A man who spoke almost no English when he arrived in the UK has revealed how he learned the language by studying Domino’s pizza menus – pronouncing words like ‘chicken’ and ‘anchovies’. Now, he’s opening up his own pizza franchise.
Thirty-six-year-old Alok Yadav first took a job at the chain 16 years ago as an in-store cleaner while studying for a year-long placement at university. Originally from India, the former student arrived in Britain in 2007 and only knew basic phrases such as ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.
Determined to move up at Domino’s, he spent hours upon hours learning how to pronounce words like ‘chicken’, ‘anchovies’ and ‘pineapple’. Downtime outside of work was also spent role-playing with his colleagues until he mastered the phrase ‘Thank you for choosing Domino’s pizza, my name is Alok, how can I help’, so he could answer the phone and take orders.
The Delhi native excelled and was soon promoted to store manager, running a Domino’s branch. This Monday he realised another dream through the company’s Homegrown Heroes programme, opening his very own franchise.
“I knew I had to learn the language quickly if I wanted to progress, but it was really hard,” said Alok. “It was tricky when someone ordered a ‘Meatilicious’ pizza because I couldn’t say it.
“As I was young, I’d only heard of onions and tomatoes, so I had to learn the names of the other toppings and how to say them. “It wasn’t easy. My colleagues were great in helping me learn and I was determined to do it as I really enjoyed working in Domino’s.
“We spent hours in the flat above the shop going through the phone greeting and working on the toppings. So that was how I learned English. I then had more confidence and I quickly rose from team member to supervisor, to store manager all within a year.”
Alok even met his partner, Rachel Yadav, while working in a Domino’s store, having fallen for her while they were colleagues in Farnham. Eventually rising up through the ranks to area manager, Alok began to get itchy feet and yearned to run his own franchise.
He had already become an extremely successful entrepreneur in his own right, opening over 40 outlets, including coffee shops and other pizza stores. But there was always a special place in his heart for Domino’s, so when the opportunity came to have his own shop via the Homegrown Heroes programme, he grabbed it with both hands.
Alok said: “I was always in contact with my ex-colleagues at Domino’s so when I heard that Domino’s was onboarding new franchise partners through the Homegrown Heroes programme I just had to get involved.
“It was special for me. Working at Domino’s gave me the business acumen that has served me so well over the years.
“It’s a great place to build a career and provided me with opportunities and valuable skills. It was my first love as they gave me my first job, so I have really come full circle now.”
“It’s been an incredible journey for me and I couldn’t be happier.”
Dan Maund, franchise development manager at Domino’s UK & Ireland, said: “Alok was one of the first people to apply to the Homegrown Heroes programme, reinforcing his commitment to the brand.
“His entrepreneurial mindset and determination that was developed through his time at Domino’s has empowered him to open several successful businesses over the years.
“We’re proud to have Alok come the full circle and open his first Domino’s store in Swaffham.”
WHAT IS DOMINO’S HOMEGROWN HERO PROGRAMME?
Franchising enables entrepreneurs or budding businesspeople to start a new venture from the ground up, with the backing of a household brand.
According to NatWest, in 2018 the UK franchise market was worth £17billion.
Domino’s Homegrown Heroes programme offers driven, entrepreneurial people with experience working in the Domino’s network, the opportunity to own their own store and become a Domino’s Franchise Partner.
The programme provides tailored support to successful applicants, helping them every step of the way before they run their own store and have their very own slice of the business.
Apart from brand experience, a minimum of £70,000 is required to get started and the process takes between six and 14 months.
