Disgusting Domino's People
Within only days of the upload, the videos garnered more than a million views and international press, got the two employees fired and charged with a felony for food contamination, and negatively affected the consumer reputation of the Domino's brand.
In 2010, Setzer and Hammonds pleaded guilty to lesser punishment, facing short prison sentences, several months of probation, and prohibition from being at Domino's and other places that serve food or beverages.
"[5] Examples happening around this time include Amazon having to make a public statement after being accused of removing best-sellers with LGBT themes off their platform,[6] Motrin pulling an advertisement due to social media backlash, and Tropicana stopping the sale of redesigned containers after a storm of complaints.
[9] Conover councilman Lee Moritz Jr stated that the Domino's chain had a good relationship with the community through its support towards youth groups and major events.
[21] Gary Lafone, the chief of police that charged the two employees, admitted to avoiding interview calls from BBC, Inside Edition, Court TV and far-away locations stations about the fiasco.
"[23] On April 15, the two employees turned themselves in following a felony warrant filed by police[24] and were charged with food contamination which made them plausible for a jail sentence of four months to a year.
[10] The two first appeared at District Court on April 17 with Gary Dellinger as judge; attorneys assigned were Wes Barkley for Hammonds and Shawn Clark for Setzer.
[24] Although Hammonds and Clark claimed the food in the video never went out,[20][25] this contradicted what prosecutors say Setzer told police that customers did receive items with the contaminated ingredients.
[20] Setzer entered an Alford plea on March 9, 2010, and was sentenced to six months in jail and requiring to be on supervised probation for two years, pay a $1,000 court fee, and stay away from Hammonds and any Domino's restaurant.
"[25] On November 19, 2010, Hammonds pled guilty in exchange for a reduced 45-day suspended sentence, 18 months probation, 200 community service hours, attorney fees of $1,125, and prohibition from working at any place selling food or drinks; she also was required to submit videos of the incident to police and not talk about anything related to the case publicly.
[2] Perception from those surveyed by YouGov also soured, with the company's global managing director Ted Marzilli stating that 15-to-20 of the participants mentioned the controversial videos.
[12] On April 15, Domino's released a statement on their official website, apologizing for the video and thanking the brand's customers: "The opportunities and freedom of the internet is wonderful.
"[2] That same day, it also uploaded a video message from Domino's USA president Patrick Doyle, which announced the Conover location was shut down and being cleaned: "We sincerely apologize for this incident.
Mack Patterson, owner of the restaurants, claimed feeling "sick," "disgusted," and "angry," publishing an ad in an edition of the Charlotte Observer released on April 17, 2009: "To our valued customers and friends, recently, an unflattering video was circulated on the Internet by two former employees from another franchise -- from a store I do not own.
"[3] Mark Wnek, a chairman-chief creative officer of Lowe New York, called the behavior in the video a "crime against working people," noting that it would have a negative psychological impact on workers and parents who can only afford fast food during a difficult economic time.
[1][12] Some predicted that the nationwide hatred online towards Domino's would be short-lived,[30][24] and recommended the corporation do special offers and price discounts to get back positive consumer perception.
[12] Nielsen Online brand strategist Pete Blackshaw recommended the corporation stop airing television advertisements for a few weeks to get the incident out of the people's conscience.
