David Cesarini opened his fourth Domino’s franchise in Ann Arbor (he has a fifth in East Lansing) on January 1, though by mid-month he was still completing the build-out. “We’re swapping out equipment. Boring stuff—tankless water heaters. We’ll have the hottest water in town. You can print that!” he jokes.
This Domino’s replaces Bell’s Pizza on the corner of Packard and State. Is he a little worried about pizza overload, with Cottage Inn, Happy’s Pizza, and Pizza Bob’s all within a block? “Absolutely not!” he says—in fact, his other three stores in town are nearing capacity, and last year was his best yet.
About a third of the pizzas delivered from this spot arrive in a Chevy Spark outfitted with a warming oven to keep them hot (Cesarini and cars were featured in the Washington Post in 2015). “You can stop by and see it if you want,” he says, except that it’s usually out delivering pizzas.
“Hopefully Domino’s will help draw some foot traffic down to this side of the block,” says Nick Costos, owner of Grillcheezerie across the street. As the only survivor of a mass exodus down there—Bell’s, Get Some Burritos, and Biggby—he’s been lonely. It helps, he says, that his is “the only grilled cheese shop in Ann Arbor.” He also delivers, though by the time you’re reading this, it won’t be by Zoomer anymore. “We’re doing our own. My feelings about Zoomer are pretty intense” and not in a good way.
Domino’s, 716 Packard, 769–4444. Sun.–Wed. 10 a.m.–3 a.m., Thurs.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 a.m. dominos.com
