Domino's Pizza Crowns Rene DeGuia as the 'World's Fastest Pizza Maker'

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June 14, 2005 
                    ** B-ROLL SATELLITE FEED AVAILABLE **

ORLANDO, Fla., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- And then there was one! Dough flew as 13 finalists from around the world competed today for the title of "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" in Domino's Pizza's 19th bi-annual competition. The winner, Rene DeGuia, a Domino's Franchisee from Sarasota, Fla., made three one-topping large pizzas in an impressive 1 minute 9.9 seconds. That's one pizza every 24 seconds! DeGuia won a $5,000 cash prize and the coveted title.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050614/NYTU195 )

"The opportunity to be the best in the world at anything is rare, and Domino's gave me the opportunity and training to become the fastest pizza maker in the world," said DeGuia. "The 12 other competitors were incredible and this was a great competition. My secret is to be passionate about making the perfect pizza every day, every time."

The finalists represented the United States, India, England and St. Maarten. They had to hand-stretch fresh dough, sauce and top three large, one-topping pizzas -- one pepperoni, one mushroom and one cheese -- in the fastest time. But while speed was important, it was only part of the recipe. Quality was scrutinized as two judges inspected the stretching of the dough, application of the sauce and portioning of toppings during the competition. If the pizza was not perfect, it was returned to the competitor who remade the entire pizza, while still being timed.

Domino's began the "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition in 1982 to honor pizza makers who best exemplify the company's philosophy of keeping efficiency in the store, allowing sufficient time for safe delivery. Regional competitions, held across the world, determined the competitors with the fastest times.

"Domino's employs the best pizza makers in the world, which was evident at this year's competition," said David A. Brandon, Domino's Pizza's chairman and chief executive officer. "The high standards of Domino's pizza-making process and the flawless execution of our team members result in a quality product to our customers. The competition underscores our commitment to get hot, great- tasting pizzas to our customers' doorstep as quickly and safely as we can."

Mustafa Habib, Supervisor, from San Francisco finished second making three perfect pizzas in 1 minute 20.6 seconds. In third place was Sandra Vicknair, a Franchise Supervisor from Ponchatoula, La. with a time of 1 minute 21.93 seconds.

Honorary starter Stephanie Myers, project leader for the Domino's task in season 3 of "The Apprentice," was in awe of the speed and precision each competitor displayed. "I know first-hand from my experience on 'The Apprentice' how difficult it is to make and deliver pizza. The talent of these finalists is absolutely amazing," said Myers.

The "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" competition was held during Domino's Worldwide Rally, the company's biannual meeting of nearly 4,000 franchisees and team members from around the globe. This year, Domino's Worldwide Rally was held at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fla., from June 13-15.

SATELLITE FEED:

B-Roll of the event will run on June 15, 2005 on the following
coordinates:
Wednesday, June 15th
4:00-4:15 AM ET
1:30-1:45 PM ET
C Band, IA 6, Tr. 9 DL 3880 Vertical

About Domino's

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol (NYSE: DPZ). Through its primarily franchised system, Domino's operates a network of 7,799 franchised and Company-owned stores in the United States and more than 50 countries. The Domino's Pizza(R) brand, named a Megabrand by Advertising Age magazine, had global retail sales of more than $4.6 billion in 2004, comprised of nearly $3.2 billion domestically and more than $1.4 billion internationally. Domino's Pizza was named "Chain of the Year" by Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the pizza industry and is the "Official Pizza of NASCAR(R)." More information on the Company, in English and Spanish, can be found on the Web at http://www.dominos.com.

SOURCE Domino's Pizza
06/14/2005
CONTACT: Holly Ryan of Domino's Pizza, +1-734-604-2322,
hrussell@vorhaus.com
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050614/NYTU195
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.dominos.com
(DPZ)