Mike Orcutt says his only job in life has been "making, baking and taking pizzas."

Orcutt, 51, started working at a Domino's Pizza in Ann Arbor, Mich., when he was 16 years old. He worked his way up to executive vice president of operations for the pizza chain.

Sean Drakes/Special (ENLARGE)

Michael L. Orcutt, CEO of Cowabunga Inc., demonstrates his pizza baking skills in a Buckhead branch of Domino's.

THE MIKE ORCUTT FILE • Age: 51 • Background: Raised in Michigan, moved to Atlanta in 1990 to become a Domino's franchisee. • Family: Single with three children: Stacy, 23; Michael, 21; and Cami, 19. • Resume: Owns 79 Domino's franchises in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. He also is a member of the Domino's National Advertising Fund Board of Directors and Domino's Marketing Advisory Council. • What he orders from Domino's: Double-pepperoni or pepperoni with provolone. He also frequently has one of his stores make up a new pizza, such as a macaroni and cheese or sloppy joe pizza.

In 1990, Orcutt moved to Atlanta and bought eight Domino's outlets, leaving the corporate headquarters in Michigan to be a franchisee in Georgia.

His company, Alpharetta-based Cowabunga, has since grown to 79 outlets in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, making it the largest single-owner Domino's franchisee.

Q: How has the business changed since you started?

A: The business has gotten so sophisticated. From my phone, I can sit here and dial into what's known as the ticker. I can look at all of the current 79 stores and tell how fast pizzas are going out the door, how fast pizzas are going in the oven. ... I can tell you how fast our customers are getting them. It's horrible for the store operators. They love football season because I don't watch my ticker as much.

Q: What helped you move up at Domino's and then expand your business at Cowabunga?

A: I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed by any means. I'm excellent at listening and stealing other people's ideas. I call it the perfect fit. I listen to people, write down their ideas and then tweak them so they fit what it is I'm trying to do. And, hopefully, give them the credit.

Q: What's the biggest mistake you see franchise owners make?

A: Egos are the biggest thing. That's No. 1. When they think they're the smartest kid on the block. If any of us think we're the reason that all things go perfect or we're the reason for success, then we need to go back and relearn the business.

Q: You opened a dine-in Domino's in Roswell in the early 1990s as part of a test concept. It lasted less than two years. What went wrong?

A: One, we didn't design enough parking for it. We hit a wall with how many people we could serve. ... And then, I put in one of those ball playgrounds. People wouldn't leave.

Q: Would you try it again?

A: It's a future thought. I don't know if we're going to jump into it again right now. We're great at delivering. So how can we utilize this asset of being the best delivery guys in the world? That's probably where we ought to go. ... The opportunity also is more and more carry-out.

Q: How has the economy affected your business?

A: Gas prices have been rough as well as commodity prices (such as cheese and wheat). We've had to pass some prices onto our customers. ... (But) we've done a fairly unique thing with our pricing. It's called 'integrity pricing.' We've taken down all the high prices and taken off the map all the really low prices, so we don't have our customers completely confused.

Q: How does that help you sell more pizzas?

A: If you and I were sitting there watching a football game, I want you to order a great pizza and not feel like you're getting ripped just because it's not on special.

Q: But aren't pizza customers conditioned to looking for the promotions and coupons?

A: They won't go away. You have to have the national promotions. Our customers are driven by that, but in those promotions, you're not going to see us do cheap, cheap and then turn around and do some trickery.

Q: So if you don't win at price, how do you win customer loyalty?

A: We're going to become significantly more product-oriented. We're going to change from just being the fastest deliverer to where you're going to be able to order a specialty pizza and you're going to say, 'This is really freaking good.'