What Domino's Was First Called

Domino's (America's favorite pizza chain) has long been known for delivering 'za. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the chain is built on the idea that customers would rather pick up food or have it brought to them than dine in. That certainly seems true for this company, as its success has allowed it to franchise, trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and expand its menu to include chicken, pasta, and sandwiches. As recently as 2021, Domino's had more than 19,000 locations (according to the Domino's website), making it a steadily growing company that leads the quick-service food sector. Indeed, Domino's is very popular, although it wasn't always known as Domino's.

The reason for that lies far back in time. This was long before the business implemented car-side delivery in the 2020s, tested self-driving cars in the 2010s, revamped its recipes in the early 2000s, added non-pizza offerings in the '90s, and opened international locations in the '80s (via Domino's). It was during the '60s that Domino's original name can be found, now lost to history.

In 1960, brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan bought a pre-existing pizzeria, as documented by the Michigan Government. These siblings came from relatively humble beginnings. Their dad died when they were young, so their then-single mother temporarily put them in foster care as she got back on her feet. When the Monaghans' mom was finally able to bring them home, Tom began growing his own veggies to sell; even at that early age, he already had his eye on the food industry. So, in 1960, when Jim heard about a pizza place hitting the market, he and Tom couldn't resist.

Oddly enough, even though Jim instigated the pizza-joint acquisition, he didn't stick around for very long. According to the Pizza Hall of Fame, Jim sold his stake in the new company to Tom just a few months after buying it. All he wanted in exchange was his brother's Volkswagen Beetle. Per an obituary published by Ann Arbor News, Jim seems to have lived a good life regardless, going on to be a chaplain, engineer, inventor, machinist, and steamboat captain. All the while, Tom stayed in charge of their pizza venture until his retirement in 1998 (via Domino's). Yet, Tom didn't officially come up with the name "Domino's" until 1965. So, what was it previously called?

Domino's original name wasn't so different from what it became. When Tom and Jim bought the pizzeria in 1960, it was called "DomiNick's," per Statista. Who's Dominick? According to the University of Michigan, Dominick DeVarti was a Connecticutier who relocated to Michigan to get a degree in engineering, thanks to the G.I. bill and his time spent as a bomber-navigator during World War II. In addition to working in construction, DeVarti eventually opened and later sold three pizzerias named after himself. One of them would be sold to Tom and Jim Monaghan. Around that same time, DeVarti opened Casa Dominick's, a restaurant in Ann Arbor that's still open today, but it's only tangentially related to Domino's. Still, maybe Tom changed DomiNick's to Domino's in order to differentiate the two.

Regardless of the reason, the new name stuck. With its focus on pizza delivery, the rechristened Domino's took off, and it's still here all these decades later. In the end, the DomiNick's moniker simply became one of those things most people don't know about Domino's Pizza.