Domino’s Pizza was called DomiNick’s before adopting the Domino’s name in 1965.
Tom Monaghan and his brother James bought a small pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960. The business was named DomiNick’s, a name inherited from its previous owner. James later exchanged his half of the business for a Volkswagen Beetle, leaving Tom as the sole owner.
In 1965, Monaghan changed the name to Domino’s Pizza. The new name reflected the company’s growing identity and avoided continuing to use the previous owner’s name. The familiar three-dot domino logo was later designed to represent the original store and the two additional locations the company then planned to open.
The chain eventually expanded far beyond Michigan and became one of the world’s largest pizza-delivery companies. “DomiNick’s” is sometimes confused with a shortened form of Domino’s, but it was the earlier business name.