# Why is Domino's pizza so ubiquitous when it isn't good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912 "2009-10-15T16:10:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/81 "2009-10-19T15:35:58Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Domino’s is still reasonably good, for the price. I think that’s kind of the point we’re making. “Reasonably good” for six bucks isn’t going to be anywhere approaching _good_. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/82 "2009-10-19T15:44:27Z")
I rank Domino’s at the top of the delivery chain. It’s miles better than Pizza Hut, in my experience. Also, if you’re stuck on the couch with a few friends and someone mentions they want chicken wings, theirs aren’t half bad. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/83 "2009-10-19T16:20:52Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I rank Domino’s at the top of the delivery chain. It’s miles better than Pizza Hut, in my experience. Also, if you’re stuck on the couch with a few friends and someone mentions they want chicken wings, theirs aren’t half bad. I think they are fantastic wings! ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/84 "2009-10-19T16:58:02Z")
I would rather eat my own earwax than a Domino’s pizza. In fact might rather eat your ear wax than a Domino’s pizza. Same goes for Big Macs. Maybe I’m lucky and the large Italian population here in Edinburgh make the local options better. Oh, and you can hold with the cracks about them coming deep fried. I’ve heard them. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/85 "2009-10-19T19:46:58Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > If one day the average person lives off of caviar and fine wines, there will be snobs who will wonder how on earth anyone can live on such horrid crap. Hey, I say that now! But then, I’m a schlubby prole with no taste for fish eggs or grape juice gone off. I also like Domino’s, so take that as a caveat. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/86 "2009-10-19T20:03:34Z")
The only pizza I’ve ever hated was from Chuck E Cheese and it’s probably been 10 years since I last ate that cardboard. Otherwise, a bad pizza is still better than most food. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/87 "2009-10-19T20:19:58Z")
Dominos is competing with frozen pizza, and you have to admit it’s better than that. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/88 "2009-10-19T20:29:29Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > They say pizza is like sex; even when it’s bad it’s still pretty good. > > But Domino’s pizza is like jerking off in the shower; even when it’s ok, it’s still kind of pathetic. That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/89 "2009-10-19T21:07:20Z")
Not overly fond of Dominos. The pizza’s okayish, but rather expensive. Seeing US folk mention Dominos and cheap in the same sentence, I figured I’d check the prices on the .com and .co.uk websites. .com, the basic cost of a large (14’’) cheese and tomato is $9.99 - just over £6. .co.uk, the cost of a large (13.5’’) cheese and tomato is £10.99 - about $18. Start shoving toppings on the bugger and non-standard bases then you’re headed into the equivalent of $26 - $30. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Piranha_Brothers)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/90 "2009-10-19T21:10:27Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > Why did Domino’s pizza spread across the entire country? > > I would imagine that in this land of pizza shops, there must have been enough competition, even if only local places, to keep out a chain which does not have any advantage in quality. > > It seems that Domino’s is everywhere, in any town in the US, with the same plain marketing and Italo-American namesake, and the same below-mediocre pizza. And of course it made the founder into a near billionaire. > > So how does one open a chain of bad pizza places and make a billion? I don’t get it? Oh I know exactly how you feel. Although I have this feeling mostly with other stuff, like music or movies. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/91 "2009-10-19T22:06:02Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. Unfortunately, I have a frame of reference … and I didn’t order a pizza this morning, if you see what I’m getting at. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/92 "2009-10-19T22:16:37Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > Oh I know exactly how you feel. Although I have this feeling mostly with other stuff, like music or movies. Yes, I think the answer is that to be successful, a pretty small portion of the populace has to like you. For instance, the box offices and sales of even the most popular movies and music hardly ever equate to 10% of the population purchasing your product even once (and that’s generous, it may not even rise to 10%) So the vast majority of the population can actively hate your stuff but you can still make tons of money. The greater Orlando area for instance has on the order of magnitude of 2 Million people. If only 1% actively enjoy Domino’s you still have 20,000 Domino’s fans. Even if they order only 5 times a year that’s 100,000 pies a year. At $10 an order that’s a cool million in payroll, more than enough to have several locations. Of course the real numbers are higher than 1% of people who like Domino’s, but the point is that it doesn’t take nearly an overwhelming majority of people slobbering over a mediocre place for it to nonetheless achieve ubiquity. One’s skepticism about humanity’s tastes can therefore be reserved for things one cannot avoid, like bad music. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/93 "2009-10-20T01:43:36Z")
iirc, Dominoes actually was the first to give a consistent product in a reasonable amount of time. Back in the day, delivery pizza was actually rare, and only the small, single owner stores even did it, and usually it took a couple of hours. Pizza was considered a restaurant food, for a family outing. Pizza hut entered the delivery market late, ~1990, which set off the delivery wars and nearly resulted in the bankruptcy of Pizza Hut by the mid 90’s as restaurant sales dropped by 80%. By the time Papa Johns entered the delivery market, it was nearly saturated. As stores closed or consolidated, Dominoes managed to stay afloat and regained dominance. So, to answer your question: 1. They remain dominant because the competitors couldn’t maintain themselves. 2. Their sales point is speed and convenience, not quality or taste. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912/94 "2009-10-20T04:27:21Z")
Domino’s is the pizza version of fast food. It’s pretty good in a once in a while guilty pleasure kind of way, and it costs half as much as all of the better options (Papa John’s or especially local stuff). I haven’t had it for six months because I’ve been cutting fast food out of my diet, but before that, $5 for a quick dinner on a busy night? Sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dominos-pizza-so-ubiquitous-when-it-isnt-good/513912.md?page=4)