Pizza Hut vs Domino’s: Who Makes a Better Pizza? (9 Dimensions)

Are you a die-hard pizza fan? Do you constantly wonder which pizza shop is better, Pizza Hut vs. Domino’s? For brand-loyal fans, determining which is better is an easy endeavor.

Whichever is your preference, it is impossible not to have strong feelings on the topic. Chances are, you are fiercely loyal to one of these two pizza makers and wouldn’t be caught dead ordering from the other.

However, not everyone feels the same way. When you are with your friends and want to order Pizza Hut or Domino’s, it can spark a major feud. Objectively, not having a winner doesn’t help the conversation. For newbies to pizza ordering, learning more about the pros and cons of each is important.

This is where we come in, to help you make that determination.

To do so, I have derived nine categories including pizza, size, toppings, price, availability, extras, upgrades, special offers, and impact. These are the best way to compare two fast food franchises. Keep reading to learn more about each brand and which pizza place is better!

Pizza Hut vs. Domino’s: Which Pizza Place is Better?

To help answer this question and settle the long-standing debate, we have put together a comparison of Pizza Hut vs. Domino’s across nine categories to determine which is better.

1. Pizza

The first and most critical category in determining a winner is the actual pizza. Speaking in a purely objective manner, there are some undeniable aspects. After eating many pizzas from both places, downing a Domino’s pizza just makes you feel glorious. It’s like eating a jar of Nutella or throwing back a magnum of champagne.

In contrast, Pizza Hut has the fluffy, focaccia-like deep-pan base with a slightly sharper sauce than Domino’s. Unfortunately, for my personal preference, I don’t want a lot of dough in my pizza, I would rather taste the sauce, cheese, and toppings. From an overall flavor perspective and dough-to-toppings ratio, Domino’s gives you a better overall pizza.

Winner: Domino’s

 

2. Size

While Domino’s gives you a better taste, Pizza Hut gives you much larger portions for your money. Domino’s caps its pizzas at 13.5 inches while Pizza Hut offers 14 inches across several options such as the Thin Crust, Cheesy Bites, and Stuffed Crust.

For those who prefer size over substance, Pizza Hut is the clear winner. [Pizza Hut Pizza Sizes & Price: How Many Pizzas Do I Order?]

Winner: Pizza Hut

 

3. Toppings

Like most pizza franchises, Pizza Hut and Domino’s give you various topping options. Whether you want the traditional pepperoni, barbecue chicken, bacon, ground beef, or all veggies, both restaurants have you covered.

Although Domino’s tends to specialize in more outrageous options, the winner decision for this category is based on the combination of toppings. You could make a peanut butter and hot dog sandwich, both of which are delicious on their own but may not taste the best together.

Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC are all part of the Yum! Corporation so Pizza Hut has had collaborations with other franchises to create inventive pizzas over the years. For this reason, Pizza Hut has a better combination of toppings.

Winner: Pizza Hut

 

4. Price

Price is another critical factor in the Pizza Hut vs. Domino’s debate. Domino’s holds a well-earned reputation for generally being less expensive than many other pizza franchises. Let’s be clear, both options are fairly inexpensive when compared to a mom-and-pop pizza shop, but the discussion is between these two franchises.

Pizza Hut is typically more expensive across the United States, and adding toppings increases the cost further. Even when considering special pizzas, Dominos is generally cheaper. If you want a delicious and inexpensive pizza option, then Domino’s is the clear winner.

Winner: Domino’s

 

5. Extras

Extra dips like garlic or marinara sauce are some of my favorite additions when going to Domino’s or Pizza Hut. Unfortunately, Pizza Hut falls short in the extras category with limited dip options that don’t really compare in taste to Domino’s.

On the other hand, Domino’s offers a variety of delicious and hearty sauces that I order every time. Domino’s beat Pizza Hut in this category by a wide margin.

Winner: Domino’s

 

6. Upgrades

Although the flavor may be considered subpar, it is undeniable that Pizza Hut has excellent upgrade options. In addition to the Thin and Cheesy Bite options, Pizza Hut has a variety of crusts and deep pan pies. Moreover, Pizza Hut invented the delicious stuffed crust pizza which all other franchises attempt to copy.

In recent years, Domino’s has expanded its crust and sauce options to give you more of a selection but still falls short of Pizza Hut. Dominos has also added a stuffed crust option, but it is not nearly as good as Pizza Hut’s version, since it’s the original.

Winner: Pizza Hut

 

7. Special Offers

Growing up, Domino’s made Tuesdays the best day of the week because of their ongoing specials that made the rest of the fast-food industry envious. Their specials rotate, and they do not have the same promotions as when I was a child.

The good news is Domino’s always has some type of special or coupon, especially when ordering from the app. Depending on what you are in the mood for, these promotions make your dinner highly affordable with the likelihood of leftovers for several days.

As large brands, Domino’s and Pizza Hut continue to support their local community in certain places by offering food drives, free pizzas, and having a good corporate social responsibility. Again, this differs based on location but as large multinational brands, both companies continue to give back and attempt to connect more with their local customers through social programs.

While Pizza Hut also offers a few specials, they are not as extensive as Domino’s. Specials from both franchises vary based on town, city, state, and country with local and regional specials being offered. For instance, when Domino’s first launched the cheesesteak pizza, they used Philadelphia as their test market.

Winner: Domino’s

 

8. Availability

Pizza Hut offered a dine-in option that should help it take the crown in this category. As a child, I remember going to my local Pizza Hut with my family and friends for an evening of pizza and salad bar. While the salad bar option is now gone and dine-in is limited, it was a different experience that Domino’s never offered.

Pizza Hut currently owns and operates a little over 18,700 worldwide locations whereas Domino’s has 17,600 stores. While they are fairly close in numbers, the answer to this question relates to the number of stores in your local area.

In the United States, Pizza Hut and Domino’s shops are plentiful. However, in other countries, there could be more Pizza Hut or Domino’s depending on each company’s projected growth. Therefore, both are readily available but there is no way to make this determination as it is on a customer-by-customer basis.

Winner: Tie

 

9. Impact

In specific ways, both restaurants have participated in a major cultural shift across the globe. Pizza Hut’s dine-in restaurant option in a town where pizza was more of a takeout option, was a game-changer for me as a child. As an adult, I tend to order more from Domino’s because of the regional specialties and promotions.

Despite Pizza Hut’s dine-in and the experience that comes with it, Domino’s still offers better quality and tasting pizza with amazing promotions so I must lean more towards the latter in this category.

While Pizza Hut may be a much larger global brand, millions of diners prefer quality, taste, and promotions over the number of stores. For this reason, Domino’s is the more impactful brand in the United States.

Winner: Domino’s

 

Summary

While this was a difficult decision since I enjoy the pies slung by both franchise locations, Domino’s has my heart much more than Pizza Hut. During this analysis, I was expecting the contest to be significantly less close than it was.

While Pizza Hut does deliver larger pies and gives you better topping combinations, Domino’s offers a more delicious pizza at a better price point and value with better extras, promotions, and has been more impactful to me.

Both stores have a wide presence, but the decision for this category is based on where you live in the world.

As much as I enjoyed Pizza Hut as a child and continue to purchase their pies on occasion, there can only be one winner in this comparison of Pizza Hut vs. Domino’s so the best of the two is Domino’s!

What do you think about my decision and rating scale? Leave comments if you agree, disagree, or think I should add something to this article! To perform your own assessment, take the following steps:

• Order the same pie from Domino’s and Pizza Hut
• Enjoy every bite of each.
• Use the same rating scale I have used above.
• Come back to this article and give me your thoughts on each with a winner!

I can’t wait to hear your favorites!