There’s new competition to be the Upper Valley’s big cheese. Restaurant chain Domino’s Pizza recently established two locations in West Lebanon and Claremont, extending their delivery services to the surrounding area. The restaurants — open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays — pose a threat to the financial success of local businesses such as Hanover’s Everything But Anchovies, EBAs Marketing and Catering Manager Danielle Paro said.
EBAs opened in Hanover in 1979. The restaurant serves pizzas, wings, pasta and sandwiches from 11 a.m. to exactly 2:10 a.m., making it an attractive choice for students in need of food late at night, Paro said. She said that Domino’s extended hours, as well as short delivery times, have contributed to the restaurant’s success among College students.
“They opened a branch here and in Claremont at the same time, so they became a big presence in the Upper Valley,” Paro noted.
Paro said that she met with a group of 20 Dartmouth students earlier in the term to discuss Domino’s opening and possible changes that could be made to encourage students to continue buying from EBAs. According to Paro, the students concluded that a large appeal of Domino’s was its faster delivery time. However, the reduced time is largely a function of Domino’s pre-made pizzas, she added. In order for EBAs to increase their speed of delivery, Paro said it would need to reduce its menu size.
“If we cut our menu down to just pizzas, it would make a difference, but that’s not what students order,” Paro said, adding that the chicken sandwich is one of the restaurant’s top sellers, but also requires at least 15 minutes to cook. “It’s finding that balance of what the students want with that expectation of time.”
Domino’s has also undertaken a significant marketing effort on campus and in the area, offering discounts to Dartmouth students. Given its large marketing budget, the chain has been able to produce both television and radio advertisements. Although EBAs also has some radio advertisements, the company primarily relies on newspaper ads, Facebook posts and fliers to attract customers, Paro said. EBAs also sponsors events such as the Prouty and Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hero races, Greek life philanthropic activities and Dartmouth athletics, Paro said, noting that this difference between EBAs small-scale marketing and Domino’s widespread advertising has definitely affected delivery sales to campus and the Upper Valley.
“I generally order delivery, and this term I have ordered more from Domino’s just because they are open later and generally deliver faster than EBAs,” Rebecca Holland ’17 said.
However, others such as Alexa Dlouhy’19, say that Domino’s later delivery hours do not influence their choice. Dlouhy said that she usually purchases more from EBAs in order to support local business.
Another unforeseen competitor in Hanover is Dartmouth Dining Services’ food truck, which opened this fall. Featuring sliders, fries, brownies, churros and cheese fritters in addition to vegan options, the DDS food truck accepts payments of DBA and meal swipes in addition to credit cards.
The DDS truck likely deters some students who do not want to or cannot take the $10 or $20 out of their pockets, Paro said. Speaking as the chair of Hanover’s Local Business Council, she added that EBAs and other local establishments would “absolutely” accept College dining dollars, but the school will not allow the restaurants to do so.
“Will Pine and Canoe Club see a direct effect [from Domino’s opening]? No, probably not,” Paro said. “Will Boloco or myself or the Chinese delivery places? We will.”
Alexa Green is a junior from Boca Raton, FL. She is majoring in English, with minors in Arabic and Public Policy. After joining the newspaper her freshman winter, she served as a beat reporter covering Hanover & the Upper Valley. Following this position, Alexa became the associate managing news editor. Outside of the newsroom, she is a tour guide on campus, works for the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, and conducts research in the English department. During her off term, Alexa worked for I.B.Tauris, an independent publishing house in London, U.K., editing and publicizing international relations and politics books. She is passionate about the ways in which policy, current events, history and journalism have interconnected roles in defining global issues.
