The Launch
Donatos Pizza, the Columbus, Ohio-based chain with more than 177 franchise locations, is adding two permanent chicken pizzas to its menu on August 24 and simultaneously replacing its previous ranch recipe with a buttermilk-based housemade version. The dual move represents one of the brand's more substantive menu updates in recent years, tying an ingredient reformulation directly to new product introductions rather than rolling them out separately.
The new Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza layers boneless chicken wings seasoned with hot chicken rub, jalapeños, Gorgonzola crumbles, and a Mariachi spice mix over Alfredo sauce and shredded provolone, finished with a mild wing sauce drizzle. The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza features sliced chicken breast, Roma tomatoes, crispy bacon, and Romano cheese on the brand's Famous Thin crust, with the new ranch drizzled across the top. Both are designed to showcase the reformulated sauce in contrasting flavor profiles — one spicy and cooling, the other savory and creamy.
Ranch as a Growth Lever
The ranch reformulation is central to the commercial rationale. The new recipe is made fresh in-house with real buttermilk and served in dipping cups rather than single-serve packets — a shift that carries both cost and operational implications for a franchise system of this scale. To drive trial, Donatos is offering a complimentary ranch sample with every large pizza ordered for a limited time, a promotional mechanic designed to expose the existing customer base to the upgrade without requiring an additional purchase.
The brand is leaning into ranch's documented cultural footprint. Ranch has held the top position among U.S. salad dressings since 1992, and 75.0% of Americans report liking or loving it, according to Forbes. Executives cited viral social media moments during the 2026 FIFA World Cup — in which international visitors publicly discovered ranch for the first time — as additional context for the timing. "Ranch isn't just a condiment anymore, it's a craze, and we wanted Donatos Pizza to lead it instead of chase it," said Kevin King, President and CEO of Donatos Pizza. "Our new Ranch gives guests the elevated, house-made version of something they already can't get enough of, paired with two new chicken pizzas built to show it off."
Franchise Network Implications
For Donatos' franchise partners, the in-house preparation requirement marks a meaningful operational change. Moving from a packaged sauce to a buttermilk-based recipe made on-site introduces new handling, storage, and consistency standards across all locations — a consideration that franchise systems typically weigh carefully against the marketing upside. Donatos also operates in more than 250 non-traditional locations, including select Red Robin restaurants, where the logistics of the new recipe will require separate coordination.
The chicken category has become a reliably high-velocity segment across the pizza industry, with competitors including Domino's and Papa Johns investing in chicken-forward LTOs and permanent additions. Donatos is positioning its two new SKUs as permanent rather than limited-time, signalling confidence in their long-term menu contribution. The chain's Edge to Edge topping philosophy — a differentiator the brand has maintained since its 1963 founding — applies to both new pizzas, giving the chicken-and-ranch flavor combination maximum coverage across each pie. Operators and distributors tracking pizza category trends and menu innovation in QSR will want to monitor initial sell-through data when Donatos reports next.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
