Domino's Customer Contest Inadvertently Becomes Franchisee Shaming
— -- Domino's customers are taking the restaurant chain's online contest to a new level by calling out its franchisees -- and in some cases the company itself -- over its old Domino's Pizza name and logo.
The company recently introduced a social media campaign asking Instagram users to post photos of restaurants that are still using the old logo -- tagged with #logoinformants and #sweeps.
The website logoinformants.com, which is run by Dominoes, states: "It’s just for good fun, which means you have no police power and are not an employee of any governmental division. Sorry."
The company plans to award five people free pizza for a year, and another 1,000 people will win a $10 Domino's gift card until April 27.
The company, based in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan, said the campaign is a customer-focused contest.
"It's just a fun way to engage our old logo before it's gone, through a tongue-in-cheek scavenger hunt," Domino's spokeswoman Jenny Fouracre said. "It has nothing to do with shaming our franchisees at all."
But, the public is firing back at the company itself -- pointing out that it's also using the old company name on Twitter and Facebook page.
"Umm, @Dominos I think you forgot to "drop the pizza" on your own Facebook page. #logoinformants #sweeps," wrote one Instagram user, with a screenshot of the "Domino's Pizza" Facebook page.
Fouracre said the company sometimes uses its old name online, because many people still search for "Domino's Pizza."
There are 4,986 Domino’s locations in the U.S., according to the company, among nearly 11,000 in total around the world. Domino’s has about 1,000 independent franchise owners in the U.S., according to its website, and 96 percent of locations are franchise-owned.
The company, which changed its name to just Domino's from Domino's Pizza in 2012, says it sells more than just pizza. Fouracre said the company expects the majority of its stores to be "re-imaged" by the end of 2017.
She said the franchisees are aware of the timeline to replace signage. Some stores will make bigger changes than others, with costs ranging around $40,000 to $55,000 each location.
