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Delivering more than pizza pies

BY FARNOOSH TORABI | SPECIAL TO amNEWYORK

February 13, 2006

Domino's Pizza is a publicly traded company with worldwide recognition, but its stores are majority-owned and operated by entrepreneurs who are, in essence, small-business owners.

The corporation itself began as a family business in 1960, when brothers Tom and James Monaghan borrowed $500 to buy DomiNick's, a pizza store in a small town in Michigan. Today, Domino's has nearly 8,000 franchises run by thousands of franchise owners.

"We benefit tremendously from the national exposure, but the key is being great in your own market," said Dave Melton, who runs four Domino's pizzerias in Manhattan and one in Westchester. "I don't get a customer's 10th call because of a commercial ad. I get their call because we've always had their delivery on time."

Fulfilling every request for a pie can be an arduous task. On Super Bowl Sunday, Melton's franchises became arenas of sorts for his workers, who raced to satisfy the city's pizza craving.

Thanks to weeks of scrimmaging, the positions were well-played and Melton's team finished the day scoring a record of its own -- a more than 100% surge in sales relative to other given Sundays.

The strategy? "You break down every job that normally one person can do," said Melton, who began working for Domino's in 1982 and opened his first franchise in 1989 at 1577 3rd Ave. "We had one guy do nothing but put slips on boxes."

Melton even invited back ex-employees, doubling his staff. "It's like a homecoming for our stores," he said.

Getting pizzas made and delivered to satisfaction (or your money back) requires the right management skills, Melton said.

"You have to make every person in your organization realize they're a critical part of the big thing we are," he said. "Every person's job is important."

His workers, in turn, have remained loyal. Melton's stores have had relatively low turnover. Some of his employees are entering their 12th year under his management. Others have followed his lead, becoming Domino's franchise owners themselves.

Melton's mind is on management even when he's not at work. On Wednesdays, he takes Spanish lessons to help him communicate with some of his staff. "I can say 'hurry up' in about 10 different languages," he said.

Recently, Melton has been recommending his favorite new book -- "The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Take the Ordinary into the Extraordinary," by Mark Sanborn -- to his workers. He points to his favorite line, a quote by Abraham Lincoln that encapsulates Melton's philosophy in life and business: "Whatever you are, be a good one."

Farnoosh Torabi is the business producer at NY1 News. If you know a small business with an interesting story, please e-mail her at AMSmallBusiness@gmail.com.