Article

How Domino's connects corporate execs to reality of store life

Store-level employees are often on the receiving end of corporate dictums that may not always sync with pizza restaurant reality. Enter Domino's Pizza Prep School, a program that strives to alleviate that tension by giving leaders a dose of what it's like to work on the frontlines.

Domino's employees and Pizza Prep School attendees at its World Resource Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo: Domino's)

January 22, 2020 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

"We're not normal."

That's what Alan Carrig, Domino's manager of franchise training, said he hears from frontline pizza store employees about how they're able to get the pies out hot and fresh to a demanding public. 

"Coming from the store operations side of the business, there are two sayings you hear often: 'We're not normal' and 'I've got pizza sauce in my veins.' This is how thousands of Domino's store team members describe themselves," he said during an interview with Pizza Marketplace. "I can't speak for all brands, but I feel like (other) employees who work at their corporate headquarters can often become disconnected to those who grind it out every day in stores."

That isn't the case, however, at Domino's, where the brand has a program — Pizza Prep School — designed to bridge the gap between executives and store-level employees. Corporate employees, business partners and others at the brand, who may spend more time at their desks than a pizza prep station, oven or delivering pies, participate in the four-day, in-store training experience.

"As a brand, we put a great deal of focus on the franchisees and store team members being our customers. If we can support those groups to enhance their ability to do what they need to, we will see a lot of success. They are in the local neighborhoods serving great food to their customers, so we focus on how we can serve our franchisees and their store teams."

-Domino's Manager of Franchise Training Alan Carrig

Into the fire

The idea is to give corporate employees and operators a firsthand look at how the pizza powerhouse really operates on the level where it counts most: the stores. The school is a walking, talking manifestation of the brand's promise to take a page from Disney's book and treat its employees as Domino's primary customers. 

"You would think our customers are the people who order and eat pizza every day," Carrig said as he started to explain the values-driven purpose behind the program. "As a brand, we put a great deal of focus on the franchisees and store team members being our customers. 

"If we can support those groups to enhance their ability to do what they need to, we will see a lot of success. They are in the local neighborhoods serving great food to their customers, so we focus on how we can serve our franchisees and their store teams."

Domino's Pizza Prep School "classroom" at brand's World Resource Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo: Domino's)

Led by a facilitator and up to six coaches, who are operational experts, trainers, compliance specialists and sometimes general managers, the sessions take place at Domino's Ann Arbor, Michigan World Resource Center, and teach executives how the company operates at the store level. They also learn what they can do in their specific office roles to improve the customer and employee experience. 

That was true for Domino's Manager of Legislative Affairs Michael Marzano, who typically spends his days dealing with legislators on Capitol Hill on behalf of franchisees and others. 

"Having never worked in the pizza (or service) industry before joining Domino's, I wanted to gain an understanding of both the philosophy of the company and experience the day-to-day operation of a store and all that goes into it," Marzano said in an interview with Pizza Marketplace.  "The thing that most surprised me is the amount of preparation that goes into getting a store ready before it opens. From making sure the toppings are available — fresh and ready to serve — to having the dough ready to be tossed and prepped, there is a ton of work that goes into ensuring our quality product is ready to serve our customers."

Marzano said that having not only seen, but experienced the daily activities and challenges of operating a store and keeping a team well-trained and happy has made him much better equipped to relay the needs of franchisees to lawmakers. He also said he came back more motivated to work hard to remove obstacles that get in the way of business operators' and employees' efforts to deliver a great customer experience. 

"Working in food service is a lot of hard work and people don't always realize the amount of mental and physical demand that is required in these positions. The program helps build that level of respect."

-Carrig

A great idea that has grown with the brand

That takeaway is why the program was put in place nearly 20 years ago, when Stan Gage, Domino's former VP of international, designed the first session as a way for a master franchisee operations director to gain a greater understanding of the business. Other Domino's executives also attended that session, including Patrick Doyle who was then executive vice president of international when he participated. He, along with the brand's former CEO, saw the value right away, and a year later the program became a requirement for corporate team members. 

Lisa Price, Domino's EVP and chief human resource officer, said implementing the program was an excellent move that has not only strengthened the company, but helped those working at the corporate level better serve those at the store level daily. 

"For me in my role, the most valuable piece was gaining an appreciation for the store team member experience and ways we can continue to make it better," Price told Pizza Marketplace. "It was also great to meet team members from all over the world, learning about the work they do and their experience at Domino's. …

"Our stores are at the core of who we are as a company, and Domino's Pizza Prep School helped to bring that to life and accelerate my onboarding as a leader."

Carrig said the Pizza Prep curriculum evolves just as the brand does, integrating tech and other products that store employees must incorporate into their daily work. Additionally, as the brand has amped up its worldwide growth and employment, it has also begun a shortened version of Pizza Prep School that relays the same basic content, but involves less time in the store environment, Carrig said. 

That less intense experience might come as a welcome change for those who attended the school and end up a bit exhausted by all that in-store work. Carrig said one of the funniest things he heard from a Pizza Prep attendee was "I miss my desk!" 

But that's part of what makes the program so integral to the brand's day-to-day operation, Carrig said. It builds respect for what it takes to deliver on Domino's quality and service promises to its customers. 

"Working in food service is a lot of hard work and people don't always realize the amount of mental and physical demand that is required in these positions," Carrig said. "The program helps build that level of respect."

It also has a net effect of building bridges not just between corporate and store personnel at Domino's, but also between those working across various corporate responsibilities all over the world. That, in Price's view, is one of the most invaluable aspects of the program.  

"Any experience that builds understanding and empathy for the customer and frontline employee is critical to growing a great brand and accelerating innovation," she said.

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.