A BRADFORD man who manages a pizza shop in Eccleshill has won a prestigious award.

Domino’s Pizza has named Taylor Waddell from Bradford as this year’s Rookie Manager of the Year, beating over 1,300 managers nationwide to claim the title.

Rookie managers are those who have held the manager position between six to 18 months.

The awards were presented by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan at the annual Rally, a celebration of Domino’s team members and franchise partners from around the country.

Taylor, who joined the Domino’s family 12 years ago when he was 16 years old, has risen through the ranks working across a number of roles from team member to assistant manager, eventually becoming store manager in 2022.

He was nominated for the title by his team members who acknowledged his determination and passion as key to his success.

Since taking leadership of the Bradford – Eccleshill store, Taylor has raised the quality of products in his role as product guru.

His store also enjoys the best staff retention rate in the Domino’s Yorkshire and the Islands franchise group.

Celebrating his win, Taylor said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be awarded Rookie Manager of the Year.

"Thank you to my brilliant team, who through their commitment and hard work, makes managing them a dream.

"It is an honour to win this award so early in my manager career and bring excellent pizza and service to Bradford.

"I am passionate about not only developing my team, but also achieving and improving our store’s performance to give our customers the best experience possible.”

Nicola Frampton, Chief Operating Officer at Domino’s added: “It’s the people across the Domino’s system that make the magic happen for our customers.

"It’s really important to us that we recognise this and celebrate the people who have played a key role in the success of our business.

"We are very fortunate to have talented and committed individuals like Taylor, who go above and beyond in everything they do.

"Taylor’s achievements are outstanding, and this award is very much deserved.”

The Rally is an annual celebration that brings together Domino’s Pizza colleagues and franchise partners to recognise and celebrate the hard work of exceptional individuals, honouring operational excellence, high standards, exemplary service, and strong performance across teams.