People might not equate the country of Poland with pizza very often, but the surprising truth is that pizza, and especially American Pizza, is quite popular in that nation today. So popular in fact, that the Domino’s Pizza chain franchise is rapidly expanding there and will open 27 new stores in Poland by 2012.

The fast food market in Poland is estimated to be worth more than $13 billion a year with a demographic that is very similar to that of the UK, including longer working hours and dual income households boosting demand for quality convenience foods.

The owners of the local master franchise for Domino’s Pizza in Poland believe there is an opportunity for the brand to lead the market in the former Eastern Bloc country. Poland has a population about two-thirds the size of the UK’s and the pizza home-delivery sector is ripe for the taking. In order to address both traditional pizzas and local Polish tastes, Domino’s of Poland plans to offer standard pizzas as well as a menu tailored specifically to the local market, featuring traditional Polish sausages and different cheeses from that region.

The Domino’s brand was founded in the United States in 1960 and today leads the global pizza franchise marketplace.  Domino’s now serves pizza from more than 9,000 stores in 60 different countries. Domino’s Pizza Poland is expected to have a market capitalization of $20 million and is planning to raise $12 million via stock offerings that will be used to open the 27 new stores.