The Real Reason Domino's Totally Changed Its Pizza Recipe

The battle for the title of best major pizza chain in the United States is an intense one. There are the Papa John's fans, the Little Caesar's fans, and, perhaps the most passionate, the Domino's fans. According to the latter, there's a lot to love about the pies that come in the box with the signature red and blue game piece logo. Maybe it's the rumored super fast delivery times. Maybe it's the mix and match menu options. Or maybe it's the infamous Pizza Tracker, which lets you know exactly where your pizza is from the moment you click "order" to the moment it's placed on your doorstep.

Regardless of what you love — or don't love — about Domino's, the pizza you ordered last Friday night isn't the same as the pizza Domino's would have delivered 13 years ago. That's because in 2008, the popular chain reinvented its original recipe. Here's the truth about why Domino's changed its pizza to what you know it as today. 

Despite Domino's popularity among pizza zealots today, it didn't always have the best reputation. In fact, prior to 2008, Domino's was famous for its "cardboard crust" pizza that people complained was flavorless, bland, and chewy, with sauce that tasted "like ketchup" (via CNN). Realizing it had a major pie problem on its hands, Domino's made the decision to completely revamp its 49-year-old pizza recipe, CBS News reports. "We dissected our pizza, then reinvented it from the crust up," then-CEO Dave Brandon told the news outlet. "We tried scores of different sauces, cheeses, and doughs, with the idea of improving each of them."

By 2010, the national chain had completed what it called "the pizza turnaround," and released its new pie. According to PopSugar, the highlights of the new pizza included a garlic-herb seasoning on the crust, a sweeter tomato sauce with a hint of red pepper, and cheese that was shredded instead of diced and included both provolone and mozzarella.