Wednesday 25 June 2008

Team Washington Rocks: Domino's Crowns World's Fastest Pizzamaker

Earlier today, amidst pounding thunder sticks and cheering spectators, Domino's Pizza named Silver Springs, Md. resident, Dennis Tran, the 2008 World's Fastest Pizza Maker.

Tran, an executive vice president of operations for Domino's Pizza franchise, Team Washington, made three large pizzas in an impressive 46.4 seconds.

That's making three pizzas in just over 15 seconds each! Tran won $5,000 in prize money, a trophy and the coveted title presented by Domino's Chairman and CEO David A. Brandon.

"Taking second place was not an option," said Tran. "This competition brings out my competitive nature. I brought speed and confidence to the table to defend my title. I came here to take first place, and I did."

Pizza-makers compete for world title












The finalists represented Domino's Pizza stores from around the world, as far away as India. They had to hand-stretch fresh dough, pizza sauce and top three large pizzas - one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese - as quickly as possible.

While speed was important, it was only part of the recipe. Quality was scrutinized as two judges highly qualified in Domino's standard pizza-making practices inspected the stretching of the dough, application of the sauce and portioning of toppings during the competition.

If the pizza was not perfect, it was returned to the competitor who remade the entire pizza, while still being timed.

Tran has been a Domino's team member for 18 years. A returning champion, Tran won the 2006 World's Fastest Pizza Maker title with a time of 55 seconds and the 2007 title with a time of 49.1 seconds. His 2008 time of 46.4 seconds sets a new world record for Domino's Pizza.

Domino's began the "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition in 1982 to honor pizza makers who best exemplify the company's philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store to allow sufficient time for safe, timely pizza delivery.

"Domino's Pizza is extremely proud to employ the fastest pizza makers in the world," said Brandon. "The World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition emphasizes our commitment to safely delivering piping hot, great-tasting pizzas to our customers' doors as quickly as possible."

Runners up included Pali Grewal from England, who took second place with a time of 47.9 seconds and Emmanuell Dicks from North Old Tow, Va., who took third place with a time of 49.1 seconds.

The "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition was held at the Towsley Auditorium on the campus of Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich


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Directors' Share Sale Drives Down Domino's Pizza Share Price

Domino's Pizza's shares hit a six-month low after property magnate Nigel Wray and chairman Stephen Hemsley sold nearly £20m of shares in the takeaway pizza delivery company.

Mr Wray, who bought into Domino's Pizza in 1997, sold 9.5m shares at 180p, cutting his stake in the company to 16.75pc. Mr Hemsley sold 1m shares, leaving him with a 3.74pc holding. In total they sold £18.9m of shares.

The shares slid 30 to 186p after the share disposals sparked fears that trading at Domino's might be suffering in the face of the consumer downturn.

A non-executive director at Domino's, Mr Wray also owns Saracens rugby club and is thought to be worth about £250m.

A spokesman for Domino's said Mr Wray had offloaded the stake to "diversify his portfolio", while Mr Hemsley was looking to free up cash to finance a property transaction.

She said trading at the company remained strong and denied the disposals were linked to any slowdown.

Friday 20 June 2008

The Worlds First Pizza Delivery by Parachute

Wow! Our friends down the road at Domino's Pizza Widnes yesterday hosted the World's First Pizza Delivery by parachute.

To read more about this remarkable feat just click here

The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.

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Wednesday 4 June 2008

Britain's Got Talent Winner George Sampson Celebrates With a Domino's Pizza

Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson’s promise to remain an ordinary lad from Warrington was proved correct this week. Instead of heading to celeb hangouts for Michelin star dining, George’s first stop after wowing the show’s judges and 14 million viewers was his favourite pizza store, Domino’s in Warrington.

Special thanks to Warrington store Assistant manager Natasha Matchett who showed great initiative among her star-struck staff during George’s surprise visit. To help him celebrate with his friends and family the store gave George three piping hot pizzas to enjoy and Natasha even gave him her Britain’s Got Talent cap!

For more information about George's favourite Domino's visit the store blog here


The Pizzas and Stuff blog is raising money for Special Olympics GB by bringing you the best pizza related stories from around the Web.

Please help us and make a donation by clicking on the widget on the top left or visiting
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