Domino's Pizza (DPZ) rallied about 5% right out of the gate Tuesday morning, as Wall Street cheered the food firm's latest earnings report.

For the third quarter, DPZ earned $16.6 million, or 27 cents per share, while revenue climbed 14.8% to $347.4 million. Both figures topped analysts' consensus estimates, which called for a profit of 25 cents per share on $335.9 million in revenue.

Domino's Pizza (DPZ) introduced a rather interesting advertising campaign recently -- advertising the negative statements some of its customers have made. The most notable comments were made about the taste of the pizza and the quality of the ingredients.

Following the campaign, the company has introduced the first new specialty pizza under its new recipe, the Wisconsin 6 Cheese Pizza. The new pie will feature six different cheeses (obviously) on the company's new crust and with its new sauce. But the new pizza isn't the only news coming from Domino's. Next week, the pizzeria will report third-quarter earnings.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) to buy from hold based on valuation. The firm keeps a $39 target on the stock.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Kenexa (KNXA) to overweight from neutral, citing a strengthening of trends for the company. The firm has a $29 price target on the stock.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Gaylord Entertainment (GET) to buy from neutral on expectations the company will benefit from strong trends in 2011. The firm raised its target for shares to $35 from $32.50.
• MeadWestvaco (MWV) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• EADS (EADSY) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

In the battle for pizza-chain dominance, it was Papa John's International (PZZA) that took the cake (or rather the crust). The Consumerist reports that the latest results from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index -- tracking points on customer expectations, perceived quality and value, customer complaints, and customer loyalty -- show Papa John's topped its peers in both the pizza business and the fast-food sector overall.

The chain improved its score by 6.7% from last year, hitting 80/100.

There is a decidedly global flavor to KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants lately. And no, we're not talking about the Chalupa Baja -- this is about a global sales for these franchises and their parent company.

In recent years, operator Yum! Brands (YUM) has been growing at a breakneck pace, now with more than 3,500 locations in China alone and plans to open another 900 restaurants outside the U.S. in 2010. And the next global market that is in its sights is the United Kingdom, with a Taco Bell in Essex set to peddle low-priced burritos by the end of June.

In a recent Wall Street Journal interview, top Nike (NKE) executive Mark Parker talked about his ambitious goal to boost global sales 40% by 2015. His strategy? Focus on China, Brazil and India and connect with these emerging markets' emerging middle classes.

And most interesting of all: The company is planning this move under brands that don't bear the trademark swoosh logo.

Rollerskates: they give a new meaning to "getting a burger to go," doesn't they?

Carhops on roller skates are making a comeback as Sonic (SONC) forges ahead with plans to revive wheeled waitstaff at its drive in restaurants across the U.S. Sonic is planning a new TV ad campaign that will highlight this nostalgic feature of Sonic stores that many diners may have forgotten -- or that younger customers didn't even know existed -- in an effort to reconnect with consumers.

Though it's a bit later than fast-food rivals McDonald's (MCD) and Burger King (BKC), Arby's is at last rolling out a value menu of its own. The restaurant is adding more lower-priced items to its menu including a small roast beef sandwich, curly fries and a "jamocha" shake -- and operator Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) is backing them with an expensive new advertising campaign.

It's part of a big push by the higher priced fast-food joint to woo back cost-conscious customers who fled the pricier restaurant for cheaper rivals during the recession. Since Arby's ownership group Triarc bought the Wendy's name in 2008, it has seen its Arby's stores stuck in a steady downward spiral -- sped up by the recession.

But will this latest gambit help, or is Arby's a dying chain?

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) higher Q3 earnings topped expectations but revenue was in line.
• Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) posted better-than-expected Q3 results, but shares sold off.
• Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ATI) was downgraded on concerns about its Q4 guidance.
• Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) shares fell after it posted a deeper-than-expected quarterly loss.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) fell victim to profit taking despite reporting better-than-expected earnings.
• CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) better-than-expected Q3 earnings sent shares higher, despite a decline in revenue.

The shares of Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) gapped sharply lower this morning, despite a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit. Ahead of the bell, Domino's reported net income of $17.8 million, or 31 cents per share, for the quarter ended Sept. 6. Excluding a $14.3 million pretax gain, Domino's profit of 17 cents per share was two cents better than analysts expected.

However, revenue for the period tumbled 6.5% to $302.7 million, falling well short of consensus estimates for $308.9 million. Same-restaurant sales were flat in the U.S., although they were up 2.7% internationally. With top-line results softer than expected, the pizza chain cited lower interest expense and tighter cost controls for the robust bottom-line results.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says Panera is one company that has plenty of room for expansion.

If the restaurant stocks are stabilizing after a real downturn that has lasted for several weeks, this group -- a leadership group from the fall when gasoline fell in price -- is going to have a wicked move back.

I like Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) (Cramer's Take), which never broke down. This is one in which technicians signaled weakness, with Top Gun Rick Bensignor and I going head to head on "Mad Money." He was right that it initially would downtick, but I think it is bottoming along with McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) (Cramer's Take). It's got the growth and it has good tumbling raw costs. The dollar's going the way for both stocks.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) Q1 profit fell despite strong sales of Plavix and Abilify.
• Check Point Software Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CHKP) was downgraded based on its guidance.
• Domino's Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) strong Q1 results were boosted by early debt retirement.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) strong Q1 results were driven by Madagascar 2.
• Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP) Q1 results led to an analyst's downgrade.
• E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) widened its Q1 loss, sending shares sharply lower.

Domino's (NYSE: DPZ) first quarter earnings report showed that the company is weathering the recession to date better than analysts had expected. Net income was up 245% over fourth quarter 2008, and 168% over same quarter a year ago.

However, this and the earnings per share of 41 cents were inflated by $21.2 million realized from early debt retirement. Without this, EPS would have come in at 20 cents, still above analysts' expectations of 17 cents but down by a penny from the first quarter of 2008.

The company jumped at the chance to retire $43 million of 5.261% fixed-rate notes for $22.3 million of cash on-hand and very cheap money draw from its revolving bank account. Continuing on that course, Domino's has already retired an additional $25 million that will show as $12.9 million to the good in the next quarter's earnings.

Corporations spend millions of dollars in advertising to carefully cultivate a brand and image, yet all that money can be for naught when a couple of trashy employees take it upon themselves to post a video on Youtube showing them deliberately sneezing and farting on the food they are about to serve.

Domino's (NYSE:DPZ), the nation's second largest pizza chain with over 8,700 locations in 60 countries, is suffering such an assault at the moment.

The video is narrated by a young lady who takes obvious delight in ridiculing the company and its customers. One has to wonder what goes through the mind of an employee who, despising the company, continues to take the paycheck rather than move on. It's not as though Domino's is the only low-wage job on the market, even in these hard times.

Good news -- Christmas came early this year! This morning, TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) and Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) announced that they have joined forces to bring us all one step closer to the American dream. Thanks to a joint venture between the two companies, subscribers to TiVo's digital video recording service can now order a piping-hot pie from Domino's direct from their television set.

To take advantage of this waistband-unfriendly service, TiVo customers can click "I want it" from their TV remote. However, I imagine it's possible that this simple directive may soon be replaced by a series of Jabba the Hutt-like gurgles.

Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Domino's, bragged that ''This is the first time in history that the 'on-demand' generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set." (That sound you hear is the collective hardening of the 'on-demand' generation's arteries.)