The Gist: Domino’s revamped menu captured the attention and favorability of consumers; exemplifying that taste matters, no matter the price point.

While most popular pizza chain’s favorability has remained stagnant, Domino’s has experienced a boom of positive sentiment. Perhaps it’s the millions the brand invested in smarter delivery, exciting activations, or announcing AI for ordering. Or maybe the brand admitting its pizza wasn’t up to par and overhauling the menu helped.

Just how has Domino’s audience changed, and what does this mean for the future of the brand? We took a look at brand fans from 2015 and before, then 2016 to now–the inflection point where favorability crossed neutrality. Since that point, favorability has remained steady for the most part, denoting a new era for the pizza giant.

So what did Domino’s change? The recipe, for starters. Domino’s made it a mission to re-envision its menu. It seems to be paying off. Take a look at food trend followers from before the reversal in opinion, before 2016.

Before 2016

2016 and Beyond

Domino’s favorability jumped with people who say they follow trends in food and cooking. Whether they’re eating it, or simply the perception has changed, food followers see Domino’s in a favorable light.

What else has Domino’s strived to change? In addition to improving the culinary menu, the chain has moved aggressively into the technology space. From ordering via an app to investing in driverless delivery cars, the chain considers itself a technology company first at this point.

We took a look at how closely Domino’s fans followed tech trends before 2016.

Before 2016

2016 and Beyond

There’s a slight uptick in favorability amongst people who follow tech trends, but not as marked as foodie fans.

It’s clear that Domino’s strategy has paid off–overall, favorability of the brand has jumped dramatically over the past few years. The brand has spent a tremendous amount of capital on tech developments, but it looks as though the overhaul of Domino’s pizza has paid off more. We already knew that while people can order pizza in a myriad of ways, they still prefer the old-fashioned order by phone.

What’s most telling about this change in sentiment is the change in opinion around taste. It goes to show that, no matter the restaurant or price point; ingredients and flavors matter. Go figure, people like it when food tastes good.