Finally, it turns out that Italians don’t necessarily like pineapple on their pizza. Or at least not enough to keep almost three dozen of the chain’s restaurants afloat. Domino’s Pizza. In July, the American group’s Italian stores turned off their ovens because they failed to win over discerning gourmets in the place where pizza was invented. Italy is no longer among the top 90 international Domino’s Pizza markets. Bloomberg news agency reported Tuesday that court documents show the company’s Italian franchise arm applied for creditor protection several months ago as it was cash-strapped and delinquent on its debt obligations. According to the agency, the company at the end of 2020 had debts of 10.6 million euros. The closing completes an ambitious business venture aimed at attracting Italians who wanted to try something new, like cheeseburger pizza or BBQ chicken pizza.

Domino’s Pizza Italy opened its first store in Milan in 2015 as part of a franchise agreement with local ePizza. In Milan in April, lawyers for ePizza said the company was optimistic about entering the Italian market in 2015, “the second largest pizza market in the world” after the US. At the time, Italy also did not have a structured, large-scale home delivery model like Domino’s Pizza. In 2020, the press and media reported that Dominos plans to open 850 stores over the next decade, aiming for a 2% share of the national pizza market. By 2021, there were 34 restaurants under the Domino’s brand. And a representative from Domino’s Pizza Italy hailed the opening of its fifth restaurant in Rome, suggesting Italians are open to American-style pizza. There were Italians “who aren’t afraid to put pineapple on pizza,” he said at the time. The pandemic denied him.

With restaurants and bars closed for long periods of time during the lockdown, many have adopted the takeaway delivery model that Domino’s Pizza tried to dominate in Italy. The proliferation of food delivery platforms like Deliveroo, Glovo or Just Eat has “significantly increased competition” for ePizza, according to an April filing in Milan. Of course, other culinary adventures denounced by their detractors in Italy have been successful. When Starbucks opened its first Italian coffee shop, many said that Italians, used to drinking espresso… in a ring, were dismissive of the company’s large coffee sizes and prices. But Percassi, Starbucks’ Italian franchisee, has since opened 18 stores in northern and central Italy. Stefano Aurizio, general manager of an association that advocates “the real Neapolitan pizza,” said he regretted the closure of Domino’s Pizza, but added that in recent years, Italians have changed about pizza and its taste, looking for more “handmade products” compared to large ones. network brand.