Domino’s Pizza has opened its newest branch in Choiseul, marking the fast-food chain’s first outlet in the southwest of the island.
Franchise owner Leslie Clarke said the decision was driven by both business opportunity and community demand.
“We felt for a while that many communities in Choiseul were not well served,” Clarke told St Lucia Times. Until now, the nearest Domino’s locations were in Castries or Vieux Fort, and delivery rarely extended to the area.
Census data shows Choiseul’s population grew by 16.8 percent between 2010 and 2022. Some residents see the opening on September 15 as a sign of wider economic shifts.
“It’s the latest addition to a list of investments being realised in the area,” one man said. “It also opens up employment opportunities without people having to commute too far.”
Clarke confirmed the branch intends to hire 12 staff, most from the surrounding community. He added that while integrating into busier hubs such as Rodney Bay and Castries can be difficult, Choiseul presents a different dynamic.
“In a place like Choiseul, it’s more community-oriented,” he said. “We try to be part of the community.”
Reactions among residents have been mostly positive, though one resident was wary of its potential impact on smaller eateries.
“On the positive side, you now have a reliable place to eat in Choiseul, even late at night,” he said. “But a lot of smaller places that are open on a Friday and Saturday – I believe those places will take a bit of a hit in terms of sales… Still, after COVID, so many restaurants closed down that reliable options are already limited. So, it’s a bit of a dilemma.”
Another showed more unequivocal support.
“My opinion is it’s a good thing Domino’s opened in Choiseul,” said one resident. “People worry about other businesses suffering, but really it raises the standard in the community. Too often I go out for food and places don’t have food; ‘I’m not open today’ or ‘I’m not doing “this” today’. Domino’s will make others step up, which is good because we won’t want pizza all the time.”
Clarke said delivery service out of the Choiseul branch will eventually commence and expand to cover surrounding communities.
