A slice of excitement: Domino's opens first-ever Prague branch

The world’s largest pizza chain by revenue, Domino’s, ceremonially opened its doors for the first time in Prague Thursday afternoon. The 63-year-old U.S. chain has high ambitions and plans to expand its network in the capital this year.

Based on a busy street in Nusle, the chain will prepare all of its pizzas and ingredients in-store using locally sourced products, ensuring that everything is as fresh as possible.

“We want to be the best in delivery…we have a 25-minute goal of completing orders, and the pizza should arrive with a heat of 70 degrees Celsius,” said Eugenio Becerro, the managing director of Daufood (linked with Domino's) for Greece and Central Europe, at the opening. Quality, he says, is imperative.

Luis Garcia, the director of marketing for Domino’s Prague, told Expats.cz that the store will not use any food-delivery firms (such as Wolt, foodora, or Bolt Food) during the opening months.

“We want to ensure a strong relationship with our customers and community at the start, that’s why we want to take care of deliveries ourselves,” Garcia said. He pointed out that Domino’s is very much a neighborhood-centered branch. 

Garcia also explained that, by using this method, fewer delays and hold-ups are expected. The focus, he explains, is to make a gradual entry into the Prague market – this will also help to avoid overburdening the staff that cook and prepare the pizza at the store.

The firm, however, does plan to cooperate with food-delivery companies later on. For now, orders can be placed via the app, online, or by simply calling. You must live within a specific delivery area in order to get your food, otherwise, you’ll need to collect it at the Nusle store.

At present, delivery costs CZK 39, and Domino's interestingly charges a so-called box fee. You'll pay CZK 15 for a large-pizza box, and CZK 10 for a medium one. A starter or side also comes with a CZK 10 box fee. A medium (29 centimeters) Margherita pizza costs CZK 199, and a large (36 cm) is CZK 259. Stuffed (cheesy) crust costs an extra CZK 49.

A serving of potato wedges is charged at CZK 59 and a small brownie for dessert is CZK 49. For liquid refreshments, a 0.33-liter can of Coca-Cola costs CZK 35, and Domino's even sells beer (0.5 liters of Gambrinus), which costs CZK 45. A full list of pizza and other food prices can be found on the website.

This is a first for Prague, but not for Czechia.

In 2019, Domino’s opened its maiden Czech branches in Brno. Since then, one has closed, but the other is performing well – strongly enough to prompt an expansion to the capital.

The Brno branches, which were pilots, opened in Czechia’s second-largest city not only to gauge demand but also because of its proximity to Austria. “We opened in Brno because it strategically made a lot of sense. We were able to source many ingredients and items from Austria, which is nearby and has a strong Domino’s presence,” Garcia explains.

Garcia interestingly also explained that, despite its fame, Domino's is not known by many Czechs. He wants to change that via online and in-person marketing.

What about the future? If all goes well, Nusle will be one of several Domino’s branches in Prague. And the company has big aspirations: it plans to open a branch near the capital’s very busy I.P. Pavlova area later this year and has eyes on other (undisclosed – sorry!) locations in the near future.

“We plan to connect all of Prague’s Domino’s chains together so that they cooperate with one another,” Garcia says, which will broaden the company’s delivery areas and should ultimately make deliveries speedier. 

The website is readily available in English and also includes the current average delivery time and a real-time tracker of when your pizza will arrive. 

To mark its opening, the firm is offering several deals such as buying two pizzas and getting one free. Various types of pizza are on offer, including: kebab pizza; chicken burger pizza; BBQ bacon; cheeseburger pizza; and diavola. You can also “build your own pizza” or try the “half-half” option, which allows you to try two types in one.

The pizza is of a typical U.S. style with thicker crusts – you can also choose to stuff your crusts. Alternatively, Domino's also offers an "Italian style" pizza, for those who prefer thinner crusts. Sides include stuffed cheesy bread, potato wedges, breadsticks, chicken wings, and more.

The opening of the Domino’s branch will not only please fans of traditional U.S. pizza, but may also significantly disrupt the pizzeria industry in Prague – Pizza Hut, which has three chains in Prague, may be looking over its shoulder.

Bustling with people following its launch, the renowned firm will hope that the Nusle branch is one slice of many, future successes – something Domino’s is evidently hungry for.