Japanese Domino's Pizza Employee Tarnishes Company Image With A Single Action

Things aren’t looking good for Domino’s, a famous pizza chain that has locations all around Japan.

On February 12 at around 2 AM, a video of one of their employees went viral on X (Twitter). A part-timer was spotted picking his nose and rubbing his finger on a slab of uncooked pizza dough.

It was unquestionably an employee from Domino’s as he wore their recognizable shirt and cap.

Netizens immediately let their disgust be known. They began questioning the brand’s commitment to hygiene, wondering if they were victims of such an incident without their knowledge. It cast doubt on their in-store cleanliness, tarnishing their reputation. Some mentioned that they “can’t eat Domino’s pizza anymore if it has booger on it” and that they would instead begin patronizing their competitors.

鼻くそ入れられてたらもうドミノピザ食べれないょ😭
ピザハットとピザーラに切り替えていく🍕

— リガチマル (@ReGirl77) February 12, 2024

Domino’s responded quickly to the backlash. They were able to pinpoint the specific location where the offending video was captured, finding that it was in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. They also said that it would consider taking legal action against the employee in the video and the one filming it.

In a public statement apologizing for the incident, they added that the dough that was handled by the part-timer was intended for use the next day, thus customers from the day itself need not worry that they ingested germ-filled pizza. The restaurant chain also threw the dough and all related ingredients into the trash just to be sure.

We sincerely apologize for any discomfort and inconvenience caused to our customers. From now on, the entire company will make every effort to avoid a recurrence and restore trust in our products.

— Domino’s Japan

In his interview with the company, the part-timer explained that his actions were based on a desire to be funny.

I did it because I thought it’d be kind of funny. I really regret it.

— Employee

Though the company’s reputation was tarnished by the incident, a number of customers also commended them for the way they handled the situation. They were particularly impressed by Domino’s quick response in pinpointing the culprit.

ドミノピザさんの対応が素晴らしい!!めちゃくちゃ早いですね!!
皆さん♫ドミノピザは適切な対応をしてるので安心して食べて下さいね✨

アホなバイトテロをするクソ野郎には多額でも良いので実費での損害賠償請求をして下さいね!! pic.twitter.com/ZWBk0JurUo

— king- Gangsta (@kingGangsta7) February 12, 2024