Comparison..

The chain was founded in 1958 by Dan and Frank Carney. The Original Pizza Hut building was later relocated to the Wichita State University campus.Additional restaurants were opened, with the first franchise unit opening in 1959 in Topeka, Kansas. At the same time Pizza Hut was growing in and around Kansas, Shakey's Pizza was developing a stronghold along the West Coast. The competition provided Pizza Hut the impetus to evaluate its mission and direction. Dan and Frank Carney saw Shakey's expanding into their territory and realized that they needed to determine if Pizza Hut should be in the entertainment business or if it should be a neighborhood pizza restaurant. They decided to stick with the neighborhood business and realized that they needed to have a good standard image. The Carney brothers began to systematize operations and building designs to counter the competition from Shakey's. The franchise network continued to grow through friends and business associates, and by 1964 a unique standardized building appearance and layout was established for franchised and company-owned stores, creating a universal look that customers easily recognized.

By 1972, with 314 stores nationwide, Pizza Hut went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock ticker symbol PIZ. In 1977, Pizza Hut was acquired by Pepsico, who later also bought KFC and Taco Bell. In 1997, the three restaurant chains were spun off into Tricon, and in 2002 joined with Long John Silver's and A&W Restaurants to become YUM! Brands. Pizza Hut has opened Pizza Hut Express which specialize in small 6" pizzas. The oldest continuously operating Pizza Hut in the world is in Manhattan, Kansas, in a shopping and tavern district known as Aggieville.





Domino’s Pizza began in 1960 when Tom Monaghan and his brother James bought "Dominick's Pizza", a small pizzeria in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The deal was secured by a $75 down payment and the brothers borrowed $500 to pay for the store. Eight months later, James quit the partnership and traded his half of the business to Tom for a used Volkswagen Beetle. With Tom as the sole owner of the company, Dominick's Pizza became Domino's Pizza. In 1968, a fire destroyed the company headquarters and commissary. Although Domino's faced numerous other obstacles in the following years, including a 1975 trademark-infringement lawsuit by Amstar, maker of Domino sugar,the company expanded, and in 1978, the 200th Domino’s franchise opened.
At the prospect of potentially losing the right to use the Domino's Pizza brand name, Tom Monaghan hired Group 243 to create an alternative identity. Later they became agency of record for the company and remained so for over a decade. During that time, the agency, led by president Janet Muhleman and her partner Robert Cotman designed the store interiors, the pizza box, the Indy race car, created and produced all of the advertising, and managed recruitment for the franchise. When Group 243 was hired, Domino's had fewer than 100 units. They marketed the brand until it reached over 5,000. In the 1980s, Domino’s decentralized its operations by opening the first international Domino’s in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In the following years the company expanded even more, and as of September 2006, it has 8,238 stores which totaled US$1.4 billion in gross income. Monaghan retired in 1998 and sold Domino's Pizza for nearly 1 billion dollars, but retained a 27% non-controlling stake in the company.

Over 8,000 stores worldwide now operate under the Domino’s brand, with the opening of a store in Huntley, Illinois as the 8,000th store. All international stores are franchised. The Domino’s Pizza store in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, became the first in Domino's history to hit a turnover of $3 million (€2.35 million) a year.Although the franchise is typically delivery and carry-out only, there is one dine-in Domino's with a full buffet in Clovis, NM. In Late 2008, Domino's Pizza Closed 1 Restaurant. This Closed Restaurant Was Located At Vineland, NJ.