After 53 Years Touting Speedy Pizza Making, Domino's Pizza(R) Makes an Unprecedented Pledge to Slow Down

Domino's tells its pizza makers to take their time when making Handmade Pan Pizza

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Mar 25, 2013, 02:00 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) is, after pioneering pizza delivery 53 years ago and establishing itself as the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, saying something it never thought it would to the pizza makers in its nearly 5,000 U.S. stores: slow down.

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After the debut of its Handmade Pan Pizza last fall, Domino's is now revealing to customers its belief that slower is better when it comes to preparing the latest permanent menu item.

A national campaign, beginning today, reveals the Handmade Pan Pizza – made from fresh, never-frozen dough – takes a bit longer to make and bake, but Domino's is willing to now make exceptions, after decades of touting speedy pizza-making and prompt delivery. The new TV spot features clips from vintage Domino's Pizza commercials from the 1980s.

"The word is spreading, but there are still many people out there who have yet to try our Handmade Pan Pizza," said Russell Weiner, Domino's Pizza chief marketing officer. "Our hope is that, by continuing to tell the story of what makes this awesome product so unique to our menu, that people will continue to discover that Domino's is now in the pan pizza game."

The campaign stars Robert Gavitt, a Domino's Pizza franchise owner from Dallas, Texas, who helps explain why the Handmade Pan Pizzas need just a bit more time to reach the golden-brown perfection customers deserve.

"Being a Domino's franchise owner since 1989, I can attest that slowing down has never been a part of the Domino's culture – especially considering we are the company that has proudly held a World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition since 1983," said Gavitt. "However, for those who enjoy our Handmade Pan Pizza, it's the right thing to do – and if it means a better experience for our fans and customers, we are all for it."

About Domino's Pizza^®

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, with a significant business in carryout pizza. It ranks among the world's top public restaurant brands with its global enterprise of more than 10,200 stores in over 70 international markets. Domino's had global retail sales of over $7.4 billion in 2012, comprised of over $3.5 billion in the U.S. and nearly $3.9 billion internationally. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Domino's had global retail sales of nearly $2.4 billion, comprised of approximately $1.1 billion in the U.S. and $1.3 billion internationally. Its system is largely made up of franchise owner-operators who accounted for over 96% of the Domino's Pizza stores as of the fourth quarter of 2012. Domino's reached the unprecedented $1 billion mark in U.S. digital sales during the one-year time period from April 2011 to April 2012. Its emphasis on new technology has helped drive the emergence of Domino's ordering apps for Kindle Fire, Android™ and iPhone^® – which now cover over 80% of the smartphone market. Continuing its focus on menu enhancement, Domino's established itself as a player in the Pan Pizza market with the launch of its Handmade Pan Pizza, featuring fresh, never-frozen dough, in October 2012.