Little Caesars

Last updated

Little Caesar Enterprises Inc.
FormerlyLittle Caesar's Pizza Treat (1959–1971)
Company type Private
Industry Fast food
Pizzeria
FoundedMay 8, 1959;64 years ago (1959-05-08)
Garden City, Michigan, U.S.
Founders Mike Ilitch
Marian Ilitch
Headquarters Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Number of locations
5,463 (2017)
Area served
  • United States (including Puerto Rico and Guam)
  • Bahamas
  • Bahrain
  • Barbados
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Jamaica
  • Kuwait
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Peru
  • Portugal
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Spain
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
Key people
David Scrivano (President and CEO) [1]
Paula Vissing [2] (COO)
Products Pizza, chicken wings, breadsticks, soft drinks
Owner Ilitch Holdings
Website littlecaesars.com

Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. (doing business as Little Caesars) is an American multinational chain of pizza restaurants that was founded in 1959. Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain by total sales in the United States behind Pizza Hut and Domino's. [3] It operates and franchises pizza restaurants in the United States and internationally in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The company is owned by Ilitch Holdings, and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is named after a 1931 "gangster film" with a similar name that was considered the first fully-fledged film of the genre.

Contents

History

Little Caesars Pizza was founded on May 8, 1959, by the married couple Mike Ilitch and Marian Ilitch. The first location was in a strip mall in Garden 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 nearby Westland. [4] [5]

The first Little Caesar's franchise location opened in 1962 in Warren, 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 advertising catchphrase "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 typical pizza boxes. For a time, in addition to pizza, the menu included hot dogs, chicken, sub sandwiches, shrimp, and fish.

In the '90s, the chain opened its pizza playground restaurant named "Caesarland", which featured interactive play equipment, sports, video games, and more. [7]

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. [8]

In 1998, Little Caesars filled what was then the largest pizza order, filling an order of 13,386 pizzas from the VF Corporation of Greensboro, North Carolina. [9]

Little Caesars was among the first to use a new kind of speed-cooking conveyor oven, the "Rotary Air Impingement Oven". [10]

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. [11] [12] 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. [13] The building was scheduled to be completed in 2018, but in October of that year, was pushed back due to construction delays. [14]

In 2017, to coincide with the opening of Little Caesars Arena, the company launched a slightly updated logo, which removed Caesar's chest hair, updated the wreath, and updated the toga to have hidden letters spelling "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. [15]

Franchising

A Little Caesars in Gillette, Wyoming Little Caesars in Gillette, Wyoming.jpg
A Little Caesars in Gillette, Wyoming

Little Caesars sold its first franchise in 1962 and, by 1987, had restaurants in all 50 states. [16] Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Little Caesars were commonly found in Kmart stores, 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, one Little Caesars Kmart location remains in Guam.

Between 2008 and 2015, Little Caesars was the fastest-growing pizza chain in the United States. [17] As of 2017, the company has 5,463 locations including U.S. and international units. [18]

The estimated total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Little Caesars Franchise ranges from $378,700 to $1,695,500. [19]

International growth

By 1987, [20] the company was operating across the Northern United States, purchasing the Mother's Pizza chain out of receivership in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom in 1989. [21] 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, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Turkey, Guatemala, Barbados, Bahamas, El Salvador, Jamaica, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Spain, and Singapore. [22] [23] [24]

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 25 January 2019, with its launching under a new franchisee and new branch in Ermita, Manila. [25] [26]

In 2019, Little Caesars restaurants in Australia closed their doors and went into administration, having entered the Australian market in 2014. [27]

Little Caesars entered the Indian market on January 29, 2020, opening two stores in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. [28] [29]

In December 2022, the company re-entered the UK market, opening a store in Derby. [30]

Products

Little 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, a Detroit-style pizza, to the menu.

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 carry Pepsi products. [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 with meatless sausage made by Impossible 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

In September 2022, Little Caesars became the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League.

Community programs

Love Kitchen

The Little Caesars Love Kitchen is a kitchen on wheels that serves pizza to those in need. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush recognized the Love Kitchen by awarding Little Caesars with The President's Volunteer Action Award Citation. [41] [ better source needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Hut</span> American multinational restaurant chain

Pizza Hut is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney.

Pioneer Chicken is an American fried chicken restaurant chain which was founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles in 1961 by H. R. Kaufman. When Kaufman sold the chain in 1987, there were 270 restaurants operated by 220 franchisees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kmart</span> American retailing company

Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is an online retailer in the United States and operates 6 remaining Kmart big-box department stores — 3 in the US Virgin Islands and one each in Miami, Florida; Bridgehampton, Long Island; and Tamuning, Guam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papa John's</span> Pizza restaurant chain

Papa John's International, Inc., d/b/a Papa Johns, is an American pizza restaurant chain. It is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States, with headquarters in the Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Pizza</span> Canadian pizza restaurant chain

Pizza Pizza Ltd. is a franchised Canadian pizza quick-service restaurant with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. Its restaurants are mainly in the province of Ontario while others are located in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and western Canada. Franchises in western Canada are mostly run through Alberta-based subsidiary Pizza 73. It has over 500 locations, including over 150 non-traditional locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domino's</span> American multinational pizza restaurant chain

Domino's is an Ann Arbor-based multinational pizza restaurant chain. Founded in 1960, the chain is owned by master franchisor Domino's Pizza, Inc. and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware-domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor Township, near Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of 2018, Domino's had approximately 15,000 stores, with 5,649 in the United States, 1,500 in India, and 1,249 in the United Kingdom. Domino's has stores in over 83 countries and 5,701 cities worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ilitch</span> American businessman (1929–2017)

Michael Ilitch Sr., also known as Mr. I, was an American entrepreneur and restaurateur who served as the founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He also owned the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Round Table Pizza</span> American Pizzas Parlor Chain

Round Table Pizza is a chain and franchise of pizza parlours in the Western United States. The first Round Table Pizza restaurant was opened in 1959, and the company has over 400 restaurants. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Pizza Kitchen</span> American restaurant chain

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is an American casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza. The restaurant was started in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax in Beverly Hills, California, United States. California Pizza Kitchen introduced and popularized BBQ Chicken Pizza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donatos Pizza</span> Pizza restaurant chain in the United States

Donatos Pizza is a Columbus-style pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Gahanna, Ohio, United States. It is a pizza delivery franchisor with nearly 200 locations in twelve states, the majority being in Ohio. Donatos is also served at several venue outlets, including Ohio Stadium and formerly at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Marian Bayoff Ilitch is an American billionaire businesswoman, and the co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza with her late husband, Mike Ilitch. As of March 2018, Ilitch was one of the world's seven richest women, according to Bloomberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilitch Holdings</span> Holding company

Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is an American holding company established in 1999 to provide all companies owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch with professional and technical services. Its privately held businesses include Little Caesars Pizza, the National Hockey League (NHL) Detroit Red Wings, the Major League Baseball (MLB) Detroit Tigers, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Olympia Parking, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, 313 Presents, the Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, Hockeytown Cafe, and a variety of venues within these entities. Ilitch Holdings subsidiaries manage Detroit's Fox Theatre, City Theatre, Comerica Park, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, Meadow Brook Amphitheater, and Little Caesars Arena, which replaced Joe Louis Arena after closing in July 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit-style pizza</span> Rectangular pan pizza with a thick crust

Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular pan pizza with a thick, crisp, chewy crust. It is traditionally topped to the edges with mozzarella or Wisconsin brick cheese, which caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan. Detroit-style pizza was originally baked in rectangular steel trays designed for use as automotive drip pans or to hold small industrial parts in factories. It was developed during the mid-20th century in Detroit, Michigan, before spreading to other parts of the United States in the 2010s. It is one of Detroit's iconic local foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco's Pizza</span> American pizza restaurant chain

Marco's Pizza, operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC, is an American restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio, that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store was opened in Oregon, Ohio, on Starr Avenue. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in February 18, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Michigan</span> Cuisine of the Midwestern United States

The cuisine of Michigan is part of the broader regional cuisine of the Midwestern United States. It is reflective of the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the state, and draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Native North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pie Five</span> American restaurant chain

Pie Five Pizza is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in personal pizza. The brand is owned by Rave Restaurant Group, which also owns Pizza Inn. As of July 2021, Pie Five operates 33 restaurants with locations in the following states: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Caesars Arena</span> Indoor arena in Detroit

Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively.

Rosati's Authentic Chicago Pizza, doing business as Rosati's Pizza, is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Chicago-style pizza. Its headquarters is in Elgin, Illinois. There are more than 200 locations across the United States, with more than a third of them in Illinois. Rosati's has over $211 million in revenue and was founded in 1926 by Saverio Rosati at the corner of Pulaski and Madison in Chicago's west side. That location closed down and in 1964 reopened in Mount Prospect, IL. In 1995 Saverio's five sons, Fred, Richard, Al, Bill and Ronald grew the company to be the fourth largest pizza chain in the Chicago area behind Pizza Hut, Domino's and Little Caesars, in 2018 they were listed as number 21 on Pizza Today's list of the top 100 pizzerias.

References

  1. "Hail pizza! Little Caesars HQ unveils homage to its own". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  2. Stych, Anne (February 26, 2021). "New Little Caesars Pizza COO has a track record of driving growth". Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. "Pizza Power Report 2020: Taking Advantage of Digital Disruption". PMQ Pizza Magazine. December 2019. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. Clarke, Rod Meloni, Kayla (October 30, 2018). "Original Little Caesars pizza shop location closing". www.clickondetroit.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "Rubin: At the original Caesars, life and pizza go on". Detroit News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 https://littlecaesars.com/en-us/our-history/ Archived August 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine [ bare URL ]
  7. "Caesarland is hiring managers '95". Detroit Free Press . November 19, 1995. p. 111. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Skid, Nathan (April 27, 2009). "Hot-N-Steady: Renewed focus on value keeps Little Caesars cooking at age 50". Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  9. Inc., Fanpop. "Little Caesars Article: Miscellaneous Facts About Little Caesars". www.fanpop.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. "Patent US5676044 – Rotary air impingement oven – Google Patents" . Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  11. "Little Caesars Pizza Doubles Down on Detroit". Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  12. Press, By Tom Walsh and John Gallagher, Detroit Free. "Little Caesars to build 8-story downtown HQ next to Fox". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. "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. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  14. "Those pizza-slice windows may be delaying Little Caesars HQ opening". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  15. "Hidden Image In Little Caesars Logo That You Won't Be Able To Unsee". October 20, 2017. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  16. "Milestones | Little Caesars | Australia". www.little-caesars.com.au. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  17. "Pizza Franchise Opportunities". Little Caesars' official webpage. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  18. "Little Caesars Franchise Information". www.franchisetimes.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  19. Kim, Hae-Jung (May 27, 2021). "Little Caesars Franchise Cost & Fee Compared to Competitors (2022)". Vetted Biz. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  20. "LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA ANNOUNCES 700 NEW INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANTS". Prnewswire.co.uk. December 9, 1999. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  21. MacLeod, Meredith (February 2, 2013). "Mother's Pizza rising again in east Hamilton". The Spectator. Hamilton ON. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  22. "Little Caesars Pizza International". www.littlecaesarsinternational.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  23. "Chile: Little Caesars continúa su expansión en América Latina" (in Spanish). June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  24. "Peru: Little Caesars: "Esta vez regresamos para quedarnos"". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). December 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  25. "Remember Little Caesars pizza? It's returning to PH". ABS-CBN News. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  26. "American pizza chain Little Caesars is making a comeback in the Philippines next year". Coconuts Manila. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  27. Hall, Nick (January 2, 2020). "Little Caesars Australia collapses under debt mountain". Inside Franchise Business. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  28. Umarji, Vinay (January 27, 2020). "Little Caesars Pizza enters India with two stores, eyes 10 more by 2020-end". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  29. "Little Caesars Pizza forays into India". ET BrandEquity. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  30. "American chain's new Derby takeaway selling 12" pizzas for £5". DerbyshireLive. December 19, 2022. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  31. "Little Caesars Pizza – Pizza Franchise Opportunities Available". www.littlecaesars.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  32. "Free 2-Liter Promotion 2018". Little Caesars. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  33. "Little Caesars Fundraising". fundraising.littlecaesars.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  34. "Thread: Little Caesars' Big New Idea: Pizza by the Foot (1996)". Ad Age . October 28, 1996. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  35. "Pizza by the meter". littlecaesarsksa.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  36. "Little Caesars is bringing back pretzel crust pizza". WXYZ. January 29, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  37. "Little Caesars' Bacon-Wrapped Crust is the Crust to End All Crusts". Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  38. Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. "Little Caesars is testing out an Impossible pizza". CNN. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  39. "Little Caesars Bakes New Stuffed Crazy Bread". Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  40. Baetens, Melody (June 1, 2020). "Little Caesars launches stuffed crazy bread and a $3.99 pizza deal". The Detroit News . Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  41. "Little Caesars Pizza > Giving Back > Love Kitchen". littlecaesars.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.