Italian company ePizza s.p.a. became a “master franchiser” for the U.S.-based company in 2015, opening as many as 33 locations, according to a report to investors, which tracked fourth-quarter results for 2021. But sales were down nearly 38 percent from their projections at the end of the year.
“We attribute the issue to i) the significantly increased level of competition in the food delivery market with both organised chains and ‘mom & pop’ restaurants delivering food to survive and ii) restaurants reopening post pandemics and consumers out and about with revenge spending,” the report stated.
Adding to its woes, digital ordering didn’t seem to catch on: Although the company’s business model is “heavily geared towards ‘leading edge’ digital technologies,” more than half of orders were made in person or by phone, per the report, and app downloads had lagged.
Representatives from Domino’s and ePizza s.p.a. did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment. Bloomberg and local media also reported that a Milan tribunal had this year granted ePizza protection from creditors, but that expired July 1, Bloomberg News said.
As word of the closures spread on U.S. social media, people predictably poked fun at the very idea of the chain’s ambitions (Domino’s had reportedly hoped to open as many as 800 locations) in the land where pizza is so revered that an organization exists to protect the traditional Neapolitan style and its twirling preparation won a spot on UNESCO’s “intangible heritage” list.
Tweets included: “Omg can u imagine anyone other than drunk American tourists ordering dominos in Italy?” and “Trying to open Dominos Pizza in Italy is like trying to sell snow in the North Pole.” Others noted that pizza from local shops is often cheaper than at Domino’s.
The snark was rampant across the Atlantic, too. A Monday headline in the Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero concluded that “Italians don’t like pineapple pizza: Domino’s is shuttering all pizzerias in the country.” The article mentioned the chain’s American-style menu items such as “Pepperoni Passion” and the “Hawaiana,” noting that such fanciful concoctions had failed to impress purists. “These products would turn up the nose of traditional pizza lovers, while intriguing xenophiles,” it wrote.
Some agreed pizza culture in Italy was just too strong for an American incursion. “Italy repels the invader!” one person tweeted. “Is pizza the last bastion of Italian-ness?” While some defended Domino’s in Italy as being superior to the American version, many in the country were blithe about the chain’s demise. “Domino’s pizza goes bankrupt in Italy,” another tweeted. “Didn’t even know it had opened up shop.”
Stefano Pitrelli in Rome contributed to this report.