dominos pizza, Recipes, & Food News

Domino's New Campaign: Our Old Pizza Was Bad

by Leslie Pariseau, Posted Jun 1st 2010 @ 4:00PM

If you've been fan of Domino's over the past 50 years, your judgment might be a little off. Perhaps you were charmed by the promise of 30 minute guaranteed delivery or the company's warm and fuzzy Midwestern backstory (it's based in Ann Arbor, Michigan), but you certainly weren't enjoying the pizza. The company's new philosophy is: "We changed our crust, sauce and cheese. And hopefully your mind."

So who was eating all that pizza? With more than 9,000 stores worldwide, of course Domino's had a few fans, but following a new US recipe launch in December of 2009, they've captured several thousand more.

Fast-food chains frequently add and change recipes to be "new and improved," but Domino's newest pie was accompanied by an almost subversive style of branding. The company launched a series of self-critical ads, including the documentary-style "Turnaround" commercial. We see Domino's employees' faces fall while watching brutally honest focus groups berate the cardboard-like crust and processed cheese. One test-kitchen chef explains the difficulty in facing such harsh commentary, having made the pizza for the better part of two decades.

Filed under: Business

Domino's Changes Pizza Recipe

COMMENTS 264

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."

Filed under: Fast Food

Domino's at Center of Disgusting YouTube Video Prank Closes

COMMENTS 103

by Jennifer Lawinski, Posted Sep 29th 2009 @ 5:30PM

Photo: miskan/flickr

A Domino's Pizza franchise in North Carolina was forced to close its doors forever last week, and its owner puts the blame on disgusting videos two former employees posted on YouTube.

"My business was off 58 percent because of YouTube," franchise owner Kevin Hendren told the Hickory Daily Record. The store closed on Sept. 22.

The franchise's troubles began when two employees of his Conover, N.C., Domino's Pizza allegedly created videos of themselves showing one putting cheese in his nose and then putting it on a sandwich, sneezing on cheese sticks and pulling down his pants, wiping himself with a sponge and then using that sponge to clean a pan. The videos were discovered in April and have been removed from YouTube.

Hendren told the newspaper he will not reopen the Domino's franchise. "I'm just living day to day right now," he told the Daily Record.

Filed under: Food News, Fast Food

Free Domino's Pizza

COMMENTS 35

by Sara Bonisteel, Posted Sep 1st 2009 @ 1:30PM

Photo: miskan/flickr

To celebrate the auspicious date of Sept. 9, 2009 (09/09/09), Domino's is offering free food on Sept. 9, but there is a catch.

Domino's is offering 99 $25 coupons to those who can prove they'll turn 9 or 99 on Sept. 9.

Filed under: Food News, Fast Food

Domino's American Legends Pizza Taste Test

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Feb 2nd 2009 @ 12:00PM

We asked AOL Living staffers native to or familiar with each cuisine to try Domino's recently introduced American Legends pizzas. See how they stacked up.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=867245&pid=867244&uts=1270830105

http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Domino's American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Philly Cheesesteak
Grade: B
"When Domino's coupled the pride of Philadelphia with one of my favorite late night snacks I was eager to try. Unlike most Philadelphians, I'm not a fan of onions on my steaks, but on the Domino's slice it wasn't that bad. It gave the pizza just a hint of extra flavor that made me want more. Sure it lacked the traditional Cheez Whiz, but other than that it was a pretty solid slice. Kudos, Domino's. I'd definitely sample again." -- Keith M.

Rachel Been

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Philly Cheesesteak
Grade: B
"When Domino's coupled the pride of Philadelphia with one of my favorite late night snacks I was eager to try. Unlike most Philadelphians, I'm not a fan of onions on my steaks, but on the Domino's slice it wasn't that bad. It gave the pizza just a hint of extra flavor that made me want more. Sure it lacked the traditional Cheez Whiz, but other than that it was a pretty solid slice. Kudos, Domino's. I'd definitely sample again." -- Keith M.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch
Grade: B+
"Big toppings and lots of them. As a native, this really reminds me of a California artisanal pizza right out of the oven. It would be nice with a glass of Napa wine." -- Ernie K.

"I really enjoyed it. It definitely had that thick pillowy crust that pizza chains have and pizza parlors don't, but the flavor was great. The bacon was cooked just right and the slice was pleasantly creamy. The chicken was fine, but completely overpowered by the bacon. It didn't need to be there." -- Josie S.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Fiery Honolulu Hawaiian
Grade: B-
"As a fan of sweet Hawaiian pies for some years I figured that coupling it with a little bit of spicy couldn't hurt. Domino's Hot Hawaiian gave my stomach a little tingle but still brought a smile to my face with the perfect amount of jalapenos. Had there been any more I probably would've been walking around sweating bullets. Sure there could have been a tad more pineapple or even a sprinkle more ham, but it still worked for me. I'd definitely go back for seconds." -- Keith M.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Honolulu Hawaiian
Grade: A
"It was delicious! The bacon was a surprise. I've had plenty of Hawaiian-style pies before with shrimp, but I find I prefer the bacon and I'd order it over a local pizzeria. The crust was crunchy and the pineapples weren't dry. Thumbs up." -- Tania P.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Pacific Veggie
Grade: C
"I would imagine anything dubbed "Pacific" to have seafood. Is that just me? Despite the fact that my slice did not have a bit of shrimp on it, I thought it was delicious. I was also expecting it to be a bit more salty. Other than that, I would have a second slice." -- Wajma Y.

"The sauce was nice, smooth, and tasty. However, the tomatoes lacked crispness and the olives and the mushrooms weren't tender. It tasted like every other pizza franchise's veggie pizza. No Cali freshness here." -- Dana O.

"I'd definitely be satisfied grabbing it in LAX if my flight was delayed, but probably wouldn't go for it normally. The taste was better than a frozen pizza, but it's still too much fat and carbs for an everyday lunch." -- Marissa G.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: BBQ Chicken
Grade: A
"I loved it. The big pieces of tender chicken and grilled onions really add to the flavor of the BBQ sauce. I also always love their not too crunchy, not too doughy crust. The sauce stands out -- it's sweet, but not too sweet, with a touch of authentic Memphis spiciness -- and makes the chicken taste so good but isn't overwhelming. I would definitely order this again." -- Lindsey S.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Dominos's American Legends: Buffalo Chicken
Grade: B-
"This had nice big chunks of chicken, but really didn't pack the spicy punch of Buffalo chicken. I wanted to throw some Tabasco, Anchor Bar, or Frank's Red Hot sauce on there for a real Buffalo feel, but as I didn't have any, I had to make do." -- Ernie K.

Dominos American Legends Pizza Pies

Filed under: Taste Test, Reviews