Update: Another reader, Jonathan Drake, emailed Domino's VP of Communications Tim McIntyre last night to point him to the post. McIntire and Drake exchanged a few emails, including a copy of an apology from Kristy.
From: "Tim McIntyre (COMM - Communicat)"
Subject: RE: Video Location identified!
Date: April 14, 2009 6:45:40 AM EDT
To: Jonathan DrakeSubject: RE: Video Location identified!
Jonathan,
Thanks so much for pointing us to the comments in the blog. I alerted our security team as soon as I received it last night.
At 1:38 a.m. today, this email arrived in my inbox:
—
The gross videos
Kristy Kristy
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 1:38 AM
To: Tim McIntyre (COMM - Communicat)I am sorry about all of this! It was all a prank and me nor Michael expected to have this much attention from the videos that were uploaded! No food was ever sent out to any customer. We would never put something like that on you tube if it were real!! It was fake and I wish that everyone knew that!!!! Michael never would do that to any customer, EVER!! I AM SOO SORRY! You see all the time of the pranks that people upload and the pranks need to seem real in order to get a laugh out of people but this prank was very very immature and I am sorry for the embarrasment that I have caused your company!
—At this point, we certainly are not taking her at her word that this was all fake, but we will be following up today with these people who are employed by an independent, and innocent, franchise owner.
Tim McIntyre
Vice President, Communications
Domino's Pizza LLCFrom: "Tim McIntyre (COMM - Communicat)"
Date: April 14, 2009 9:20:54 AM EDT
To: Jonathan Drake
Subject: RE: Video Location identified!Jonathan,
To say that the Consumerist is "relatively popular" is a bit of an understatement. Thank you for your understanding. Our chief of security has spoken to the franchise owner this morning, who was dumbfounded, to say the least. He has told us that he will be terminating their employment today. The "challenge" that comes with the freedom of the internet is that any idiot with a camera and an internet link can do stuff like this - and ruin the reputation of a brand that's nearly 50 years old, and the reputations of 125,000 hard-working men and women across the nation and in 60 countries around the world.
Tim McIntyre
Vice President, Communications
Domino's Pizza, LLC
Thanks, Jonathan!
"Domino's Rogue Employees Do Disgusting Things To The Food, Put It On YouTube"
(Illustration: olarte.ollie)
That's bad news for Kristy...
She's already on probation.
]]>Felony warrants have been issued against the two in the video, and Dominos expects them to be arrested today.
]]>@lannister80: Only if you get the kind that are metric!
]]>@ekthesy: Agreed. Beautiful email response too. You can just see the tiny smolder of rage behind his eyes.
]]>@rwakelan: If there are no laws currently on the books then there shouldn't be any terrorism related charges but there needs to be some legislated for the future for the food industry as a whole .
You just need some very simple laws that basically say that if you mess with the food supply or distribution ie restaurants you can be prosecuted and or jailed under anti terrorism laws .
I'm not saying do these ' pranksters ' under retroactively legislated laws but for the future these types of pranks need to be discouraged at all costs . They are not funny .
I'll say it again if these were Muslims or Arabs they'd be in Gitmo by now . And really , what is the difference between the person who poisons/tampers with food going to their victims or the terrorist that explodes bombs from a distance ? NONE they are both cowards perpetrating acts that can harm or kill .
]]>Yeah - I can't say I'll be ordering from the (between my uptightness about political views and just not liking their food), but that veep deserves a pat on the back and a big-ass raise. Kudos for a kick-ass response on multiple levels.
]]>@Starfury: That hardly seems fair. You gonna tell me you've never met anyone your age that spit in a milkshake when they were workin at a restaurant?
]]>Guys, apparently consumerist only contacted a regional VP in charge of that specific Dominos's pizza store. The head office does not have a clue this incident happened nor provided any public apology concerning to this matter. Hearing from internet users like us, the regional VP actually pulled the video from the youtube himself to keep the head corporate in the dark. He obtained the video's login information before firing the now, ex-employees.
Below is a list of individual email contacts of Domino's top management. Also, I've grouped them together for you to copy and paste to send all in the bottom.
Please help and protect consumers like us and let their corporate headquarter know.
(Regional VP in discussion Tim McIntyre) +1-734-930-3563, tim.mcintyre@dominos.com
(Executive Vice President of Communications) Lynn Liddle, +1-734-930-3008 (email's below)
David A. Brandon David.brandon@dominos.com
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
Wendy A. Beck Wendy.beck@dominos.com
Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President of Finance
J. Patrick Doyle Patrick.doyle@dominos.com
President, Domino's U.S.A.
Scott R. Hinshaw Scott.hinshow@dominos.com
Executive Vice President, Franchise Operations and Development
Michael T. Lawton Micheal.lawton@dominos.com
Executive Vice President of International
Lynn M. Liddle Lynn.liddle@dominos.com
Executive Vice President of Communications and Investor Relations
Christopher K. McGlothlin Christopher.mcglothlin@dominos.com
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer
L. David Mounts David.mounts@dominos.com
Executive Vice President, Supply Chain Services
Kenneth B. Rollin Kennth.rollin@dominos.com
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Asi M. Sheikh Asi.sheikh@dominos.com
Executive Vice President, Team U.S.A.
James G. Stansik James.stansik@dominos.com
Executive Vice President of Franchise Relations
Russell J. Weiner Russell.weiner@dominos.com
Chief Marketing Officer, Executive Vice President of Build the Brand
Patricia A. Wilmot Patricia.wilmot@dominos.com
Executive Vice President of PeopleFirst
Andrew B. Balson Andrew.balson@dominos.com
Director
Diana F. Cantor Diana.cantor@dominos.com
Director
Vernon "Bud" O. Hamilton Vernon.hamilton@dominos.com
Director
Dennis F. Hightower Dennis.hightower@dominos.com
Director
Mark E. Nunnelly Mark.nunnelly@dominos.com
Director
Robert M. Rosenberg Robert.rosenberg@dominos.com
Director
Copy and paste below to send to all:
David.brandon@dominos.com; Wendy.beck@dominos.com; Patrick.doyle@dominos.com; Scott.hinshow@dominos.com; Micheal.lawton@dominos.com; Lynn.liddle@dominos.com; Christopher.mcglothlin@dominos.com; David.mounts@dominos.com; Kennth.rollin@dominos.com; Asi.sheikh@dominos.com; James.stansik@dominos.com; Russell.weiner@dominos.com; Patricia.wilmot@dominos.com; Andrew.balson@dominos.com; Diana.cantor@dominos.com; vernon.hamilton@dominos.com; Dennis.hightower@dominos.com; Mark.nunnelly@dominos.com; Robert.rosenberg@dominos.com
@Bill Moffatt: No I don't think it's isolated to Dominos and most are well aware of the stories . That's why there was such a quick and vigorous reaction .
But that's part of the problem : the cavalier attitude twards these percieved pranks as accepted . They should be isolated and not seen as ' funny ' . People who perpatrate these percieved pranks need to be looked at as CRIMINALS and not as jokesters . Part of the reason for the non criminal treatment many of these pranksters get is that in many cases it's not a CRIME : it's just considered an unhealthy disgusting deed . But it is a CRIME .
And if some Muslims or Arabs did this they would've been in Gitmo as of yesterday .
I saw in the news where some public hair sandwich makers are looking at a year for conspiracy to alter food . Is that the best the system can do now . Why can't they ad charges like reckless endangerment ,assault,attempted assault,poisoning etc . I want to see federal laws against food tampering , make it a terrorist act under the Patriot Act and Homeland Security . What is the difference between these ' pranksters ' that sabotage food and terrorist that denonates a bomb . In both cases they don't want to directly confront their victims . It's quite cowardly actually .
]]>"The "challenge" that comes with the freedom of the internet is that any idiot with a camera and a
lazze faire attitude towards running a corporation or franchise can train their staff so poorly
- and ruin the reputation of a brand that's nearly 50 years old, and the reputations of 125,000 hard-working men and women across the nation and in 60 countries around the world."
He makes the case of caring about the many other humans who work for their mega corp, instead of taking responsibility for not managing effectively.
Multiple people at Dominoes other than the fools in the vid are at fault here.
Do NOT play games at this stage, pizzaman.
]]>@The_IT_Crone: I'm evening out the score I do the job of 1/8 a person.
I love my job.
]]>Given the serious harm done to their résumés so early in their adult careers, self-employment is about their only hope in this tight job market.
]]>RT
www.anon-tools.at.tc
Sorry, Tim. I never ate there much anyway, but hell will freeze over now before I ever buy your pizza again.
]]>I was under the impression that they were in their late 20s or early 30s.
]]>Domino's may be kind of blah pizza, but this response is amazing.
]]>That's freaking awesome. And so true.
]]>This has hit most of the news aggregators and even the gossip sites have picked it up. These guys are likely toast in the job search if anyone interviewing them has heard of the internet.
]]>I just called their number and an impatient, very Southern-sounding (and I'm from NC!) lady answered "Thank you for calling - we're closed until 11am tomorrow. Goodbye."
Yep, she hung up on silent me...not so friendly.
Sadly, I doubt much will happen. If you know this area, they'll probably rally around the offenders and curse this 'godless, yankee internet blog-thang'. Seriously.
]]>As excellent as can be given the circumstances, though.
]]>The local health department has responded to this issue. The restaurant voluntarily closed while equipment could be cleaned and sanitized and all known food that the individuals could have contaminated was disposed. I also understand that local authorities may pursue criminal charges against these individuals. Thank you.]]>
@HotTubber: in most areas mcdonalds jobs are pretty damn scarce.
]]>Great detective work by Amy Wilson and whyerhead! You win!
]]>I'm not advocating anyone do anything illegal, just to be careful when they "dream" of doing something illegal.
]]>@YOXIM: Like millions of termits taking down a three story building...
]]>@BlueLabCoatWanting_GitEmSteveDave:There are some face recognition programs which do the same in identifying known perps from mug shots and known victims from photos.
]]>@Michael Ortega: They would have liked the mob but all the free pizza has already gotten given away with the "bailout" screw up just recently...
]]>Back then, franchisee contracts gave Domino's a lot of control over the store. You had to follow all their rules. Franchisee owners did not have a lot of freedom to stray outside of those rules, if any. I am sure that remains the same, and action will indeed be taken.
]]>there's certainly a niche - most skip tracers haven't embraced the full potential of the tubes yet.
]]>/immature
]]>I also like how he says the Consumerist is a lot more than "relatively popular."
]]>Hi, Jeremy.
We just got off the phone with the franchise owner, who was absolutely dumbfounded by this. He has told us that he will be terminating their employment effective immediately. We suggested that he call them and get a written statement from them, asking them to "explain" (to the extent anyone can, really) their actions. We are also seeking legal counsel to see what kind of action we can take against them for damage to the brand.
You are welcome to use anything I've sent to you in the past 24 hours. I do want to thank you for bringing this to our attention…I just wish it hadn't been posted so prominently on your web site…while it was certainly fair game, it does hurt the company and the thousands of people we employ in this country whether it's intended or not.
Regards,
Tim
Tim McIntyre
Vice President, Communications
Domino's Pizza, LLC
yay me!
]]>want fries with that?
]]>On top of that they showed the food being packaged and placed with other food that WAS to be delivered.
AND FINALLY there was the a$$-sponge on the pan & in the cleaning sinks.
Try to explain THAT one away as just a prank, Kristi. :-{ X-[
And some people wonder why or HOW chives, lettuce, spinach and peanut-butter get infected with salmonella or escherichia coli.
]]>I did, however, send that information along to Tim McIntyre, who does work for them.
]]>I say use this as an example to make a federal case out of food tampering . Tampering with the food supply or distribution ie restaurants should be considered an act of terror and covered under the Patriot Act .
I also say use this as an example of what not to do . They need a lecture from Chef Ramsey or something along with jail time . Purposely tampering with food like this should be considered a crime and not a health code violation .
Half the reason these kids pull this crap is that they don't realize the gravity of the situation . Make it a CRIMINAL offense and they will .
]]>I'm inclined to feel that we--meaning, really, Amy and whyherhead, since my contribution was to watch them post--have done our bit on this one now.
]]>And Jonathan Drake's response was wonderful. Almost makes me want to support Dominos even though I don't eat pizza.
]]>Local newspapers in the area of Conover NC, where this Domino's franchise is located. Should we make sure Kristy and Michael never get to do this type of thing again? Let's send emails to the editors of the papers below to alert them to the situation. Is it necessary?
This particular store needs to be nailed shut. I can't believe that anyone would ever trust it again.This will greatly damage the Domino's brand,no matter what spin the PR department puts on it.
My God,this is sickening.
]]>Dominos might not get my business (just too many good local joints competing with it) but I'm impressed with how they responded.
]]>So is this the right place?
Domino's
509 10th St Nw
Conover, NC 28613
(828) 465-3020
@DjDynasty: haha this crosses so very many lines, and yet...I couldn't help but laugh. I'm not sure what that says about me.
]]>Is there something wrong with me?
]]>Every camera has the ability. Well, sort-of.
My camera is pretty advanced - the Canon 40D, but it doesn't inherently geotag photos.
What I do is take a GPSr with me whenever I take pictures (I keep it with my camera gear) and when I get home, I upload the track log to the computer, and use a program called GEOSETTER (It's free!) which takes the DATE/TIME stamp of the picture, finds the same date/time in your gps log, and uses that data to Geo-tag the pictures.
The only caveat is that you have to make sure your camera is set to the exact time the GPSr is set for (which is set automatically using the satellite data)
So, pictures taken with ANY camera can be geotagged, as long as you keep a GPSr with you.
]]>I also pride myself on my pedestrian food tastes -- I recognize good food, and enjoy it thoroughly, but I will eat almost anything and like it.
I'm a bit of a wine snob though...we all have our faults
]]>@OMG_Kitties: True. I certainly do not think that someone should lose their livelihood because they had a couple of moronic employees, but a national brand has to have protection as well.
The manager that was being referred to as on her ass reading the paper should be fired as well. No way stuff like that should go on. I know it does, and this was a disgusting reminder that it does.
]]>While yes, this can hurt the national brand, I think Domino's Corporate responded quickly and rationally with the situation. Hopefully the public can see that the actions of 2 employees are an isolated incident.
]]>I have a question. I know that the Domino's is independently owned by a franchisee. I don't know much about franchising, but is there a provision on Domino's part that would allow them to revoke the franchise if they do something like this. This is going to end up hurting the national brand. If the local media pick up on it there in NC, it could close the local franchise.
]]>Why would the New York City Health Authority take action on a restaurant in North Carolina?
]]>I was going to say the same thing. It think I'd prefer pizza from a vending machine rather than from Dominoes. Maybe it's improved since I last had it in the early 90s, but I doubt it.
]]>Also, it would be awesome to create a group of "detectives" to search for information on the web based off of good faith, or as a service.
]]>Shouldnt have a angry Mob formed rather then calling the manager? I think the Mob with pitchforks and tourches would have been more fun. Im just saying.... could have got some free Za.
]]>Another proud squid? Cool, me too.
]]>Great sleuthing!
]]>Man, it makes me angry to think they were messing with some of the most perfect food in the universe and now it's making me feel slightly nauseous when I think about.
*sniffle* I should only have happy thoughts about pizza, you jerks!
]]>you guys are awesome!!! Great job!!!
]]>And I'm sure those dumbasses think they were so ~witty~. Hope they have fun being unemployed!
]]>