Name of business: Domino’s Pizza

Type of business: Delivery and carryout pizza chain

Location: 1211 W. Monte Vista Ave., in Turlock

Hours: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Contact information: 209-850-8282

Specialty: Carside delivery

History of business:

Turlock resident Greg DeGrandis recently opened his second Turlock Domino’s Pizza location, further fulfilling a dream that began at age 18 when he first took a job making pizza and answering delivery calls. 

DeGrandis started his journey with Domino’s Pizza as a part-time employee, but it wasn’t until he realized he could one day own and operate a restaurant of his own that he began to look at his job as a potential career choice. When he moved his family to Turlock years later in 2009 to manage the city’s only Domino’s location on Geer Road, he took the first step toward achieving that goal.

In 2011, DeGrandis became the franchisee of Turlock’s first Domino’s restaurant and today owns 12 locations with more on the way. One of his most recent developments is a Domino’s Pizza location on Monte Vista Avenue which opened next to Stanislaus State and Dutch Bros Coffee last month. 

“The reality is that we outgrew our first location,” DeGrandis said, noting that Domino’s delivery and carryout model meant they didn’t need to make many changes in order to operate during the pandemic. “Pizza is hotter than ever right now...You can only handle so much business in one store, and now we’ll be able to provide better service to the north side of town.”

DeGrandis has been looking to open a second location or move to a larger location in Turlock for several years, he added, and knew that when the new center known as Warrior Crossing was approved that it would be the perfect spot. Although he had to wait quite some time for development to be completed, he’s excited about the location’s potential.

“Being close to the university is something we’re obviously excited about. Even though the students aren’t there now, we know they’ll be back,” he said. 

Starting out as a Domino’s team member himself, DeGrandis said his goal is to provide the same opportunities to advance within the company that he was given as a young man to his own employees. 

“I was given an opportunity to make a career out of it and for me, that’s my personal goal and satisfaction — giving these guys and gals the opportunity to take a job they have no idea could lead into a career and be able to support their family, buy a new car or save up for a house,” he said. “I want them to achieve the same goal as I did.”

DeGrandis believes that desire to help employees meet goals is what sets Domino’s apart from other pizza chains. Despite being part of a big-name corporation, the Turlock resident of over 10 years says he feels a deep connection to the community through the various fundraisers and outreach his locations promote.

“We love being here in Turlock and I have that personal pride in being a local resident,” he said. “For the most part, people look at Domino’s and some of these other companies and say, ‘This is just a big corporation.’ They don’t understand that there’s a local person behind it.

“I’m proud to say we are locally owned and operated. At the end of the day, the only difference is that we’re a bigger name.”