The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. (VR) – In 1986, best friends Zack Barrett and Rick Clark rushed over to the Monopoly board that had been awaiting the game’s conclusion since the day before, the day before that and the day before that.
Day after day, the 12-year-olds counted down the hours until the school day ended so they could carry on the classic game, often starting over once a winner was declared. Clark now credits their love of Monopoly to the career paths they ultimately chose — Barrett, an official franchisee of nine successful Domino’s stores, and Clark, his operating partner. Over the years, as their restaurant numbers have grown, the lifelong friends/business partners have constantly been on the lookout for anything they believed would improve their stores. Today, that means launching electric cars at the Domino’s located at 1500 Main Street in Clifton Forge.
When asked about their decision to switch to electric cars, Rick Clark revealed his strong belief that they would be beneficial to delivery experts. Clark stated, “If you’re driving a big pickup truck that doesn’t get good gas mileage, you’re probably not going to want a part-time job delivering pizzas if you have to drive your truck.”
He continued, discussing how some drivers wind up working on their cars on days off because of how heavily they rely on their vehicles. Now, since they’ll be driving company cars, they can do other things with their time off.
Additionally, electric cars open the door for licensed drivers who live close to the establishment — and have a good driving record, of course— to apply as delivery expert without owning a vehicle. No car? No problem. So far, the only downside seems to be reduced paychecks, as drivers will no longer get paid by the mile as part of their regular salary.
So how do the drivers feel about the introduction of electric cars? Heather Barr and Joseph Bailey, both of whom deliver newspapers when not working as delivery experts, were on duty for comment. While Bailey disclosed he was eagerly awaiting the opportunity so he could let his car “rest” in the parking lot, Barr stated, “I am really excited about getting these new electric cars because I won’t have to pay for gas and there won’t be any more wear and tear on my vehicle.” With both wear and tear and gas prices being non-issues, it becomes a waiting game to see if the reduced paychecks will balance out in the end.
As far as what it means to customers, Clark confidently stated that the introduction of the cars will not impact the cost of current menu items nor will there be any added delivery fees. That is not to say other factors won’t increase menu prices in the future, but if that happens, it won’t be due to the inclusion of the eye-catching vehicles.
With the cars debuting today, Clark notes it’s only a matter of time before they make their way to the Covington location. In fact, they are expected to start delivering with electric cars a “short time” after Clifton Forge, though no exact date has been given at this time.
Barrett and Clark, the two small boys who began their journey playing Monopoly each day after school, are now looking to ride off on yet another new adventure by the end of the year. At the end of his interview, Clark happily shared that he and Barrett have already laid the groundwork to lease a building in Lewisburg, West Virginia, that will soon become their 10th Domino’s location.
Will electric cars be present at that establishment? Only time will tell.
