Italian company ePizza spa became a “master franchisor” of the US-based company in 2015, opening up to 33 locations, according to a report to investorswhich tracked fourth-quarter 2021 results. But sales fell nearly 38 percent from its year-end projections.
“We attribute the problem to i) the significantly higher level of competition in the food delivery market with organized chains and ‘mom and pop’ restaurants delivering food to survive and ii) restaurants reopening after pandemics and consumers are out of business. home with revenge spending, ”the report stated.
Adding to its problems, digital ordering didn’t seem to catch on: Although the company’s business model is “heavily oriented toward ‘cutting-edge’ digital technologies,” more than half of orders were placed in person or over the phone, according to The report. and app downloads had been delayed.
Representatives for Domino’s and ePizza spa did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment. Bloomberg and the local media also reported that a Milan court had earlier this year granted ePizza protection from creditors, but that expired on July 1, Bloomberg News said.
As news of the closures spread on US social media, people scoffed at the idea of the chain’s ambitions (Domino’s reportedly hoped to open as many as 800 locations) in the land where the pizza is so revered that an organization exists. to protect the traditional Neapolitan style and its rotating preparation won a place on the list of “intangible heritage” of UNESCO.
The tweets included: “OMG, can you imagine anyone other than a drunk American tourist ordering dominoes in Italy?” and “Trying to open Dominos Pizza in Italy is like trying to sell snow at the North Pole.” Others noted that pizza from local stores is often cheaper than Domino’s.
Sarcasm also proliferated across the Atlantic. A Monday headline in the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero concluded that “Italians don’t like pineapple pizza: Domino’s is closing all pizzerias in the country.” The article mentioned the chain’s American-style menu items, such as “Pepperoni Passion” and “Hawaiana,” noting that such extravagant concoctions had failed to impress purists. “These products would upset lovers of traditional pizza, while intriguing xenophiles,” he wrote.
Some agreed that Italy’s pizza culture was too strong for an American incursion. “Italy Repels the Invader!” one person tweeted. “Is pizza the last bastion of Italian?” While some defended Domino’s in Italy as being superior to the American version, many in the country were elated at the chain’s demise. “Domino’s pizza goes bankrupt in Italy,” tweeted another. “I didn’t even know he had opened a store.”
Stefano Pitrelli in Rome contributed to this report.
