31 tasty facts you never knew about Domino's
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Fun facts about the world's favorite pizza place
Do you know why there are three dots on the Domino's logo? Or that you can get a pizza delivered by boat, drone or straight to you on the bus? Read on to find out interesting facts you never knew about your favorite pizza joint.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
DomiNick’s to Domino’s
Brothers Tom and James Monaghan founded the first store in 1960 in the USA and called it DomiNick’s before Tom bought James’ share and changed the name to Domino’s.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Join the dots
The three dots on the logo represent the three stores Tom originally planned to open. Now there are about 11,000 stores in more than 73 countries.
A match made in pizza heaven
Founder Tom Monaghan met his wife Margie (both pictured) on his first pizza delivery 14 months after getting into the business. The delivery was to a dormitory at Central Michigan University. After their second date, Monaghan gave Margie a heart-shaped pizza on Valentine’s Day and the rest is history.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Delivery ‘buoy’
Domino’s is trialling the first pizza delivery by canoe along the River Loose in the UK. The pizza ‘buoy’ will deliver to residents in Loose in a full wetsuit and accompanying buoyancy aid to ensure their pizza arrives safe and dry.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Pizza lovers
A pizza-loving couple from the UK received a unique wedding gift from their favorite pizza company – a selfie portrait on two 13-inch pizza bases, with the couple’s faces created entirely from traditional pizza toppings. The portraits took almost three hours to create.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Pepperoni’s the word
There wasn’t a word for pepperoni in the Japanese language when the first store was opened in 1985. Now pepperoni is one of the most embraced toppings in Japan.
LUIS ROBAYO / Stringer / AFP
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Quito in Ecuador is the highest elevated city where pizzas are delivered. It is home to one million people located 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Training troubles
The buildings in Japan aren’t numbered sequentially but by the order they were built so training Domino’s drivers is interesting to say the least.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Pizza cocktail
Domino’s and London Cocktail Club joined forces in 2014 and turned the UK’s favourite pepperoni passion pizza into a cocktail. The cocktail was made from vodka infused with pepperoni sausage which was blended with Domino’s secret recipe tomato sauce and passionfruit puree to give the concoction a sweet twist. The cocktail was topped with a pepperoni, mozzarella and basil garnish.
Mike Coppola / Staff / Getty images Entertainment
Nameless streets
In the Virgin Islands there are no street names so Domino’s drivers have to use landmarks for directions.
WILLIAM WEST / Staff / AFP
Scooters not allowed
In the Netherlands delivery scooters aren’t allowed on the roads and instead drivers use designated bike routes which are often quicker to travel.
Frederick M. Brown / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment
The Simpsons
Domino’s sponsors TV show The Simpsons. The longest-running deal has been a huge success for both brands.
focal point / Shutterstock.com
Prosperous Philippines
Store locations in the Philippines are based on Feng Shui, the belief that businesses prosper with particular building design attributes and placement of equipment inside.
ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com
That’s a lot of pizza
In its first 16 days of opening, the first Jamaican Domino’s store sold 6,000 pizzas with the favorite topping being pineapple.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Delivered by drone
Pizza lovers can now have their favorite menu item delivered by drone after Domino’s partnered with drone delivery company Flirtey to launch the first commercial delivery service of its type in the world. The first pizza delivered by drone was in Auckland, New Zealand in August 2016.
Prayer break
Domino’s employees in Saudi Arabia work around four prayer breaks each day. Prayers last from 12 to 45 minutes. All businesses close during prayer time.
Kevork Djansezian / Staff / Getty Images News
Windy business
Franchisees in Aruba originally bought motorcycles for Domino’s delivery drivers but were forced to switch to small trucks due to strong winds.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
World record
The first store in Iceland opened in 1993 and set a world record by selling more than 5,000 pizzas in the first week. At least one of Iceland's 13 stores has been on Domino’s top 10 best-selling stores list in the last four years.
Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images News
Dominoids
The best Domino’s employees are known as Dominoids. The term dates back to 1986 when Tom Monaghan described the pizza making process as a game and that those who had a knack for it (Dominoids) had pizza sauce in their veins.
Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images News
Female franchisees
The first female franchisee outside of the USA was Suyapa Amaya who opened a store in San Pedro Sula, Honduras in 1987.
WILLIAM WEST / AFP / Getty Images
Pizza trade
In 2005 Domino’s became the first pizza company to list on the Australian Stock Exchange. At the time there were 375 stores in the country and they sold more than 700,000 pizzas a week to over 5% of Australian households.
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / AFP / Getty Images
Child’s play
In Tokyo Domino’s delivery staff drive a one-seater electric car named 'Qi' produced by Japanese toy maker Takara. The compact electric Qi enables a user to drive 37 miles (60km) on 45 minutes' charge with a maximum speed of 35mph (50kph).
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
Nutritional value
Several pizza chains including Domino’s in California fought against a proposal to display nutritional information of products on in-store menu boards. The proposed menu labeling plan would require franchisees to update and pay for in-store menu boards. The argument against the proposal was that the majority of customers order over the phone or online.
Sunday Alamba AP/Press Association Images
Worldwide domination
Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and the largest worldwide with more than 260,000 employees globally.
RAUL ARBOLEDA / Stringer / AFP
Closed for business
In February 2015 cockroaches and rodent droppings were found in the kitchens of some Domino's store in Peru, which caused the company to shut there for more than a year.
ERIC PIERMONT / Staff / AFP
What drink would you like?
Domino’s is the only ‘big four’ pizza chain that serves Coca-Cola products. Rivals Papa John's Pizza and Little Caesars sold Coca-Cola in the past, but both switched to Pepsi. Pizza Hut used to be owned by PepsiCo and has a lifetime contract to sell Pepsi products. Domino's in Mexico, Malaysia, Pakistan, Spain, New Zealand and Taiwan are the exception and sell Pepsi.
Rogelio V. Solis AP/Press Association Images
MyCar, your pizza
Electric delivery cars are used in America with former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, pictured left, and GreenTech Automotive chairman Terry McAuliffe unveiling the new electric MyCar in 2012. The electric car manufacturing company worked out a deal with Domino's franchises for a number of vehicles.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN / Staff / AFP
30 minute guarantee
In 1973 the company introduced its famous delivery guarantee that customers would get their pizza within half an hour of ordering or they’d receive it for free. The guarantee was reduced to $3 off in the mid-1980s. The company continues to offer the 30-minute guarantee for orders placed in its stores in Colombia, India, Vietnam, Mexico and Turkey.
Jonathan Brady PA Archive/PA Images
Fast food fail
The traditional delivery-based system failed in China because of poor traffic conditions. Overall the typical Domino’s business model isn’t popular in China because the large pizza sizes prevent people from using knives and forks to eat them, which they generally would have done. Takeout services are also unpopular with Chinese people for cultural reasons and therefore small eat-in style restaurants were introduced in 2014.
Domino's Pizza Group Limited
Curb your hunger
In June 2016, Domino’s in the UK started delivering to bus stops on the Catch 22 route from Mereside to Cleveley in Blackpool. The campaign launched off the back of a delivery to a hungry passenger on board a train.
Robots deliver
Pizza delivery now replicates something we'd see in the Jetsons with the invention of the world's first autonomous pizza delivering robot. In March 2016 Domino's Australia unveiled the DRU (Domino's Robotic Unit), a commercial autonomous delivery vehicle built in partnership with Australian technology company Marathon Robotics. The DRU is essentially a $23,000 (£18,550) military-grade robot capable of reaching about 12 miles per hour that's been refitted for pizza delivery.