Business Spotlight: Domino’s Part 2

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Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. millennium / mɪˈlɛn i əm / (n.) – a thousand years or the time when a period of one thousand years ends
    Example:

    We entered a new millennium 22 years ago.


  2. go full steam ahead / goʊ fʊl stim əˈhɛd / (idiom) – to start doing something with one’s full energy, resources, commitment, etc., in order to achieve a lot of progress
    Example:

    Scientists pledged to go full steam ahead in developing treatments against COVID-19.


  3. take a turn / teɪk ə tɜrn / (idiom) – to change or develop in a different direction or the opposite way
    Example:

    Sara’s life will take a difficult turn once she starts living on her own.


  4. carside delivery / ˈkɑr saɪd dɪˈlɪv ə ri / (n.) – a delivery option in which someone from a store brings orders to customers who are just waiting in their cars
    Example:

    I hope that more restaurants would offer carside delivery so that we wouldn’t have to leave our car.


  5. as far as (something) goes / æz fɑr æz goʊz / (idiom) – used to say that one is going to talk about something
    Example:

    As far as schoolwork goes, I’m about to finish everything by tomorrow.


Article

Read the text below.

Continued from Part 1…


After the millennium, Domino’s went full steam ahead with emerging technologies, rolling out mobile and online ordering in 2007, followed in 2008 by the Domino’s Tracker, which allows customers to check the progress of their order. Its biggest change, however, came at the end of the decade. In 2009, the company completely changed its 49-year-old pizza recipe. Luckily for Domino’s, by this time the chain was more popular than ever.


Riding this success, the 2010s saw Domino’s take some interesting turns. Ironically, given its history, many of these were vehicle-related. In 2015, it released the Domino’s DXP, a specially designed pizza delivery vehicle and then in 2019, it began using e-bikes for delivery.


All this made Domino’s well prepared for the pandemic, and it was able to introduce carside delivery in certain locations in 2020. In fact, as far as businesses go, Domino’s has had few issues during COVID-19 — and today it’s almost certainly running a lot smoother than that 60-year-old Volkswagen Beetle! (Jasmin Hayward)


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Domino’s changed its pizza recipe despite being popular and successful. Do you think Domino’s should have retained its recipe, given its success? Why or why not? How would you feel if one of your favorite restaurants suddenly followed a different recipe? Discuss.
  • What are the pros and cons of changing a 49-year-old recipe? When should a restaurant do this (ex. when introducing healthier food, to compete better with other restaurants)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The changes that Domino’s made over the past few years made it well prepared for the pandemic. In your country, what restaurant/s remained open despite the pandemic? Why do you think they’re able to continue their business? Discuss.
  • In 2020, Domino’s introduced carside delivery in certain locations. Do you think this option should be available in more stores? Would this option work in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.