Who Founded Domino's Pizza?

Tom Monaghan co-founded Domino's in 1960 when he and his brother James bought DomiNick's in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with about $900 in borrowed money. After James traded his half of the business for the shop's Volkswagen Beetle in 1961, Tom became sole owner and renamed the chain Domino's Pizza in 1965. He built the company around fast delivery and franchising, introduced the 30-minute delivery promise, and expanded abroad from 1983. In 1998 he sold a roughly 93% stake to Bain Capital in a deal widely reported at about $1 billion, then focused on Catholic philanthropy, including founding Ave Maria University.

Tom Monaghan was born in 1937 in Ann Arbor.

James Monaghan co-bought DomiNick's with his brother Tom in 1960. Unwilling to give up his postal job for the long hours of the pizza shop, he traded his half of the business to Tom in 1961 in exchange for the store's Volkswagen Beetle, a deal often cited as one of the most costly trades in business history. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).