Domino's Pizza
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225364368
2008-07-13T08:37:52Z
Oxymoron83
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Handihandi|Handihandi]] ([[User talk:Handihandi|talk]]) to last version by Alx 91
{{for|Domino's Pizza in Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Principality of Monaco|Domino's Pizza Enterprises}}{{for|Domino's Pizza in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland|Domino's Pizza UK & IRL}}
{{Infobox_Company
| company_name = Domino's Pizza, LLC
| company_logo = [[Image:Dominos pizza logo.svg|200px|]]
| company_type = Public ({{nyse|DPZ}}) ({{BMV|ALSEA}})
| company_slogan = "You Got 30 Minutes"
| foundation = 1960 ([[Ypsilanti, Michigan]])
| location = [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
| key_people = [[Tom Monaghan]], Founder<br />[[David Brandon]], Chairman & CEO
| industry = Restaurants
| products = Pizza
| revenue = {{profit}} $1.437 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] (2006)
| num_employees = 145,000
| homepage = [http://www.dominos.com www.dominos.com]
|}}
'''Domino's Pizza, Inc.''' ({{nyse|DPZ}}) is an international [[fast food]] [[pizza delivery]] corporation headquartered just outside [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]], [[United States]]. It was founded by [[Tom Monaghan]]. As of 2006, it had 8,000 corporate and [[Franchising|franchised]] stores in more than 54 countries<ref>[http://info.dominos.com/dominos_pizza/contact.nsf/frmIntlLocator Find a Domino's - International<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. It was the second-largest pizza chain in the United States when it went public in 2004 for just under $15 a share<ref name="DominoSharePrices">{{cite web | url=http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=DPZ&a=6&b=13&c=2004&d=3&e=8&f=2008&g=d&z=66&y=924 | author=Yahoo! Finance | title=Historical Prices: Domino's Pizza | accessdate=2008-04-07}}</ref>.
==History==
Domino’s Pizza began in 1960 when [[Tom Monaghan]] and his brother James bought "Dominick's Pizza", a small pizzeria in [[Ypsilanti, Michigan]]. The deal was secured by a $75 down payment and the brothers borrowed $500 to pay for the store. Eight months later, James quit the partnership and traded his half of the business to Tom for a used [[Volkswagen Beetle]]. With Tom as the sole owner of the company, Dominick's Pizza became Domino's Pizza. In 1968, a fire destroyed the company headquarters and commissary. Although Domino's faced numerous other obstacles in the following years, including a 1975 trademark-infringement lawsuit by [[Domino Foods, Inc.|Amstar]], maker of Domino sugar,<ref>Amstar Corp. v. Domino's Pizza, Inc., 615 F.2d 252, 260 (5th Cir. 1980)</ref> the company expanded, and in
1978, the 200th Domino’s franchise opened.
[[Image:Domino's pizza world map.PNG|thumb|World locations]]At the prospect of potentially losing the right to use the Domino's Pizza brand name, Tom Monaghan hired Group 243 to create an alternative identity. Later they became agency of record for the company and remained so for over a decade. During that time, the agency, led by president Janet Muhleman and her partner Robert Cotman designed the store interiors, the pizza box, the Indy race car, created and produced all of the advertising, and managed recruitment for the franchise. When Group 243 was hired, Domino's had fewer than 100 units. They marketed the brand until it reached over 5,000. In the 1980s, Domino’s decentralized its operations by opening the first international Domino’s in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]. In the following years the company expanded even more, and [[As of 2006|as of September 2006]], it has 8,238 stores which totaled [[United States dollar|US$]]1.4 billion in gross income.<ref>[http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/13/135383/reports/2006Earnings%20ReleaseFinal.pdf]. Domino’s Pizza news release, [[July 20]] [[2006]].</ref> Monaghan retired in 1998 and sold Domino's Pizza for nearly 1 billion dollars,<ref>[http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16250502.htm McClatchy Washington Bureau | Homepage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> but retained a 27 percent non-controlling stake in the company.
Over 8,000 stores worldwide now operate under the Domino’s brand, with the opening of a store in [[Huntley, Illinois]] as the 8,000th store. All international stores are franchised. The Domino’s Pizza store in [[Tallaght]], [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]], became the first in Domino's history to hit a turnover of $3 million (€2.35 million) a year<ref>"Raking in the Dough" [http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/food-drink/raking-in-the-dough-81536.html] Independent.ie [[August 4]], [[2006]] <!--accessed June 27, 2008--></ref>. Although the franchise is solely delivery, There is only one dine in Domino's in the United States with a full buffet and it resides in Clovis, NM.
==Products==
[[Image:DominosUK.JPG|thumb|left|200px|The exterior of a Domino's Pizza store in [[North London]], [[England]].]]
Until the late 1980s, Domino's kept its menu very simple. Most stores sold only one type of crust (Classic Hand Tossed, also referred to as regular crust) in two sizes (large and small) and only one choice of beverage ([[Coca-Cola]] Classic). Later, competition from other delivery chains forced Domino’s to add Ultimate Deep Dish and Crunchy Thin Crust, get rid of the small size (although the small size is now returning nationwide<ref>http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=135383&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1122971&highlight=</ref>), and add medium and extra-large sizes (available at most locations), a choice of several beverages, and side orders such as bread sticks and chicken wings (Domino's was the first national pizza chain to sell chicken wings).
The "555" promotional special was started in the early 2000s to compete with [[Little Caesars]] Pizza and other similarly-marketed pizza chains. When a customer ordered the 555 Pizza Deal, they were able to obtain three medium pizzas for the price of $5 apiece, hence the name 555. In the late 1990s, Domino's saw its take-out and delivery orders shrink with the introduction of Little Caesars' Hot-N-Ready Pizza special. To combat falling sales, the company's then-Vice President, Ken Calwell, introduced the 555 Deal coupled with vigorous advertising and marketing techniques.
The Oreo Dessert Pizza was first introduced in [[Ann Arbor, MI]] and was only available for a limited time. The crust which was layered with vanilla ''sauce'' was then covered with [[Oreo]] cookie crumbles, and finished with [[icing]] on top.<ref>[http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article.php?id=8552 Domino's intros Oreo dessert pizza | Domino’s Pizza | Pizza Martkeplace<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The farcical, almost ridiculous, nature of the television commercials for the product often led the product to be lampooned by satirists such as [[Stephen Colbert]] and [[Jon Stewart]] on their respective television shows.
Domino’s has also introduced numerous innovations in the pizza industry including the now standard use of corrugated cardboard delivery boxes, the modern belt-driven pizza oven, modern and centralized ingredient logistics, and the Heat Wave, a portable electrical bag system that uses patented magnetic induction technology to keep the pizza hot during delivery.
==Franchisees==
The rights to own, operate and franchise branches of the chain in [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[France]], [[Belgium]], the [[Netherlands]] and the Principality of [[Monaco]] are currently owned by [[Domino's Pizza Enterprises]], having been sold off by the parent company between 1993 and 2007. The master franchises for the [[United Kingdom|UK]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] were purchased by Domino's Pizza Group (now publicly traded as [[Domino's Pizza UK & IRL]]) in 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/02/23/cndomino123.xml|title=Colin Halpern sells £4m slice of Domino's Pizza|last=Litterick|first=David|date=[[23 February]], [[2008]]|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=2008-06-22}}</ref>
==Controversies==
===Political issues===
[[Tom Monaghan]] is one of the founders of Domino's, and while he is no longer involved with the running of the corporation, the company has come under fire because of Monaghan's financial support of [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[pro-life]] religious and political organizations, such as [[Operation Rescue]] and the [[Thomas More Law Center]]. This prevalence to [[fundamentalist Christian]] political causes was referenced in the movie ''[[Reality Bites]]'' where a character references Domino's connection to Operation Rescue, a [[fundamentalist Christian]] political activist group.
===30 Minute guarantee===
Starting in 1973, Domino's Pizza had a guarantee that a customer would receive their pizza within 30 minutes of ordering, or they would receive the pizza free. The guarantee was reduced to $3 off in the mid 1980s due to concerns over drivers breaking traffic laws and putting themselves and others at risk trying to fulfill the guarantee.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} To further reduce accidents and unsafe driving, Domino's didn't hold their drivers accountable for any lates.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} In 1992, the company settled a lawsuit brought by the family of an Indiana woman who had been killed by a Domino's delivery driver, paying the family [[US$]]2.8 million. In 1993, Domino's settled another lawsuit, this one brought by a woman who was injured when a Domino's delivery driver ran a red light and rear-ended her. The woman was awarded nearly [[US$]] 80 million in damages. The guarantee was dropped that same year because of, according to company owner Thomas Monaghan, the "public perception of reckless driving and irresponsibility."<ref name=Snopes>"End of Domino's Pizza Delivery Guarantee". The [[Urban Legends Reference Library]]. Accessed [[May 30]] [[2008]]</ref>
In 2008, the company again advertised a 30 minute delivery time in the U.S.; the fine print in the material stated the time as merely an "estimate". However, in India and Mexico, Domino's still guarantees delivery within 30 minutes, or the order is free.
==Advertising==
In the 1980s, Domino's Pizza was well known for its advertisements featuring [[Noid|The Noid]]. That concept was created by Group 243 Inc. who then hired Will Vinton Studios to produce the television commercials that they created. Customers were implored to order from Domino's in order to "avoid the Noid."
In 1989, a man, Kenneth Lamar Noid, who thought the ads were a personal attack on him, held two employees of an [[Atlanta, Georgia]], Domino's restaurant hostage for over five hours. After forcing them to make him a pizza, Noid surrendered to police. Noid was charged with [[kidnapping]], [[aggravated assault]], [[extortion]], and possession of a [[firearm]] during a crime, but he was found [[insanity defense|not guilty by reason of insanity]]. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,151193,00.html Business Notes ADVERTISING CHARACTERS], [[Time (magazine)]], [[2001-06-24]]</ref> Contrary to popular belief, this incident did not cause Domino’s to pull the "Noid" campaign off the air; in reality, Noid creator and owner [[Will Vinton|Will Vinton Studios]] asked for a larger amount of money for continued use of the Noid character, and Domino’s chose not to renew its contract.
In 2000, Domino’s introduced another advertising mascot for its North American customers, [[wikia:muppet:Bad Andy|Bad Andy]]. His objective was to get Domino’s employees to break the rules set down by the company (his most famous was trying to get a worker to use a rolling pin to shape the crust, even resorting to stalking to get him to try it). The slogan that accompanied Andy was "Bad Andy. Good Pizza." It was not well received, and lasted only a little over a year.
===Sponsorship and tie-ins===
*Domino's fleet of semi-trucks provide rolling billboard advertisements.
* Domino's sponsored the halftime reports for [[The NFL on NBC Pregame Show|NFL Live!/NFL on NBC]] during the 1990s until [[NBC]] lost [[American Football Conference]] television coverage to [[CBS]].
* In a product tie-in with the 1990 movie ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', the pizza-loving reptiles ordered from Domino's, even commenting that the "pizza dude has 30 seconds" to complete the delivery, in reference to Domino’s "30 minutes or it's free" policy. In the movie however, the Turtles just get the pizza $3 off for "being two minutes late, dude!" ''(At one point, Domino's did in fact offer a $3 discount for a late delivery.)''
* As a product sponsorship tie-in, Domino's Pizza is also the Official Pizza of [[NASCAR]]. It sponsored the 00 Toyota driven by [[David Reutimann]] for [[Michael Waltrip Racing]] in the [[Sprint Cup]].
* A related product tie-in with NASCAR and Domino’s pizza was in the 2006 racing parody ''[[Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby]]''. In one scene, Ricky Bobby ([[Will Ferrell]]) recites grace over the dinner table with the following prayer: "This wonderful harvest of Domino’s, [[KFC]], and the always-delicious [[Taco Bell]]."
===Product placement===
Domino's routinely uses the cross-promotional tactic [[product placement]] as one of its main advertising programs. examples include:
* In the Japanese Pop star [[Kawabe Chieco]]'s music video, '''Candy Baby'', she can be seen eating from a stack of Domino’s pizza boxes, at one point dropping them on the floor.
* In the movie ''[[The Corruptor]]'', officer Nick Chen rings up a public phone expecting a gang informant to answer. The plan backfires when another suspicious gang member picks up the ringing phone instead. Realizing that the informant did not answer, Chen disguises the call as a wrong number - "err.. is this Domino Pizza?"
* In the movie ''[[Phir Hera Pheri]]'', Baburao Apte was holding a Domino's Pizza box. The character was played by [[Paresh Rawal]] who incidentally also appeared in a Domino's Pizza commercial.
* In a ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode, [[Mario]] is seen eating a Domino's Pizza. Also the whole Mario Bros. Plumbing is covered with Domino's Pizza boxes.
* In the TV series ''[[Baywatch]]'', there are many episodes featuring characters eating Domino's Pizza.
===''The Simpsons''===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2008}}
In the UK, Domino's Pizza has been the sponsor of episodes of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' on [[Sky One]] since 1998 and has also sponsored episodes on [[Channel 4]] (previously sponsored by [[Pizza Hut]]). In 2006, Domino's launched products based on the show such as the "Homer's Hot Stuff" pizza, along with TV advertising featuring the characters. Domino's has also sponsored ''The Simpsons'' on FOX TV (previously sponsored by [[Pizza Hut]]). Regardless of the financial support of the company, it has seen itself the "victim" of the show's lampooning in several episodes, including :
*In "[[I, D'oh-Bot]]", [[Chief Wiggum]], fearing what he thinks is a motorcycle gang, disguises his cop car as a pizza delivery car. When his passenger Lou then worries that the gang might like pizza and come over to the car to steal some, Chief Wiggum puts a "Dominoes" sign on the side of the car. This joke implies that Domino's pizza is so unappetizing that the gang will not steal anything even if they like pizza. On [[Sky One]] in the UK the part where the "Dominoes" sign is shown being placed on the car is cut.
* In "[[Marge's Son Poisoning]]", after Marge thinks Bart is trying to get her to serve pizza for breakfast, Homer calls Domino's Pizza only to find out that the location is not open.
* Domino's former mascot, the Noid, has made several appearances on the program. The most common being Marge telling Lisa to "Avoid the noid, he ruins pizzas"
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==See also==
*''[[Domino's Pizza, Inc. v. McDonald]]'', 546 U.S. ___ (2006), a [[U.S. Supreme Court]] decision involving claims against Domino’s of racial discrimination under [[Civil Rights Act of 1866|42 U.S.C. § 1981]]
* [[Pizza Hut]]
* [[Papa John's]]
* [[Little Caesars]]
* [[List of restaurant chains]]
* [[Avoid the Noid]], advertising video game
== External links ==
*[http://www.dominos.com Official website]
*[http://tracker.dominos.com Domino's Pizza Tracker]
*[http://www.dominosbiz.com Corporate website]
{{Pizza chains}}
[[Category:Domino's Pizza| ]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1960]]
[[Category:Companies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
[[Category:Restaurants in Michigan]]
[[Category:Fast-food chains of the United States]]
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Pizza chains of the United States]]
[[Category:Pizza chains of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Fast-food franchises]]
[[Category:Pizzerias]]
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