mitchellk2@lopers.unk.edu
After opening in Kearney at the end of last year, D.P. Dough specializes in calzones, wings and other delicious dishes. The restaurant franchise began in the 1980s with a business model specifically geared toward college students.
The restaurant is located in the old Oxford Meat Locker on the corner of 1st Avenue and 11th St. and is open from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.
“We focus on late night delivery for kids that are either up studying or they’ve been out meeting with friends that night and hungry when they get home,” said Josh Body, manager of Kearney’s store.
The restaurant has a variety of calzones like a pepperoni calzone called the Roni Zoni and the BBQ Chicken Zone. They also offer a “Construction Zone” where you can build your own calzone with your choice of four ingredients. D.P. Dough even has calzones specific to its Kearney location like the Loper Zone, which has pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella and Italian spices.
“My favorite would probably be the buffer zone,” Body said. “That’s our version of buffalo chicken calzone. It has hot sauce, breaded chicken, mozzarella and a choice of blue cheese or ranch.”
The business may be new, but they have already made their way into the community. They recently partnered with sports teams like the Loper Girls Basketball Team and Kearney’s Tri-City Storm.
D.P. Dough has numerous deals that provide college students affordable, delicious, and convenient meals. College friend groups can look forward to their Big Freakin’ Deal hitting menus in the months to come.
“[The Big Freakin’ Deal] will be four calzones, some chicken, a side and a two-liter and should roll out sometime in March,” Body said.
The store allows for online orders and orders by phone. They offer delivery and takeout. Online orders also accumulate D.P. Hearts, the franchises’ form of a rewards program. Points can be traded in for items such as free calzones and free sides.
Although the store opened in a pandemic, the business has found good ground.
“Business has been going really well,” Body said. “There’s a lot of word of mouth about the business, so sales are there. I just need staffing.”
D.P. Dough is currently hiring delivery drivers, kitchen workers, and shift leads.
