Domino's Pizza, Delivered in 30 Minutes or It's Free - Life in America 

Domino’s and movie night in ‘84…now that’s nostalgia!

From an orphanage to starting a pizza business to owning a MLB team to being a philanthropist…….that was a man on a mission.

My dad worked for Dominoes and held a record for the most pizzas delivered in the Boston (Brighton, Brookline) area.

They saved my life in college in the early 80’s! Quick and cheap pizza, delivered in 30 minutes!

They just now - 2021- brought the Noid back in their commercials for automated deliveries.

I have many fine memories going back to the original Domino's pizza ypsilanti Michigan. In the 1st location I bought pizza from Dominic. Just down the block he opened up A larger facility. I still remember the all meat pizza's. Pure fat! If you tip the box the grease would pour out of the box poor out of the box. Pizza never tasted better than I did back then.

After Dominos was sold to Bain, they IMMEADIATELY slashed the quality of the ingredients. Not a little... A LOT. Frozen premade crusts, "questionable" meats, wilty vegies, etc. Eventually after almost running the place out of business, they did an about face and greatly improved everything. Dominos reputation for "fast but crappy" pizza followed them for almost a decade before people started to forget.

I delivered pizza for domino's in college, in the 90's. I loved that job. We didn't have GPS or cellphones. If I couldn't find someone's house, I would have to stop at a pay phone and call them for directions. Haha.

Back in the 70’s when I was first married, we were living in an apartment and Domino’s pizza was a once a week treat.

Domino's recently brought back the Noid.

I work for Domino's pizza since 1988.. Still Delivering pizza now in my 70's just part time I Love my Job and Keeps me active and my Dr. Said this Job is Actually Good for me and my self steam and of course xtra money in my pockets ... Gracias a Dios...

I loved the tiny amounts of oil in the tiny little pepperoni cups that formed during baking.

My very first Domino's pizza was a small pepperoni delivered to me at my Air Force base dorm room in San Antonio, TX. This was in the fall of 1978 and the cost for that small pepperoni was $4.10. Domino's pizza was made with quality ingredients and tasted better back then but like everything else over time, their pizza now taste like crap.

We got our first Domino's in the mid 80s and, even then, it was just ok. I didn't know that the brand was later sold to Baine Capital. That goes a long way toward explaining why it's pretty much complete garbage now.

I had a wonderful career with Domino's Pizza starting as a delivery driver in September of 1975 in Lansing Michigan when Tom had a total of 78 stores, and working up through the ranks until franchising in 1987. Many thanks to Tom Monaghan, Dave Black Mike Orcutt and many others!!!

Me and my husband love Domino's. He especially loves their Cheesy Bread.

That's a quick way to deliver pizza,in a 1968 AMC AMX,and in the 80s A Chevy Camaro!to avoid the Noid!

I worked for Domino’s during the 80’s at their Ohio Commissary where we serviced many stores in multiple states. Everything that a Domino’s store needed to make a pizza, is what we warehoused and delivered. Many duties, long hours, and physically demanding. I won a trip to Domino’s Headquarters in Ann Arbor once as a regional employee of the month reward. Toured the home office and then they flew us in the company helicopter to Detroit for a Tiger’s baseball game which we watched from Tom Monaghan’s private box. Was served beer, hotdogs, popcorn, and of course Domino’s Pizza!

Many people said “I’ll be patient and wait for a good pizza”.

This video makes me proud to be a pizza delivery driver

1987 Ann Arbor: My friend wanted to go to Domino's headquarters. We walked in, there was no one at reception, no one walking the halls. We kept walking around past empty offices and conference rooms, past a live cooking class. It was weird, might have been Saturday afternoon. Video cameras but no people, pre 9/11. I think my friend just wanted to get a better sense of Domino's.

In the 60's on late night TV in the Los Angeles area we had Pizza Man. Their slogan: "Pizza Man, He Delivers".

My fondest memory of Domino's Pizza is when it was actually enjoyable to eat.

I always thought the noid was a play on the word “annoyed” as the ads used to say, “Get you pizza in 30 minutes or be a noid”

Interesting history, that I knew nothing about. His former partner sure lost out!

When I was in college, sometimes a Domino's delivery driver would come in saying that he got an order from another dorm but the customer didn't have enough or didn't show up. He would then sell the pizza to anyone who wanted it.

I had the pleasure of knowing Tom Monaghan. He opened a Dominos Pizza on an island in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of MI (but to the disgust of the locals since franchises aren’t allowed so he changed the name). He opened a resort on the island and brought attention to the island. He befriended my dad, who’s a vet, and had my dad be his veterinarian for the very small island zoo. I remember having great discussions as a kid with Tom. And one night in the resort’s restaurant, my sister fell asleep (very young at the time) so Tom picked her up and wrapped her up in a blanket. He and my dad always had great discussions on philosophy. Great man. Good memories.

I remember the "Dominator", a rectangular giant Pizza in a giant box! Loved it very much, back then...

I first heard of Domino's in the mid-late 80's and that is when it arrived in our area. I was young, but the one thing I recall most about the pizza then, was that it was cheesy, made of REAL mozzarella, it would stretch when you pulled a slice from the box, and it tasted like a high quality pizza. Not like a stand alone Italian spot like New Haven pizza, but we would order from them alot. We were children though. I recall the driver being slick and telling us how much our order was, then we would give him the money, and he would again tell us how much the order was, then count our change back to us - one by one. We knew he was trying to tell us he wanted a tip, but we would tip a dollar or two at best! You know kids are not trying to spend too much more than it costs.

My best memory is investing in Dominos stock about 7 years ago and watching it climb. I've never sold a share.

I fondly remember when they were truly a good pizza.

I'm 51, and was a teenager during the 1980's - in Louisville, Kentucky... lots of fond memories of eating Domino's pizza... a good friend who worked there and the "Noid" toy he had on his car dash board...

I remember the 30 minutes or free promotion. Driver would show up late to get a bigger tip. I’m thinking that the promotion ended because some drivers were speeding and having accidents. Or arriving past 30 minutes and losing money on free pizzas.

Fun fact. Ypsilanti Michigan is where the state mental hospital was so as a kid, if you started acting out, you were always threatened with being shipped off to Ypsilanti 🤣🤣🤣

Domino's is a classic Pizza, but I don't care for it very much. Many other pizzas are MUCH better.

Mr. Noid was para-noid

Monahan built a massive office complex called Domino Farms, just on the edge of Ann Arbor. I used to take my son to the farm there, to see all the various animals. He also had baseball card shows there (when card collecting was big). My son collected cards then, and was thrilled that the shows always had a member or two of the Tigers there that anyone could approach and talk to.

I met Tom Monaghan back in the late 80s/early 90s when he owned the Detroit Tigers. Happened to bump into him at Tiger Stadium during a game. Chatted with him for a couple minutes (couldn't tell you about what now), and went on my way.

Worked for Domino's when I was in college right after high school and made and delivery pizzas, for a year and off and on. The store just opened and it was so busy in this city, and they got 4 more stores. Made good tips too. That was like 1987 or 1988.

*My family and I enjoy weekly, Domino's pizza, now get this in the city of Pereira, Colombia, South America, same menu and flavor...* 🌴🍕👍

We used to order and eat a lot of Domino's Pizza while at work in the 1990's. It hit the spot too!

In college, early 80s, Chicago suburb, always a treat to order the affordable Domino’s pizza.

Thanks for sharing. I had the great privilege of working for Tom at Ave Maria for nine years. He is inspirational to say the least.

High quality pizza. Still my favorite chain pizza store.

Learned a lot from this video!! Love this channel!

Fresh out of College, I beat over 1,000 applicants to win the job of Assistant Broadcast Producer at Group 243, Inc., at that time the National Advertising Agency for Domino's Pizza. Domino's World Headquarters and Group 243 were literally across the street from each other, (in Ann Arbor) and to this day I can't believe the incredible experiences this first 'grown up' job gave me. My memories are priceless.

Of the two most interesting places for Domino's to deliver to, one was the neighborhood pool at my parents. Sometimes multiple families at once. The best however was delivering to a basketball ticket camp-out line at NC State University. We'd spend days camping out for tickets. I was 3rd in line at the drop off point!

Used to have a Domino's two blocks from my house. That location closed and reappeared 2 miles away. Better location for them, but not as convenient for me... Still order it a lot.

When I was in middle school, me and all my friends always had fresh slices of Domino’s pizza provided in the cafeteria. But the most popular Domino’s item everybody loved were their breadsticks. Every time I eat a slice of Domino’s pizza, I always think back to the great times I had in middle school.

My first taste of Domino’s came when the local YMCA opened its doors for the first time in the late 1980’s. They celebrated by ordering a bunch of Domino’s Pizza for the staff and City brass... At 15 years of age I wasn’t invited, but I decided to partake anyway by SNATCHING a slice out of the Mayor’s hand and running TOP SPEED... That was some good pizza enjoyed in the parking lot that day... Years and years later I crossed paths with the Mayor and told her the story but she didn’t remember. We both had a good laugh!!! Legendary pizza from Domino’s and a legendary Mayor in Hazel McCallion... ❤️❤️❤️

Around 1983-4, I was a college student at Kansas University...dirt poor...me and 2 friends were studying for an upcoming embryology test on the campus in Lawerence and all of us got hungry. One of the others suggested we get a pizza from this place that DELIVERED the pizza so we would not have to pack up and go to the restaurant. The others of us were in shock that there was someone who would deliver food like that! I almost didn't even believe it until that pizza showed up. We paid the driver and included a tip and were as happy as can be after.

To me, the more interesting questions is, what happened to James Monaghan after he sold his half of the company? Thanks to the interweb I found out. He passed away last October, at the age of 81. After he traded his half of the company for the VW, he worked a variety of jobs including security guard and electrician. He also was a machinist, inventor, ham radio enthusiast, Constitutional pamphleteer, steamboat captain, engineer, and chaplain for the Michigan Militia, though I don't know if any of those were actual jobs or just hobbies/pastimes.

Didn't see my first Dominos until I was stationed at Wurtsmith AFB Michigan and drove from Oscoda to Saginaw in 1981. You forgot to mention the Noid is back.

When I was a kid, in Southie, we always ordered from the local, indy pizza shops. And there were four good ones to choose from!

I admire the business model keeping it simple. Sounds like a generous man who was grateful and gave back. Smart! 🤔🇺🇸❤️

Domino's is decent pizza and other menu items when you are away from great and excellent pizza. It's 3 pizza slices out of 6 slices. Great story about Domino's Pizza & Tom Monaghan which I knew the story and I'm glad you added that part of his life to your presentation video. Thank you.

Most of my beloved pizza dilevered memories....I don't remember the end of the evening....but ... Definitely remember my family and friends being excited... when we got our pizza inn delivered here in Dallas..Domino's might have great locations elsewhere...every slice of thiers ive had here....usually an at work pizza party..."pizza friday" has been dissapointing... however this is a fascinating story. I'm a chef 29 years in at this point 'most of is are nuts" did not know this story! Thanks!

The first Dominoes Pizza I ever saw was in Richmond Kentucky in 1976!

We had a store just a couple blocks from the house I grew up in. Occasionally, we’d order as a walk up and I’d watch the staff as they made the pizzas. Loved watching the process

What an amazing story a humble man

Domino's was life for me in High School in 2006. I miss that 5 5 5 Deal!

hehe a 1985 camero delivering pizza now that brings back memories forsure.

When I was a little boy I had to sit under bench to wait for the pizza to be cooked from Domino’s

When I was growing up in Michigan the chain stores were Dominoes, Little Caesars, and Dino's. Not sure whatever became of Dino's. I always preferred Bob's, the mom and pop place down the road. Still the best pizza I've ever had. But I will give Dominoes a hat tip. When I was in the service there was one near the base and me and my roommate were the only two in the barracks who liked anchovies. Dominoes would include a can of anchovies on the side for us. That way we could enjoy them without grossing out everyone else who hated choves.

My fond memory of Domino's Pizza is scrubbing deep-dish pizza pans until two in the morning.

My memories include in college 1983 at Embry-Riddle while living in the dorms, we'd hope that the Dominoes deliver guy was late. I lived on the small cheese pizza!

Domino's garlic crust is the GOAT

The Dominos Pizza location here in Tomah, WI opened up a while ago, and I love it, and I agree with Recollection Road, pepperoni is the best. 😋😋😋

2:21 - 2:43 Using AMC Javelins and Chevy Camaros would certainly imply fast delivery! LOL

In Texas they had Pizza Factory. Dominoes bought it around 1978 or 79.

Every semester the teachers would all get together in the afternoon on final day and grade the finals (they were comprehensive Math finals taken by all undergraduate students). Dr Verma the head of the department would order 20 or 30 assorted pizzas from Dominos and we would lunch on them while grading papers. I always took the uneaten pieces left to my office and put them in my refrigerator and ate them later. Dominos pizzas were good reheated. This was done for many years, before that we used to adjorn to a local buffet. I preferred the pizza.

From 30 minutes in the 80s to 1 hr 40 minutes the last time I ordered one. With a promise to be better the next time...

The original building is still there on cross street that leads through Eastern Michigan University. I was born in Ypsilanti Michigan in 1967 . We would buy domino’s pizza and go to the Drive-in movie’s on Michigan ave. Those were the days !! It’s not worth eating because the ingredients were changed .

I met Tom at a Car show at his world headquarters in like 1989? I loved his car collection museum in that building. He was not very tall, but I was proud to shake his hand. I lived in Ypsi from 1987-1994. I know his first store location, but I think a Cottage Inn Pizza place was in that location when I was there? I liked Cottage Inn pizza better too; that was the hot brand when I was there, not dominos.... lol

I saw my first Dominoes in Baton Rouge in 1981. I thought it was a pharmacy!

I remember when the skating rink called Stuart Skateway had free Domino's Pizza buffet every Tuesday nights. It was awesome.

I delivered for Domino's in the winter of 1989-90. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I thought we had three sizes of pizza- small, medium, and large, and the prices were $6, $8, and $10. But I could be wrong on that. It was a long time ago. I know that in certain parts of town, they only ordered the small, and rarely tipped. That I do remember. I also remember making one particular delivery in which the woman gave me a $20 tip even though she had only bought one pizza. She had said she knew what it was like to be a pizza delivery driver, and basically wanted to do her part in giving back. Somewhere I have a Domino's promo chewing gum package that is a mini pizza box. I think it's about 3 inches square. and about 3/8 inch thick.

The 30 minute guarantee was an obvious liability issue. I'm surprised it lasted so long. I remember my first real job, Taco Bell, they had a goal of serving customers in one minute. That would be possible, but the customers would be served slop. While that wouldn't kill customers, the customers felt like killing the employees instead. :/

Ok this is bizarre. I just hung up the phone with dominoes 5 minutes ago and get this notification!

My mom and her family are from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, I remember visiting my grandparents and going to Domino Farm and getting Domino's Pizza delivered to their house. I really think it tasted better there! We would also get Little Caesars which also started in the Detroit area.

The last time I had a Domino's was the late '90s-early 00's. Worked midnight and one of only two or three places open at that hour. Crust tasted like cardboard. I gave them one more shot and still as tasty as cardboard.

Well, guess who just got on the Dominos app and placed an order after watching this! LOL

Ordering Dominos late night they were usually open later than most pizza delivery places around town usually until midnight and 2 a.m. on weekends most other pizza places around town closed at 11 p.m. or earlier so Dominos was the place to order from late night.

Many Memories thanks

I remember living in Qatar which is on the east coast of Saudi Arabia and enjoying Domino’s Pizza in one of the Education City cafeterias in the capital of Doha. It was very tasty!!

My fond memories were getting a free pizza a few times because of them being delivered after 30 min. I haven't had Domino's now for at least 20 yrs. Many more better pizzas out there now. 👌

No Domino's in my area but when I did live near one it was thin crust, cheddar cheese and mushroom for me. 😋

I worked for Domino's for 2 years in the mid 90's in Rhode Island, lots of college kids I delivered to.

Domino's had the best deals in the 80's and 90's. The best one was the one where whatever time you ordered your pizza, that's how much it cost. The other good one was any size pizza, any toppings for $5.

I wasn't surprised to learn that one brother wanted out of the business, because that happens a lot, but what was his buyout? Oh yeah, that's right... he got a Volkswagen out of the deal!

A decent overview and I really like your reviews on this channel, however a big part of the unique offering at Domino's in the 1980's was breakfast pizza... Ham, egg and cheese, also sausage egg and cheese with juice and the morning paper in thirty minutes or free! I think this was WAY more significant to the company history than the original owner running off for religion. You should consider a re-mix of this one to include that part of history. Specifically 1983 and 1984... I'll welcome your feedback and a new re-mix to review... Thank you, J

Back when my adult son was very young and money was tight, I'd order Domino's for dinner on my payday. Here in San Diego there's a sit down Domino's located on Imperial Avenue. At some school cafeterias here Domino's provides pizza as a menu choice, served in a little paper bag with the Domino's iconic logo.

It's 2021 and we're still "avoiding the noid" with automated deliveries for those of us who are Domino pizza fans!

The noid is a cool little critter 😂

If you're watching several of this channels' offerings and you're paying attention, one theme eventually creeps into most every one of these American success stories - namely, when the original company is sold off to a corporation. Almost without fail, quality goes down the tubes and the original concepts that garnered success to begin with for each of these enterprises are brushed aside. There's a lesson there somewhere methinks.

This is a crazy time limit.....and I thought I was fast

I remember our school once ordered Domino’s in the early 90s. The teacher who ordered said, “Just pepperoni, nothing else.” So the 20 pizzas arrived and it was just that, just pepperoni. No sauce, no cheese, just crust and pepperoni. There were a lot of disappointed kids that day, but now some 30 years later, makes for a funny story.

“In 1973….” Queue image of mid-80s Camaro

The pizzas was great and cooked very well and still very well cooked.

Never had any chain pizza. Dominoes, Papa John, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars. Grew up in NY/NJ even in PA now get the real thing.