Domino's makes surprising move with 'game-changer' spin-off brand

Domino’s is synonymous with takeaway pizzas.

Whether they’re fuelling football fans at half-time on a Saturday, serving as the backbone of a university student’s diet, or being used to cashlessly reward office workers after a successful quarter, its pizzas have become part of the national furniture.

Not content with being one of the first names to spring to mind on pizza night, the brand is making a huge change to its menu that could upend the game.

Along with its iconic pizzas, Domino’s will soon start serving fried chicken via a spin-off brand: Chick ‘N’ Dip.

It’s a pretty crowded market, especially as the likes of Dave’s Hot Chicken and Chick-fil-A get set to take the UK by storm, but Domino’s is banking on its new chicken tenders, wings and boneless bites to make a big impression.

Domino's is adding fried chicken to its lineup (Nathan Stirk / Contributor/Getty Images)

Chick ‘N’ Dip, perhaps taking a cue from Wing Stop, will feature nine dips to choose from, too.

Those will include:

• Katsu Curry Sauce
• Garlic Aioli
• Garlic & Herb Dip
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Mexicana Mayo
• BBQ Dip
• Ghost Chilli Glaze
• Buffalo Hot Sauce
• Hot Honey

Despite the new brand name, Chick ‘N’ Dip will be operated via Domino’s existing outlets, giving it the opportunity to capitalise on the well-established brand as competitors vie for market share.

“Chick ‘N’ Dip is a bold new chapter for Domino’s,” said Andrew Rennie, Domino’s CEO. “By creating a dedicated concept that combines globally-inspired flavours with high quality chicken, we’re opening up a significant growth opportunity for our UK & Ireland business.

“This fantastic new product, millions of loyal customers and our trusted delivery model, is why we believe Chick ‘N’ Dip has the potential to be a powerful new growth lever for our business.”

Chick 'N' Dip will be trialled at almost 200 stores before rolling out to the whole UK (Domino's)

He continued: “Chicken is absolutely on trend and that is not going away – it’s a great source of protein and we have really strong products.”

Before a nationwide rollout, Chick ‘N’ Dip will be trialled across 187 Domino’s locations in England’s northwest and Northern Ireland. Through 2026, Chick ‘N’ Dip is expected to launch across the remainder of Domino’s 1,381 UK locations.

The news has got fans salivating already, with one Instagram user saying: “Katsu is gonna be a game changer.”

Let’s wait to hear what the guinea pigs in the northwest and Northern Ireland have to say about it. With little wiggle room in the crowded fried chicken space, it will be interesting to see if Chick ‘N’ Dip makes the difference for Domino’s.