Domino's Pizza was originally called Dominick's when its first store opened in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Tom Monaghan and his brother James purchased a small pizza store called DomiNick's in 1960. James later traded his half of the business to Tom for a Volkswagen Beetle. Because Tom could not continue using the DomiNick's name after the ownership change, the business was renamed Domino's Pizza in 1965.
The new name kept a connection to the original business while creating a distinct brand that could be expanded through franchising. Domino's used a delivery-focused model and eventually built a large network of franchised stores. Its familiar three-dot logo originally represented the first three stores, with an intended plan to add dots as more locations opened.
The original name is sometimes written with slightly different punctuation or capitalization, including DomiNick's. The important distinction is that Dominick's was the earlier store name, whereas Domino's Pizza became the chain's enduring corporate identity.