Dominos are a great way to illustrate how one small action can create a chain reaction. They are also a fun and engaging way to teach students about physics and simple machine structures like the wheel and axle. However, just as a domino can easily fall over if not placed correctly, some learning challenges impact students in the same manner. When a student compensates for their learning challenge instead of addressing it directly, they can quickly build up skills that prevent them from progressing, much like a Domino effect.
The first domino in the Domino’s Pizza story began with Tom Monaghan buying his father-in-law’s failing pizza business in Ypsilanti, Michigan in December of 1960. Monaghan knew he had to be smart about his approach in order to succeed and decided to implement the Domino’s Delivery System, which promised customers their pizza in 30 minutes or less.
When Domino’s started out, the system consisted of an employee running orders from a central station while two others drove around the city in a truck that served as their delivery vehicle. Eventually the company moved to a larger facility where a computer system was implemented. This allowed the drivers to receive their orders in a timely fashion, ensuring that Domino’s could meet its 30-minute promise.
Today, Domino’s is one of the most recognized food chains in the world. It has expanded to over 12,000 locations worldwide and employs more than 100,000 people. While they may be known for their pizza, Domino’s is also a popular source of sandwiches, appetizers, pastas and cakes. The company has even entered the Chinese market, partnering with local restaurants to deliver their products.
Domino’s also has a reputation for excellent customer service, as illustrated by its employees’ behavior on the television show Undercover Boss. When a Domino’s employee encounters an issue with a customer, they address the problem and offer a solution. This helps the Domino’s brand stay in good standing with their consumers and is an effective strategy for building a successful business.
There are many different games played with dominoes, including blocking and scoring games such as bergen and muggins. Some are adaptations of card games, which were used in certain regions to circumvent religious prohibitions against playing cards. Other games are designed to develop number recognition and math skills.
The most common domino set has 28 tiles, which is a small number for games with more than two players. Larger sets are “extended” by introducing additional ends, which increases the number of possible combinations of end values and thus of pieces. Depending on the game, the pips on a domino may indicate rank, value or simply that it is a piece of a set. A domino that has more pips is usually considered to be heavier, or higher in rank, than a domino that has fewer pips or none at all. Some large domino sets use more readable Arabic numerals rather than the traditional pips.