Sunday, February 12, 2012

Domino's "Pizza Tracker"...does anyone know how this works?

I was visiting a friend last night and we ordered Domino's for dinner. He placed the order online and their "pizza tracker" popped up. (It's a feature that tells the customer the current status of the order.)

That got me thinking, though. Does anyone know if it's an honest representation of what's happening to your pizza right at that moment? Or is it just a countdown on a preset timer that gives, say, 5 minutes for preparation and 12 minutes for baking or something?

If it really is a true indicator, how does it work? Do the employees really have to stop what they're doing to update their pizza statuses at every new step?

I rarely order Domino's pizza and this is the first time I've seen someone do it online...and it got me curious.Domino's "Pizza Tracker"...does anyone know how this works?
I don't work at Dominoes, but I've helped set up the IT part of other tracking systems. Here's how they work:

Each order is tracked, by order number, bar code or status. For instance, you place your order, and the clock starts ticking. The order displays on a screen for cooks to prepare. Once the pizza is made and in the oven, the cook indicates that it is done and it both disappears from the display and tracks that the preparation stage is complete.

The next display is for the person that cuts the pizza, put it in a box and sets it up for delivery. Again, as the task is completed, the order is timestamped.

The next person is probably a supervisor that assigns the delivery to a driver, or the driver signing out with the pizza. Either way, the time of the event is again tracked.

All told, you have a relatively limite dnumber of steps thatare always repeated through the creation, cooking and delivery of a pizza, and can be made available online for customers to review. Note that this is a variation of the 'order status' that UPS, FedEx and other delivery services have been providing for several years, but applied to fast food.

Of course, the real goal of the system is for upper management to be able to track service levels within each restaurant - but once the data is available real time, why not make it available to customers, and cut down on complaint phone call re: "Where's my pizza?"Domino's "Pizza Tracker"...does anyone know how this works?
My pizza days are pre-tracker, but I can tell what is likely to be happening. Pizza has been computerized for years.

Step 1 Order Placed

This timer starts when you hit send with an internet order or when the phone person enters your phone number at the beginning of the order if you call it in.

Step 2 Prep

This time runs from the end of order placed until the pie maker clears your pie from the computer screen. Fact: an experienced pie maker can make a Large Pepperoni Pizza in 30 seconds. A more complicated pizza can still be made in a minute to a minute and a half. If it takes longer it鈥檚 because the store is busy and other orders are ahead of it

Step 3 Bake

A Domino鈥檚 oven runs at 500 degrees give or take a few degrees. Cook time is around 6 minutes (sometimes less.) The specific time can be programmed in for a particular Domino鈥檚.

Step 4 Box

After the 6 minutes (or so) runs out the pizza has left the oven. The pizza put in a box and cut. The box will sit on a heatrack until the next driver is available. Often the driver is already there. The employee on the oven yells, "run up" or something similar if the driver is working elsewhere.

Step 5 Delivery

Each driver checks out a pizza on another computer. This will start the delivery clock. This clock stops when the driver reaches your door. I don鈥檛 know if they send a signal somehow or it鈥檚 just assumed that it will be under 30 minutes. Most deliveries take 5 to 20 minutes depending on where the customer lives and how experienced the driver is.

If you want to know exactly how they do it you can call your local Domino鈥檚 and ask. A good time to call is 2pm to 3pm between the lunch and dinner rushes.
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