Domino's New Pizza Delivers Better Flavor

In December 2009, Domino's ad campaign acknowledged complaints of cardboard crust and tasteless sauce while extolling its new recipe. The AP recently reported Domino's fourth-quarter sales grew from $428.2 million to $462.9 million. The recipe seems to be a success, but how does Domino's new pizza taste?

What is new about Domino's pizza?
Over the past two months, I sampled multiple pizzas purchased from the local chain. The new pizza box bears a lengthy message describing the refinements. It seems they are still mastering the process because the taste varied with each order. Overall, the pizza was better with a tastier crust, sauce and cheese.

Is the pizza crust better?
The new crust is not as leathery as the old crust. The flavor was the same except for the garlic-herb seasoning generously brushed along the rim of the pizza. This simple addition elevated the crust to being a tasty breadstick instead of compost fodder.

How is Domino's new pizza sauce?
I enjoy a variety of pizza and pasta sauces from homemade to canned, but their original pizza sauce was gross. It was too sweet and very similar to the sauce in Chef Boyardee's canned raviolis. (In case you have not tried the raviolis, the flavor is difficult to describe, but the words orange, as in the color, and artificial come to mind.)

Domino's new pizza sauce contains spicy red pepper. The resulting sauce is not spicy, but rather flavorful.

No More Plastic Cheese
A five-dollar pizza is not going to be a gourmand's delight, but Domino's original cheese was more like overheated plastic wrap than dairy goodness. The pizza box describes the new cheese as "made with one hundred percent mozzarella and flavored with a hint of provolone". (That enigmatic description is a convoluted way of saying it is not one hundred percent real mozzarella.) The "hint of provolone" was not noticeable, but the flavor and texture were better.

The Last Slice
The change was welcome news since Domino's pizza has been at the bottom of the food chain for years.
Domino's pizza is more affordable than other pizza delivery options, such as Pizza Hut, Papa John's and Pizza Inn, and has plenty of convenient locations in my neighborhood. I will gladly purchase it in the future.

Sources:
Domino's profit more than doubles on new recipe, Associated Press