Domino's Pizza

Domino's generated $4.71 billion revenue in fiscal 2024, up 5.1% with U.S. same-store sales growth of 3.2% and international growth of 1.6%, marking the 31st consecutive year of international expansion. The company opened 775 net new stores globally, reaching 21,366 locations with $19.1 billion in retail sales across franchisees. Income from operations rose 7.3% to $879 million as digital ordering infrastructure created operational leverage, reducing friction costs per transaction while increasing order frequency.

Like ant colonies that optimize foraging paths through pheromone trail reinforcement, Domino's digital platform learns customer preferences and delivery routes, improving efficiency with each transaction. The company achieved "meaningful market share gains within the U.S. pizza QSR category" in 2025 after full rollout on major aggregator platforms, integrating third-party networks while maintaining proprietary ordering channels. This represents mutualistic platform participation rather than dependency: Domino's extracts incremental customers from aggregators while retaining direct relationship advantages.

The international business demonstrates network effects compounding across sovereign boundaries. Domino's operates through master franchisees who adapt the platform to local markets while contributing learnings back to the global system. A delivery optimization discovered in Australia propagates to India; a menu innovation tested in Japan scales to Europe. The company's 31-year international growth streak reflects ecological succession: early market entry, local adaptation, operational refinement, and geographic expansion creating self-reinforcing advantages that competitors cannot replicate through capital alone.