Domino’s has closed the last of its 29 stores in Italy, marking the end of an ambitious plan to launch American-style pizza in the culinary ancestral homeland.
Domino’s came to Italy in 2015, when it had more than 12,000 stores worldwide.
It opened stores in Milan before expanding to other hubs, including Rome, Bologna and Turin.
According to an NBC report at the time, they planned to woo customers with “purely Italian” ingredients like “100%” ketchup and mozzarella, and products like prosciutto di parma. , gorgonzola, grana padano and mozzarella di bufala campana.
It targets a 2% market share and aims to open hundreds of restaurants in the country by 2030, relying on the delivery aspect to its advantage.
But as eating out is restricted during the pandemic, traditional Italian pizzerias are also turning to home delivery.
And there is stiff competition from home delivery apps including Glovo, Deliveroo and Just Eat, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the story.
Social media users greeted the news of Domino’s Italy’s departure from Italy with a marked lack of surprise.
“Never try to sell ice to the Eskimos,” one Twitter user wrote.
“May we all have the frantic trust of the dominos executive who advertised the opening in Italy,” another added.
Sky News sought comment from Domino’s in the US, which has partnered with Italian company ePizza SpA on the franchise agreement.
EPizza SpA filed for bankruptcy in Italy in April.
The British Domino’s Pizza Group is a franchisee of Domino’s Pizza Inc which is listed in the United States and operates stores only in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
