Kirk Alexander lived alone in Salem, Oregon. Pizza was his favorite food. For 10 years, he ordered pizza every
single day from Domino’s Pizza Joint in the same place. Then, suddenly, he stopped ordering. The restaurant staff became very worried. They wondered what happened to their best customer.
The restaurant manager, Sarah Fuller, talked to reporters. She said, “He orders every day, every other day. We see his orders on the screen because he orders online. But then he stopped. We felt something was wrong.”
The restaurant employees thought Kirk might be away for a few weeks. They thought maybe he was visiting family or on a business trip. But as days passed, they got more worried. They decided to ask the manager about Kirk’s order. Fuller felt something wasn’t right. She needed to do something.
So, Fuller did something important. Kirk had been ordering from Domino’s for a long time. The staff felt like they knew him well. Fuller said, “He seemed nice, if quiet. He was like family to us because he ordered so much.” Kirk sometimes stopped ordering when he went out of town, but never for this long. Maybe he was bored with the food and ordered from somewhere else.
Kirk was a regular customer, but he didn’t always order the same thing. He ordered different foods like pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or wings. The Domino’s menu had enough variety for Kirk. He loved their food. The employees worried about his safety. Where was Kirk? What happened to him?
The Domino’s staff got very worried. Fuller decided to check if he was okay. They sent a delivery driver, Tracy Hamlin, to Kirk’s house. Tracy heard voices inside. The lights were on, so he knocked on the door.
“We saw the last order 11 days ago. We felt something wasn’t right,” Fuller said to reporters. Tracy knocked, but got no response. He tried the door, but it was locked. He called Kirk’s phone, but it went to voicemail. He raced back to Domino’s to tell Fuller. He hoped he was fast enough.
Kirk’s neighbor said he rarely left home. Tracy knew Kirk had health problems. That’s why he always had his food delivered. Tracy felt there was more to the situation. He talked to other staff and decided to call 911.
“I need help. It could be an emergency,” Tracy said. “This is Domino’s Pizza. Our customer usually orders every night. But he hasn’t ordered in 11 days.” The operators took details and called the police.
The sheriff sent deputies to Kirk’s home. They knocked and called out to Kirk. They heard him calling for help. They broke down the door and found Kirk on the floor. They called an ambulance.
Kirk had a stroke. Paramedics stabilized him. Doctors couldn’t tell how long he had been there. But after treatment, he started to recover.
The Domino’s staff was happy to hear Kirk was okay. Fuller said, “We’re like a family. We’re glad we could help. We hope he fully recovers.”
Fuller and her assistant manager, Jenny Saber, were interviewed on Good Morning America. They told what happened. They visited Kirk in the hospital.
Fuller said she visited Kirk three times. At first, he could only answer yes or no questions. Then he looked better and was moved to a rehabilitation wing.
Domino’s rewarded the staff. They got movie tickets and a trip to a Domino’s convention in Las Vegas. The police thanked Tracy for his quick action.
Kirk’s story showed how important it is to check on others, even if it’s just a pizza delivery.
