Domino’s
Tom Monaghan and his brother, James, took over DomiNick’s business in 1960, an existing small pizza restaurant chain that was owned by Dominick DiVarti. The brothers secured the deal with a down payment of $500, and they borrowed another $900 to buy the store. While they planned to split the hours evenly, James didn’t want to quit his full-time postman job in favor of the new business. Just eight months later, James traded his half of the business to Tom for the Volkswagen Beetle they used for pizza deliveries. By 1965, Tom had purchased another two pizzerias and while he wanted them to share the same branding, the original owner banned him from using DomiNick’s name. That same year, an employee, Jim Kennedy, suggested “Domino’s”. The rest, as they say, is history.
Domino’s
Arby’s
Founded in Boardman, Ohio, in 1964, Arby’s was created by Forrest and Leroy Raffel. They were owners of a restaurant equipment business who saw a market opportunity for a fast-food franchise based on something other than hamburgers. They wanted to name their restaurants “Big Tex”, but it was already in use. So, they instead named their restaurant “Arby’s” based on R.B., the initials of the Raffael Brothers. At first, they only served roast beef sandwiches, potato chips, and soft drinks.
Arby’s
