Calcutta, April 12 :     With global leaders Domino's biting their teeth into the toppings, the battle for Calcutta's nascent pizza market is piping hot. It's a US versus Italy showdown. Domino's Pizza, the renowned chain so popular in the US and having a presence in 63 countries, has set up its 50th Indian outlet here to give Don Giovanni, the sole player in the city all this while baking 'authentic Italian' pizza, a run for its money. 'We are really bullish about Calcutta. Hence, the move to set up our fourth commissary here,' said Pavan Bhatia, CEO, Domino's Pizza India Ltd, on Wednesday. The 'passion' for the east may partly stem from the fact that the Bhartias, owning 75 per cent stake in Domino's India, earned their first rupee in this town. 'Nobody delivers better' claims Domino's Pizza, already the second-largest retail chain in the country after Bata. It's trump card: a unique 30-minute delivery promise. If a pizza doesn't reach within 30 minutes of the order being placed, the customer will have to pay Rs 30 less. 'Unlike the other big players, we are not a restaurant, but just a retail delivery company. So we don't need big overheads and also needn't restrict our business to the number of chairs in the shop,' explained Bhatia. The chain, which has captured 80 per cent of the pizza market share in Delhi, is looking to sell around 1,000 pizzas a day from its Calcutta outlets and has effected a flat price reduction of 40 per cent on its fare over the last weekend. City rival Don Giovanni, however, is not wilting under the Domino's effect. 'We welcome competition, as it will only increase the size of the pizza market,' Rikki Dewan, proprietor of Don Giovanni which has five outlets in the city, told The Telegraph. Dewan is confident that with Domino's entering the fray, business will get a 'big boost' and he is even hoping to double his own sales volume by cashing in on a pizza craze. Asked if he looks at the price cut by Domino's as a threat, the Giovanni chief countered: 'But our pricing is more competitive, anyway. Domino's, which promises to feed two mouths for just Rs 49 (the price of its eight-inch pizza), is confident of capturing a large slice of the office lunch segment through its corporate 'combo' menu designed exclusively for Calcutta. 'We will launch special flavours, keeping in mind the Calcuttan's taste buds, like shrimp and fish toppings, adding new fare as we move along,' maintained Bhatia. 'We already have shrimps, tuna and bacon, besides tandoori chicken and tandoori paneer pizza to combat their Peppy Paneer,' counters Dewan, 'and our mini-meals for the office crowd can easily hold their own against Domino's' combo menu.' The Giovanni boss is also pretty sure his 'authentic cheese-oriented Italian fare' has a loyal clientele which the American flavour will not be able to eat into. 'I would like to wait and watch how things go. But I'm sure we can coexist.' Domino's won't be resting on its dough, though. The chain has already entered into strategic alliances with MTNL (for orders on phone), Grey for expertise in impulse food and CB Richard Ellis for market review, location feasibility, site selection, acquisition and project management. 'We are also talking to IT firms for national connectivity,' said Bhatia. The pizza war has come to town. Brace for the big bite!