Domino’s Franchise Fallout Shutters 13 Ohio Stores

Thirteen Domino’s restaurants across North Central Ohio disappeared from the chain’s store locator this week, leaving customers in markets including Mansfield, Akron, Ashland and Wadsworth without a nearby unit.

The stores were operated by Mile High Pizza Company, an Ohio franchisee led by Anthony Satterwhite. Domino’s confirmed the closures but described them as an “isolated franchisee matter,” saying it is working to transfer the restaurants to new owners and reopen them.

The abrupt shutdown is a setback for a franchise system that has otherwise been expanding. Domino’s ended 2025 with 6,924 U.S. franchised stores, up from 6,722 a year earlier, according to the company’s annual financial filing. The chain added 174 franchised locations during the year and reported only seven U.S. franchise closures.

Satterwhite’s operation was sizable by franchise standards. Domino’s 2026 franchise disclosure document showed 21 stores open at the end of 2025, with four more listed as being developed. Other reports have said the franchisee controlled as many as 25 locations when development sites were included.

The affected restaurants include locations on Ashland Road and Lexington Avenue in Mansfield, South Main Street in Akron, Wooster Road in Barberton, and Main Street in Wadsworth. Local reports said the stores closed without a public explanation. Mile High Pizza did not respond to requests for comment, according to media reports.

For Domino’s Pizza Inc. (Nasdaq: DPZ), the episode is more operational nuisance than systemwide alarm, but it highlights the leverage built into a heavily franchised model. Independent operators fund and run most restaurants, while the parent company collects royalties, franchise fees and advertising contributions. When a large operator fails, the brand can lose local coverage quickly even if corporate results remain intact.

The timing is not entirely comfortable. Domino’s reported flat U.S. franchise same-store sales in the second quarter of 2026, down from 3.4% growth a year earlier. The company still has a stronger store-growth record than struggling rivals such as Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, but weaker demand makes it more important to keep viable locations operating.

Domino’s says the Ohio restaurants are candidates for new ownership. Until that happens, the closures leave a concentrated hole in the chain’s North Central Ohio footprint.