Double Double pioneering turkey toppings

Double Double Pizza & Chicken is now offering their customers turkey as a topping, making them the first and only North American chain to put it on the menu. The new item will be exclusively provided by Butterball, who has created a pre-cooked turkey topping that has less fat than chicken and tastes and smells like bacon – taste-tested and true.

Double Double’s new turkey club takes a twist with ranch dressing for sauce.

Double Double Pizza & Chicken is now offering their customers turkey as a topping, making them the first and only North American chain to put it on the menu. The new item will be exclusively provided by Butterball, who has created a pre-cooked turkey topping that has less fat than chicken and tastes and smells like bacon – taste-tested and true.

“I think this will be the next big thing,” says Sheila Jalili, the chain’s general manager, adding that there hasn’t been a major trend with staying power since chicken was introduced. It’s at the point where chicken can be boring for consumers now, says Jalili, and the market is ripe for a new topping with mass appeal.

Jalili, who experiments with new recipes in her home kitchen, tried out leftover Thanksgiving turkey with gravy on a pizza first, then decided it tasted better with tomato sauce. She took the next step and went in search of the tastiest turkey. Once the company decided to stay local and choose an Ontario provider, she says Butterball was picked for having the best product and name recognition. The topping has only 17 per cent fat, the lowest of all meat choices on the menu, yet does not have the mouth feel at all of a lean food.

The first promotion will feature a medium signature turkey pizza and 10 wings for $16.99. The last new product Double Double brought to their menu was ribs about a year and a half ago. If turkey goes over well, the company plans to introduce more turkey products, such as turkey pepperoni, says Jalili, who expects it will take about six weeks to properly gauge customer response as you need enough time to see repeat orders. Their staff’s positive feedback was the best indicator of how tasty the product really was, she says.

“Chicken was the last big trend in pizza and now it’s a staple. Now turkey will not only be recognized and appreciated as a seasonal choice for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but now will be associated with everyday lunch and dinner.”

Double Double Pizza & Chicken is a Toronto-based chain founded and
owned by Arman Jalili that has grown to over 50 locations across
Ontario. Double Double was the first company to bring a 2-for-1 concept
to pizza, wings and chicken combinations. They were also the first
chain to offer delivery of southern style crispy fried chicken.