22 things you didn’t know about Domino’s

Domino’s restaurants can be found in nearly every state and 90 international markets, but it all started with a single store more than 60 years ago. In 1960, brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan became first-time pizza joint owners when they bought one location of a local DomiNick’s pizza chain. After Jim sold his share of the company to his brother and the business expanded to three stores a few years later, DomiNick’s forbade them from using the original name, and the new chain became “Domino’s,” thanks to a suggestion from a delivery driver.

When Jim sold his share in the company to his brother Tom in 1961, it wasn’t a cash transaction. Instead, Tom gave his brother his used Volkswagen Beetle in exchange for full ownership of Domino’s. In 1998, when Tom retired and sold 93% of his stock to Bain Capital, he netted $1 billion (minus the cost of a VW Beetle, of course).

The first DomiNick’s purchased by the brothers was located in the town of Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Pronounced “IP-sil-AN-tee.”) Home to Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti is such a challenging name that it’s often shortened to just “Ypsi.”

When Tom Monaghan rebranded the company as Domino’s, he created a logo featuring a domino with three dots. These dots represented the first three stores, and Monaghan intended to add a dot to the logo each time a new store opened — but he soon realized this would be impractical as the company quickly expanded. It's a good thing he didn’t commit to this idea, as by 1978, they already had 200 stores, and today, there are more than 20,000 around the world!

Some people think that Domino (the sugar brand) and Domino’s have names that are too similar, and those people include the lawyers for Domino Sugar back in the ‘70s. In 1975, Amstar Corp. (then the parent company of Domino) sued the pizza brand, asserting trademark infringement and unfair competition. Amstar won, but the ruling was challenged and eventually overturned in an appeals court, handing Domino’s the victory.

After 26 years, radio and TV executive John Fetzer decided to sell the Detroit Tigers. The new owner? Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan, who bought the team for $53 million in 1983. Instantly rewarding their new owner, the Tigers won the World Series the very next year. However, on the eve of their win, the hometown celebrations outside the stadium turned into riots, and numerous fans and sportswriters became trapped inside. In response, the team owner had hundreds of pizzas flown into the stadium via helicopter — a helicopter Monaghan also owned.

Shortly after opening Domino’s, Monaghan met a young woman named Marjorie Zybach on one of his deliveries to a college campus. They went out on a date, got married in 1962, had four kids, and are still together more than 60 years later!

We can’t say for certainty that Domino’s was the first pizzeria to ever guarantee delivery in 30 minutes or less, but they definitely popularized the concept. In an attempt to gain ground on Pizza Hut, which didn’t even offer delivery at the time, Domino’s debuted the 30-minute guarantee in 1979. If they failed to deliver on their promise — pun definitely intended — the customer would get $3 off their order. Domino’s retired the guarantee in 1993. 

When Domino’s first opened in Japan in 1985, they discovered the country’s language had no word for “pepperoni.” So they invented one. The Japanese customers embraced this new topping, but unlike in the U.S., pepperoni is not the most popular option. That title belongs to items not served at Domino’s locations in the States, like squid, shrimp, and eel.

In addition to Domino’s pizza, you’re probably familiar with their menu items like cheesy bread, pasta, chicken wings, and desserts. However, this wasn’t always the case. Domino’s didn’t start offering another menu item until 1992 — 32 years after the company was founded. And the first non-pizza offering wasn’t especially exciting: breadsticks.

Domino’s had planned to launch a pizza giveaway promotion in late 2008 but scrapped the idea before it came to fruition. However, the company never deactivated the code that granted users one free medium pizza, and somehow, it was leaked to the public. Domino’s discovered the error and shut the code down after one day, but not before 11,000 free pizzas were ordered. Following the fiasco, the company’s corporate office promised to reimburse franchise owners for the error.

If you think Domino’s pizza today tastes much better than it did when you were younger, it’s not just your imagination. At the end of 2009, the company scrapped the old pizza recipe that it had been using for 49 years and “reinvented it from the crust up,” in the words of Dave Brandon, Domino’s CEO at the time. This involved adding a hint of sweetness to the sauce courtesy of red pepper, changing the cheese blend (swapping chopped cheese for shredded cheese), and coating the crust in their now-signature garlic and herb seasoning. 

In 2015, Domino’s — still seeking to improve its standings among pizza chains — unveiled the DXP, a customized Chevy Spark that is part delivery vehicle, part marketing tool, and part pizza warmer. So it’s basically a car with an oven in it…but according to Domino’s, the interior is also capable of holding 80 pizzas! The company has continued to explore this new delivery concept. Currently, there are more than 155 Domino’s DXP vehicles across the U.S. (They also have a fleet of 800 electric delivery vehicles!)

The next Domino’s delivery innovation came in 2016 when locations in the U.K. trialed delivery by canoe. Manned by wetsuit-wearing delivery personnel carrying food in floatable boxes, the vessels traversed the Loose Stream in Kent, England, dropping off pizzas to hungry customers while contributing a portion of each sale to the Loose Conservation Trust. The promotion lasted for about two weeks.

If it’s not already obvious that Domino’s puts a lot of thought and care into its delivery service, check this out: In 2018, they launched the Paving for Pizza grants, which offered one grant in every state in the U.S. “to help smooth the ride home for freshly made pizzas.” Each state reportedly received about $5,000, and some of the repaired potholes were emblazoned with the Domino’s logo and the words, “OH YES WE DID.”

Domino’s tried abandoning roads altogether in 2016 when they tested the first drone deliveries in Auckland, New Zealand. Unlike the canoes, this effort wasn’t a gimmick. Domino’s has since expanded its drone delivery to other parts of New Zealand to complement the country’s existing delivery methods of car, scooter, and e-bike. And in 2023, the company had another aerial first: They delivered the first pizza by jetpack at the Glastonbury music festival in England.

The latest delivery development? You no longer need an address for Domino’s to deliver to you. The company announced in 2023 that their new “Pinpoint Delivery” initiative would allow drivers to drop pizzas anywhere you can drop a pin in Google Maps…as long as it’s within a store’s delivery zone. There’s a safe place for the driver to pull over.

With some help from the London Cocktail Club, Domino’s created a signature drink in 2016, served at the club for a limited time. Made with a base of pepperoni- and sausage-infused vodka, the Bloody Mary-esque cocktail included Domino's special recipe tomato sauce, some passion fruit puree, plus pepperoni, mozzarella, and basil as a garnish.

Believe it or not, Domino’s actually opened stores in the pizza mecca of Italy back in 2015. But in a surprise to no one, Domino’s Italian franchiser EPizza SpA filed for bankruptcy after seven struggle-filled years. Some of those struggles could justifiably be blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, but whatever the reason, the pizza chain has since closed all 29 of its Italian locations.

There are over 20,000 Domino’s locations in 90 countries, with about one-third in the United States. The next in line? India, which surprisingly boasts about 1,000 Domino’s restaurants. As with other countries around the world, some of the pizza toppings in India are strikingly different from those in the U.S. You can get crisp capsicum, paneer, golden corn, pasta, several types of Indian-style chicken, and numerous sauces like harissa, makhani, and mint mayo.

Did you ever notice that Domino’s is the only one of the four largest pizza chains that serves Coca-Cola products? Pizza Hut and its parent company, Yum! Brands (which also owns KFC and Taco Bell) have a lifetime contract with Pepsi. Papa Johns and Little Caesars used to sell Coke, Sprite, and other Coca-Cola beverages but have since switched to Pepsi products. (Note: This distinction is limited to the U.S. Some Domino’s locations outside of America may sell Pepsi.)

While many other fast food and restaurant chains donate to external causes through their foundations, Domino’s keeps it in the family. According to its website, the “Domino’s Partners Foundation was formed in 1986 as an independent nonprofit organization with the primary objective of providing financial assistance to Domino’s franchise and corporate team members in need.” Since then, Domino’s has spent more than $28 million supporting team members’ physical and mental health treatment through the foundation.