Domino's Changes Pizza Recipe

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Dec 16th 2009 @ 4:30PM

Photo: Domino's Pizza

Like many middle-agers, Domino's Pizza is undergoing a bit of cosmetic surgery.

The world's largest pizza delivery chain, celebrating its 50th year in the business in 2010, announced today it will be entirely changing its core pizza recipe.

"The fact is, we love our pizza, but as times change, so do consumer tastes," said Russell Weiner, Domino's chief marketing officer, in a statement. "We've created a pizza to reflect what consumers are looking for. We're not talking about a slightly altered version of our previous pizza. It's a completely new pizza reinvented from the crust up, and we are proud of it."

After 18 months testing dozens of cheeses, 15 sauces and 50 crust-seasoning blends, Domino's decided on the new components of the pizza.

The new crust will be seasoned with garlic, butter and parsley. While the new tomato sauce will be sweeter, made with a variety of herbs and a kick of red pepper. The cheese is shredded mozzarella, versus diced, with a hint of provolone.

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Fast Food Reviews

New Domino's Pizza Recipe
Grade: B+
The chain has reformulated its crust recipe with an herb-heavy formula. Our tasters liked it better, though it got many "It tastes like Papa John's" comments. It does taste like a garlic bread stick. The cheese was better in the new Domino's pie, but tasters were mixed on the new sauce formulation. Some thought it was too sweet, while others said it hit the pizza sweet spot.

Sara Bonisteel

Getty Images North America

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Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Muffin
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Grade: B
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Keith Morrison

The change comes after a tough year for the chain. One Domino's in North Carolina found itself at the center of a disgusting YouTube video prank where two employees were seen violating food products. Whereas delivery sales as a whole in the quick-service pizza industry fell 6 percent in 2009, USA Today reported.

The new pizza will be in all U.S. stores starting Dec. 27.

Will you try the new Domino's? Let us know in the comments below.

Filed Under: Fast Food
Tags: dominos, dominos pizza, dominos pizza changes recipe, noid

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 14)

12-16-2009 @4:46PM Rt said... No relation to the 'survey' done by this author?
http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/200905/pizza-american-pie-25-best

I suspect pizza has jut gotten over priced - but that's just me.
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12-31-2009 @12:06AM ashley said... I just ordered the new pizza tonight and LOVED IT! The crust was probably the best part. I boycotted Dominoes for about 5 years because it was so bad. It was like eating cardboard that had been soaked for a few days to plump.... Anyway.. the new pizza is good. Give it a shot before you judge!

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12-16-2009 @4:51PM Gary said... Months of research and probably millions spent and it will still suck
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12-16-2009 @5:06PM Raiders757 said... Domino's is one of the worst pizza brands out there these days. Mind you, I don't expect them to be better than my local mom & pop pizza shop, but even Food Lion brand frozen pizza is better. I might give it a try anyway. Hopefully it'll be half way decent.

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12-16-2009 @5:50PM cathy said... Wow! And I so loved that cardboard taste with the addition of bitter tomato paste. http://newsy1.wordpress.com
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12-16-2009 @6:25PM Bethama said... What? No one's made the requisite New Coke reference yet?

Okay, I will.
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12-16-2009 @8:12PM pizzalver said... The Domino's in my neighborhood has already started this new recipe and it is delicious. I was really never a big fan of them before but we will definitely be having it more often.
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12-16-2009 @8:09PM Charlie said... Living in NYC, I am definitely a pizza snob since the best in the world outside of Italy is made here. Domino's is crap. It's barely food, let alone pizza.
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12-16-2009 @8:11PM Bridgette said... I happen to like dominoes pizza. Its alot better than little Cesars.

and yes this reminds me of new coke.
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12-16-2009 @8:13PM Maurice Bishop said... that whats up! I like domino's but I always thought they were kinda dull. Someone on this website called http://www.nightsociety.org wrote a blog about how they wished dominos was open 24 hours... I agree I think about them more when im drunk than any other time. ;o
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12-16-2009 @8:14PM Rocco Rotondo said... What is going to happen to diabetics with that sweet sauce. That lets us out. Dominos is not the best anyway
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12-16-2009 @8:15PM Jay said... Domino's is THE bottom feeder of all pizza's!They're are none worse. Even if the new recipe is better than the current one, (how could it possibly not be), they'll still the worst!
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12-16-2009 @8:17PM rocky said... yes i will. i don't like dominoes, but this sounds really good. more of the type of pizza i like. ofcourse NOTHING but NOTHING beats a new york pie, but since i've moved i will try this and see if it's any good. ~peace~
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12-16-2009 @8:18PM sheela said... sweeter tomato sauce than it already is..?!!
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12-16-2009 @8:20PM Mark said... Domino's will always be the worst pizza on earth.. no matter WHAT they do to change it.

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12-16-2009 @10:33PM Jim said... Gross. Sweeter sauce for fatter americans, and cheaper cheese/cheese food to replace mozzerella.

Papa Johns is the worst and it sounds like they are trying to be them. How dissapointing.
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12-16-2009 @9:36PM Sandra said... Our Domino's already has the new crust, sauce and cheese and we tried it Tuesday and I was very pleased with all three new changes. We've been eating Domino's for many years now, it is our favorite brand. I think the Company made some good choices with the changes. We've eaten a lot of pizzas over many years and usually the sauce is the problem if it's not what we consider a good pizza. I think a lot of what you like is what you grew up with and I really enjoyed the taste of the crust and I like the sweeter sauce and the cheese was great. I hope they don't change things for a good long time again. I also like the fact that everything was made fresh.
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12-16-2009 @8:24PM julie said... actually i tried the new recipe and I noticed its way better from the first bite. they finally did something right
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12-16-2009 @8:37PM Pizzalover said... Haven't the Domino's folk heard of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"? I switched from Pizza Hut to Domino's because Pizza Hut changed to a sweeter sauce. Now Domino's is doing it. *Sigh*...guess I'll start going to the local independent pizza places and leave the chains alone.
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12-18-2009 @7:02PM WC said... Pizzalover, do yourself a favor and have them go light on the sauce. You'll get a better pizza and the fact that it's 'sweet' won't matter nearly so much.