South African franchisees win big at the Domino’s Pizza World Wide Rally

Running a business is hard work. It’s also very rewarding if you are willing to put in the work, be adaptable and strive for excellence.

For the first time, Domino’s Pizza South Africa was recognised for its sales and service excellence at the Domino’s World Wide Rally in Las Vegas earlier this year. Franchisees, Bhavna Nathoo and Vishnu Govender were both recipients of a Rolex Award for their drive, leadership and consistently achieving excellence in their Domino’s Pizza stores.

The Rolex Awards recognizes stores that achieve sales in excess of stiff weekly targets for four consecutive weeks. It all began in 1977 when the founder of Domino’s, Tom Monaghan, gave away his custom-made Rolex to an employee for turning a US$20 000 sales in a week. Since then, the Rolex Awards has become the Oscars of the franchising world.

“This is such a huge honour and a testament to the work that we do. The awards not only reward sales excellence but also speaks to how we run our business, how treat our sales partners, our approach to technology and how we serve our customers,” says Roselt van Eyssen, National Operations Manager for Domino’s Pizza.

Bhavna Nathoo is the owner of Domino’s Pizza in Durban North and is no stranger to the retail industry. With a career spanning over 35 years, Nathoo started her career working for her father and then completed a Bachelor of Arts, a diploma in education and then armed herself with an MBA. Nathoo’s approach to business is one where the wellbeing of people and producing consistently great pizza, sits at the heart.

“I surround myself with a competent team that shares my passion for excellence. Our measure of success is through Delivering personalized customer service and providing a legendary customer experience, that keeps my store top of the mind. Winning this award is a testament that we are making an impact on our consumers through our service and delicious pizza.”

Vishnu Govender also hails from Durban and operates the Glenwood Domino’s Pizza store but unlike Nathoo, Vishnu comes from a rather technical background. Govender started his career 20 years ago as a Chemical Engineering student at Mondi Paper. This opportunity afforded him global experience in operations, marketing and business management which he has been able to transfer into his current businesses.  While working, he was able to enhance his business acumen through various courses including an MBA.

According to Govender, the key to running a successful franchise is the ability to understand the needs of the customer and to have a key focus on service delivery and product quality. “I ensure that my staff work together to achieve the transparent store goals and rewarding exemplary performance through incentives.”

These two franchises are clearly establishing a trend. Business excellence is all about delivering exceptional product while looking after your staff. “Our business is built on a culture of respect and excellence and it’s evident that the winners are bringing these values to life and reaping the rewards,” says van Eyssen.

Domino’s Pizza is operated by Taste Holdings who have opened over 88 stores in Southern Africa since 2014. Domino’s Pizza is largely considered as a leader in innovation and locally, Taste has adopted the same approach by making strides in the pizza industry with the Domino’s Pizza ordering app and online ordering platform.  “All our offerings are geared to assist franchisees in maximizing output and having a seamless approach to ordering and delivery of fresh, quality pizza,” concludes van Eyssen.