Does DiGiorno's really stack up to delivery? I ate similar pizzas from Domino's, Papa John's, and the DiGiorno's frozen pizza fridge at Fred Meyer to find out

Irene JiangApr 22, 2020, 01:51 IST

Pizza seems like one of the pandemic's most endemic foods.Irene Jiang/Business Insider

DiGiorno's pizza advertisements claim the frozen pizza is better than delivery.
It's a truth I've always wanted to chase down, but one I've never had the room in my stomach to — until now.
I pitted small supreme pizzas from Domino's, Papa John's, and DiGiorno's to see if DiGiorno's is really better than delivery.
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Every 90's kid knows what DiGiorno's is.

It's the frozen pizza brand that claims to be better than delivery pizza. It's not delivery, "it's DiGiorno."

I've always wondered just how much water that claim holds. But testing out that claim requires ordering a bunch of pizza and pitting it against DiGiorno's. Before the pandemic, I had no desire to do such a thing. Now, pizza seems like one of the pandemic's most endemic foods.

While the rest of the restaurant industry suffers plunging losses, pizza chains can't hire fast enough to keep up with skyrocketing sales. And according to a Nielsen report for the week ending on April 11, frozen pizza sales were up by 51.3% compared to last year, and up 84% for the four-week period ending on April 11.

No wonder I had so much trouble finding a DiGiorno's frozen pizza. But after a long and arduous quest for DiGiorno's original supreme rising crust pizza spanning a month of futile online grocery orders and trips to the store, I finally got my pie.

To round out the roundup, I also ordered a small "deluxe" pizza from Domino's and a small "the works" pizza from Papa John's (not all on the same day, I don't want to send myself to the ER during a pandemic). Here's how DiGiorno's really compares to delivery.

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DiGiorno's proves that concept. Even though you might never mistake a DiGiorno's pizza for a delivery pizza, you might choose it over a delivery pizza, especially if your wallet is your prime consideration.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

DiGiorno's proves that concept. Even though you might never mistake a DiGiorno's pizza for a delivery pizza, you might choose it over a delivery pizza, especially if your wallet is your prime consideration.

A professor of mine compared certain TV shows to pizza. A "pizza show" is a show that never gets amazing, but is usually pretty good. Even at its worst, it's still reasonably tasty.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

A professor of mine compared certain TV shows to pizza. A "pizza show" is a show that never gets amazing, but is usually pretty good. Even at its worst, it's still reasonably tasty.

But I couldn't deny that it was actually pretty satisfying. I knew it was a bad pizza, but I kept eating it. Why? Such is the nature of pizza.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The cheese is rubbery, and the toppings are more eye food than mouth food.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

And would I mistake this for delivery? No. It's much too soggy, thick, and un-pizza-like.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Why in the name of dough is the crust so darn thick? It's like someone looked at a pizza and said, "hmm, this would be better if it was mostly the bread part." That person shouldn't be allowed near pizza.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Why in the name of dough is the crust so darn thick? It's like someone looked at a pizza and said, "hmm, this would be better if it was mostly the bread part." That person shouldn't be allowed near pizza.

I carefully extracted my thick (read: THICC!!!) slice from the runny puddle quickly forming in the center of my plate.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Another inconvenience of the home-bake pizza: what if you don't have a pizza cutter? I used a meat knife.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The first thing I noticed, aside from the too-bright-to-be-real colors, was a mysterious puddle atop my pizza.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

After some very careful, nerve-wracking finagling with an oven mitt and a plate, I finally had my DiGiorno's.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Poof! 22-25 minutes later, the pizza had puffed into this fluffy disk.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

In went the pizza at 400 degrees. I'd burned my entire right hand a few days prior, so I resented having to put the pizza directly on the rack.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The puck was topped with frozen sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, green and red peppers, onions, and olives. The toppings looked almost too colorful to be food.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

I preheated the oven and removed the peculiar pizza puck from its packaging.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Those who know me well know just how much it meant to me to hold this box in my hands finally.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

After that, it took me nearly a month to find a DiGiorno's original rising crust supreme pizza. At $5, it was the cheapest of them all.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

But as far as taste goes, Papa John's definitely has Domino's beat.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Since the pricing varies by location, I can't judge Papa John's or Domino's based on affordability.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

It was a bit too salty with garlic sauce, but hey, it was tasty without it just the same

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Eating Domino's had felt like I was putting a proxy for food into my body. Eating Papa John's felt like I was eating real food.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The green peppers didn't have the same world-weary quality that Domino's green peppers had. They were fresh. Everything was fresh.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Right off the bat, the toppings on this pizza looked fresher than Domino's.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Papa John's pizza tends towards the sweet, both in crust and sauce. Its crust stands out for its lovely chewy, bready texture. It's no New York thin crust, but it's also not soggy or dense.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Papa John's pizza tends towards the sweet, both in crust and sauce. Its crust stands out for its lovely chewy, bready texture. It's no New York thin crust, but it's also not soggy or dense.

It also comes with a nifty lil' banana pepper.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

It's topped with original sauce, mozzarella cheese, onions, mushrooms, olives, green peppers, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Papa John's "the works" pizza cost $17.50, not including delivery fee and tip.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

A week later, in late March, after I'd chosen to weather the pandemic in Seattle, I ordered the same meal from the world' most pizza-loving papa, Papa John's.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Afterward, my body felt really gross. I felt slightly nauseous. Was it food I'd just put into my stomach, or something else entirely?

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Combine that with the garlic sauce and it's ... slightly better.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The best part of a Domino's pizza? The bit of garlic-dusted crust at its edge.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

But even the garlic sauce was disappointing.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

We tried dipping our pizza in the garlic sauce that was provided.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Shankhri noted that the crust had a cardboard-like aftertaste.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The crust was fluffy and the onion old, as expected. None of the toppings were particularly flavorful or interesting, except the nicely browned sausage.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

My co-taste-tester and roommate Shankhri attempted to fold her slice in half like a real New York slice. No dice. It was too thick.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

The crust was thick and soft and emitted a distinctly pungent garlic odor.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

From the get-go, the toppings didn't look the freshest. What I thought was a stray piece of lettuce turned out to be just a very old onion bit.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

It's topped with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Domino's small hand-tossed deluxe pizza cost $8 when I ordered it from a Brooklyn, New York, location, not including delivery and tip. I used a promotion — usually, it's more.

Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Domino's small hand-tossed deluxe pizza cost $8 when I ordered it from a Brooklyn, New York, location, not including delivery and tip. I used a promotion — usually, it's more.

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Does DiGiorno's really stack up to delivery? I ate similar pizzas from Domino's, Papa John's, and the DiGiorno's frozen pizza fridge at Fred Meyer to find out

DiGiorno's proves that concept. Even though you might never mistake a DiGiorno's pizza for a delivery pizza, you might choose it over a delivery pizza, especially if your wallet is your prime consideration.

A professor of mine compared certain TV shows to pizza. A "pizza show" is a show that never gets amazing, but is usually pretty good. Even at its worst, it's still reasonably tasty.

But I couldn't deny that it was actually pretty satisfying. I knew it was a bad pizza, but I kept eating it. Why? Such is the nature of pizza.

The cheese is rubbery, and the toppings are more eye food than mouth food.

And would I mistake this for delivery? No. It's much too soggy, thick, and un-pizza-like.

Why in the name of dough is the crust so darn thick? It's like someone looked at a pizza and said, "hmm, this would be better if it was mostly the bread part." That person shouldn't be allowed near pizza.

I carefully extracted my thick (read: THICC!!!) slice from the runny puddle quickly forming in the center of my plate.

Another inconvenience of the home-bake pizza: what if you don't have a pizza cutter? I used a meat knife.

The first thing I noticed, aside from the too-bright-to-be-real colors, was a mysterious puddle atop my pizza.

After some very careful, nerve-wracking finagling with an oven mitt and a plate, I finally had my DiGiorno's.

Poof! 22-25 minutes later, the pizza had puffed into this fluffy disk.

In went the pizza at 400 degrees. I'd burned my entire right hand a few days prior, so I resented having to put the pizza directly on the rack.

The puck was topped with frozen sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, green and red peppers, onions, and olives. The toppings looked almost too colorful to be food.

I preheated the oven and removed the peculiar pizza puck from its packaging.

Those who know me well know just how much it meant to me to hold this box in my hands finally.

After that, it took me nearly a month to find a DiGiorno's original rising crust supreme pizza. At $5, it was the cheapest of them all.

But as far as taste goes, Papa John's definitely has Domino's beat.

Since the pricing varies by location, I can't judge Papa John's or Domino's based on affordability.

It was a bit too salty with garlic sauce, but hey, it was tasty without it just the same

Eating Domino's had felt like I was putting a proxy for food into my body. Eating Papa John's felt like I was eating real food.

The green peppers didn't have the same world-weary quality that Domino's green peppers had. They were fresh. Everything was fresh.

Right off the bat, the toppings on this pizza looked fresher than Domino's.

Papa John's pizza tends towards the sweet, both in crust and sauce. Its crust stands out for its lovely chewy, bready texture. It's no New York thin crust, but it's also not soggy or dense.

It also comes with a nifty lil' banana pepper.

It's topped with original sauce, mozzarella cheese, onions, mushrooms, olives, green peppers, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon.

Papa John's "the works" pizza cost $17.50, not including delivery fee and tip.

A week later, in late March, after I'd chosen to weather the pandemic in Seattle, I ordered the same meal from the world' most pizza-loving papa, Papa John's.

Afterward, my body felt really gross. I felt slightly nauseous. Was it food I'd just put into my stomach, or something else entirely?

Combine that with the garlic sauce and it's ... slightly better.

The best part of a Domino's pizza? The bit of garlic-dusted crust at its edge.

But even the garlic sauce was disappointing.

We tried dipping our pizza in the garlic sauce that was provided.

Shankhri noted that the crust had a cardboard-like aftertaste.

The crust was fluffy and the onion old, as expected. None of the toppings were particularly flavorful or interesting, except the nicely browned sausage.

My co-taste-tester and roommate Shankhri attempted to fold her slice in half like a real New York slice. No dice. It was too thick.

The crust was thick and soft and emitted a distinctly pungent garlic odor.

From the get-go, the toppings didn't look the freshest. What I thought was a stray piece of lettuce turned out to be just a very old onion bit.

It's topped with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers.

Domino's small hand-tossed deluxe pizza cost $8 when I ordered it from a Brooklyn, New York, location, not including delivery and tip. I used a promotion — usually, it's more.