Thirteen Domino’s stores in Ohio closed down abruptly this month—reportedly with just two days’ notice provided to employees—but the chain says it’s an “isolated franchisee matter.”
According to the New York Post, Domino’s franchisee Mile High Pizza Company quietly closed the locations earlier this month due to financial issues. Longtime franchisee Anthony Satterwhite appears to be the operator behind Mile High Pizza.
The Post reports that employees at the 13 stores learned about the closures via a text message from Satterwhite during a dinner rush on Friday, September 4. The Post cited the Mansfield News Journal in Mansfield, Ohio—where one of the restaurants was located—as its source. However, that story is placed behind a paywall and cannot be accessed without a paid subscription.
From the Mansfield News Journal article, The Post quotes Joe Mills, a manager of the Domino’s store in Galion, Ohio, as saying, “We were in the middle of our dinner rush” when employees received the text message from Satterwhite on September 4. Satterwhite reportedly stated that the 13 shops would close two days later, on Sunday, September 6, but that employees could continue working through the weekend.
According to The Post, Mills read the message aloud to his employees. “I was, like, ‘We all just got fired.’ I was, like, ‘We’re all done.’ And that was it. Like, everyone just walked out.”
Mills also reportedly said that employees of the closed stores are worried they won’t receive their final paychecks. Meanwhile, customers have complained about orders that went unfulfilled. “People are saying, ‘We placed an order and we didn’t get our money back.’ It’s, like, well, there’s nobody there to cancel your order.”
However, in a statement to the news media, a Domino’s spokesperson said the chain wants to reopen the affected stores. “We are actively working to transition these stores to new ownership so that customers in the affected communities can enjoy the quality products and service they expect from Domino’s.”
Domino’s also stated that Mile High Pizza’s abrupt closure of 13 locations is “an isolated franchisee matter and is not reflective of the overall strength or performance of the Domino’s brand.”
The 13 closed locations are in Mansfield, Canal Fulton, Galion, Crestline, Ashland, Akron, Barberton, Wadsworth and Mount Gilead.
The Ohio closures aside, Domino’s has reported net growth in locations so far this year, including 45 net store openings in the U.S. in the first two quarters of 2026.
