Domino's Pizza is cooking up a nice "recipe" for its workers despite the misery brought about by the coronavirus pandemic this Holiday season: almost $10 million in special bonuses.
Nextar News reported Thursday that over 11,500 drivers and hourly workers will be given the bonuses, with some earning up to $1,200.
"We strive every day to uphold our values of doing the right thing and putting people first...it's our way of saying 'thank you' to these remarkable people," Ritch Allison, chief executive officer of Domino's Pizza, said in a news release.
The biggest pizza slinger in the U.S. has been making lots of dough as more people order in during their pandemic isolation. Domino's registered a surge in second quarter revenues with a bump of more than $49 million in profits. The company's shares rallied more than 30% this year.
Domino's has over 17,200 branches in 90 cities around the world. The company announced it is hiring another 30,000 employees to cope with robust demand as pizza sales grew during the crisis. Most of the company's workers are employed by independent franchisers, the company said.
Domino's is the latest U.S. company to acknowledge hourly employees as consumers and the labor market take a beating from the pandemic. Last week, Starbucks said it's on course to pay all of its employees at least $15 per hour within two to three years, which would make the company the biggest coffee business to do so.
This is the second bonus that Domino's has given workers in the face of the pandemic. It also gave paid time off to front line staff. This month's bonuses also follow the pizza maker's "Feed the Need" program whose objective is to give 10 million slices to those in need.
Meanwhile, Amazon said all full-time workers are eligible for a $300 "special recognition" bonus, while Walmart said more than $700 million in additional cash gifts would be given out to all U.S.-based associate team members.
