Domino Pizza Scared to Deliver to Certain Areas & to People with HIV

Domino’s recent refusal to deliver pizzas to a public housing community sparked allegations of discrimination, but restaurant officials note that service also is denied to other homes - in more upscale neighborhoods - because of safety risks, such as vicious animals. “Where we deliver has everything to do with the safety and security of our team members - nothing else,” said Heather Conrad, operations manager for Domino’s Pizza. “If we sent our employees into an unsafe environment, then that wouldn’t be fair to them. We cannot pretend that crime does not exist in Charlottesville or any community for that matter.” Domino’s doesn’t deliver to Hardy Drive and Blue Ridge Commons and after 9 p.m. it won’t send drivers to Friendship Court and the 900 block of South First Street. Alan Asef, Domino’s area manager, said there are also about 10 houses in Charlottesville that Domino’s won’t deliver to because of incidents of dog attacks and abusive language, among other causes. “Some of these houses are in very upscale neighborhoods, at least two of them are,” Asef said. In addition, Asef said delivery to a University of Virginia fraternity was suspended for a year and a half after drivers were verbally harassed. Asef declined to name the fraternity and said service resumed in the fall after the individuals responsible for the harassment left. Domino’s was one of two delivery chains that refused to send drivers to a Feb. 10 HIV testing event at the Westhaven public housing community on Hardy Drive. A manager at Papa John’s said the restaurant does not deliver to Hardy Drive, Friendship Court, the 600 and 700 blocks of Prospect Avenue, Rougemont Avenue, or South First Street with the exception of the 500 block. After dark, the store doesn’t deliver to 10th Street, 10 1/2 Street, Dice Street and Paoli Street. [more]