EPizza SpA, the franchise operator for Domino’s Pizza in Italy, filed for bankruptcy in April and closed all of its stores after just seven years in the country, according to a report by Milano Today.
“There was no point in opening it,” an Italian citizen told CNN Business. “Maybe for tourists, but for an Italian, an American pizza chain doesn’t make sense. It’s like me going to England and making fish and chips.”
The company, however, blamed its demise in Italy on the Chinese coronavirus, claiming that two years of pandemic-related restrictions caused the business to struggle, according to a document filed in a Milan court.
Domino’s added that it faced “unprecedented competition,” because local restaurants started using food delivery apps.
“When I was living in Milan I remember some Domino’s delivery scooters, but it makes no sense,” one Italian citizen told CNN Business.
But the company also said it faced problems once the pandemic restrictions were eased and consumers started going to sit-down restaurants again.
A third Italian asked CNN Business: “Who is Domino? Do you know him?”
After being told that “Domino’s is an American chain of pizza restaurants, and they wanted to take the American model of pizza here in Rome,” the seemingly shocked and confused Italian citizen replied, “Here? In Rome? So they wanted to take the pizza to the place where it was invented?”
EPizza SpA had initially signed a 10-year franchising deal with Domino’s, but reportedly stopped its activity in all stores in Italy on July 20.
“The adventures of Domino’s Pizza in Italy and Milan are over,” reported Milano Today. “So goodbye to Hawaiian pizza, pepperoni, pineapple, and the cheese-stuffed crust. Domino’s pizza, whether you loved or hated it, can no longer be eaten.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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