Domino's joins lineup of local pizza shops in Montville
Aug. 11—MONTVILLE — When a Domino's Pizza franchise opens at 1920 Norwich-New London Turnpike within the next month, it will become the first chain pizza restaurant in town.
Its competition will be pizza establishments such as Nino's, Friendly Pizza and Restaurant, V's Brick Oven Pizzeria and Pub, Moravela's Pizza, Oakdale Pizza, and Two Greeks Pizza.
At a July 17 Economic Development Commission meeting, some members said they were unhappy with the opening of a new pizza chain, saying the town had enough pizza places already, and that the town lacked variety in its restaurants.
In addition, some posting on a Montville community forum Facebook page raised concerns that the chain's business would intrude on local mom and pop pizza stores.
But franchise owner Mark Massey refuted those concerns said Friday.
"There's a lot of negative assumptions about chains," he said. "They're going to realize there's room for everybody."
"People assume we're corporate and we're here to take away from the local guy," Massey said, leaning on the start of what will be the store's front counter. "We are part of the community, and we're going to continue being part of the community.
Massey, who lives in Voluntown, has deep roots in the business. He is one of partners at CNM Pizza LLC, which also owns Domino's locations in Groton, New London, Mystic, Westerly.
On Friday, he could be found inside the store among a sea of tools, dust and boxes containing pizza-making equipment. A repairman was inside making sure the ovens were up and running.
Massey said that the additional location in Montville will help cover staffing issues across his stores. If a store is shorthanded, workers from surrounding areas will be more likely to lend a hand, Massey said. Massey said what separates Domino's is its convenience, technology and pricing.
"This will connect the Norwich and New London delivery areas," Massey said.
The store is waiting for a final inspection from the town's building department, Massey said.
Massey pledged that the store will be involved in the community once it is up and running.
The soft deadline for the opening is Aug. 28, Massey said. Once it opens, regular hours will be 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
