Turnaround · United States · 2008–2021
Domino's: ‘Our pizza tasted like cardboard’
Domino's publicly admitted its pizza tasted bad, rebuilt the recipe, and invested in ordering technology — turning a share price of a few dollars into one of the best-performing stocks of the decade.
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
by the numbers
- Share price low (2008)
- a few dollars
- US same-store sales lift (early 2010)
- about 14%
- Share price (2021)
- over $400
What happened
By 2008–2009 Domino's ranked at or near the bottom in consumer taste surveys, and in 2009 a prank video of employees mishandling food went viral. Its share price had fallen to just a few dollars.
Under incoming CEO Patrick Doyle, Domino's launched the ‘Pizza Turnaround’ campaign in December 2009. Adverts showed focus groups calling the crust ‘cardboard’ and the sauce ‘ketchup’, and chefs rebuilding the recipe from scratch. Same-store sales in the US jumped about 14% in early 2010.
Domino's then invested heavily in technology — the Pizza Tracker, online and app ordering, and ordering through many devices — and began describing itself as a tech company that sells pizza. Digital orders became the majority. Its share price rose from a few dollars in 2008 to more than $400 by 2021.
Timeline
- 2008
Pizza Tracker launched.
- 2009
Viral prank video; ‘Pizza Turnaround’ campaign.
- 2010
New recipe drives sales surge.
- 2014
Ordering expands across apps and devices.
what made it work
- Radical honesty about the product's flaws.
- Actually fixed the product before advertising.
- Invested early in digital ordering.
the lesson
Admitting a flaw publicly — and visibly fixing it — can rebuild trust faster than any denial.
Apply it to your business
- 1Ask customers for brutally honest feedback.
- 2Fix the product before spending on promotion.
- 3Make ordering from you as easy as possible.
Laws at work in this story
Figures are rounded and drawn from public reports, company filings and widely cited coverage at the time. Check the company's latest filings before relying on any number.