Domino's Pizza: Is the New and Improved Pie Really Any Better?

Domino's Pizza hardly qualifies as a Mom 'n' Pop joint. It is, however, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which makes it a local business. My family believes in supporting local businesses, and so on a recent Friday night, when our in-house chef didn't feel like whipping up dinner, we reheated some soup and picked up two Domino's pizza. We're not Domino's loyalists by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I've always regarded it as the kind of pizza eaten only at mixers, potlucks, or lunch meetings. Cheap, fast, decent enough. Otherwise, nothing special. As most folks probably know, Domino's has taken action to improve its image by revamping its product - better cheese, better sauce, better crust. While the ads pitch a promising pie, the only way to assess the changes is through a taste test. My three dinner companions and I did just that.

Reviews were mixed. For starters, the pizza passes the curb appeal test. Both the pepperoni and sausage pizzas had a nicely browned cheese topping, a reasonable amount of meat, and a bubbly crust. Check. But the flavors and textures? This is where opinions diverged. One person at the table felt strongly that this pizza was average at best. The sauce was too sweet, the cheese lacked any sort of definitive flavor, and the crust was oily. I would agree with her on all counts. The herbs flecked along the crust do little to season it, and the sauce was not as rich or robust as I had hoped. I like a crispness to the crust, and this pizza's crust was chewy and dense. The bottom was very doughy, as if undercooked. All components of the pie melded into one dense mass lacking nuance of texture. It's the kind of pizza that you can devour in two bites, as there is nothing to savor.

Our two other dinner companions were less critical of the new Domino's product. One suggested that it was an improvement over a pizza that previously been known for its cardboard consistency. Still, he continued, Papa John's reigns supreme. I would have to agree. While I don't have a clear memory of the Domino's pizza of yore, I can only say that I would not order a Domino's pie again anytime soon. Pizza isn't light on the calories, so when I make a gluttonous investment, it had better be good.