WALPOLE, N.H. – Domino’s Pizza, the largest pizza company in the world, recently opened a new shop at 9 Red Barn Lane in Walpole. The new store opened its doors two weeks ago and will be open seven days per week. Other local Domino’s locations include shops in Claremont and Keene, N.H., and Springfield and Brattleboro, Vt.
Domino’s was established in 1960, in Ypsilanti, Mich., when, brothers Tom and James Monaghan bought DomiNick’s Pizza for $900. They renamed the business in 1965, after an employee suggested the name change. Eventually, Tom bought out his brother, an even trade for a used Volkswagen Beetle they had used for pizza deliveries.
Two years later, in 1967, the first Domino’s Pizza franchise location opened, and within the next decade Domino’s grew to more than 200 stores. Today, there are more than 22,100 Domino’s locations worldwide. The Walpole shop officially opened on May 21, and features the full Domino’s menu, including sandwiches, salads, pizzas, wings, and more. Keith Bell is the franchisee of the new Walpole location.
“I started as a delivery driver back in 2000, with no intention of ever franchising,” Bell said in a recent interview. “But I really enjoyed the job and over the years I just kept moving up in the company until 2015, when I decided to take a leap of faith and built my first location in Claremont. The official process requires a franchisee to be a successful general manager of a Domino’s Pizza store for one year to be allowed the opportunity to franchise.
“In choosing Walpole for the new location, we liked the idea of the two towns next to each other [Walpole and North Walpole], so we could service both communities. We also own the Upper Valley stores as well, so it just seemed to make sense.
“We currently have a handful of employees, and when we are fully staffed will have up to 15 employees,” Bell concluded. “Although there are no immediate plans for a grand opening, there’s a lot of exciting things coming soon to Domino’s over the next few months.”
The Walpole store is open Sunday-Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to midnight; and Friday and Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. – 1 a.m. For more information, call the store at 603-756-6177 or visit www.pizza.dominos.com.