BUCKHANNON — A Papa Johns Pizza location in Buckhannon has closed, marking the end of the franchise’s presence in the town.
Following the closure, employees from the Domino’s Pizza location were photographed outside the shuttered Papa Johns storefront holding a sign that referenced Domino’s branding and included language mocking the closure. The display also featured a tombstone-style message indicating the Papa Johns business had ended.
The sign included the phrases Beast of the East and T.H.B., along with a tombstone-style message reading “RIP Papa Johns 12-???-2025 You will not be missed” and a hand-drawn sketch resembling the Domino’s logo.
Images of the incident circulated on social media, prompting criticism from some community members. Several posts described the display as inappropriate and disrespectful toward a local business and its employees, particularly in a small-town setting. Others expressed concern that the actions reflected poorly on Domino’s employees and management.
Some commenters alleged that Domino’s employees temporarily closed their own store during business hours to stage the display, though those claims were not independently verified.
Some defending the display have argued that it was intended as lighthearted rivalry rather than a personal attack, noting that competition and playful trash talk between national pizza chains has long been part of fast-food culture. From this perspective, the sign was seen as an exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek expression of brand pride by employees rather than a statement directed at individual workers who lost their jobs. Some have also suggested the reaction online amplified the incident beyond its original intent, framing it as a joke that was poorly timed but not meant to cause harm to the Buckhannon community or former Papa Johns staff.
Calls for a community response, including a boycott of the Domino’s location, were also shared online, with commenters urging local residents to oppose what they described as unprofessional conduct.