When two Domino’s Pizza employees filmed a prank in the restaurant’s kitchen, they decided to post it online. In a few days, thanks to the power of social media, they ended up with felony charges, more than a million disgusted viewers, and a major company facing a public relations crisis.
In videos posted on YouTube and elsewhere this week, a Domino’s employee in Conover, N.C., prepared sandwiches for delivery while putting cheese up his nose, nasal mucus on the sandwiches, and violating other health-code standards while a fellow employee provided narration.
The two were charged with delivering prohibited foods.
By Wednesday afternoon, the video had been viewed more than a million times on YouTube. References to it were in five of the 12 results on the first page of Google search for “Dominos,” and discussions about Domino’s had spread throughout Twitter. As Domino’s is realizing, social media has the reach and speed to turn tiny incidents into marketing crises. “We got blindsided by two idiots with a video camera and an awful idea,” said a Domino’s spokesman, Tim McIntyre, who added that the company was preparing a civil lawsuit. “Even people who’ve been with us as loyal customers for 10, 15, 20 years, people are second-guessing their relationship with Domino’s, and that’s not fair.”
In just a few days, Domino’s reputation was damaged. The perception of its quality among consumers went from positive to negative since Monday, according to the research firm YouGov, which holds online surveys of about 1,000 consumers every day regarding hundreds of brands.
“It’s graphic enough in the video, and it’s created enough of a stir, that it gives people a little bit of pause,” said Ted Marzilli, global managing director for YouGov’s BrandIndex.
The Domino’s experience “is a nightmare,” said Paul Gallagher, managing director and a head of the United States crisis practice at the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. “It’s the toughest situation for a company to face in terms of a digital crisis.” On Monday, commenters at the site Consumerist.com used clues in the video to find the franchise location in Conover, and told Mr. McIntyre about the videos. On Tuesday, the Domino’s franchise owner fired the employees, identified by Domino’s as Kristy Hammonds, 31 and Michael Setzer, 32. The franchisee brought in the local health department, which advised him to discard all open containers of food, which cost hundreds of dollars, Mr. McIntyre said.
So, how’s that fifteen minutes working out for ya. Fortunately, the video has been pulled from YouTube.
“The two were charged with delivering prohibited foods.”
Who knew that there was such a thing as “prohibited foods”, let alone a law against delivering them. How do they know that anything made on the video was ever delivered? A Youtube video isn’t proof of any wrong doing. Unless somebody dies, or a house burns down. Pretty hard to fake that, though not entirely impossible, if you’ve got a big enough budget.
This charge sounds like a dodge to cover up the real charge. Costing Domino’s a lot of profit. Corporate brand name damage. Whatever. It’s just so nice to know that the state hasn’t got enough REAL crimes to solve. That they’ve always got time and resources to spare to bring down these brand name defilers.
BTW, I think Domino’s is one of the worst pizzas I’ve ever eaten. Followed by Pizza Hut (a close 2nd). Better, are just about any of our local Mom&Pop shops. With Papa Johns as the best brand name chain, for its quality. I’ve never gotten a soggy crust from them (unlike Pizza Hut). Nor one with more sauce than other toppings (unlike Domino’s). But if you enjoy those kinds of pizzas, I suppose you won’t know any better.
There is no reason to ever eat anything from Dominos because, at best, their product sucks!
Although I am accused of being paranoid I never send anything back to the kitchen to be reheated or fixed up. If I think its poorly prepared I send it away and ask it to be taken off the bill but I won’t take anything that comes out of that kitchen as a replacement for the rest of that visit. Doesn’t happen too often but when it does it horrifies the bosses when they realize that I am suggesting that I don’t trust the kitchen not to defile my food in retaliation.
I doubt if these two retards are really that rare.
The fact that Domino’s apparently admits to hiring ‘idiots’ as they put it, tells me that it is Dominos’s that needs to rethink its hiring practices
Did they make a sandwich? Video shows them making it. Did someone order the sandwich? Should be possible to prove or disprove by looking at the receipts for the night in question. Was the bad sandwich the one delivered? Not easy to prove, but the video has them stating that it was meant for consumption by someone. The DA has some work in front of him but it is far from an easy walk for the defendants.
#29 Is it illegal for a registered sex offender to work in a Domino’s store or any food franchise for that matter?
In old times they would hang on the nearby tree and it would have been to discourage anyone else to follow them. Slapping their pictures on the web and making them famous “black characters” is their “punishment” nowadays (because they will never receive any jail time, you can bet yuour last penny on that; there is no proof they actually sold any of this “contaminated” food to anyone).
I guess this civilization really doesn’t deserve to survive any longer..
I was wondering what that taste was.