Pizza chain Domino's was always facing an uphill task when trying to sell their American-style pies to aficionados in Italy, the home of the famous dish.
So news that the chain has given up and is closing its remaining 29 outlets in the country was greeted with a massive 'so what? in Rome earlier this week.
To traditionalist Italians, Domino's were scorned for their Hawaiian pizza, a margarita topped with pineapple, and attempts to persuade the locals into eating bacon-and-chicken or even hamburger pizzas failed dismally.
"They wanted to take the pizza to the place where it was invented!?" said Rome resident Franco Gherardi.
Others were unaware Domino's had ever existed in the country.
"What it is?" said Jessica Zappone when asked about Domino's.
"There was no point in opening it," Florence resident Samuele Lacucci told Reuters.
"It's like me going to England and making fish and chips, it doesn't make sense, it's as if I went to China to open a Chinese restaurant."
The fast food giant landed in Italy in 2015 with an agreement with national restaurant franchise company ePizza, but local restaurants operated a slicker delivery system during the Covid lockdown and Domino's lost out.
Domino's Italian operations have also encountered some financial issues over the years and by the end of 2020, the company had a debt of €10.6m.
