Our product isn’t just pizza — it’s a whole pizza experience
Good pizza
Our pizza is simply good. People often tell us on social media that pizza tastes better in a restaurant — on thin crust, straight from the oven, freshly made — and that’s true.
Nevertheless, tens of thousands of people place orders with us every day and give us five stars. About 80% of our orders are repeat orders, and about 10% of our customers come back to us regularly — every two weeks or more often.
So why do our customers value us so much?
Nevertheless, tens of thousands of people place orders with us every day and give us five stars. About 80% of our orders are repeat orders, and about 10% of our customers come back to us regularly — every two weeks or more often.
So why do our customers value us so much?
Exceptional experience
We earn these five stars for what we call the "pizza experience." Our product isn’t just pizza; it’s the entire chain of events — from the moment someone decides to eat pizza to the complete fulfillment of all their needs. And that’s much more complex than just pizza:
That is our product. That is why people love us.
- We have to create a menu where every customer finds something appealing — whether it’s the recipes, the portion sizes, or the prices.
- Make the mobile app user-friendly and intuitive.
- Ensure our pizzerias are cozy, have a great atmosphere, and offer a smooth ordering process.
- Fulfill orders quickly, cook delicious food, and assemble them without mistakes.
- Deliver quickly and intact, and hand it over with a smile.
- Resolve any issues that arise quickly and easily.
That is our product. That is why people love us.
Manifesto
Every day, our customers tackle a multitude of tasks: returning calls, offering help, giving rides, coming up with ideas, discussing matters, and getting things done. At the same time, they need to find time to eat, feed others, treat them to something, bring joy, and show care. We don’t know exactly what they’re dealing with every day. But we know how to make any day a little better! When someone needs a pizza or a light snack, a quiet corner, or a place to meet — they have Dodo Pizza.
Values
What are «values»? Are they what we ourselves consider important, what we sincerely believe in, and what we strive for? Or are they what our clients value in us, the reasons they choose us and set us apart from others?
It may seem like these are two different questions, and that we have to choose which one to answer. Our secret lies in having the same answers to both questions.
This works on a personal level:
If a person values quality work, and is valued for quality work — it turns out that when it comes to quality, they can simply be themselves.
If a person values openness, and is valued for their openness — it means their interests are perfectly aligned with those of the people around them. This is a sign of integrity, and perhaps even a recipe for happiness.
At the company level, it works exactly the same way:
If we, as an organization, systematically invest in the accessibility of our products, and customers value our accessibility — then we don’t need to pretend; we can simply be ourselves.
If every person in the company feels in their heart that responsiveness is important and makes the world a better place, and our customers agree and value our responsiveness — then we can simply do what we believe in and not waste a single second on «putting on a show».
Win-win!
Accessibility, responsiveness, trust, openness, and quality — that’s our formula.
It may seem like these are two different questions, and that we have to choose which one to answer. Our secret lies in having the same answers to both questions.
This works on a personal level:
If a person values quality work, and is valued for quality work — it turns out that when it comes to quality, they can simply be themselves.
If a person values openness, and is valued for their openness — it means their interests are perfectly aligned with those of the people around them. This is a sign of integrity, and perhaps even a recipe for happiness.
At the company level, it works exactly the same way:
If we, as an organization, systematically invest in the accessibility of our products, and customers value our accessibility — then we don’t need to pretend; we can simply be ourselves.
If every person in the company feels in their heart that responsiveness is important and makes the world a better place, and our customers agree and value our responsiveness — then we can simply do what we believe in and not waste a single second on «putting on a show».
Win-win!
Accessibility, responsiveness, trust, openness, and quality — that’s our formula.
Availability
Dodo Pizza is a mass-market brand, and the concept of accessibility is at the heart of everything we do. We strive to be accessible to every customer, without exception, in the broadest sense:
- Geographical accessibility. We open locations in even the most remote towns and expand our delivery zones to be closer to our customers.
- Price accessibility. Our prices are reasonable to begin with; we also have many great combo deals; we make sure the menu offers good options not only for large groups but also for one or two people; and we have everyone’s favorite loyalty program, which is full of promo codes, promo codes, and lots of promo codes.
- Accessibility in user interfaces. Our app is adapted for the visually impaired and blind, as well as for people with motor impairments, sensitivity to light, or sensitivity to sudden animations.
- Accessibility in architecture. All necessary standards are already in place in the law; we comply with them not just formally, but in good faith.
Responsiveness
We are fundamentally caring. We believe that caring makes the world a better place. It improves relationships between people and helps build trust.
We show our care:
It is important that responsiveness be a matter of principle. Not situational, based on a good mood, but unconditional, always and everywhere. Our responsiveness is stronger than fatigue, stronger than any grievances, stronger than technical and organizational difficulties, stronger than any «but».
We show our care:
- At the checkout — we create a friendly atmosphere and help customers make their selections.
- In customer support — we respond to every request, and if something goes wrong, we quickly resolve any issue.
- In public spaces — we pay close attention to every review, comment, and suggestion, and we respond to everyone.
- In dialogue with partners and our team — we value everyone, we don’t brush anyone off, and we listen to and take everyone’s interests into account.
It is important that responsiveness be a matter of principle. Not situational, based on a good mood, but unconditional, always and everywhere. Our responsiveness is stronger than fatigue, stronger than any grievances, stronger than technical and organizational difficulties, stronger than any «but».
Trust
We build our business on trust. This is the key principle that allows us to channel the creative energy of thousands of talented people toward a single great cause, identify any issues in a timely manner, live happily, and have nothing to fear.
We trust:
Of course, we do not tolerate deliberate deception. If we reliably determine that someone is causing harm on purpose, we take action. But instead of suspecting everyone and requiring individuals to earn our trust, we trust everyone and allow a few people to become the unfortunate exception.
This is a vulnerable position. It’s fairly easy to trick our support team into giving out a promo code, and it’s not that hard to steal a salad from our open display. We know.
Just don’t be afraid. Trusting is more profitable. We’ve checked this a hundred times with a calculator in hand. We’re not afraid to trust because we’re confident in ourselves, our decisions, our products, and our worldview.
We trust:
- Our customers. A couple of examples: we place open refrigerated display cases near the registers where customers can take items before paying; in customer support, we take their word for it in disputed situations; we give a birthday discount without asking for ID; if a customer accidentally spills their coffee, we make a new one for free.
- Employees. We consider everyone a partner in our shared mission. We don’t use KPIs; we use OKRs. We never penalize anyone for anything. We entrust ambitious team members with leadership roles that are often a bit “ahead of their time,” giving them the opportunity to shine.
- To our partners. We provide access to information without any NDAs or mandatory fees. We trust the opinions of experienced franchisees, support their initiatives, and learn from them; we discuss key decisions at a special Partners’ Council.
- To the world. We believe that no one intentionally wishes us harm, so we listen carefully to criticism.
Of course, we do not tolerate deliberate deception. If we reliably determine that someone is causing harm on purpose, we take action. But instead of suspecting everyone and requiring individuals to earn our trust, we trust everyone and allow a few people to become the unfortunate exception.
This is a vulnerable position. It’s fairly easy to trick our support team into giving out a promo code, and it’s not that hard to steal a salad from our open display. We know.
Just don’t be afraid. Trusting is more profitable. We’ve checked this a hundred times with a calculator in hand. We’re not afraid to trust because we’re confident in ourselves, our decisions, our products, and our worldview.
Openness
Thanks to our culture of openness, our company has grown significantly without losing any of its integrity.
For us, openness means:
We not only foster this culture within the company, but also strive to be an example to everyone — an example of how open-mindedness, sincerity, acceptance of differences, and a commitment to finding common ground help achieve outstanding results.
For us, openness means:
- A quality control tool. When everything is out in the open, it’s much easier to ensure compliance with standards.
- A driver of improvement. Thanks to openness, we not only constantly receive feedback and external signals, but we also accept them and use them for growth.
- Transparency. We literally have transparent walls in our pizzerias, and we also have a transparent business — we openly publish financial information and a vast number of documents, including this very one.
- Honesty. We tell it like it is. All our advertising is straightforward, with no hidden catches or fine print. We value our word and our reputation above all else. If we make a mistake, we don’t hide it — we acknowledge it and learn from it.
- Impartiality. We treat people of all nationalities with respect; we do not judge by appearance, gender, or status; we work with everyone as equals and trust everyone equally.
- Genuine curiosity. We are interested in the world in all its diversity: we do not try to dictate rules, but rather want to both influence the whole world and learn from the whole world.
We not only foster this culture within the company, but also strive to be an example to everyone — an example of how open-mindedness, sincerity, acceptance of differences, and a commitment to finding common ground help achieve outstanding results.
Quality
Customers can easily tell the difference between tasty and bland, fast and slow, convenient and inconvenient, clear and confusing. That’s why we take quality very seriously:
How do we maintain quality over the long haul? It’s tough! Our eyes get blurry. It’s easy to stop noticing problems and lower our standards. Here’s what helps us out:
- We’re particular about our ingredients. We carefully select our suppliers and never skimp on flavor.
- We care about food safety. We strictly follow storage protocols, move ingredients from shelf to shelf, and ruthlessly discard anything past its expiration date.
- We care about the dough. We carefully select ingredients. We refine our recipes. We navigate a maze of grams, degrees, percentages, and hours down to the minute. We build production and distribution centers to make dough under more predictable conditions, ensuring quality doesn’t decline as volumes increase.
- We go the extra mile with recipes. We refine classic global favorites through detailed feedback from thousands of customers. We create recipes unique to each market with expertise and passion, leveraging the talents of our chefs.
- We sell only fresh pizza. Our average delivery time is 34 minutes. We sell slices from the display case for no more than 90 minutes, then throw them out without hesitation.
How do we maintain quality over the long haul? It’s tough! Our eyes get blurry. It’s easy to stop noticing problems and lower our standards. Here’s what helps us out:
- Deep digitalization of our business. A computer’s eye doesn’t get blurry. Algorithms don’t get tired by the end of the day. We’ve been developing our own information system — Dodo IS — since day one, and it plays a huge role in quality management.
- Objectivity. It lets us look at ourselves with fresh eyes, through our customers’ eyes, time and time again. After all, they don’t care about the challenges of implementation, do they? So we don’t look for excuses either.
- Principled. If a pizzeria fails to deliver quality, we first do everything in our power to help; if that falls on deaf ears, we require the partner to sell the pizzeria to another partner or even close it down. Alas, such cases have occurred.
- Principles. Once, a long time ago, one of the first pizzerias had 20 kg of expired pepperoni. Just a couple of days past the expiration date! Given the heat treatment, a couple of days past the expiration date isn’t a problem at all. 20 kg is a lot, and for us, that was a lot of money. But we decided to throw it all away — not because it’s dangerous to eat, but because it’s dangerous to compromise on quality. A standard is a standard.
- And once again, a matter of principle. Once, we threw out a stock of receipt tape worth 11 million ₽ — the tape was printed with «we do not use frozen cheese», but as the chain grew, for the sake of food safety, we decided it was better to freeze it. It was a real shame about the money, but we couldn’t keep telling a lie. Someone might say, «Well, once that tape runs out, then the promise will be updated — no big deal!». Not us.