121 Pies
In 1984, I set the Iowa City Domino’s Pizza delivery record.
Thirty Minutes or Free
“Twelve, fourteen, eighteen.”
Calling out delivery times, I ran into Domino’s.
Deposit the money.
Grab the oldest pie from the rack.
Pause.
What else could I take and still beat the clock?
It became a game.
Route.
Run.
Drive.
Beat the clock.
Before GPS, the town lived in my head—
streets, lights, shortcuts, minutes between doors.
Pizza delivered on time. Score.
Forty-five pizzas earned a $3 bonus.
Every one after that added a quarter.
At $3.75 an hour in 1984, it mattered.
I lost ten pounds in the first six weeks—
running hard
and eating all the pizza I wanted.
The Pizza Guy
running out the door
streets and stoplights in my head
steaming hot pizza
gas, brake, shift, racing the clock
molten cheese still steaming hot
Part 1 of a four-story series from my Domino’s days.


You were optimizing even then!