It seems no corner of America’s sprawling economic system is immune to a shortage of people willing to work for shitty wages; even our pizza places are suffering. Domino’s, the second largest pizza chain in America, is trying its best to mitigate its low workforce by giving customers an incentive to choose pick up instead of delivery.
Domino’s is offering customers $3 off their next carryout order when they order carryout. The deal is only available today through May 22 via online ordering only, so the pizza giant can cut down on both delivery drivers and folks answering the phone. Domino’s is hoping to get customers into the habit of picking up their own pizzas ahead of the Super Bowl, the company’s busiest day of the year, CNN reports. And a shortage of workers isn’t the only problem Domino’s is facing:
Inflation is also biting Domino’s. The chain recently announced changes to its chicken wings deal, including cutting the number from 10 pieces to just eight as costs soar. Domino’s also made the deal an online exclusive, meaning fewer workers are needed to answer the phones.
Domino’s CEO Richard Allison recently said at an industry conference that the company expects to deal with “unprecedented increases” in food prices, explaining that the costs of its ingredients are increasing 8% to 10% compared to last year. That is substantially higher than the usual hike of 3% to 4% the chain normally forecasts.
The pandemic was good to carryout and delivery places, as Americans avoided crowded restaurants. But the good times seem to be coming to an end. Domino’s posted its first quarterly loss since 2011.
Being a pizza delivery guy is a terrible job. It’s so dangerous the kevlar vest was invented by a guy shot delivering pizzas. We already know Domino’s is both not cool and no fun after it sued this guy for rehabbing a DXP delivery car, so I can’t imagine working for them is any better.