Domino’s Pizza – Portage
1788 W. Millham RoadLike most people, I was really intrigued by Domino’s launch of a new pizza. Not a minor tweaking to their old recipe, but a completely new pizza. J and I have talked about ordering since I posted the press release a few weeks ago. Neither one of us are really fans of the typical delivery pizza, but we bought in to the hype.
J got home from work today not long after I woke up. I was still a little groggy while I was downing my morning Pepsi…well, actually Mt. Dew because it’s what I had in the fridge. She mentioned something about being hungry and I totally agreed with her. I was starving.
I decided to get on Domino’s website which eventually talked me in to ordering a pizza. Now, I’ve never been a fan on online ordering because most places want you to register, maybe a keep a credit card on file, and bombard you with spam e-mail. Domino’s site was much easier. Yes, I had to put in an e-mail address and a credit card (paying with cash was an option, but I chose the credit card instead), but I didn’t have to register or verify the information. Hell, I used J’s credit card (didn’t want to take my Discover for some reason) even though the order was in my name and was never questioned. The cool thing about the website was they had a real-time update that popped up after I completed the order. It told me that Andrew was making my pizza and told me when it went in the oven. I decided to do carry-out instead of delivery. Yes, I braved the West Michigan roads instead of letting someone else. Why, you ask? Domino’s is right next to Circle K.
We left the house almost immediately right after ordering. The Portage Domino’s is on Millham Drive near Roanoke Street. It shares a building with the aforementioned Circle K and a Farm Bureau Insurance. The inside is about 95% kitchen. There’s a small lobby area as you walk in with the cash register and….well, that’s about it. There was a delivery driver loading up his car when we got there and another guy working behind the counter. We told them we were picking up an order. The guy in the kitchen grabbed our pizzas, threw in a couple packets of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes and sent us on our way. The bill was a little over $13 for two medium two topping pizzas which we had already paid for with our credit card.
I threw the pizzas in the back of J’s car and we were tortured the whole way home with the smell. Both of us were starving and smelling the pizza didn’t help matters.
When we got home, J dove in right away. I guess I was kind of a bad husband because I just ordered a medium cheese for her which is usually what she gets. I didn’t ask. I just put the order in. Not that the cheese pizza was bad. She just may have ordered something different. Maybe something with bacon.
I, on the other hand, took full advantage of the two topping since I was paying for it either way. I got pepperoni and bacon. It was so good, J ended up eating a couple pieces of that pizza even though she’s not a pepperoni fan. She really liked the bacon. It was really crispy little chunks spread through the pizza.
Now, the new pizzas. It’s been a while since I’ve actually eaten a pizza from Domino’s. When J and I moved to Lansing, we ordered from them just because we were frustrated and didn’t know where anything was at. We went out in search of chicken to feed our families that helped us move from Peoria, but couldn’t find Popeyes. We drove around and eventually passed a Domino’s. We were both frustrated at that point and ended up calling in a pizza order just so we could get back home. We sort of left our parents and my brother in a weird situation. It was the first time they had met.
The point of that story is that I can’t really compare apples to apples here because it’s been a couple years since I’ve actually had Domino’s. What I can tell you is the pizza I had today was much better than I remember and it’s better than the typical chain pizza. The crust is still a little too soft for me. I prefer more resistance when I bite into pizza, but it did have a good flavor. The edges of the crust, you know, the part you hold on to, had Parmesan cheese baked into the crust. I hate to say it like this, but it sort of reminded me of Pizza Hut’s bread sticks which I absolutely love. The sauce had more of a kick to it before we even added red pepper flakes to the equation.
I would say Domino’s successfully improved their pizza, image, and the overall impression that all delivery chains are the same. I’m not saying this is the best pizza I’ve ever had. It’s not better than Bilbo’s or Erbelli’s, but when you put it up against its national competitors, I would say Domino’s probably now has the most unique product.
Two of Domino's new Medium Pizza's
A Medium Cheese Pizza
A Medium Pepperoni & Bacon Pizza
SW Michigan Dining 