Domino's® Awards World's Fastest Pizza Maker

Participants from all around the world competed; only one crowned

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Jun 29, 2016, 10:50 ET

LAS VEGAS, June 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Domino's recently crowned Dennis Tran the 2016 World's Fastest Pizza Maker, among 8,000 cheering spectators in Las Vegas. Tran, a Domino's franchise owner from Tallahassee, Florida made three large pizzas in an impressive 34 seconds – that's equal to making each pizza in roughly 11 seconds! Tran won $3,000 in prize money, a trophy and the coveted title of World's Fastest Pizza Maker, presented by Domino's President and CEO Patrick Doyle.

Dennis Tran crowned 2016 World's Fastest Pizza Maker

"Vince Lombardi once said, 'Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is,'" said Tran. "We wanted to win. We executed. We left Las Vegas a four-time world champion."

World's Fastest Pizza Maker finalists came from Domino's stores around the world to compete. They had to hand-stretch fresh dough, sauce and top three large pizzas – one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese – as quickly as possible. While speed was important, it was only part of the equation in determining the World's Fastest Pizza Maker. Quality was scrutinized as two judges, highly qualified in Domino's standard pizza-making practices, inspected the stretching of the dough, application of the sauce and portioning of toppings during the competition. If the pizza was not perfect, it was returned to the competitor who had to remake the entire pizza – all while the timer ticked.

Tran started working for Domino's in 1990, handing out fliers door-to-door. He worked his way up to shift runner just months later. After high school, Tran decided he wanted to pursue a full-time career with Domino's. He became a store manager at the age of 19 and six years later, he became a regional director. Tran became a franchise owner in November 2008. He currently owns five Domino's stores in Tallahassee.

Domino's began the World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition in 1982 to honor pizza makers who best exemplify the company's philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store to allow sufficient time for safe, timely pizza delivery.

"We are thrilled to crown Tran as Domino's 2016 World's Fastest Pizza Maker," said Doyle. "Domino's and its franchisees employ some of the greatest pizza makers in the world. Our emphasis is on the quality of the pizza, while also using our expertise to get them made quickly. We are known as the 'delivery experts' and our goal for everyone in our stores is to get hot, great-tasting pizzas to customers' doors safely and efficiently. The World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition recognizes the champions that take pizza-making to an entirely different level."

Domino's held the World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition at its Worldwide Rally in Las Vegas. Nearly 8,000 Domino's team members and franchisees from around the world attended.

About Domino's Pizza^®Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) 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 a global enterprise of more than 12,600 stores in over 80 international markets. Domino's had global retail sales of over $9.9 billion in 2015, with more than $4.8 billion in the U.S. and nearly $5.1 billion internationally. In the first quarter of 2016, Domino's had global retail sales of over $2.3 billion, with over $1.1 billion in the U.S. and nearly $1.2 billion internationally. Its system is comprised of independent franchise owners who accounted for nearly 97% of Domino's stores as of the first quarter of 2016. Emphasis on technology innovation helped Domino's generate over 50% of U.S. sales from digital channels at the end of 2015, and an estimated $4.7 billion annually in global digital sales. Domino's features an ordering app lineup that covers nearly 95% of the U.S. smartphone market and recently introduced several innovative ordering platforms, including Ford SYNC^®, Samsung Smart TV^® Apple Watch and Amazon Echo, as well as Twitter and text message using a pizza emoji. In late 2015, Domino's announced the design and launch of the DXP^®, a purpose-built pizza delivery vehicle, as well as its first digital customer loyalty program.