Pizza Pizza
{{Short description|Canadian pizza restaurant chain}}
{{About|the Canadian restaurant franchise|the American restaurant franchise which uses "Pizza! Pizza!" as its slogan|Little Caesars|the children's book|Pete's a Pizza}}
{{confused|Pizza (disambiguation){{!}}topics called Pizza}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2010}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Pizza Pizza Ltd.
| logo = Pizza_Pizza_Logo.svg
| image = Pizza Pizza Corporate HQ.jpg
| image_size = 280px
| image_caption = Corporate headquarters in Toronto
| type = Private, with publicly traded royalty income fund
| traded_as = {{TSX|PZA}}
| genre = Pizzeria
| foundation = {{start date and age|1967|12|31}}
| founder = Michael Overs
| location = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| key_people = Paul Goddard (CEO)
| area_served = {{ubl|Ontario|Quebec|Manitoba|Saskatchewan|Nova Scotia|New Brunswick|Alberta|British Columbia|Yukon|Prince Edward Island}}
| industry = {{ubl|Food delivery|Franchising|Quick Service Restaurants}}
| products = {{ubl|Pizza|Chicken Wings|Panzerotti|Calzone|Chicken Sandwich|Dessert}}
| subsid = Pizza 73
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.pizzapizza.ca/}}
}}
File:Pizza Pizza at DVP Onramp.jpg in Toronto]]
File:PizzaPizzaMarkhamTownSquare.jpg]]
File:Pizza Pizza's Meditteranean Vegetarian.jpg
Pizza Pizza Ltd. is a franchised Canadian pizza quick-service restaurant with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4271029|title=Pizza Pizza Limited|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2018-12-10}} Its restaurants are mainly in the province of Ontario while others are located in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland 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.
History
The chain was founded by Michael Overs, who opened the first location on December 31, 1967, at the corner of Wellesley and Parliament streets in Toronto. He owned the chain until his death in 2010. It expanded throughout the Toronto area in the 1970s, and throughout the rest of Ontario throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The chain opened its first locations in Quebec in the mid-1980s, but withdrew after a few years. It returned to the province, in Gatineau, in March 2007. Locations were opened in the Montreal area in late 2007 in the boroughs of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
Pizza Pizza began to expand significantly outside Ontario during the 2000s. In its 2005 initial public offering filings, the chain announced it would consider expansion in western Canada, potentially including purchasing existing local chains. This led to a June 2007 agreement to purchase Alberta-based Pizza 73. As well, in October 2006, the company announced it would expand in the Quebec market,{{Cite web|url=http://mediaincanada.com/2006/10/18/pizza-20061018/|title=Pizza Pizza hopes to score in Quebec with help from Montreal Canadiens » Media in Canada|website=mediaincanada.com|access-date=2018-12-10}} beginning with sponsorship of the Montreal Canadiens.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pizzamarketplace.com/news/pizza-pizza-to-sponsor-montreal-canadiens-ramps-up-franchise-growth/|title=Pizza Pizza to sponsor Montreal Canadiens, ramps up franchise growth|date=2006-10-16|website=www.pizzamarketplace.com|language=en|access-date=2018-12-10}} The chain expanded to the British Columbia Lower Mainland in 2009, however all locations closed (Pizza 73 already had a location in Prince George in the B.C. Interior), and soon after added locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The chain returned to Vancouver in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2018/09/18/pizza-pizza-metro-vancouver-locations/|title=Pizza Pizza announces 6 more Metro Vancouver locations of popular Toronto chain|last=William-Ross|first=Lindsay|website=Vancouver Is Awesome|date=2018-09-18|access-date=2018-12-10}} Pizza Pizza opened its first store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June 2010.{{Cite web|date=25 July 2010|title=Pizza Pizza docks in Halifax|url=https://www.canadianpizzamag.com/pizza-pizza-docks-in-halifax-3177/|access-date=3 November 2020|website=Canadian Pizza}} The first New Brunswick location, situated in Dieppe, opened late 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.pizzapizza.ca/restaurant-locator/New_Brunswick
|title=Pizza Pizza Restaurant Locator |date= |website=pizzapizza.ca |access-date=January 5, 2022}} The first Newfoundland location, located in Mount Pearl, opened December 30th, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/PizzaPizzaCanada/posts/pizza-pizza-has-officially-arrived-in-newfoundland-were-thrilled-to-announce-the/991859572983242/
Pizza Pizza Limited announced in December 2021 that it was seeking to expand into Mexico.{{cite web | url=https://www.pizzapizza.ca/2021/12/01/pizza-pizza-limited-announces-international-expansion-with-master-franchise-agreement-to-launch-in-mexico/ | title=Pizza Pizza | date=December 2021 }}
Marketing
Pizza Pizza is known for the chain's phone number, XXX–1111. The company claims that its early adoption of the centralized single-number ordering system, and its subsequent use and heavy promotion of this rhyming phone number, helped the chain to expand throughout Ontario.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}
A central local number is used for all locations until it becomes a long-distance call. In other cities, local numbers are requested with the "11-11" suffix to match the standard jingle{{Cite web|url=http://www.pizzapizza.ca/english/pages/about_us/pp_jingle.mp3|title=Pizza Pizza jingle|date=2007-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114062516/http://www.pizzapizza.ca/english/pages/about_us/pp_jingle.mp3|access-date=2018-12-10|archive-date=2007-01-14}} in the chain's radio advertisements. Pizza Pizza has registered "967–1111" and variants as trademarks.{{cite web| url=https://ised-isde.canada.ca/cipo/trademark-search/0458946?lang=eng| title=Canadian Trademarks Details: 967-1111 — 0458946| website=ised-isde.canada.ca| access-date=February 21, 2025}}"967–1111" is registered in Canada under registration number TMA428709.
Unaffiliated American pizza chain Little Caesars does not use its "Pizza! Pizza!" slogan in Canada due to Pizza Pizza's slogan registered as a trademark. Instead, Little Caesars uses "Two Pizzas!", "Hot 'N' Ready!", "Delivery! Delivery!", "Quality! Quality!" and others.
Trademarks
Pizza Pizza currently holds the trademarks for:
Technology
Pizza Pizza won a Webby Award in 2011 for Best Mobile Shopping App. {{cite web | url=https://winners.webbyawards.com/2011/apps-and-software/handheld-devices/shopping-handheld-devices/150009/pizza-pizza-mobile | title=NEW Webby Gallery + Index }}
See also
{{portal|Companies}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website|http://www.pizzapizza.ca/}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090819171403/http://www.pizzapizza.ca/PPLWeb/CommandServlet?command=screenscmd&screenID=about_history Pizza Pizza's history page (source)]
{{Pizza chains}}
Category:1967 establishments in Ontario
Category:Companies based in Etobicoke
Category:Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Category:Pizza chains of Canada
Category:Regional restaurant chains in Canada
Category:Restaurants established in 1967