Asking for a joke to be included when he ordered a pizza recently from the fast-food outlet’s South Dunedin store turned into a shock for a Dunedin man.
Jokes and funny pictures drawn on pizza boxes are a common Domino’s request, not only in New Zealand, but across the world.
Their jokes and one-liners are usually along the lines of: "What is a pizza’s favourite song? Slice, slice baby" or "I was gonna tell a pizza joke, but they’re all too cheesy."
When his box arrived, it had a handwritten message, using ballpoint pen, which read: "What world record would an octopus and a black man break?"
The Otago Daily Times has declined to publish the punchline.
"What we received was disturbing - a box containing an excessively racist joke," the man said.
"This behaviour is inexcusable and demands public attention."
A Domino’s spokesman, based in Australia, said the company was taking the complaint seriously.
"Domino’s does not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination and has strict policies concerning the behaviour of team members."
He said the company would be reviewing the matter with the South Dunedin store.
Domino’s became the butt of jokes in 2009, when many customers complained of the quality of their pizzas at that time.
So the company started embracing it and participating in the humour, which has been integral to its modern marketing and social media presence.
Staff members started putting jokes, one-liners and funny pictures on the boxes for their customers.
It is not the first time Domino’s has been in trouble with their marketing ploys.
In 2020, it had a "Karen" Free Pizza Promotion in Australia and New Zealand, in which the company offered free pizzas to people actually named Karen, in a lighthearted attempt to reclaim the name from its meme status as a complaining, privileged person.
But it came under fire by some, who thought it was "tone-deaf", although it was intended to be a lighthearted joke about sharing, according to the company.
