Marketing

Domino’s pothole program has been a huge hit

The company is expanding Paving for Pizza to all 50 states after receiving 137,000 nominations.
Photograph courtesy of Domino's

The country is filled with potholes.

At least it is judging by the response to Domino’s Pizza’s Paving for Pizza program, which asked customers for nominations of pothole-filled streets.

The company on Wednesday said it received so many nominations that it is expanding its program to one community in all 50 states.

“We knew that people were passionate about pizza, but we discovered that Americans are also very passionate about potholes,” CEO Ritch Allison said in a statement.

Domino’s in June said it started working with four municipalities to fill potholes and said it would fill more—under the theory that doing so would ensure more pizzas arrive to their destinations safely.

The company used it as the centerpiece of a marketing campaign all summer long, pairing it with another campaign in which it gives customers who pick up their pizzas in the store a guarantee if something were to happen to the pizzas on the way home.

Domino’s on Wednesday said it received 137,000 nominations from 15,275 zip codes across all 50 states, prompting the company to say that it would choose one community from each state to fill potholes.

Paving has already started in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which has received a paving grant. “Potholes in Northeastern Pennsylvania are as prevalent as our region’s love of pizza,” Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George said in a statement.

Ten additional cities have accepted paving grants: Fitchburg, Mass.; Des Moines, Iowa; New Orleans; Kinston, N.C.; Milwaukee; Hamtramck, Mich.; Jackson, Miss.; Marion, Texas; Grand Forks, N.D.; and Havre, Mont.

Domino’s said it would accept nominations for communities in need of paving on its website, pavingforpizza.com, through the end of the year.

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.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

California may or may not be springing a big surprise on its full-service restaurants

Reality Check: The state attorney general has refused to clarify the scope of the state's pending anti-junk-fee law. It's one more smack in the face to the trade.

Financing

Why social media, and not price, is behind Starbucks' sales problems

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop chain lost momentum quickly in November. That was too fast to be explained by consumer reaction over the prices of its beverages.

Financing

Franchisors who want faster remodels should reach into their pocketbooks

The Bottom Line: Burger King is spending $550 million to get more of its restaurants remodeled, not counting its own upgraded restaurants. More brands should do this.

Trending

More from our partners