Domino’s or Pizza Hut: Who Wins the Pizza Crown?

Dominos vs. Pizza Hut has been a hot debate among pizza lovers for decades.

Giants in the fast-food industry compete fiercely for the title of pizza king.

Most people have strong opinions about which chain delivers better taste and value.

The rivalry extends beyond just toppings and crust styles to include delivery speed, pricing, and special offers.

Both companies constantly innovate their menus to stay ahead in this delicious competition.

Each brand has loyal fans who defend their favorite with passionate arguments about cheese pull, sauce flavor, and crust texture.

This classic food battle continues to shape how Americans enjoy their favorite comfort food, and understanding what makes each unique can help satisfy your next pizza craving.

Quick Overview of Dominos Pizza Hut

Dominos Pizza has grown into a massive food chain serving tasty pizza across the United States and internationally.

Since its beginning in 1960 with headquarters in Ann Arbor Township, Michigan, this restaurant brand now stretches to over 80 countries and 5700 cities around the globe.

By 2018, Dominos had become America's favorite pizza place, operating nearly 5700 stores - about one-third of all their locations worldwide.

Their menu features delicious pan pizzas with different crusts and toppings alongside popular Italian-American dishes including artisan pizzas, chicken wings, oven-baked sandwiches, and stuffed cheesy bread.

For more than 30 years, Dominos kept things simple by offering just two pizza sizes (12-inch and 16-inch) with Cola and only 11 topping choices before expanding their selection.

Insights About Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut, established in 1958, has grown to become the world’s largest pizza brand, operating approximately 18,700 stores across multiple countries.

It was a pioneer in adopting technology early on, becoming the first major pizza chain to offer online ordering back in 1994.

Pizza Hut’s extensive menu includes pan, stuffed crust, and hand-tossed pizzas, along with a variety of sides like breadsticks, pasta, chicken wings, and desserts, appealing to a wide range of tastes.

The brand offers flexible dining options, including dine-in, carry-out, delivery, and hybrid service models, allowing it to meet diverse customer preferences.

Known for its strong legacy of quality and continuous innovation, Pizza Hut remains a dominant and influential leader in the global pizza market.

Dominos vs Pizza Hut: Comparison Showdown

Choosing between Dominos and Pizza Hut can be tricky since both pizza giants bring something special to the table. Both chains have loyal fans for good reasons, making your personal preference the ultimate deciding factor.

So first, let's take a look at this table to see how are they different.

Feature	Domino’s	Pizza Hut
Crust	Fresh daily dough; crispy outside, soft inside; garlic-flavored; offers 5 crust types including hand-tossed, Brooklyn, handmade pan, gluten-free, and crunchy thin.	Buttery, billowy crust; variety includes pan, hand-tossed, thin crust, gluten-free, cheesy bites, stuffed crust, and hot dog bites crust.
Popularity & Market Share	Holds 42% of US pizza market (2021); popular with younger customers; ~18,848 stores worldwide (2022).	Holds 23% of US market (2021); appeals more to 35+ age group; ~18,703 stores worldwide (2020).
Special Offers	Frequent deals, especially Tuesdays; many online/app discounts, coupons, free pizzas, food drives.	Offers promotions but fewer and less attractive than Domino’s; known for stuffed crust.
Extra Dips & Sauces	Wide variety of hearty sauces and dips for extra flavor.	Limited sauce and dip options compared to Domino’s.
Price	Generally cheaper; frequent promotions; bulk ingredient sourcing lowers cost; higher prices for sides/drinks.	More expensive; extra charges for toppings and sauces; discounts on multiple pizza orders.
Toppings	Larger variety including Italian sausage, anchovies, Philly steak, jalapeños, pineapples; both meat and vegan options.	Slightly fewer options but praised for versatile topping combos, including vegan choices like mushrooms and banana peppers.
Pizza Sizes	Small (7-10”), medium (12”), large (14”), extra-large (16”).	Sizes generally larger; extra-large up to 18”.
Flavors & Quality	Fresh, high-quality ingredients; crispy crust with rich toppings and sauces; consistently good flavor.	Known for unique flavor combinations and rich sauces blending multiple toppings and sauces.
Signature Sauces	Marinara, garlic dipping, and ranch sauces.	More sauce options including honey BBQ chicken, buffalo, classic marinara, and creamy garlic parmesan.

Pizza Crust

Comparing pizza crusts is a key factor in deciding which brand comes out on top.

Domino’s crust is made fresh daily, offering a crispy outside and soft, chewy inside with a subtle garlic flavor.

They provide five crust options, including hand-tossed, Brooklyn style, handmade pan, gluten-free, and crunchy thin. Pizza Hut’s crust is buttery and fluffy, featuring a wider variety such as traditional pan, hand-tossed, thin crust, gluten-free, cheesy bites, stuffed crust, and even hot dog bites crust, appealing to different preferences.

Popularity

Domino’s dominates the U.S. pizza market with a 42% share as of 2021, favored particularly by younger customers, and operates nearly 18,850 stores worldwide.

Pizza Hut holds about 23% of the market, attracting an older demographic (35+ years), with around 18,700 stores globally, making both chains major players but with different audience strengths.

Special Offers

Domino’s stands out with frequent and appealing promotions, especially on Tuesdays, plus app-based deals, coupons, and community events like food drives. Pizza Hut also offers specials but generally fewer and less enticing than Domino’s.

However, Pizza Hut leads in crust variety upgrades like stuffed crust options.

Extra Dips And Sauces

Domino’s boasts a wide range of extra sauces and dips to enhance pizza flavor and customer choice. Pizza Hut’s selection of additional sauces and dips is more limited, focusing on a smaller variety compared to Domino’s extensive options.

Price

Domino’s generally offers lower prices thanks to bulk ingredient purchasing and regular promotions, although sides and drinks can be pricey. Pizza Hut tends to have higher base prices and charges extra for additional toppings and sauces, though discounts apply when ordering multiple pizzas.

Topping Options

Domino’s provides a broader topping selection, including meats like Italian sausage and Philly steak as well as vegan options like jalapeños and pineapples. Pizza Hut’s topping list is slightly shorter but is highly regarded for creative combinations and vegetarian choices such as mushrooms and banana peppers.

Pizza Sizes

Domino’s pizzas come in small (7-10 inches), medium (12 inches), large (14 inches), and extra-large (16 inches) sizes. Pizza Hut offers generally larger pizzas, with extra-large sizes reaching up to 18 inches, catering to bigger group orders.

Flavors

Both brands use fresh, quality ingredients to craft flavorful pizzas. Domino’s emphasizes a balanced crispy crust with tasty toppings and sauces for consistent satisfaction, while Pizza Hut is known for unique flavor blends created by combining different sauces and toppings for richer taste experiences.

Signature Sauces

Domino’s offers three main dipping sauces: marinara, garlic, and ranch, that complement their pizzas well. Pizza Hut provides a wider variety of distinctive sauces such as honey barbecue chicken, buffalo, classic marinara, and creamy garlic parmesan, adding extra flavor variety to their menu.

Here’s a list of popular menu items that are exclusive or signature to each chain.

Domino’s

Hand-Tossed Pizza: Known for its classic, chewy crust with garlic seasoning.
Brooklyn Style Pizza: Large, foldable slices with a thinner crust.
Specialty Chicken: Including Oven-Baked Chicken, Boneless Chicken, and Specialty Wings with various sauces.
Stuffed Cheesy Bread: Breadsticks stuffed with cheese and garlic butter, often served with dipping sauces.
Marbled Cookie Brownie: A dessert combining chocolate chip cookie and fudge brownie.
Cinna Stix: Cinnamon-coated breadsticks with icing for dipping.

Pizza Hut

Stuffed Crust Pizza: Pizza with cheese baked inside the crust, one of Pizza Hut’s signature offerings.
Cheesy Bites Pizza: Pizza with crust filled with cheese pockets.
Pan Pizza: The classic thick and buttery crust pizza that popularized Pizza Hut.
Breadsticks with Marinara: Soft breadsticks served with marinara sauce.
Triple Chocolate Brownie: Rich chocolate dessert exclusive to Pizza Hut.
Hot Dog Bites Crust: Crust stuffed with mini hot dogs, available at select locations.

Got Questions? We’ve Got Solutions

1. Which pizza chain offers better delivery times?

Dominos is known for its quick delivery, often promising under 30 minutes, while Pizza Hut typically takes longer but focuses more on quality over speed.

2. Do Dominos and Pizza Hut use the same cheese?

No, they don't. Dominos uses a blend of mozzarella and other cheeses, while Pizza Hut uses a specific part-skim mozzarella that creates their signature stretchy cheese pull.

3. Which chain has better crust options?

Pizza Hut offers more variety with their pan, stuffed crust, and thin options, while Dominos is known for their garlic-brushed hand-tossed and thin crusts.

4. Are there significant price differences between the two?

Dominos generally offers more budget-friendly options and better deals, while Pizza Hut tends to be slightly pricier but offers premium ingredients and specialty pizzas.