Artichoke hearts, linguica and feta cheese were just some of the reasons Matthew Matlock cut the franchise cord and started his own pizza brand.
The 31-year-old Gardnerville Ranchos resident said Monday from his storefront in the Tillman Center that new ingredients, new recipes and a better product motivated him to drop the Domino's moniker and rename his business Pronto Pizza.
"Going in the direction of an independent company with our own recipes is something I'm proud of," Matlock said.
In 1997, with skiing on his mind, Matlock moved from Minnesota to the Tahoe area. It was a little more than two years ago when he purchased the Valley's only Domino's franchise with a partner.
But changing times soon called for a new approach. Good old-fashioned trial-and-error and self-taste-tests helped Matlock develop and "tweak" a new product.
"We're now using 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella," he said. "We're making our own dough fresh from scratch and our own sauce, which is full of flavor. Our sauce is so good that it makes Mona Lisa smile."
Matlock said the new product is a great improvement on the former, but still offered at the same price. However, he said dropping the franchise fees didn't necessarily translate into more savings, as a better product requires more overhead in the form of ingredients and labor.
"It's really a wash," he said. "But it's the same owner and the same crew offering and delivering a premium product at the same price."
Although proud of his new crust, sauce and cheese, Matlock is also excited about some of his new non-pizza items, like his teriyaki wings and his Italian salad. The latter contains provolone, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, olives, grape tomatoes and salami.
"The good thing about getting away from Domino's is that now I have the freedom to do what I want," he said.
Pronto Pizza also offers oven-baked sandwiches, pasta bread bowls, breadsticks and Butterfinger cheesecake for dessert.
"Eventually I want to get away from the pasta bread bowls and offer some calzones and a couple of other things," Matlock said.
He said he may even consider his own franchise in the future.
"I would love to open one near Home Depot and deliver to the rest of the Valley and south Carson," he said.
Pronto Pizza, located at 1281 Kimmerling Road, Suite 18, is currently hiring. Matlock said he has 14 part-time and full-time employees.
"I have done away with applications," he said. "The new thing at Pronto is making applicants write a 100-word essay on how they would benefit the operation."
Matlock said Pronto is accepting old Domino's coupons as well.
Regular business hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Call 265-2929 for more information.
