Tiana Attride

<p>As a struggling high school student, a young Tom Monaghan printed the quote, "The harder I try to be good the worse I get; but I may do something sensational yet" into his <a id="fdc49c95-c304-32d8-acfe-42dcd08e6944" href="http://www.company-histories.com/Dominos-Inc-Company-History.html">  yearbook </a> .</p>

<p>Little did he know that he was right. Just years later, he would go on to found <a id="23c49056-ceab-3a62-ad2c-31ba8493e8e7" href="https://www.dominos.com/en/">  Domino’s </a> , one of the world’s most successful and beloved pizza chains.</p>

<p>Now available in <a id="ef4aca4a-55ea-339a-a868-2b7492a6a26a" href="https://biz.dominos.com/web/public/about-dominos/fun-facts">  85 countries </a> worldwide from the US to Lichtenstein and Bangladesh, the stories behind the iconic red-and-blue symbol deserve to be told. Read on for 19 things you probably didn’t know about Domino's.</p>

<h1> Domino’s was originally called DomiNick’s. </h1>

<p>In 1960, brothers Tom and James Monaghan purchased an old pizza restaurant in Ypsilanti, Michigan called DomiNick’s. The restaurant became “Domino’s” in 1965, a title invented by <a id="1439800e-ab05-34be-a8e9-23ec6ad32575" href="http://www.company-histories.com/Dominos-Inc-Company-History.html">  delivery driver </a> Jim Kennedy.</p>

<h1> One brother traded his half of the business for a VW Beetle. </h1>

<p>Just eight months after the grand opening, founding brother James Monaghan traded his half of the partnership for an old <a id="3b90c396-36ea-340d-abb8-50bb7f6d4145" href="http://www.company-histories.com/Dominos-Inc-Company-History.html">  Volkswagen Beetle </a> that the brothers originally used to deliver pizzas.</p>

<h1> For over 30 years, Domino’s only offered two sizes of pizza and one drink. </h1>

<p>For the majority of their existence, Domino’s offered only <a id="00734d1f-4e72-3b4a-ae4e-01a3e2739645" href="http://www.company-histories.com/Dominos-Inc-Company-History.html">  two sizes </a> of pizza, 11 toppings, and one soft drink: cola. They also only offered pizza on a delivery or carry-out basis. They believed the simplicity of their menu resulted in higher-quality products and more efficient business.</p>

<h1> They have been delivery-centric since the beginning. </h1>

<p>The original Domino’s building was too small for sit-down dining. Instead, Tom Monaghan <a id="b1695fde-2d4a-33da-a674-9a7f483c360a" href="http://www.company-histories.com/Dominos-Inc-Company-History.html">  hired </a> local laid-off factory workers to deliver pizzas around town.</p>

<h1> The three dots represent the original three stores. </h1>

<p>By 1965, Tom Monaghan owned <a id="9ab80e59-75eb-38c9-a398-0c266aac0786" href="https://www.dominospizza.ph/about-us/history">  three Domino’s </a> locations in Michigan, each represented in Domino’s symbol. He originally planned to place a new dot for each new store.</p>

<h1> You can get vegan Domino’s in Israel. </h1>

<p>In 2013, Domino’s introduced their first <a id="7fc280dc-bbfa-348d-a673-c8b20341b411" href="https://www.foodbeast.com/2013/12/18/dominos-pizza-unveils-first-ever-vegan-pizza/">  vegan </a> pizza in Israel, according to Food Beast. Instead of dairy cheese, the pizza comes topped with soy cheese and veggies.</p>

<h1> Domino’s not only delivers pizza — they also fill potholes. </h1>

<p>In 2018, Domino’s repair trucks began filling potholes across the US. Although the chain said they just wanted to keep pizza deliveries running smoothly, many perceived the stunt as <a id="0947274f-64c0-3bbf-aef7-2da4c6a68382" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-pothole-repair-raises-questions-2018-6">  oddly dystopian </a> .</p>

<h1> Domino’s tested pizza delivery by drone. </h1>

<p>In 2016, Domino’s partnered with startup Flirtey to design the first <a id="016d43e1-1681-3c1d-a468-ca45948aec41" href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/dominos-drone-will-be-delivering-pizza-this-year-2016-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  pizza delivery drone </a> . The drone debuted in New Zealand.</p>

<h1> They once hosted a tattoo competition that went wrong. </h1>

<p>In 2018, Domino’s offered a lifetime of free pizza to Russian fans who got a <a id="4b43958f-c6bf-3caf-abbf-86cfb3d84344" href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/dominos-free-pizza-russia-tattoos-promo-ends-early-2018-9?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">  tattoo </a> of the chain’s logo. Unfortunately, they had to end the competition after too many people rushed to get tatted. Instead, they offered free pizza to the first 350 people to share their ink online.</p>

<h1> The pizza chain was forced to reinvent their entire recipe. </h1>

<p>Amid a slew of <a id="591ac377-6dee-34ba-a6a3-9dcd97e58a33" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5R56jILag">  criticisms </a> including claims that their crust tasted like cardboard, Domino’s completely <a id="3db1286e-fc86-335b-a375-7d63ddcbb8c5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-ceo-j-patrick-doyle-out-after-turnaround-2018-1?utm_content=buffer6a847&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer-bi">  did away </a> with their old pizza recipe. After a long period of decline, 2009 and beyond saw the chain experience a successful pizza renaissance with a brand new taste.</p>

<h1> Domino’s is the United States’ fifth favorite pizza chain. </h1>

<p>As of April 2018, Domino’s is the <a id="7a6b1e6e-c02b-3e37-a1ac-0b70cdcfa152" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/299311/favorite-pizza-chains-of-consumers-us/">  fifth </a> most popular pizza chain in the United States. It falls just after Pizza Ranch, Papa Murphy’s, Marco’s Pizza, and Papa John’s.</p>

<h1> After the US, India has the world’s most Domino’s restaurants. </h1>

<p>As of the end of 2017, <a id="747d7898-1724-354c-ac13-5cbdf11ea397" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/207130/number-of-dominos-pizza-stores-worldwide-by-country/">  India </a> had the second most Domino’s locations in the world. The country is currently home to 1,126 restaurants and counting.</p>

<h1> Domino’s delivers over one million pizzas a day. </h1>

<p>In the <a id="14bb6081-9929-3d59-ab9b-98bf6f1506ad" href="https://www.dominospizza.ph/about-us/history">  US alone </a> , Domino’s delivers over one million pizzas every day. Domino’s delivery drivers cover <a id="6bb28bae-1115-3a49-a1ab-807d7d3a910f" href="https://www.dominospizza.ph/about-us/history">  10 million </a> miles each week—the same distance it would take to make 14 trips to the moon and back.</p>

<h1> Domino’s created a self-driving pizza delivery robot. </h1>

<p>In 2016, Domino’s introduced a self-driving pizza delivery vehicle to the world. Called ‘ <a id="3c265155-848b-36c8-ac68-f047ab6b3cc2" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-pizza-self-driving-pizza-robot-delivery-car-2016-9?_ga=2.220806170.303368911.1543271738-2100042012.1535375923">  DRU </a> ’ (Domino’s Robotic Unit), the little robot first came to life in New Zealand and is essentially a low-powered oven on wheels.</p>

<h1> They also have a zero-click delivery app. </h1>

<p>In 2016, Domino’s introduced a <a id="160e1fee-d8a8-3884-abfa-3b61f20b9e1f" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-new-app-orders-you-pizza-automatically-with-zero-clicks-2016-4?_ga=2.220806170.303368911.1543271738-2100042012.1535375923">  zero-click </a> pizza delivery app. When users open the app, a countdown timer begins. If they don’t stop the timer after 30 seconds, the app automatically sends in an order for delivery.</p>

<h1> Domino’s created “tweet to order” pizzas </h1>

<p>If social media didn’t already contribute enough to our lives, now we can even use it to get fed. In 2015, Domino’s began their " <a id="e373c577-14a3-31b7-a967-486fd03c767b" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-emoji-pizza-order-2015-5">  tweet to order" </a> service, allowing users to tweet a pizza emoji at the official <a id="dae54bea-5f68-3304-a5e3-267f94cf4c33" href="https://twitter.com/dominos?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">  Domino’s account </a> to place a direct order for delivery.</p>

<h1> They briefly allowed customers watch their pizza being made via webcam. </h1>

<p>A Domino’s location in Salt Lake City, Utah, briefly allowed customers to order online and watch chefs make their pizza live <a id="44a674b8-660e-3e5d-a24a-82371db5d0ce" href="https://biz.dominos.com/web/public/about-dominos/history">  via webcam </a> . The restaurant placed five cameras in their kitchen for the entire month of May in 2013.</p>

<h1> There is a Dominos Wedding Registry for pizza-loving pairs </h1>

<p>There’s no better way to celebrate true love than with humanity’s one true love: pizza. In 2017, Domino's launched a <a id="c3446433-810d-3c4b-a142-ba6155da39ae" href="https://dominosweddingregistry.com/">  wedding registry service </a> allowing couples to make pizza an official part of their big day.</p>

<h1> Anyware program allows you to order pizza via Alexa and Slack. </h1>

<p>Domino’s <a id="b15629b1-e479-3475-a9a8-6ab97773098a" href="https://anyware.dominos.com/">  Anyware </a> program allows you to order pizza from—well, anywhere. Users can order their slices via devices and apps like Google Home, Alexa, Facebook Messenger, and most recently, <a id="5e9c46b9-a50d-3a3d-a850-fc42f887ea9a" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/slack-users-are-growing-like-crazy-charts-2018-8">  Slack </a> .</p>

<p>Visit <a id="83f78348-7690-38bd-aaf9-4b54c82419b6" href="https://www.insider.com/">  INSIDER's homepage </a> for more.</p>

19 things you didn't know about Domino's

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Tiana Attride

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19 things you didn't know about Domino's