Farmington To Get Domino’s Pizza

RESTAURANT SHOULD BE OPEN BY CHRISTMAS TIME

FARMINGTON — A new, free-standing Domino’s Pizza is under construction at the corner of Kelli and Main streets and should be open by Christmas time, according to Brent Medders, franchise owner.

The new restaurant will be part of the company’s “pizza theater” store design, which allows open-area viewing of the food preparation process. It will be located in the empty lot next to Cardinal Corner gas station.

“The customer can watch us make our pizzas,” Medders said, adding that Domino’s Pizza makes everything from scratch.

The Farmington store will have 1,380 square feet and will have take-out and delivery, with a drive- through window and a limited amount of seating, mostly counter space and bar stools. The design is similar to a Domino’s Pizza on Crossover and Mission in Fayetteville, Medders said.

The design is more retail oriented and more customer friendly, he said.

It will employ about 25 people, with a limited number of full- time positions and a lot of part-time positions. Medders said 95 percent of the employees will come from the local area and anyone interested in a job can go to careers.dominos.com and choose the Farmington location to apply directly online.

Medders, who owns 12 pizza locations throughout Arkansas, said he chose the Farmington site because of its curb appeal and the traffic on U.S. 62. The Farmington restaurant will serve Farmington, Prairie Grove and Fayetteville in the Wedington Drive area.

“As we look at the market place, we think Farmington is a real exciting area,” Medders said, adding, “It made a ton of sense for us to go to Farmington.”

He said he believes the new restaurant will be a “home run” for Farmington and Prairie Grove.

The restaurant will be created with two modular units and those will be delivered in November. Medders said the units will look like any other permanent structure. He said Farmington will be the second modular Domino’s Pizza restaurant in the nation. The other one is in Fort Smith.

Medders has been with Domino’s Pizza for 32 years, starting as a pizza delivery man in college. He decided to join the company and within three years had his first franchise in North Carolina. He has been in Arkansas for 21 years and owned 27 stores in Arkansas during that time. He owns all the Domino’s Pizza stores in northwest Arkansas, except Bella Vista.

Medders said 90 percent of franchise owners with the company started as a delivery person, manager or service representative.

PHOTO COURTESY Laura Maynard, a second-grader at Folsom Elementary in Farmington, shows a dissected persimmon seed. Second-grade students dissected 10 persimmon seeds in order to predict the winter weather forecast for our area. Nine of the seeds contained spoons so...