Domino’s certainly has big shoes to fill in replacing Russell Weiner when he officially retires at the end of September. But it just so happens that the company has a deep bench.
Joe Jordan is next up for the CEO role after moving his way up through the company since he first joined in 2011 as vice president of innovation. Not only has he moved up, he’s also branched out, expanding his scope from innovation to marketing to international to operations. In 2022, he was named president of U.S. and Global Services. By March 2025, he was promoted to chief operations officer and president of U.S.
During his tenure leading international, Domino’s hit record expansion numbers, opening more than 3,000 stores. Most recently, he has overseen strategic initiatives including the relaunch of the company’s loyalty and e-commerce platforms, and the launch of Domino’s marketplace partnerships.
“The board unanimously concluded that Joe is the right leader to serve as Domino's next CEO. He embodies Domino's culture of developing leaders from within, has earned the trust of franchisees across our global system and is uniquely qualified to guide the company through its next phase of growth,” Executive Chairman David Brandon said in a statement earlier this week announcing the company’s succession plan.
We had the chance to talk to Jordan at Domino’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in September, shortly after he was promoted to the COO/president role, and it became clear quickly just how extensive his knowledge was of the company. For instance, he referenced his time spent working as executive vice president of international, stationed in the Netherlands, where he caught a glimpse of where consumer trends were heading. That experience helped inform Domino’s to finally embrace third-party delivery marketplaces like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
“The aggregators were a bit further ahead in many international markets, and you could see where it was going,” he said in September. “We wanted to be in that. We call it the virtual food court because at that point many of those customers are going there and still figuring out what they're going to eat and if we're not there, we can't be part of that consideration set.”
The company may have been a latecomer to the world of delivery marketplaces, but it maintained control of the backend. Orders are delivered by Domino’s drivers, and customers can track their orders through the chain’s signature Tracker, for instance.
“We like that control. We think it is a differentiation for us. We think our consumers value that and so we focus on that,” Jordan said. “We need to make sure that when someone's thinking about pizza delivery, we're always going to be top of mind.”
When Jordan was promoted in 2025, the biggest change to his role was the addition of global technology, which has also positioned him well for his upcoming act as CEO.
“Technology is integral to who we are as a brand right now. We've been referred to as a technology company that happens to sell pizza, but I still think of this as a pizza company that uses technology. All of our orders have pizza, most have technology,” he said.
The new perspective has allowed him to better understand where Domino’s should be prioritizing its technology investments to benefit consumers, employees, and franchisees. He called the company’s vast franchisee base a “great advantage” because they help the company understand pain points within the stores.
“We have franchisee councils for marketing, for supply chain, technology, operations, where we bring in some of the best franchisees to make sure we’re aligned on priorities,” Jordan said.
Notably, Jordan joined the company as it was riding a strong tailwind from its turnaround campaign, Oh Yes We Did, which included a complete menu overhaul. He said the reason the campaign was so successful is because of the company's alignment between technology, marketing, and operations.
During that same September visit, his predecessor Weiner talked about how Domino’s employees have sauce in their veins. No doubt Jordan’s priorities have shifted a bit in the past nine-plus months, particularly as he gears up for his next role. But it’s clear he is one of those folks with sauce in his veins, and that he’s more than ready to lead the company’s next chapter.
“The evolution of the brand is something I’m really excited about and proud of,” he said. “We always refer to ourselves as a brand in progress — we are going to continually push and get better, and we know we can continually get better. It’s our culture as a company. We’re maniacal about pizza.”
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.