Domino is a game in which players arrange tiles on the table to form lines or shapes that add up to some number. Each tile has a set of dots, called pips, that determine its value in the game. A domino has either one or two pips, and the value of a tile is determined by the total number of pips in its row or column. A domino with more pips has higher value than a domino with fewer pips. A domino with no pips is a blank, which can only be used to complete a line that has other dominoes on it.
A blank domino is a placeholder for a future domino in a game of dominoes, which has been played for centuries. The game is often used as a tool to teach children counting, and many children’s toys are designed as dominoes that can be stacked on end in long lines.
In the beginning, Domino’s was a small pizza joint in the town of Ypsilanti, Michigan. In 1967, Domino’s began franchising, and the business quickly grew, with more than 200 stores by 1978. The growth was fueled in part by the company’s strategy of placing pizzerias in locations near colleges, which allowed it to target a young demographic who craved quick and convenient pizza delivery.
The company’s success was marred in the late 1990s when a series of internal problems caused the company to slip from a leadership position in the fast-food industry to a distant back seat. Domino’s sales and market share declined, and the company was in bankruptcy by 2004. Under new CEO David Brandon, Domino’s worked to implement changes to improve its image and performance. The first step was to make Domino’s a better place to work, and the company instituted a relaxed dress code and other employee-friendly policies.
Domino’s also emphasized its commitment to listen to customer feedback and to honor its customers. The company redesigned its logo to be more modern and appealing, and it started experimenting with innovative ways to deliver pizzas. For example, it partnered with crowd-sourced auto designers to create a custom, Domino’s-branded delivery vehicle.
In addition to listening to its customers, Domino’s invested heavily in research and development. The company is a leader in the use of automated systems for ordering and delivering pizzas, as well as in the development of pizza ovens that are more efficient than traditional gas-powered models. The company is working on several other projects, including a prototype for a robot that can deliver pizzas without the need for human intervention.
Domino capitalizes on a principle of persuasion known as the “domino effect,” which is based on the concept that once people commit to a behavior, they are more likely to stick with it. This concept is illustrated in the book Influence by Robert Cialdini, and it can be applied to personal and professional life as a means of building identity-based habits that will allow for greater success.