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    D.P. Dough Franchising now in Columbus

    In 2009, Matt Crumpton’s friend, Tony Castricone, really wanted to open a D.P. Dough −which primarily serves fresh-baked calzones− in Columbus. Being a lawyer and a fellow D.P. Dough fan, Crumpton said he’d help him out.

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    They met with the Athens franchise owner, who told them a new franchisee was in the process of setting up shop in Columbus, but that his Athens store was for sale. Crumpton and Castricone were interested, but passed because they weren’t in a position to buy. A year later, the Athens franchisee approached Crumpton again about buying his store. (Castricone had since relocated to North Carolina.)

    Matt Crumpton, Executive Vice President of D.P. Dough Franchising, LLC

    “At that time, my dad, who had recently retired from Verizon Wireless, was interested in business opportunities and he liked the D.P. Dough concept,” Crumpton says. “So my parents and I purchased the Athens store and began operating it in the beginning of January 2011.”

    Once the Crumptons bought the Athens store, they began dreaming about becoming the chain’s national franchisor. Though it seemed like a long shot, the opportunity eventually presented itself and the family couldn’t say no.

    “There is significant upside potential for D.P. Dough on the national level,” Crumpton says. “I want to be part of the story of bringing D.P. Dough from the regional stage to the national stage.”

    In his role as executive vice president of D.P. Dough Franchising LLC, Crumpton is responsible for franchise sales, marketing campaigns and strategy, and legal/compliance issues. He ceased practicing transactional business law and litigation with the firm he founded in April 2009, Crumpton Law LLC, to take his current job.

    “I enjoyed working with all of the clients that I had at Crumpton Law, but I do not enjoy the legal profession,” he says. “The practice of law has become increasingly toxic, especially in litigation. The default demeanor of many attorneys is mean-spirited. Life is too short to be so upset all the time. I also don’t care for the overly formal legal culture. I am much happier having law be a part of my job description instead of it being the focus.”

    Working with anyone, especially family, can be challenging, but Crumpton says he enjoys working alongside his dad, Mark, who serves as president of D.P. Dough Franchising.

    “His true passion is developing leaders and my true passion is creative marketing,” he says. “Any disagreements that we have are usually because of the different interests and viewpoints that we have. Constant communication is the name of the game for being productive and staying on the same page.”

    Prior to the Crumptons takeover, D.P. Dough Franchising was based in Amherst, Mass. and didn’t have any employees. Now, it’s based in Columbus and has two full-time employees with plans to add more in the future.

    There are 22 D.P. Dough restaurants in the United States, two of which are in The Buckeye State.

    “The Ohio restaurants are in Columbus and Athens,” Crumpton says. “We intend to put one at every major college in the state.”

    The Crumptons, along with Jerry DePizzo of rock band O.A.R., have purchased the Columbus store and will use the capital city as a test market for the menu all future franchisees will use.

    To learn more about D.P. Dough Franchsing, visit DPDough.com.

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