Domino’s Names Joe Jordan Next CEO as Weiner Steps Back

Domino’s just told the world who’s getting the keys. On July 20, the largest pizza company on the planet held its rescheduled second-quarter earnings call, and it doubled as a coming-out party for Joe Jordan — the company’s next chief executive, who officially steps in this October.

The leadership news isn’t a total surprise; Domino’s confirmed the succession plan back in June. But Monday’s call gave the first real look at how the outgoing and incoming CEOs plan to run the handoff together, alongside a fresh set of quarterly numbers and a hint at what’s landing on menus this fall.

The Handoff, Made Official

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. confirmed on June 22 that Russell Weiner had informed the board of his intention to retire as CEO. Following what the company called a multi-year succession planning process, the board appointed Joe Jordan — until then the company’s chief operating officer and president of Domino’s U.S. — to take over as CEO effective October 1, 2026. Jordan joins the board of directors the same day.

Weiner doesn’t disappear from the org chart. He stays on as CEO through September 30, becomes Executive Chairman Designate on October 1, and is expected to formally become Executive Chairman after Domino’s 2027 annual shareholder meeting. David Brandon, the company’s current executive chairman, is retiring from the board entirely after 28 years with Domino’s.

In the company’s official announcement, Brandon said the board’s decision was unanimous, adding that Jordan “embodies Domino’s culture of developing leaders from within.”

Who Is Joe Jordan?

Jordan isn’t an outside hire brought in to shake things up — he’s a nearly 15-year company veteran. He joined Domino’s in 2011 as vice president of innovation, and worked his way through chief marketing officer, executive vice president of Domino’s International, and — most recently — chief operating officer and president of Domino’s U.S., a role he stepped into last year.

Along the way, Jordan led the relaunch of Domino’s loyalty and e-commerce platforms and the rollout of its global digital marketplace partnerships. During the period he oversaw international operations, the brand opened more than 3,000 stores worldwide — a scale of growth that gives some sense of why the board landed on an internal promotion rather than an outside search.

Weiner’s Exit, by the Numbers

Weiner joined Domino’s in 2008 and became CEO in 2022. Under his leadership, the company says it added more than 3,200 net new locations and roughly $3 billion in global retail sales, alongside a steep rise in operating income. On Monday’s call, Weiner pointed to a simpler measure of his tenure: U.S. system orders have more than doubled since he joined the company.

How Domino’s Q2 Actually Went

Numbers-wise, the quarter was a mixed bag. Total revenue climbed 4.3% to $1.19 billion, and net income rose 3.6% to $135.8 million, with diluted earnings per share up to $4.07 from $3.81 a year earlier. Global retail sales grew 3.0%, and the company opened a net 209 new stores worldwide — 26 in the U.S. and 183 internationally.

But same-store sales told a bumpier story. U.S. same-store sales inched up just 0.1%, and international same-store sales slipped 0.1% excluding currency effects. Executives said order counts actually grew “meaningfully” across both delivery and carryout — the softness came from a weaker average ticket, largely because the quarter was being measured against last year’s Stuffed Crust Pizza launch, a tough comparison to beat.

One bright spot the company was eager to highlight: Domino’s says it’s now the number one pizza brand on both Uber Eats and DoorDash. Loyalty program membership was also up 20% year over year. Shares dipped toward a 52-week low following the call, as investors weighed the ticket miss against the leadership change.

What’s Coming Next

Domino’s left its full-year outlook mostly intact, still guiding toward low-single-digit same-store sales growth in both the U.S. and internationally. The one notable trim: the company’s U.S. net new store target slipped slightly to about 175, as macroeconomic pressure has squeezed franchisee profitability and slowed the development pipeline.

The bigger tease was reserved for product news. Weiner told analysts a new item is launching in the third quarter that’s “unlike anything we’ve offered before at Domino’s,” designed to target an occasion the pizza category hasn’t been serving well. No name, no photo, no release date yet — just a promise that it’s meant to bring in customers the current menu isn’t reaching.

Bottom line: Domino’s is betting its next chapter on a familiar face. Joe Jordan officially takes over October 1, Russell Weiner shifts into an advisory chairman role, and a mystery new pizza item is set to test whether “unlike anything before” can turn a soft ticket into a strong Q3.