Domino’s speeds up menu changes after sales miss expectations

Domino’s is already moving the next offer into place. After a 50% off online pizza promotion ran from April 20 to April 26, the chain lined up another make-good deal for May 6 to May 9 after a third-party technology problem affected customers, a sign the company is trying to keep traffic moving even as its quarter came in below expectations.

The numbers were still positive, but not positive enough. Domino’s said U.S. same-store sales rose 0.9% in the first quarter and global retail sales increased 3.4%, with 19 net new U.S. stores and 161 net new international openings. The company also approved an additional $1.0 billion share repurchase program on April 27. Still, the 0.9% domestic result fell short of the roughly 2.72% growth Wall Street had been looking for, and the stock dropped about 10% after the report.

For store teams, the more revealing detail is what happened beneath that headline. Domino’s said it saw positive order-count and market-share growth in the U.S., but it also described the business as operating in an intensifying macro and competitive environment. Carryout comps were up 2.4% while delivery was down 0.3%, showing that pickup was holding up better than the delivery side that depends on driver coverage, dispatch timing and late-night volume.

That is why the chain is speeding up product innovation and changing how it stages marketing for the rest of the year. A faster promotional calendar usually means more ingredient changes, more prep-list changes, more par-level adjustments and more pressure on managers to keep the make line and delivery flow tight. When limited-time offers come closer together, stores have less time to settle into a routine before the next item, another price point or another ad push lands on the board.

Domino’s has already been leaning harder on digital tools to support that push. On March 24, it updated Tracker with a more precise AI-based ready time, iOS Live Activities and a clearer view of order progress. The company says Tracker has tracked more than 2.5 billion orders since 2008, and the point is obvious: if the marketing calendar is moving faster, the kitchen and the driver board need better timing.

The message from the quarter is not panic, but it is a warning. Domino’s lowered its 2026 U.S. same-store sales outlook from a prior 3% target to positive low single digits, which tells franchisees and crew alike that the company expects to work harder for each order. In pizza, that usually shows up first on the schedule, then on the make line, and then in the pressure to keep discount-driven traffic from slipping further.