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Julian Lechner: Trained chef, today owner of the Domino’s chain in Switzerland.
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“That was the deal of our life,” says Julian Lechner about Domino’s commitment.
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Lechner as Pizzaiolo: So far, he has taken care of the expansion of the subway shops.
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It should take a maximum of 30 minutes – from order to delivery. The oven: 245 degrees hot. The boss: in the office in future.
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Julian Lechner (42) has fulfilled a dream: He is the new owner of the Swiss Domino’s stores. Together with his wife Melanie (37), he bought the business from the British parent company. She is an auditor, he is a Subway entrepreneur. Together, the two want to expand the American pizza chain in Switzerland as franchisees.
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Blick meets Lechner in the Domino’s store in Glatt ZH. Born in Germany, he is tall and has a black shirt underneath his jacket. The Domino’s logo hangs on the lapel. “We have arrived,” says the neo-pizzaiolo. «I’m very proud of it. That was the deal of our life. “
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His wife has put the books of the Domino’s offshoots through their paces. He has visited branches in Frankfurt (D) and Milan (I). Then the decision: take a risk. With your own family fortune. And with all liabilities. Because the financial houses were reluctant to get involved in the catering industry. “We didn’t need any investors,” says Lechner.
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«We want to grow»
It’s a gamble. 450 people are paid by Domino’s in Switzerland. In winter there are 100 more than in summer. When it’s cold outside, it’s hectic inside. But in the first high season of all times, Julian and Melanie Lechner are expecting their third child. The date: November.
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The parents remain confident. Lechner is even talking about the time after the baby break. When both of them get back on their knees fully into the pizza business. “We want to grow,” he says. “In any case, continue to grow.”
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It’s about every penny. Domino’s has been in the red for the past few years. The British therefore sold off the business cheaply. The 20 Domino’s offshoots were available for the equivalent of just 22,000 pizzas. The branch in Glatt makes that many in just over three months.
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Trained cook
But the Lechners know what they’re doing. She is a numbers expert, he knows the trade. Domino’s is a growth story. Sales are increasing year after year. Most recently it was the equivalent of 28 million francs. 2021 should be even better. Lechner speaks of “record numbers”. And important: the business is profitable again. The bottom line is that profit remains in the cash register.
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Lechner is a full professional. An old hand in the calorie business. A trained chef who has trained and worked hard for years. An entrepreneur who has also had to cope with setbacks. Just over ten years ago he wanted to open a juice bar in Winterthur ZH, but things didn’t go as expected. He switched to sandwiches and promoted the expansion of the American subway chain. He still owns three branches. He wants to keep them running in the future, in addition to the Domino’s stores.
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He’s not megalomaniac – rather the opposite. Lechner says that he wants to grow “sustainably, healthily and profitably”. “There is a lot of space in Switzerland,” is his credo. He doesn’t even want to rule out a branch in Ticino. “There is also one in Milan,” he says.
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Baby party with pizza
In the background, an employee is pushing a pizza into the 245 degree oven. For six minutes it goes through the heat on the conveyor belt. The pizza then lands on the box, is cut, packed and driven to the customer on an electric scooter. All of this should take a maximum of 30 minutes.
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“Sometimes we’re already at 25 minutes,” says the delighted Neo-Pizzaiolo. For many other details it has to fit. He’s only been in the saddle for a few days. But it is certain to say: “We will celebrate our son’s fourth birthday at Domino’s. And there will probably also be a baby pizza party in November. “
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