Dominoes are small rectangular pieces of cardboard or wood with square ends. They can be stacked on end in long lines and, when one is tipped over, it triggers the next domino to tip over, and so on. The line of tips can then be manipulated to make complex patterns or even elaborate structures. This is what gives rise to the phrase “domino effect,” which describes how a single event can cause much bigger, often catastrophic consequences.
In 2009, Domino’s launched what might be its most important marketing campaign to date. In a video, Domino’s leaders and employees read scathing reviews of their pizza and the company as a whole. It was an unusual move for a company to admit such public humiliation, but Domino’s knew it had to do something to improve.
The results of this bold strategy were impressive, and the Domino’s turnaround became a model for other companies to follow. In the years since, Domino’s has focused on cutting-edge technology (including drone delivery, pizza ovens that can cook a pie in under three minutes, and a self-driving car) to give customers what they want most — fast, cheap, delicious pizza.
Domino’s has also spent years focused on training and mentoring employees to ensure they deliver the best customer experience possible. This investment in people and technology has helped the chain improve its bottom line and boost sales. Domino’s now has more than 20,000 locations worldwide, with a focus on urban areas where they can serve the most people in the least amount of time.
Many different games can be played with dominoes, including scoring games like bergen and muggins. Blocking games, such as matador and Mexican train, are also popular. Dominoes can be used to teach math and number recognition to kids, too. The rules for these games are generally straightforward – each player takes turns placing a domino on the table, positioning it so that its two matching ends touch. Each side of a domino has a value based on the number of dots on it, called pips. A domino with three pips on one side and a single pip on the other is considered a double.
When a player places a domino and it causes the other players’ ends to match, they earn points. The goal of a game is to be the first to reach a set point, such as five, before the opponents do.
Domino sets typically come in double-twelve (91 tiles) or double-nine (55) dominoes. Larger sets exist, but these are rarely used in play. Each progressively larger set increases the maximum number of spots on an end by three, but this is not necessary for most of the games commonly played with dominoes.