You know the feeling of a perfectly baked pizza? The right toppings, oozy cheese, and herbs, all beautifully assembled on a crunchy-chewy dough base. We have all been there.
Pizza is one of Italy’s greatest foods. Delicious, affordable, and easily customized to one’s preference. Pizza is extremely popular and available far and wide.
A staple in every weekend binge plan, one cannot help but think where did the humble pizza come from and how did it come to enjoy such global dominance? Let us tell you.
Pizza is being eaten, in one form or the other, for centuries. Historically, pieces of flatbread, topped with savories such as cheese, onion, garlic, dates, and pork were served as a simple and delicious meal to those who were on the go, or could not afford plates.
However, the invention of modern-day pizzas took place in 18th-century Naples. It was spurred by the import of tomatoes from America to Europe in the 16th century. Initially, the Europeans were cautious of the fruit. During the 18th century, fueled by overseas trade and a steady influx of peasants from the countryside, Naples was becoming one of the largest cities in Europe. And with that, a great number of city inhabitants fell to poverty, especially the lazzaroni, who needed a food option that was easy-to-eat and cheap - pizza met their need. Pizzas were sold by street vendors carrying huge boxes under their arms. The pizzas were cut and sold to meet the customer’s appetite or budget. These pizzas were made with inexpensive, easy-to-find, and flavourful ingredients like garlic, lard, salt, caciocavallo (cheese made from horse’s milk), cecenielli (whitebait) or basil, and tomatoes. Because of their low popularity, tomatoes were looked down upon by gourmets and were low priced.
For a long time, pizza was held in contempt by writers and disgusted by foreign visitors. In the late 19th century, when the first cookbooks emerged, they blatantly ignored pizza. However, the gradual improvement in the lazzaroni’s status had aided the appearance of pizza restaurants.
In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples and happened to summon the preparation of some local specialties. Several varieties of pizzas were baked by the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito. The queen was delighted with the one made with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. It was named Pizza Margherita in her honour. This changed everything! Pizza’s identity transformed from a local delicacy to a truly royal Italian dish. Soon pizza spread to the rest of Italy. Pizzerias became centres of socialization with more toppings and flavours being added constantly.
Italian migration and World War 2 led to the spread of pizza to the world. Pizza found its second home in America. In 1905, Lombardi’s, the first pizzeria opened in New York City. This was picked up by enterprising restaurateurs and adapted to local needs and tastes. After the Second World War, a Texan named Ike Swell opened Chicago pizzeria, offering a deeper, thicker crust and richer, more abundant toppings. This also led to the emergence of different versions of pizza.
With the growing availability of fridges, freezers, cars, and motorcycles, it became possible to deliver pizzas to customers’ doors. In 1960, Tom and James Monaghan founded ‘Dominik’s’ in Michigan. The pizzeria was jointly run by them until James Monaghan traded his share for a second-hand car. Tom revitalized the image of the pizzeria by changing its name to Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s Pizza won a reputation for the speedy delivery and took their company nationwide. By the late seventies, there were over 200 franchise pizza businesses in the United States.
In 1983, Domino’s Pizza opened in Winnipeg and Australia. They gradually launched medium and extra-large sized pizzas. In 1989, deep pan pizza was introduced. The same year Domino’s opened its five thousandth store. In 1994, the company hit the African continent and opened a store in Egypt. In 1996, the Domino’s Pizza website was launched, and the company declared global sales of nearly $3 billion. Domino’s Pizza has become the largest international pizza company globally based on retail sales. The company operates more than 16000 stores globally as of 2019.
The company opened the first Domino’s Pizza outlet in New Delhi, India in 1996. In the Indian subcontinent, Domino’s franchise is operated by Jubilant Foodworks Limited. Domino’s has enjoyed enormous success in India, and it has become its second largest market in the world after the US.
Let us understand the success story behind the best pizza restaurant in India:
Quick service: Company has judiciously and aggressively opened a large number of stores that has helped it serve a higher number of customers. The very popular “30 minutes or free” offer has worked wonders and generated huge credibility amongst customers.
Offering local tastes: Pizzas with local flavours like Peppy Paneer and Kebab have been major hits.
Expanding Menu regularly: Domino’s keeps adding exciting new items in its menu and always keeps a wonderful balance of Indian and westers flavours.
Exciting offers: Indians are value conscious customers and Domino’s understood it well. There are Pizzas available at affordable prices and combos.
World class customer service: There has been no compromise in giving the best service to the customers.
Best use of technology: Besides using their mobile app to order food online, Domino’s has also adopted technologies that enabled it to improve supply chain management and customer service
This article has been created in association with Domino's India.