We’ve all seen those domino constructions where, after the first piece is tipped ever-so-slightly, the rest fall in a beautiful cascade of rhythmic motion. The term “domino effect” refers to any action that sets in motion a series of subsequent actions with much greater (and often catastrophic) consequences. Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day will look at a real-life domino effect: a woman who uses hundreds of bricks to line them up in an intricate design, then topples them all with just a tiny nudge!
Domino’s Pizza was founded by a man named Tom Monaghan in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1967. The company’s early success stemmed from its focus on delivering pizza quickly. To that end, Monaghan emphasized putting stores near college campuses. In addition, he encouraged his managers to train employees well and to listen to their customers.
But in the late 1960s, Domino’s faced challenges as it tried to grow and change. One big problem was that its food quality started to deteriorate. Fortunately, Monaghan’s successor as CEO, David Doyle, knew what to do about it. He put more emphasis on making the pizzas taste better, and he hired chefs from Italy to help him do it.
He also took steps to spice up the company’s image and make it more appealing to young people. He had Domino’s work with crowd-sourced auto designers to create a cool-looking vehicle for its delivery drivers (an article once called it “a cheese lover’s Batmobile”), and he started a marketing campaign that focused on using local celebrities to promote the restaurants.
In addition to focusing on the products and the company’s image, Doyle worked to improve the company’s systems. For example, he instituted new procedures for training and evaluating the company’s managers, and he listened to feedback from employees about what they wanted Domino’s to be like.
The company also started a new strategy for growth that relied heavily on technology. For instance, the company developed software that could process orders from customers who were ordering via text or a voice-activated device like an Amazon Echo. Then, Domino’s would deliver the order to the customer’s home by car or bicycle.
This strategy has been very successful for Domino’s. In fact, half of the company’s workers now work in technology-related jobs. This helps the company develop and test cutting-edge technologies that can take Domino’s to the next level, including a way for customers to order their pizza by simply texting an emoji. The company is also working on a system that will enable customers to place their order by using just their voice. We can’t wait to see what kinds of exciting innovations Domino comes up with next!