Русский
In a somewhat bizarre Russia-United States legal case, a Russian national has lost his claim for damages against Domino’s Pizza in Russia after Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court ruled out his claim against the American company.
Dmitry Mazentsev, who lives in Moscow, entered a competition in 2018 called ‘Domino’s Forever,’ in which participants could win free pizza takeaways for life if they inked a 2 cm tattoo of the company’s logo on their bodies. The competition, which promised one hundred free pizza vouchers each year for 100 years, received hundreds of applicants but closed, unannounced, after just one week of opening. They chose 350 lucky winners—including Mr. Mazentsev.
But he only got the chance to enjoy free pizza for five years, after his supply was cut off in 2023 when the company exited the Russian market. That effectively made the Russian franchisee, a company named DP Eurasia, bankrupt.
Domino’s later announced on Russian social media that the offer was no longer valid and that the company would provide funding for tattoo removals. However, Mazentsev decided to take them to court, demanding they continue to give him 100 28 cm pizzas each year until 2118, as well as offer him compensation for ‘moral damages.’ He stated that “I got sick of pizza, but obligations to customers have to be fulfilled. It’s a matter of principle.”
The case is interesting not only because of its somewhat ridiculous nature but also because it shows that Moscow courts are upholding international law. What Mazentsev hadn’t taken into legal consideration is that the competition’s Russian obligations rested with the franchisee, who had entered bankruptcy and had no financial assets—or obligations—to continue to honour the original contract, as the company has now been formally closed.
That doesn’t mean that Domino’s parent company in the United States doesn’t have a moral obligation, because our opinion is that they do—and a financial settlement would have been appropriate. However, making such a payment also raises problems due to Russia being disconnected from the SWIFT payment network—which again is not Mazentsev’s fault, but neither does that lie with Domino’s Pizza either. Who made the offer to pay for tattoo removal is unclear.
The original Domino’s Pizza competition—which was only carried out in Russia—was badly thought-out and executed from the start. When it was first announced in 2018, the company failed to set a participation limit, meaning hundreds of Domino’s Pizza consumers rushed to get tattooed, including many who got tattooed after the company failed to adequately announce the competition had closed. That left many with redundant and worthless (not to mention stupid) inkings.
The assets of DP Eurasia—142 restaurants in Russia—were sold by the liquidator to Anton Pinskiy, a Russian entrepreneurial restauranteur who, together with his Russian rap star business partner Timati, also purchased the assets of 130 Starbucks café’s after they also pulled out of the Russian market. The irony of this is that now the local profits of both these quite substantial businesses now remain wholly in Russia and are not now repatriated to the United States as dividends to their respective US parents—leaving more taxable income for Moscow.
Domino’s Pizza has subsequently been rebranded as ‘Domino Pizza’ and Starbucks as ‘Stars Coffee’ in Russia.
Since being taken over by Pinskiy and Timati, both brands have expanded in Russia. Domino’s Pizza has been repositioning its market reach and closing some old stores while opening new ones, while the menu is also being modified. Stars Coffee, meanwhile, has expanded in Russia, opening in several new locations and currently discussing a partnership with an Asian retailer.
Neither has announced any potential promotional activities involving their customers being tattooed.
