CASE STUDY: DONATO’S 1
Case Study: Donato’s - Finding the New Pizza Assignment
Melissa Ruk
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI600 Business Research Methods
Professor Jonathan Schultz
November 23, 2022
Author Note:
Melissa Ruk
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Melissa Ruk.
Email: [email protected]
CASE STUDY: DONATO’S 2
Map the research design used by Donato’s for new product development.
In July 2003, Donatos, an independent premium pizza restaurant chain headquartered in
Columbus, Ohio, decided to pursue the new low-carbohydrate diet that swept the nation in the
early 2000s. Before making this decision, the company first had to determine if this new low
carbohydrate diet was just a short-term far or if it was a trend worth pursuing because individuals
were going to make long-term changes in their eating habits. In order to draw a proper
conclusion on this topic, Donatos decided to research it because they understood that restaurants
are influenced by changing eating habits (Case Study, 2022). Donatos researched the topic by
looking at a variety of sources. They obtained the research results of a study conducted by the
Yankelovich Monitor and NPD Eating Trends. Donatos analyzed comments that came in from
customers from the company website. Donatos also held monthly meetings with employees to
gain insight into their eating habits. Finally, Donatos had access to four years’ worth of data on
America’s eating habits. From their preliminary research, Donatos determined that 26% of
American eaters had already incorporated low-carb habits. This work determined that Donatos
need new low-carb meals on their menu to keep up with eaters who want to eat more healthily
(Case Study, 2022).
After completing their research, Donatos concluded that the new low-carb diet was a
long-lasting trend, not a fad. After coming to this conclusion, Donatos conducted new research to
develop menu items that fit the needs of these new low-carb customers. Through this research,
Donatos cooks developed a new no-dough pizza base to pair with their quality toppings. To test
the product, Donatos used its employees as taste testers to understand whether their new No-
Dough pizza base would be successful. They also held concept screens, where groups of
individuals were shown photographs of the new food products and asked questions about “the
item’s uniqueness, brand fit, price attractiveness, and the likelihood of purchase” (Case Study,
