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I Staked Out My Local Domino’s to See Just How Accurate Its Pizza Tracker Is

rahimnathwani 7y ago
So the pizza tracker doesn't show actual progress, but moves along according to expected progress. Sounds just like USPS: https://immortalephemera.com/8970/usps-delivery-confirmation-and-missing-packages/ https://immortalephemera.com/8970/usps-delivery-confirmation...
pstuart 7y ago
I get the part about managing expectations, but to go to the detail that they do for each step of progress but not actually do any of it feels rather fraudulent and pathetic. Just give a ping when it's en route and call it a day.
- mikestew 7y ago
  Yeah? Catch the part about what inspired him? It’s one of the reasons I don’t use TurboTax anymore. That doesn’t make it right, but it does lessen my shock at finding Domino’s to be equally dishonest. And there’s just no reason to be dishonest. Heard about this internet thing, Domino’s? Someone is going to test this and post about it. Let’s assume that pizza tracker gives sales a bump (I know, big ask). How much good will is lost if, say, the WSJ gives a column inch or two about that new feature is just window dressing?
  - Eikon 7y ago
    > How much good will is lost if, say, the WSJ gives a column inch or two about that new feature is just window dressing? Nothing, that’s free advertising. Domino’s would likely receive order spikes or at least see an increase in brand recognition.
satori99 7y ago
Domino's in Australia has recently rolled out an in-store camera based monitoring system for pizza quality. It doesn't make the images available to customers as of yet, but they claim it will in the near future. https://dompizzachecker.dominos.com.au/ https://dompizzachecker.dominos.com.au/
- aaron695 7y ago
  > It doesn't make the images available to customers as of yet You can see your pizza. Just use the normal web site. It also uses "AI" to check the toppings are as they should be, with a software update coming to the stores soon I think that also checks the base is correct. The pizza looked great on the photo, but was shit when it arrived. Nothing was faked or changed, just photos don't represent reality well. But an updateable system that tracks every single pizza coming out of every store.... Could do some interesting things..... No reason you couldn't pop the camera higher up and watch the store either, humans cant be much different to pizza toppings to 'AI'
- ElCapitanMarkla 7y ago
  We have that in NZ too, I ordered a couple of pizzas last week to test it all out. Man was I disappointed when “the photo of your pizza is unavailable” and then the pizza sat on the step before the delivery for well over 10 mins. What should have been an awesome process ended up leaving me a little pissed off. I’d almost rather just get an alert to say it’s on the way than see it stall half way through each step.
toyg 7y ago
The author forgot one possibility: that the tracker does track, but is triggered by someone at the back of the shop. Imagine a situation where you have a device telling you that an order has been placed and you have X minutes to complete the next step; you know it will only take a minute to make that pizza, and you’d rather chill for most of the time, no need to rush. So you wait until X minutes are almost over, then click “sure, I’m totally preparing it” - and keep chilling. Next step threshold comes up “yep, it’s all good boss”, and keep chilling. Then you actually make it, but will keep pushing buttons only when the thresholds are close, as to maximise your downtime without raising red flags (even if Delivery is reached too early, it’s the most flexible step so Corporate won’t mind it too much in reports).
- cosmie 7y ago
  This. The pizza tracker came up a few months ago, and I added some details on the triggers[1][2]. The feature is derived from pre-existing data within the system. And as imperfect as it is, it's the state of the order as the internal POS views it. The system is using the exact same data internally to do stuff like track ideal labor needs and tell you when it's time to cut staff for the night, recommend weekly schedules, etc. Which, depending on the franchisee, managers have to justify every time they deviate from the system recommendations. So the system having a flawed perception of the overall system state of orders is as much a hassle internally as externally. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21251266 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21251266 [2] The recent "text me when my driver is x minutes away" feature was not part of the initial rollout, and I can't say if that's another passive feature derived from existing data or involves some new form of active tracking.
sfgweilr4f 7y ago
None of the other comments on this article point out that he said he ran a red light. He risked a side impact collision event to verify the status of a pizza order. "7:25 p.m. — The Chase Continues With his first order delivered, Salim 3 pulls out of the driveway and heads left, so I pull out just behind him. He once again zips along, and I manage to lose sight of him again — for almost 10 seconds this time. I finally catch up with him at a stop light, and to catch back up, I’m forced to run a red light and cut off oncoming traffic." The world is a strange place.
- thomasqm 7y ago
  it was clearly worth it

So the pizza tracker doesn't show actual progress, but moves along according to expected progress. Sounds just like USPS: https://immortalephemera.com/8970/usps-delivery-confirmation-and-missing-packages/ https://immortalephemera.com/8970/usps-delivery-confirmation...

pstuart 7y ago

I get the part about managing expectations, but to go to the detail that they do for each step of progress but not actually do any of it feels rather fraudulent and pathetic. Just give a ping when it's en route and call it a day.

mikestew 7y ago
Yeah? Catch the part about what inspired him? It’s one of the reasons I don’t use TurboTax anymore. That doesn’t make it right, but it does lessen my shock at finding Domino’s to be equally dishonest. And there’s just no reason to be dishonest. Heard about this internet thing, Domino’s? Someone is going to test this and post about it. Let’s assume that pizza tracker gives sales a bump (I know, big ask). How much good will is lost if, say, the WSJ gives a column inch or two about that new feature is just window dressing?
- Eikon 7y ago
  > How much good will is lost if, say, the WSJ gives a column inch or two about that new feature is just window dressing? Nothing, that’s free advertising. Domino’s would likely receive order spikes or at least see an increase in brand recognition.

satori99 7y ago

Domino's in Australia has recently rolled out an in-store camera based monitoring system for pizza quality. It doesn't make the images available to customers as of yet, but they claim it will in the near future. https://dompizzachecker.dominos.com.au/ https://dompizzachecker.dominos.com.au/

aaron695 7y ago
> It doesn't make the images available to customers as of yet You can see your pizza. Just use the normal web site. It also uses "AI" to check the toppings are as they should be, with a software update coming to the stores soon I think that also checks the base is correct. The pizza looked great on the photo, but was shit when it arrived. Nothing was faked or changed, just photos don't represent reality well. But an updateable system that tracks every single pizza coming out of every store.... Could do some interesting things..... No reason you couldn't pop the camera higher up and watch the store either, humans cant be much different to pizza toppings to 'AI'
ElCapitanMarkla 7y ago
We have that in NZ too, I ordered a couple of pizzas last week to test it all out. Man was I disappointed when “the photo of your pizza is unavailable” and then the pizza sat on the step before the delivery for well over 10 mins. What should have been an awesome process ended up leaving me a little pissed off. I’d almost rather just get an alert to say it’s on the way than see it stall half way through each step.

toyg 7y ago

The author forgot one possibility: that the tracker does track, but is triggered by someone at the back of the shop. Imagine a situation where you have a device telling you that an order has been placed and you have X minutes to complete the next step; you know it will only take a minute to make that pizza, and you’d rather chill for most of the time, no need to rush. So you wait until X minutes are almost over, then click “sure, I’m totally preparing it” - and keep chilling. Next step threshold comes up “yep, it’s all good boss”, and keep chilling. Then you actually make it, but will keep pushing buttons only when the thresholds are close, as to maximise your downtime without raising red flags (even if Delivery is reached too early, it’s the most flexible step so Corporate won’t mind it too much in reports).

cosmie 7y ago
This. The pizza tracker came up a few months ago, and I added some details on the triggers[1][2]. The feature is derived from pre-existing data within the system. And as imperfect as it is, it's the state of the order as the internal POS views it. The system is using the exact same data internally to do stuff like track ideal labor needs and tell you when it's time to cut staff for the night, recommend weekly schedules, etc. Which, depending on the franchisee, managers have to justify every time they deviate from the system recommendations. So the system having a flawed perception of the overall system state of orders is as much a hassle internally as externally. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21251266 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21251266 [2] The recent "text me when my driver is x minutes away" feature was not part of the initial rollout, and I can't say if that's another passive feature derived from existing data or involves some new form of active tracking.

sfgweilr4f 7y ago

None of the other comments on this article point out that he said he ran a red light. He risked a side impact collision event to verify the status of a pizza order. "7:25 p.m. — The Chase Continues With his first order delivered, Salim 3 pulls out of the driveway and heads left, so I pull out just behind him. He once again zips along, and I manage to lose sight of him again — for almost 10 seconds this time. I finally catch up with him at a stop light, and to catch back up, I’m forced to run a red light and cut off oncoming traffic." The world is a strange place.

thomasqm 7y ago
it was clearly worth it