Staff reports
Domino’s top franchisee got his start in southeast New Mexico
Brian Bailey owns more Domino’s franchise stores than anyone else.
And he got his start delivering the pies in southeast New Mexico.
He worked as delivery driver in Alamogordo, quickly promoted to manage the store.
In 1988, Bailey bought his first Domino’s store in Carlsbad. Today he owns Domino’s locations across southeast New Mexico, with others in Ruidoso and Artesia.
Almost 40 years later in 2025, Bailey secured the title of Domino’s largest U.S. franchise owner with the purchase of 45 Domino’s stores in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. With his most recent store opening earlier this year in Texas, Bailey hit the milestone of being a franchise owner of 160 stores spanning across five states: Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas.
“Like many Domino’s franchisees, when I started as a young man, I honestly thought it was just a temporary job while I figured out my real career,” Bailey said. “What I didn’t realize at the time was that I had just stumbled into one of the greatest entrepreneurial opportunities in the country.
After earning his electrical engineering degree in 1985 from DeVry Institute of Technology, while looking for what he described as “a real job,” he started delivering pizzas for Domino’s in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Just 58 days after he started as a driver, Bailey was promoted to manager of Alamogordo Domino’s.
“I always say, ‘It’s not rocket science’ – although that’s what I was envisioning for my career,” Bailey said. “Domino’s is one of the few brands where someone can start at in an entry level job at the store and build an incredible career through hard work, leadership and determination.”
Bailey quickly advanced within the brand and gained hands-on experience building and running stores from the ground up. By 1999, he was debt-free, owned 12 stores, and faced a pivotal decision.
“We had three choices once we hit 12 stores: sell, coast or go big … I didn’t want to sell, and I don’t like to coast, so we decided to go big,” Bailey said.
He said he is incredibly grateful for his family, team, franchise community, corporate partners, and the leaders who helped guide him along the way such as Zig Ziglar, Tom Monaghan, Patrick Doyle, Don Meij, and Russell Weiner.
“Success in business is rarely about one individual. It is about people coming together with a shared purpose, lifting each other up and building something bigger than themselves,” Bailey said. “When I look back over the past 40 years, the most meaningful part of the journey has not been the number of stores we operate. It has been watching thousands of team members grow into leaders, support their families and build better lives.”
Today, Bailey’s Domino’s franchise employs more than 3,000 people who operate under a shared mission statement, “Guarantee every customer is WOWed by me.”
Many of his leaders such as Anthony Fish, Rob Hoff, Cyndi Tweet, Tim Erb, Scott Gates, and Callea Bogdon have spent decades supporting and growing the brand.
“Our team is everything,” Bailey said. “When our team members succeed, their families succeed, our stores succeed, and our communities succeed. That is the real engine behind our growth.”
Bailey’s franchise is guided by three core values: growth, great operations and giving back. Last year alone, Team Bailey contributed nearly $250,000 to the Domino’s Partners Foundation, setting a new foundation record. In addition to supporting the Domino’s Partners Foundation, Bailey’s franchise regularly gives back at the local level, supporting local schools, food banks and community organizations across the five states they serve.
“Giving back has always been important to Michelle and me because we believe that success carries responsibility,” Bailey said. “The opportunities we have been given in life and in business are blessings, and we believe those blessings should create opportunities to help others. When businesses and communities work together to lift people up, everyone benefits.”
Michelle Bailey, Brian’s wife, plays an essential role not only in his life but also within the business. She supports multiple functions within the franchise and often jumps in to make pizzas alongside their teams during large rushes and will even stay late to help with cleaning. Within Bailey’s franchise, Michelle is affectionately known as “Mrs. Boss.”
“Her support, wisdom, and partnership have made everything we have built possible,” Bailey said.
Faith and family remain at the center of Bailey’s leadership philosophy.
“Family keeps you grounded. No matter how busy business becomes, family reminds you what truly matters,” he said. “Faith gives you perspective. It reminds you that leadership is really about serving others, treating people with respect, and trying to make a positive impact on the lives around you.”
Looking ahead, Bailey is focused on continued growth within the pizza industry and believes the best chapters are still ahead.
“Domino’s success story is still being written, and it is exciting to be part of that journey,” Bailey said. “We were made for more.”
Brian Bailey’s southeast New Mexico stores
Alamogordo
100 S. White Sands Blvd.
Artesia
302 S. First St.
Carlsbad
220 S. Canal St. in Carlsbad
3819 National Parks Highway
Ruidoso
1717 Sudderth Ave.
