Faced with high overhead and inflexible chain management, owners of the local Domino’s Pizza franchise have decided to become an independent pizzeria called Palisades Pizza. ‘We’ll have a similar menu to Domino’s pizza, but offer more options like fresh basil and artichoke hearts,’ said Chris Bandt, who owns the business with his brother William and his brother’s wife Theo. When the Bandts first opened their store in the Atrium building at 860 Via de la Paz in 1986, they offered a wider variety of options, but because of pressure from the corporate office, those selections were dropped over the years. ‘Domino’s said no to the extras because they wanted all their stores to be the same,’ Chris Bandt said. In addition to insisting that every store carry exactly the same items, corporate officials recently told the Bandts they would also be required to sell pizzas for nationally advertised prices. ‘They’re selling them for $5, but we can’t do that because of the high overhead,’ said Bandt, who added that the store has not raised prices since 2001. ‘Our profit margin has dropped so low that it’s hard to pay our bills,’ Bandt said. Rent, employee costs and insurance are much higher in Pacific Palisades than in many other areas of the country. ‘Malibu used to have a Domino’s, but they went out of business.’ The Bandts discussed selling the franchise, but with the high rent, it was not a possibility. They decided instead to try a different avenue. By dropping their franchise affiliation, they no longer have to purchase food from Domino’s, nor do they have to pay a 12-percent royalty to the corporate office. Chris Bandt lives in the Palisades and William and Theo commute from Palmdale to work at the store. ‘We want to be here because we like the Palisades a lot,’ Chris said. ‘We’re in the middle of a transition’we’re inventing ourselves.’
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