Domino's Pizza Inc. posted U.S. same-store sales growth of 0.3% in the third quarter of 2026, the chain's third consecutive quarter below 1% and a sharp deceleration from the 5.2% U.S. comp gain the brand booked in the year-ago period, executives said on Tuesday's earnings call.

The company opened 175 net new stores globally in the quarter, including 26 net openings in the U.S., bringing the domestic store base to 7,257. The chain restated its long-term goal of 8,500 U.S. locations.

What is driving the comp miss?

Chief Financial Officer Sandeep Reddy tied the muted figure to "a challenging macroenvironment pressuring consumers, which led to lower average tickets and fewer items per order." U.S. comps have now printed 0.9% in Q1, 0.1% in Q2 and 0.3% in Q3.

Reddy's updated outlook has full-year U.S. same-store sales landing at the low end of the low-single-digit range, "assuming the challenging macroeconomic and competitive environment we have experienced year-to-date continues through the remainder of the year."

The chain pushed hard against the backdrop, running a weeklong 50% off deal in late July and rolling out the personal-sized, Detroit-style Domino in August.

How is the new CEO framing the playbook?

Joe Jordan took over as CEO after more than 13 years with the company, most recently as chief operating officer. Russell Weiner, who had held the CEO seat since 2022, shifted to executive chairman following his retirement.

On his first earnings call, Jordan tied the next chapter to order count and product-led growth.

"I believe growing orders is the most important thing a brand can do in the current environment," Jordan said. "Consumers remain under pressure, but they continue to choose Domino's. More orders bring more customers into our system, support our franchisees, and create opportunities to drive greater frequency over time."

He named two priorities: "getting closer to the customer and continuing to drive strong four-wall profitability for our franchisees."

What is the 'me-we' occasion?

Jordan pitched the personal Domino — sold individually but designed to drop into group orders — as an aggregator-tailored play.

"We call this the 'me-we' occasion — people ordering as a group while still having the ability to choose something for themselves," Jordan said. The product is "designed for individual choice while still preserving the shared occasion that makes pizza so special," he added.

The Domino is built for third-party platforms where customers are "looking for a meal of their own," according to Jordan.

How did the rest of the income statement land?

Third-quarter financials:

• Total revenues: up $38.5 million, or 3.4%, on higher supply chain revenue and global franchise royalties
• Supply chain revenue: up, primarily on higher order volumes
• Food basket pricing to stores: up 2.2%
• Income from operations: up 8.3%, lifted by franchise royalties and fees
• Net income: up $12.9 million, or 9.2%
• International same-store sales: up 0.2%

Shares fell 2.7% in premarket trading following the release.

What does this change for franchisees?

The supply chain revenue growth suggests order volume and basket pricing still feed corporate top-line even as consumer caution compresses tickets. The 2.2% rise in food basket pricing to stores hands operators a margin lever, but it also tightens already pressured check averages at a moment when items per order are falling.

Domino's reiterated its long-term U.S. store target of 8,500 — more than 1,200 units of runway from the 7,257 it runs today — without detailing cadence or the split between company-operated and franchised units.

The path to year-end, as Jordan sketched it on his first call, runs through order-count discipline, aggregator share gains, and the personal Domino carrying the product story.