Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 24, 1993 TAG: 9312240059
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
There is sociological significance, perhaps, in the fact that Domino's Pizza orders went up 11 percent every time Amy Fisher or at least one Buttafuoco made a scheduled appearance on "A Current Affair."
It may be likewise revealing that White House pizza orders increased an average of 18 percent every night Hillary Rodham Clinton was away on a trip. Overall, the Clinton administration's pizza orders to the White House - where youthful, workaholic staffers routinely pull all-nighters - were 31 percent higher than in 1990, the top pizza year of the Bush administration.
These findings are reported in the 4th annual Pizza Meter, a year in review based on Domino's sales data and a survey of more than 200 of the firm's delivery drivers.
Prognostication by pizzas first gained national attention during the Reagan administration when Domino's franchises noted that late-night orders to the White House, CIA, Pentagon and other institutions greatly increased on the eves of international crises.
The biggest pizza ordering day of 1993 came the night the House of Representatives voted on the Clinton budget. This was the first time in a decade that a sporting event did not coincide with the top delivery day.
However, since the Clinton budget was passed, tips to Domino's drivers across the nation have declined by 4 percent.
In Washington, the drivers said the worst tippers are lawyers, lobbyists and TV studios. The best tips come on orders from the Department of Agriculture, nonprofit organizations and military bases.
by CNB