Why Domino's Fans Might Be Encouraged To Pick Up Their Own Pizzas

Pizza is staple for Americans. Like it or not, we eat a lot of it. Per the South Florida Reporter, the USDA shares that 13% of people in the United States eat pizza every day. To wit, pizza shops in the United States, according to Statista, made a whopping $46.24 billion in 2020, and while that was down from the $46.34 billion they claimed in 2019, it is still an impressive number given the world was in a lockdown due to Coronavirus. And when it comes to pizza chains, Domino's Pizza leads the way in sales, bringing in $8.3 billion in the U.S. in 2020, per the official website.

Add to these stats the fact that, as Business Insider noted, pizza purveyors really had an advantage when the pandemic left us reliant on food delivery services, because they already had people on their payroll ready to deliver their food, so it's easy to understand why their profits haven't suffered and declined in comparison to other businesses. In fact, Business Insider reported that pizza eateries like Domino's business model helped them to keep "nearly all U.S. stores open" while the traditional sit-down restaurant was not as fortunate. But now, it seems as if Domino's may be feeling a new impact from the pandemic and may start to encourage fans to choose carryout over delivery when they order their next pizza from the chain.

According to Business Insider, Domino's pizza sales took a dip for the first time in 10 years in 2021 and they are currently experiencing a shortage when it comes to drivers to deliver the coveted food. That's right, there may not be enough delivery folks out there to get us our pepperoni, everything, and cheese pizzas. Per the article, Domino's CEO Richard Allison has said that "staffing has been a challenge," and, in another article, Business Insider notes that people in the retail and service industries are brushing off the "stress" and "anxiety" of their current jobs in pursuit of better pay.

While The Guardian reported that the pizza chain is trying to hire 8,000 pizza delivery employees in the U.K. and Ireland, Business Insider explains that Domino's CEO in the U.S. is looking to expand carryout as a result of the driver shortage. What does this mean? You might start seeing deals to encourage you to choose carryout over the convenient delivery option. Statista notes that when a chain is promoting carryout deals it is because they make more money when you choose this option for receiving your pizza. Why? The answer is simple. They do not have to pay a driver to deliver it. So, if you see an uptick in chains like Domino's promoting carryout over delivery, that's why.