Utah's pizza lovers can expect to receive a quality, satisfaction-guaranteed pie from Domino's Pizza during the remainder of the holiday season - but be prepared to wait a few extra minutes.
Recent civil lawsuits citing driver-safety negligence has forced the 33-year-old national pizza chain to cancel its pledge to slice $3 off the customer's tab if food is not delivered in 30 minutes or less. In its place, Domino's will place extra emphasis on product satisfaction - offering customers a money-back guarantee if unhappy with any aspect of company menu items or service."We have eliminated our 30-minute delivery guarantee . . . we realize that our commitment to safety will not be convincing as long as we employ a program that some of our customers deem to be unsafe," said Thomas Monaghan, Domino's chief executive officer, in a full-page advertisement in Monday's USA Today.
Monaghan's announcement to scrap the guarantee comes less than two weeks after a jury awarded nearly $79 million in punitive and actual damages to a St. Louis woman injured by a Domino's Pizza driver.
Domino's has offered a 30-minute guarantee in some form since 1984.
Local franchise owners say a long-established standard of quality food and service will ensure Domino's established position as the largest pizza-delivery company in the nation.
"If last week's (pizza) sales are any indication, the canceled guarantee has not made a difference," said Terry Mills, marketing director for Beehive Pizza Inc., owner of 26 Domino's Pizza locations. "In a way, we're glad the guarantee is gone because we have always stressed safety over timeliness."
Mills added that Beehive Pizza Inc. occasionally pulled the guarantee in the past during inclement winter weather.
Domino's customer Brent Renfro, Salt Lake City, said he'll continue to order a pie each week.
"I've always ordered Domino's pizza because I really like the crust. The delivery time doesn't matter much to me," he said.