Product Profile: Domino's

 

INDUSTRY

food

Category

chain restaurants

product Profiled

Domino’s restaurants

 

H-Score

 

30

ranked 19th of 25 within the food industry

ranked 60th of 76 overall

 

product description

 

Domino's is a chain of fast food restaurants, estimated to have over 6,600 outlets across the US.(1) It serves meals throughout the day and evening. Domino’s menu features pizza products with varying sizes and crust types with most locations additionally offering oven-baked sandwiches, pasta, boneless chicken and chicken wings, bread and dips side items, desserts and soft drink products.(2)

 

product use

 

Customers can purchase food by ordering at the counter, at a drive-thru window (where available), or via a website or app. Delivery is also available via website, app, or phone call. Many Domino’s locations are designed to be carryout-friendly with casual seating for customers to await their orders but no dine-in experience.

 

who’s affected

 

Domino’s target market includes the general population. Domino’s restaurants can be found in a variety of communities with menu prices accessible to individuals of all household income levels.

 
 

influence on health-related behaviors

 

EATING

moderate negative influence

 

Domino's serves fast food, which, broadly speaking, can be unhealthy. Researchers have found 70% of meals served at fast food restaurants (not specific to Domino's) to be of poor nutritional quality.(3)

In Building H’s analysis, Domino's was found to have a modified Restaurant Nutrition Quality (RNQ)(4,5) score of 0.50. Of the 11 chain restaurants in the Index, the range of modified RNQ scores was 1.65 (best) to 0.50 (worst). Domino's score placed it 11th out of the 11 restaurant chains we profiled.

In terms of calories, featured meal combos averaged 1,140 calories, or 2.0 times the recommended calories for women at lunch, 1.5 times the recommended calories for men at lunch, 1.7 times the recommended calories for women at dinner, and 1.3 times the recommended calories for men at dinner.(6)

Domino’s menu features their pizzas as the main selling point, but a number of other entrees including sandwiches, pastas, and salads are also offered. 

Domino’s promotes additional consumption through the use of cross-selling in the ordering and checkout processes. During checkout, customers are prompted to select additional items including sides, drinks, desserts, and dipping sauces.(7)

 

opportunities:

  • Feature healthier items more prominently in menu presentation and in recommendations.
  • Highlight healthy modifications or substitutions whenever possible.
  • Set default options of customizable meals to the healthiest options available.
  • Offer reduced portion size options.
  • Enable users to set preferences for calorie limits and/or how healthy they want their diets to be and then tailor their ordering experience and recommendations accordingly.
  • Do not recommend additional items after users pass a reasonable calories per person level.
 
 

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

slight to moderate negative influence

 

One way in which restaurants contribute to physical activity is how people arrive at them. Restaurants in walkable locations are more likely to get customers to walk or bike to them than restaurants located in car-dependent neighborhoods. Building H reviewed a sample of Domino's locations and found that 56% were in either “most walkable” (26%) or “above-average walkable” (30%) neighborhoods. Forty-four (44) percent were in “below-average walkable” (44%) or “least walkable” (<1%) neighborhoods, using the US EPA’s National Walkability Index.(8)

An additional factor that affects physical activity is the presence of drive-thru windows, which enable customers to pick up meals without ever leaving their cars. Approximately 4% of the Domino's locations Building H reviewed had drive-thru service available.(9)

 

opportunities:

  • Reduce emphasis on delivery service.
  • Consider neighborhood walkability and bikeability when selecting new locations.
 
 

Sleeping

slight to moderate negative influence

 

Studies have shown that eating within three hours before bedtime increases the likelihood of sleep disruption.(10)

Domino's locations are typically open until 1:00 am. Based on Google data about a sample of locations, it appears that approximately 19% of Domino’s activity takes place after 9:00 pm.(11)

Note that late night eating does not necessarily result in eating shortly before bedtime or extending into people’s sleep windows as there is diversity in daily schedules (due to reasons such as shift work).

opportunities:

  • Reduce late night hours.
  • Discourage ordering of caffeinated drinks in the evening.
 
 

Engaging Socially

neutral influence

 

Domino’s menu items are sold in shareable sizes fostering the ability to eat with family or friends. It is not clear how many of Domino’s customers may be ordering for their individual selves or for a group.

Eating in a restaurant can be a more social experience than taking a meal to go. Most Domino’s locations do not offer the option to dine-in at the restaurant and instead offer casual seating for customers to watch the preparation of their order. It is not clear what proportion of Domino’s customers may be pre-ordering for quick pickup or ordering on-site and interacting with others while waiting for their order.(12)

Drive-thru service and delivery service would typically involve less social interaction. However, only 4% of Domino's locations offer drive-thru service (based on Building H’s review). Domino’s has stated that nearly half of its orders are for carryout.(13) 

Domino’s is also installing kiosks for ordering, which also limits interactions between customers and staff.(14)

 

opportunities:

  • Limit kiosk or app-based automated ordering in order to promote more interaction among staff and customers.
  • Train staff at both counters and drive-thru windows to create moments of connection in their interactions with customers.
 
 

Getting Outdoors

slight negative influence

 

Providing outdoor seating can positively influence the amount of time that customers spend outdoors. Building H reviewed a sample of Domino's locations and found that none offered outdoor seating.

The walkability of restaurant locations can influence the amount of time customers spend outdoors. The more walkable, the more likely it is that customers walk or bike to and from the locations and thus spend time outdoors. As noted above, 56% of Domino's locations were in either “most walkable” or “above-average walkable” neighborhoods, while 44% were in “below-average walkable” or “least walkable” neighborhoods.

The availability of drive-thru service can similarly influence outdoor time by affecting the likelihood of walking or biking. Approximately 4% of Domino's locations have drive-thru service.

 

opportunities:

  • Where possible, offer outdoor seating at restaurants.
 
 
 

Notes

 

  1. Based on 2022 data. See Ranking The Top 50 Fast-Food Chains in America. QSR, accessed September 13, 2023.

  2. Domino’s Pizza, Inc. 2022 SEC Form 10-K and Annual Report, p. 5.

  3. Junxiu Liu et al. Quality of Meals Consumed by US Adults at Full-Service and Fast-Food Restaurants, 2003–2016: Persistent Low Quality and Widening Disparities. The Journal of Nutrition. Volume 150, Issue 4 (April 2020), pp. 873–883.

  4. Iris Liu et al. A continuous indicator of food environment nutritional quality. MedRxiv. November 26, 2021.

  5. The RNQ is based on the ratio of nutrients recommended by dietary guidelines, e.g. protein and fiber, to ingredients whose consumption should be restricted, such as sugars, sodium and saturated fats, for the median menu item. Building H modified the RNQ by selecting the most featured breakfast and lunch/dinner menu items.

  6. Based on a Building H review of featured specialty pizza combos in September 2023, as compared with federal data on how Americans distribute their calories across meals (see Eliana Zeballos et al. Frequency and Time of Day That AmericansEat: A Comparison of Data From the AmericanTime Use Survey and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. USDA Economic Research Service, Technical Bulletin Number 1954. July 2019) and federal dietary guidelines for moderately active adults (see U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. December, 2020, p. 140).

  7. Sample online order via dominos.com. October 10, 2023.

  8. Based on a random sample of 50 US locations. For the National Walkability Index, see U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Walkability Index: Methodology and User Guide. July 2023.

  9. Based on a Building H review of service options listed on Google for a random sample of Domino’s locations. July 2023.

  10. Nicola Chung et al. Does the Proximity of Meals to Bedtime Influence the Sleep of Young Adults? A Cross-Sectional Survey of University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Volume 17, Issue 8 (April 14, 2020), p. 2677.

  11. Based on a Building H review of Google’s “popular times” data for a sample of 50 randomly selected Domino’s locations. July 2023.

  12. Domino’s Pizza, Inc. 2022 SEC Form 10-K and Annual Report, p. 9.

  13. Domino's Pizza® Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2022 Financial Results. Domino’s website. February 23, 2023.

  14. Digital Kiosks in QSR and Fast Dining: Use Cases, Benefits, and More. TelemetryTV website. November 16, 2023.