Domino's Is Paving Potholes To Protect Its Pizza

Driving a fresh, hot pizza home to devour it seems like a positive experience, but Domino's Pizza thinks it can be fraught with peril. What if you (or your delivery driver) hit a bump? Or your car bottoms out in a pothole? Those tempting pies could wind up spattered all over your upholstery.

To protect its pizza, Domino's is asking customers to nominate their hometowns for pothole repairs.

"Have you ever hit a pothole and instantly cringed?" asked Domino's USA president Russell Weiner in a company statement. "We know that feeling is heightened when you're bringing home a carryout order from your local Domino's store. We don't want to lose any great-tasting pizza to a pothole, ruining a wonderful meal."

The company has already worked to fill potholes in Bartonville, Texas; Milford, Delaware; Athens, Georgia; and Burbank, California. A whopping 150 potholes were filled in Athens.

"We were intrigued by this unique public-private partnership," said Stephen Bailey, program-development coordinator for the city. "This was certainly a new type of opportunity for us."

The towns that receive the grants receive a packet of materials, including a stencil of the company's domino logo that reads "OH YES WE DID" that can be painted over the filled potholes.  All equipment, materials and staff used are the town's own. The potholes are not, sadly, filled with pizza.

Interested pizza-eaters with pothole problems can nominate their town by entering its ZIP code at pavingforpizza.com. If the town is chosen, it will receive a paving grant from Domino's (every city receives the same amount) and the customer will be notified. The company is taking submissions until August 31.

Pothole-filling isn't Domino's only adventure outside the ovens, but it certainly is one of the things that makes it one of the best pizza chains in America.