are preliminary, they do indicate a slight difference in preferred dipping styles. Early results list "Dip & Flipper" as the preferred style - you take advantage of both ends of the pizza strip, swapping ends with each bite.
    Little Dipper is the second most popular style in the website survey with Folded Dipper in third place. Folded dippers bend or fold their pizza to dip both ends at the same time.
    The Dippin' Strips pizza is offered nationally at participating Pizza Hut restaurants for dine-in, carryout or delivery where available for $9.99 for one topping. Customers can also choose one of the company's specialty pizza lines - Meat Lover's(R), Veggie Lover's(R), Cheese Lover's Plus(R) or Supreme.

    About Pizza Hut

    Pizza Hut Inc., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), is the world's largest pizza restaurant company with almost 6,600 units in the United States and more than 4,000 units in 100 other countries. The company is the recognized leader in the $37 billion pizza category. Those hungry for more information can go to the official Pizza Hut web site at www.pizzahut.com.

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CONTACT: Pizza Hut Patty Sullivan, 972-338-7844

KEYWORD: TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RESTAURANTS FOODS/BEVERAGES RETAIL SOURCE: Pizza Hut

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