Little Caesar Enterprises Inc.(doing business asLittle Caesars) is an American multinational chain ofpizza restaurantsthat was founded in 1959. Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain by total sales in theUnited StatesbehindPizza HutandDomino's.[3]It operates and franchises pizza restaurants in the United States and internationally inAsia,Europe,theMiddle East,Canada,Latin America,and theCaribbean.The company is owned byIlitch Holdings,and headquartered inDetroit, Michigan.
 "Pizza! Pizza!" | |
 Headquarters in Detroit | |
| Little Caesars | |
| Formerly | Little Caesar's Pizza Treat (1959–1971) |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Fast food Pizzeria |
| Founded | May 8, 1959 Garden City,Michigan,U.S. |
| Founders | Mike Ilitch Marian Ilitch |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan,U.S. |
Number of locations | 5,463 (2017) |
Area served |
|
Key people | David Scrivano (PresidentandCEO)[1] Paula Vissing[2](COO) |
| Products | Pizza,chicken wings,breadsticks,soft drinks |
| Owner | Ilitch Holdings |
| Website | littlecaesars |
History
editLittle Caesars Pizza was founded on May 8, 1959, by the married coupleMike IlitchandMarian Ilitch.The first location was in a strip mall inGarden City, Michigan,a suburb of Detroit, and named "Little Caesar's Pizza Treat". The original store closed in October 2018, relocating down the street to a new building in nearbyWestland.[4][5]
The first Little Caesar's franchise location opened in 1962 inWarren, Michigan,and was still called Little Caesar's Pizza Treat. The same year the Little Caesar's logo became a 3D figure and was used in outdoor signage.[6]
The company is well known for its advertisingcatchphrase"Pizza! Pizza!", which was introduced in 1979. The phrase refers to two pizzas being offered for the comparable price of a single pizza from competitors. Initially, the pizzas were served in a single long package (a piece of corrugated cardboard in 2-by-1 proportions, with two pizzas placed side by side, then slid into a form-fitting paper sleeve that was folded and stapled closed). In 1988, they introduced a square deep-dish pizza called “Pan! Pan!”. Customers could purchase the “Pan! Pan!” pizzas as part of the 2-for-1 deal or mix and match with one pan pizza and one original round pizza.[6]Little Caesars has since discarded the unwieldy packaging in favor of typicalpizza boxes.For a time, in addition to pizza, the menu included hot dogs, chicken, sub sandwiches, shrimp, and fish.[citation needed]
In 1997, the chain introduced shaker boards to advertise its "Hot-N-Ready Pizza", a large pepperoni pizza sold for $5. The concept was successful enough to become a permanent fixture of the chain, and Little Caesars' business model has shifted to focus more on carryout.[7]
In 1998, Little Caesars filled what was then the largest pizza order, filling an order of 13,386 pizzas from theVF CorporationofGreensboro, North Carolina.[8]
Little Caesars was among the first to use a new kind of speed-cooking conveyor oven, the "Rotary Air Impingement Oven".[9]
On December 10, 2014, Little Caesars announced plans for a new eight-story, 205,000-square-foot Global Resource Center to be built at Woodward Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Detroit. Intended to double the size of Little Caesars World Headquarters Campus, the new building's location was chosen near the Fox Office Center building, which houses both the Fox Theatre, and 186,000 square feet of office space for Little Caesars, and other Ilitch-affiliated ventures. An overhead pedestrian bridge over Columbia Street was planned to connect the Fox with the new Little Caesars Global Resource Center and workspace for an additional 600 jobs to be brought to Detroit over time.[10][11]On January 31, 2016, it was announced that the proposed new Little Caesars Pizza Global Resource Center had grown by one floor to be a nine-story building at Woodward and Columbia Street.[12]The building was scheduled to be completed in 2018, but in October of that year, was pushed back due to construction delays.[13]
In 2017, to coincide with the opening ofLittle Caesars Arena,the company launched a slightly updated logo, which removed Caesar's chest hair, updated the wreath, and updated the toga to havehidden lettersspelling "LC" for "Little Caesars". The company also started using the updated Caesar in its advertising, replacing the more cartoonish Caesar that had been used in ads since the 1980s.[14]
Franchising
edit
Little Caesars sold its first franchise in 1962 and, by 1987, had restaurants in all 50 states.[15]Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Little Caesars were commonly found inKmartstores, more specifically in Big Kmarts and Super Kmart. Little Caesar's pizza was also included in many older, remodeled Kmart locations. The first Kmart and Little Caesars were built in Garden City, Michigan. After Kmart's bankruptcy issues, many Kmart replaced the Little Caesars with their branded "K-Cafe". However, as of 2021, two Little Caesars Kmart locations remains in Guam and USVI.[citation needed]
Between 2008 and 2015, Little Caesars was the fastest-growing pizza chain in the United States.[16]As of 2017[update],the company has 5,463 locations including U.S. and international units.[17]
The estimated total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Little Caesars Franchise ranges from $378,700 to $1,695,500.[18]
International growth
editBy 1987,[19]the company was operating across theNorthern United States,purchasing theMother's Pizzachain out of receivership in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom in 1989 (left between 2000 and 2022).[20]As of 2022, the company is present in Canada (some Canadian cities had locations since 1969), Honduras, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico (since 2006), Colombia, Panama, Peru, Turkey, Guatemala, Barbados, Bahamas, El Salvador, Jamaica, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Spain, and Singapore.[21][22][23]
The Little Caesars brand in the Philippines was present since the 1990s but gradually closed down in the 2000s. It re-entered the market on January 25, 2019, with its launching under a new franchisee and new branch in Ermita, Manila.[24][25]
In 2019, Little Caesars restaurants in Australia closed their doors and went into administration, having entered the Australian market in 2014.[26]
Little Caesars entered the Indian market on January 29, 2020, opening two stores inAhmedabad,Gujarat.[27][28]
In December 2022, the company re-entered the UK market after 22 years, opening a store inDerby[29]followed by a store inGreenfordandNottinghamin 2024.[citation needed]
In early September 2024, Little Caesars announced that it will leave Singapore with the last day of operations for the chain being on September 30 in its outlet being located inFunan, Singapore.This was done after the gradual closure of the chain's six other branches throughout the island [30]
Products
editLittle Caesars produces a variety of pizzas. Several core menu items are part of the HOT-N-READY menu, designed to make popular items available for immediate carry-out, while others are considered either specialty pizzas or custom pizzas. In 2013, they added the Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza, aDetroit-style pizza,to the menu.[citation needed]
Additional entrée options include flavored Caesar Wings and bread, such as Crazy Bread and Italian Cheese Bread.[31]Select locations offer salads. All Little Caesars locations carryPepsiproducts.[32]Little Caesars also sells brownies.[33]
In 1996, they introduced Pizza by the Foot, a three-foot-long rectangular pizza. The product has since been discontinued; however, its equivalent, Pizza by the Meter, has been sold in the Saudi Arabian market since the 90s and is a top-rated product.[34][35]On occasion, Little Caesars releases limited time offers. In 2014, they introduced the Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza,[36]and in 2015, the "Bacon Wrapped Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza."[37]
In May 2019, Little Caesars began testing a pizza withmeatlesssausage made byImpossible Foods.[38]
In June 2020, Little Caesars reintroduced Stuffed Crazy Bread. They first introduced it in 1995.[39]The original Crazy Bread was first introduced in 1982.[40]
Sponsorships
editIn September 2022, Little Caesars became the official pizza sponsor of theNational Football League.[citation needed]
Community programs
editLove Kitchen
editThe Little Caesars Love Kitchen is a kitchen on wheels that serves pizza to those in need.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
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- ^Stych, Anne (February 26, 2021)."New Little Caesars Pizza COO has a track record of driving growth".Archivedfrom the original on January 23, 2022.RetrievedMay 24,2021.
- ^"Pizza Power Report 2020: Taking Advantage of Digital Disruption".PMQ Pizza Magazine.December 2019.Archivedfrom the original on January 25, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 25,2021.
- ^Clarke, Rod Meloni, Kayla (October 30, 2018)."Original Little Caesars pizza shop location closing".www.clickondetroit.com.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2019.RetrievedDecember 1,2018.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Rubin: At the original Caesars, life and pizza go on".Detroit News.Archivedfrom the original on December 22, 2017.RetrievedDecember 18,2017.
- ^abhttps://littlecaesars.com/en-us/our-history/ArchivedAugust 6, 2021, at theWayback Machine[bare URL]
- ^Skid, Nathan (April 27, 2009)."Hot-N-Steady: Renewed focus on value keeps Little Caesars cooking at age 50".Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2012.RetrievedJune 30,2016.
- ^Inc., Fanpop."Little Caesars Article: Miscellaneous Facts About Little Caesars".www.fanpop.com.Archivedfrom the original on August 6, 2017.RetrievedJune 14,2017.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^"Patent US5676044 – Rotary air impingement oven – Google Patents".RetrievedFebruary 5,2017.
- ^"Little Caesars Pizza Doubles Down on Detroit".Archived fromthe originalon February 26, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 26,2015.
- ^Press, By Tom Walsh and John Gallagher, Detroit Free."Little Caesars to build 8-story downtown HQ next to Fox".Detroit Free Press.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2021.RetrievedDecember 7,2020.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Building city blocks: Area around new Detroit Red Wings arena teeming with proposed retail, office, multifamily housing, hotel projects".Crain's Detroit Business.January 31, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2020.RetrievedDecember 7,2020.
- ^"Those pizza-slice windows may be delaying Little Caesars HQ opening".Detroit Free Press.Archivedfrom the original on February 17, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 16,2019.
- ^"Hidden Image In Little Caesars Logo That You Won't Be Able To Unsee".October 20, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on February 21, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 20,2018.
- ^"Milestones | Little Caesars | Australia".www.little-caesars.com.au.Archived fromthe originalon December 26, 2015.RetrievedAugust 8,2016.
- ^"Pizza Franchise Opportunities".Little Caesars' official webpage.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 25,2017.
- ^"Little Caesars Franchise Information".www.franchisetimes.com.Archived fromthe originalon July 29, 2016.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
- ^Kim, Hae-Jung (May 27, 2021)."Little Caesars Franchise Cost & Fee Compared to Competitors (2022)".Vetted Biz.Archivedfrom the original on September 2, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 2,2022.
- ^"LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA ANNOUNCES 700 NEW INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTS".Prnewswire.co.uk. December 9, 1999. Archived fromthe originalon June 8, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 23,2012.
- ^MacLeod, Meredith (February 2, 2013)."Mother's Pizza rising again in east Hamilton".The Spectator.Hamilton ON. Archived fromthe originalon April 11, 2013.RetrievedMarch 30,2013.
- ^"Little Caesars Pizza International".www.littlecaesarsinternational.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 4,2017.
- ^"Chile: Little Caesars continúa su expansión en América Latina"(in Spanish). June 30, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2017.RetrievedApril 18,2018.
- ^"Peru: Little Caesars:" Esta vez regresamos para quedarnos "".El Comercio Perú(in Spanish). December 18, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2018.RetrievedMay 3,2018.
- ^"Remember Little Caesars pizza? It's returning to PH".ABS-CBN News. December 19, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on January 24, 2020.RetrievedApril 5,2020.
- ^"American pizza chain Little Caesars is making a comeback in the Philippines next year".Coconuts Manila. December 19, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2020.RetrievedApril 5,2020.
- ^Hall, Nick (January 2, 2020)."Little Caesars Australia collapses under debt mountain".Inside Franchise Business.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 3,2020.
- ^Umarji, Vinay (January 27, 2020)."Little Caesars Pizza enters India with two stores, eyes 10 more by 2020-end".Business Standard India.Archivedfrom the original on November 18, 2020.RetrievedApril 11,2020.
- ^"Little Caesars Pizza forays into India".ET BrandEquity.Archivedfrom the original on April 11, 2020.RetrievedApril 11,2020.
- ^"American chain's new Derby takeaway selling 12" pizzas for £5 ".DerbyshireLive.December 19, 2022.ISSN0307-1235.RetrievedAugust 28,2023.
- ^"Announcement!! Last Day of Operations Little Caesars Funan Mall".December 19, 2022.ISSN0307-1235.RetrievedOctober 1,2024.
- ^"Little Caesars Pizza – Pizza Franchise Opportunities Available".www.littlecaesars.com.Archived fromthe originalon September 17, 2016.RetrievedAugust 8,2016.
- ^"Free 2-Liter Promotion 2018".Little Caesars.Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2020.RetrievedApril 9,2019.
- ^"Little Caesars Fundraising".fundraising.littlecaesars.com.Archivedfrom the original on May 6, 2023.RetrievedMay 6,2023.
- ^"Thread: Little Caesars' Big New Idea: Pizza by the Foot (1996)".Ad Age.October 28, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 29,2019.
- ^"Pizza by the meter".littlecaesarsksa.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 23,2021.
- ^"Little Caesars is bringing back pretzel crust pizza".WXYZ.January 29, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 8,2020.
- ^"Little Caesars' Bacon-Wrapped Crust is the Crust to End All Crusts".February 18, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2016.RetrievedAugust 8,2016.
- ^Wiener-Bronner, Danielle."Little Caesars is testing out an Impossible pizza".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2019.RetrievedMay 21,2019.
- ^"Little Caesars Bakes New Stuffed Crazy Bread".Archivedfrom the original on June 8, 2020.RetrievedJune 8,2020.
- ^Baetens, Melody (June 1, 2020)."Little Caesars launches stuffed crazy bread and a $3.99 pizza deal".The Detroit News.Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 23,2021.
