Sshh. Wanstead Domino’s has opened

dominos-opening

They clearly don’t want anyone noticing, but we believe Domino’s in Wanstead is opening. Lots of people (presumably Domino’s execs) hanging around on Monday morning, hoping no one would notice.

Even the sign appears to conform to the letter and the spirit of the regulations for Wanstead High Street, with no internal lighting to the sign – getting a cautious approval from the Wanstead Society’s Scott Wilding on the Wansteadium Facebook page:

“They have made an effort with the shop front as far as I can tell, which is good.”

The shop was for years occupied by the Dun Huang takeaway but has been standing empty for too long.

There is even a mandatory ‘L’ plate visible if you look carefully.

As always on this blog, we wish congratulations and good luck to the new venture.

51 thoughts on “Sshh. Wanstead Domino’s has opened”

    1. To be fair, it didn’t. The old couple wanted to retire home and had no one to hand it down to, or any interest in the business as a going concern. That’s why it’s been empty for so long. For once, not forced out by rent hikes…

  1. Dun Huang never really recovered from the development of the motor bike for deliveries, or the slave trade that was being run from the flats above. lets hope Dominoes have cracked both these two key points, certainly sorting out the latter one. It could have been a lot worse. At least that dreadful “Roast” place has gone.

  2. It’s one less empty unit and although it is a Domino’s they have done a good job with the design.

    I don’t know how many times this has to be said, but if you are unhappy with it then simply do not use it.

    We all live the dream of an ‘independent’ High Street. They do not and cannot exist any more in this day and age.

    Personally if I am going to grab a Pizza then it will be from Luppolo. For those who fear mopeds will be a burden, what about Deliveroo that now stretches to Wanstead and covers some of our local establishment.

  3. And to add, Domino’s is a franchise not a chain as such. This has cost someone a lot of money to invest for a return.

  4. ‘Even the sign appears to conform to the letter and the spirit of the regulations for Wanstead High Street, with no internal lighting to the sign…’

    unfortunately wrong…the fascia signage isnt in the spirit of LBR conservation area policy as its NOT hand painted. the hand painted signs are advocated by the policy and they do look so much better.

  5. It could be a lot worse and looks much better than an empty store front. Yes, a lovely little independent would be delightful but we live in London, people. East London. And no amount of estate agents and people who have moved in in the last five years are going to make this a ‘village’. If you want a London village, go and live in Hampstead… Oh yeah, that’s right you can’t afford to.

    1. Don’t be so sure. With many houses in Wanstead that used to be affordable family homes back in the old days, now selling or valued at the million mark and above, Wanstead is already on the way to being the Hampstead of the East anyway.

  6. As a regular user of Perfect Pizza in my twenties I don’t feel able to comment.

    Looks like a smart frontage to me but perhaps not the best site for those pulling up to pick up their orders or for launching mopeds.

    Good crowd of local digs for the official opening by the looks of it. Anyone we know?

  7. The positive is that it’s now a high street unit that isn’t empty. Reality is independent > chain > empty. So it’s by far the lesser of two evils. Hope it succeeds and stays open. And, if rumours of the M&S are true, the Tube end of the high street may be on its way up, which can also only be a good thing.

  8. Well I just had a Pizza from there and my was I impressed!

    To boot they gave it to me for free for being ‘local’ which sweetened the deal somewhat, but friendly staff, obviously very clean and again it was probably the best ‘pizza pie’ I have had in a long time.

    Sometimes you have to step away from your keyboard and try what is on your doorstep.

    Sadly however, one unit fills and another becomes empty. Not immediately but I feat for Longhorn.
    They have never got it right on so many levels. I walked past last night and it had two people in.. Both staff. What is ironic about this is that Domino’s wanted that unit when they first considered Wanstead!

    I see mopeds mentioned again, Sumo Fresh uses mopeds…

  9. Ok. Not what everybody would have chosen but a least an open business rather than a dead one- and it was food before so it s not a total change of use
    Am rather shocked at some of the language in posts earlier this afternoon
    Glad I didn’t forward the newsletter to a nice elderly Lady friend Who likes to get the updates
    Was it really necessary ? The larder is pretentious,ok and the cakes should be covered (small tots,snotty fingers) but such expletives degrade the poster,
    Innit?

  10. £8+ for a Pizza is hardly cheap and nasty..
    Not like some of the other style Chicken Shops you get where a pizza is £1

    Domino’s is a FTSE 250 company.
    As for the boxes littering the streets, Domino’s didn’t go out and throw them around.
    I never hear any moaning about the Ginger Pig litter I see blowing up and down the High Street.

    Just called through to the Domino’s branch to collect another one for supper tonight. I reckon I will have tried the full menu by the end of the week.

  11. Not sure why there is so much snobbery about a pizza place. Like nobody here as ever ordered a pizza. There’s now one at each end of the high street, which I don’t see as excessive. If you don’t like the food you don’t have to use it.

    What would people have preferred? Some specialist shop nobody is going to shop at which closes again soon anyway? Or something convenient people do use and so will probably be a thriving business? Or just keep the shop empty?

    Some of you people seem to want a fantasy high street of genteel frippery and Larder clones instead of a street with practical business that actually turn a buck.

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