
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 22, 1993                   TAG: 9312220134
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

30-MINUTE PIZZA PLEDGE ABANDONED

The concept of time saved - perhaps one of the most precious commodities of American culture - increasingly has become a marketing ploy. Now it has come back to haunt one of the companies most closely linked with it.

Domino's Pizza, the nation's No. 1 pizza delivery chain - which built its reputation on a 30-minute guarantee - scrapped its quick delivery promise Tuesday. The move was prompted by a jury award last week of nearly $79 million to a St. Louis woman who suffered severe spinal and head injuries in 1989 after a delivery driver ran a red light and hit her car broadside.

Everyone from U.S. presidents to college students pulling all-nighters has come to expect pizzas delivered in 30 minutes - or less. But given the potentially horrible consequences, companies may have to rethink their approach. "People all think they need to do much more in less time," said Carol Moog, an advertising psychologist. "But no one can control time - not even Domino's."

The president of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino's, Thomas Monaghan, acknowledged Tuesday that the decision to eliminate the 30-minute guarantee was influenced by last week's jury's verdict, which the company plans to appeal.

"That was certainly the thing that put us over the edge," he said. He defended the company's safety record, saying that "we are the safest delivery company in the world." All deliverers are required to take defensive-driving classes, he said.

The jury awarded Jean Kinder, the woman hurt in the 1989 accident, $750,000 in actual damages and $78 million in punitive damages. An attorney representing Kinder offered cautious praise for Domino's announcement Tuesday.

"We are pleased that Domino's has heeded the message the jury was sending when they spoke as the conscience of the community," said Paul E. Kovacs. "We only wish it had happened long before our client was injured."

Domino's introduced the concept of home-delivered pizza more than 30 years ago. The 30-minute guarantee began in 1984. Many franchises initially promised customers that pizzas would be free if they weren't delivered in 30 minutes. But that promise was scaled back in recent years to give customers $3 refunds on late pizzas.

by CNB