The Domino’s Debate
It’s been four years since we compared the US and UK Domino’s, and since then, quite a bit has changed. One of our country’s pizza doughs has almost doubled the number of ingredients, and it’s not the one you’d think. Plus, I have a mustache now. Price increases, inflation, shrinkflation. This episode’s wild, man. Strap in.
Pizza Sizes: Are They Delivering What They Promise?
Since our first episode four years ago, there’s been no change in Domino’s pizza sizes in the UK. Same in the US. But over the past few years, shrinkflation has become a concern for consumers. Is our local Domino’s delivering what it promises? Only one way to find out. Here are the four sizes available at UK Domino’s.
Personal Pizza: A Cheeky Little Pizza
Firstly, we have the personal pizza, which is now being branded as a cheeky little pizza. This one should be 7 inches, and I think it is.
Small Pizza: Close Enough?
Starting with the small, it’s supposed to be 10-inch diameter. 10 inches. We have the small pizza. It’s advertised as 9 ½ inches.
Medium Pizza: The Meaty Boy
The meaty boy, medium. This is supposed to be 12 inches. Mm, yeah, a foot. I think so, right? A medium pizza in the UK should be 11.5 inches. I think they’ve pretty much got that right.
Large Pizza: Shrinkflation or Close Enough?
A large is supposed to be 14. I don’t know, man. I’m getting 13 ½. 13 ⅝, maybe. Is that shrinkflation, or is it just too close to call? I mean, if you bake it, it’s going to get a little smaller. It’s going to get a little more compact. So it’s not unbelievably different, but still.
Extra Large: The New York-Style Twist
Our largest pizza is the large. 13.5 inches. That’s pretty much it. And the large, yo, or the extra large, bam. So, the extra large can only be the New York-style pizza. This is a little thinner, I guess, but it doesn’t look that much thinner. And I think it’s hilarious it’s six slices. That’s so funny. It’s supposed to be 16 inches. OK, they got 16 on this one.
Comparing the US and UK Sizes
Comparing both countries’ largest sizes, the US beats the UK by 2.5 inches. 2.5 inches may seem like a small amount, but that means the US large has 57.9 more square inches. That’s roughly the size of an extra 8.2-inch pizza.
Waste Not, Want Not? The US Crust Debate
But wait! In a 2023 YouGov survey, one in five people in the US say they don’t eat the pizza crust. So if this is you and you do this to a US extra large, you are discarding the outer 1 inch of crust and you’re willingly wasting 47.12 square inches of pizza. You’re losing 40 square inches if you don’t eat your crust. Grow up. Come on.
Price Increases: What’s Changed?
In 2020, we discovered that a US extra large was roughly the same price as the UK small. Those pizzas cost $13.99 and £10.99, respectively. Prices have jumped up in both countries. A UK small is now £16.99; a US extra large is $19.99.
Pizza Size and Price Comparison: UK vs. US Large Pizzas
For a fairer comparison, let’s take a look at large pizzas in both countries. Here’s the US large. It costs $16.99 and is 154 square inches. That means you’re paying 11 cents per square inch. Here in the UK, a large cheese pizza costs £21.99 and is 143 square inches. That’s a cost per square inch of 19.7 cents. That’s more than they’re paying in the US.
Pepperoni Pizza Showdown: Standard vs. Ultimate
First, here’s a medium regular pepperoni pizza. Here’s our medium standard pepperoni pizza in the UK. Ours is cut into eight slices and has three slices of pepperoni on each. Let’s see how many pepperonis it has. Some of these might have a little bit of cheese on them. I can’t lie. That’s 24 pieces.
Wings: Shrinkflation Strikes Again
Our wings come in orders of eight, 16, and for the big game, you get 32. Domino’s chicken wings in the UK come in two sizes, a portion of seven and a portion of 14. We didn’t talk about wings in the 2020 episode, but if we had, it would’ve been an order of 10. Yet, in 2022, Domino’s wings orders went down from 10 to eight without changing the price.
Exclusive UK Pizzas: What Makes Them Different?
Back in 2020, we only compared the exclusive toppings rather than the pizzas themselves. So for the first time, here are the UK exclusive pizzas. We’ll start in this corner with a relatively new addition to the menu. It’s a meatball marinara pizza. They’ve been very regimented with the toppings. Shout-out to Surrey Quays Domino’s, my guy Aaron.
US Exclusive Pizzas: The MeatZZa and Beyond
Next up, we have the Mighty Meaty. A lot of meat going on here. I’m seeing ground beef, sausage, pepperoni, and ham as well as some red onion and mushroom. We have so many exclusive pizzas here in the US.
The Cheeseburger Pizza: An Unlikely Winner
The next one is slightly controversial. This is a cheeseburger pizza. It’s a cheese and tomato base. Then they add ground beef, red onion, pickles, tomatoes, and burger sauce.
Philly Cheesesteak Pizza: A Mixed Review
Down here, the Philly cheesesteak. Philadelphia. I mean, what an insult this is. If you’ve had a Philly cheesesteak, which, I’m sure if you watch this show, you have, great sandwich. It definitely has the Philly cheesesteak taste to it, but do we want this in a pizza? I don’t know. Just get a Philly cheesesteak.
Barbecue Pizzas: A Love or Hate Debate
Next up we have the Absolute Banger pizza. This one is an attempt at wordplay by Domino’s. “Banger” in the UK can refer to something that’s really good. A song can be an absolute banger. But then obviously we also have bangers and mash, so a banger can also be sausage.
Tandoori Hot: A Spicy Sensation
This one is the tandoori hot. In an actual Indian restaurant, tandoori chicken is marinated and then cooked in a tandoor, which is a type of oven. One thing they’ve done well is recreate the color of tandoori chicken.
Spicy Pizzas: Hot and Spicy vs. The Meateor
We’re staying in the spice zone for a minute with this hot and spicy. Pretty similar to the tandoori hot in terms of composition, but instead of the tandoori chicken and mushrooms, you instead have ground beef.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza: An American Favorite
Here we have the Buffalo chicken pizza. This to me is distinctly American. Instead of pizza sauce, we have Buffalo sauce, and of course chicken.
The Chicken Feast: A Feast of Disappointment?
This one makes me a bit sad. When you think of a feast, for me, you think of, like, Henry VIII sitting in a banquet hall surrounded by gallons of wine and roast boars. You don’t think of this slightly sad chicken, mushroom, and sweet corn combination.
Texas and Memphis Barbecue Pizzas: How Authentic Are They?
Here we have the Texas barbecue pizza. Texas barbecue was good. I’m not quite sure what makes it specifically Texas, but if that was in the US, I think it’d do well.
The New Yorker: A Slice of New York
Next up is the New Yorker. I’m walking here. Ay. This one is a cheese and tomato pizza topped with ham, mushrooms, and pepperoni.
Wisconsin Six-Cheese Pizza: Too Much Cheese?
Speaking of places in America, we got the Wisconsin six-cheese. Wisconsin is known for making so many different varieties of cheese. It’s the cheese state. I think the problem with this type of pizza is the same one we have with the meat one.
The Vegi Volcano: A Vegetarian Spicy Option
Harry: This is the Vegi Volcano. It’s a veggie-friendly one. If you’re vegetarian and you like spice, then I guess this is the one for you.
Plant-Based Pizzas: A UK Domino’s Innovation
We have plant-based pizzas here in the UK. We have a few options, including the American hot, a Chick’n Winner, a Peppy-roni, a Margheri-tastic, and a veggie supreme.
Sandwiches and Wraps: A Domino’s Dilemma
Now, UK and everyone else in the world, we have sandwiches here at our Domino’s. My rundown on this is that someone looked at it and was like, “We got the ingredients, and we have the ovens. What else can we put on the menu that literally is the lowest lift possible?”
Pastas: An Italian Twist Gone Wrong
Now we have pastas. You can get four different versions of it. There’s a five-cheese, spicy Buffalo, chicken Alfredo, Italian sausage.
Bread Twists and Knots: A Strange Detour
Now we’re at the part of the menu where, for some reason, this pizza organization, Domino’s, decided, “What if we just took pizza and did it in a different order?”
Side Dishes: Fries, Wings, and More
There are a ton of sides on the menu at UK Domino’s. Firstly, we have these twisted dough balls, often served with a dip like a garlic butter or something like that.
Desserts: Sweet Endings at Domino’s
We also have cinnamon bread knots right here. Take a look at this. I have to say, they were generous with the cinnamon.
A Farewell to Lost Items: The Ingredients That Changed
Sadly, across the last four years, items have come and gone from the menus in both the US and the UK. It’s time to pay tribute to some of the ones that we’ve lost.
Changing Ingredients: UK vs. US
Back in 2020, Domino’s pizza dough contained six ingredients. In 2024, however, that list has gone up to 15. Compared to that previous list, we’ve added cornmeal, sugar, salt, whey powder, and the flour improvers ascorbic acid, L-cysteine hydrochloride, and the emulsifier E481.
Promotions and Pricing Strategies
UK Domino’s prices are a bit hard to pin down because Domino’s is always, and I mean always, running a load of promotions.
How Domino’s Has Fared in Recent Times
But how has Domino’s fared recently, with consumers feeling the effect of inflation fatigue and a general cost-of-living rise?
Conclusion: The Future of Domino’s
Domino’s has surprised me a few times over the years, and I think the dessert options have kind of grown on me over the years as well, partly just because they are really tasty. But also I think you need something a little bit sweet when you’re having something that’s so salty and so savory, like a pizza.
Closing Thoughts
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