Something strange has happened at the Domino’s on 13th street since July. When I was there last week, orders were backed up. Drivers walked in the delivery expert door without a word. Pizzas were taking longer to emerge. I didn’t recognize nearly anyone there.

What happened?

Almost by accident, as I rarely visit Papa Johns, I found myself at the location on Archer. The rarity of my visits is from the poor service. The last time I was at Papa Johns on Archer, I waited five minutes while being completely ignored by four employees behind the counter in an empty lobby, then finally walked out — to Domino’s on 13th street.

In any event, I walked in the door to find the whole 13th street Domino’s staff, working at Papa John’s. “Traitor!” one of them jokingly remarked as I walked in. Did the whole Domino’s staff defect? No one would discuss the details of the scenario with me, but things at the Archer Papa Johns have definitely changed. While I was present to pick up my order, a driver returning from a run shouted driver in as you’d expect… at Domino’s! What’s most unusual, many of these new Papa Johns employees were multiyear Domino’s veterans at the 13th street location.

What gives?

At my next trip to Domino’s, I asked the last employee I recognized about the situation. He declined with “we don’t like to talk about it”.

I have long enjoyed Domino’s pick up special, which includes a small handtossed for under $5 out the door. A similarly sized pizza from Papa Johns costs nearly $8. However, given the elite staff of Domino’s 13th street, winner of multiple awards throughout the years as the best of the best, now work at Papa Johns, I may permanently defect. Thus far my encounters with the mostly novice staff at Domino’s 13th has not been promising.

The whole situation is quite strange.