Twenty-seven years after Domino’s Pizza established its headquarters in an office park off Earhart Road, the company is reinforcing its commitment to the area.
Domino’s signed a deal in August to renew its lease in the Domino’s Farms Office Park through 2022, and to expand its space by 12,000 square feet.
“Since Domino’s Pizza moved to Domino’s Farms in 1985, they have been in a growth mode,” Domino’s Farms president Paul Roney said in a statement. “(It’s) a vibrant company that has been an important part of the Ann Arbor business community and their ongoing business achievements help create an atmosphere of success at Domino’s Farms.”
Domino’s Pizza was the first tenant in the 1 million-square-foot office complex — which was developed by the company’s founder, Tom Monaghan.
A large Domino's Pizza sign hangs in the middle of a glass atrium at the company's Ann Arbor Township headquarters.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The pizza chain now occupies more than 220,000 square feet in the complex and has decked-out its headquarters to chronicle the company’s 50-year-old history. Domino’s was founded in 1960 when Monaghan bought Domi-Nick’s pizzeria in Ypsilanti for $500. He sold the majority of the company to Bain Capital Inc. in 1998 for about $1 billion.
In the center of the headquarters, a glass atrium welcomes guests with an operating Domino’s Pizza store planted in the middle of it. The store also functions as a training facility for all new corporate employees and franchisees.
An old Domino’s-sponsored NASCAR racecar, a replica of the original Ypsilanti Domi-Nick’s store, and Domino’s “ultimate man cave couch” are planted throughout the office space.
“We’re always wanting to remind people of how we started,” explained Domino’s spokesperson Chris Brandon. “We have reminders of our heritage.”
The pizza chain — now the second largest in the U.S. — opened its 10,000th store in September. It also hit two additional milestones this year: As of March, its international store count exceeded its domestic stores, and it reached $1 billion in digital sales from April 2011 to April 2012.
After reinventing its core pizza recipe in 2009, the company has continued to roll out new menu items as it expands the brand, increases revenue and grows its store count.
CEO Patrick Doyle said in June there is room for probably 1,000 more stores in the U.S., where Domino’s is “committed” to continue growing. That all starts right here, at the company’s Ann Arbor Township headquarters, he said.
“We do plan to grow, and (this) property allows for that,” added Tim McIntyre, Domino’s vice president of communications, via email. “I can’t say that we’ll be here indefinitely, but I can say for sure that we plan to stay for at least another decade.”
He added: “Having been here now since 1985 and committing to be here through 2022 is a pretty good indication of our intentions.”
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.