Domino’s Pizza was originally called DomiNick’s when Tom Monaghan bought the first store. Monaghan and his brother James purchased DomiNick’s, a small pizza shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960.
James Monaghan later exchanged his share of the business for a Volkswagen Beetle, leaving Tom as the sole owner. In 1965, Tom changed the name to Domino’s Pizza after the original owner refused to let him continue using DomiNick’s.
The company’s three-dot domino logo originally represented the first three stores. A plan to add another dot for each new store was abandoned as the chain expanded rapidly. The business later shortened its corporate name to Domino’s, although “Domino’s Pizza” remains widely recognized.