Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. (LCE) (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 Domino's and Pizza Hut.[3] It operates and franchises pizza restaurants in the United States and internationally in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. The company is owned by Ilitch Holdings, and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.
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 mid-1980s, Little Caesars opened several family entertainment centers in the Detroit and Chicago area with Little Caesars branding, initially being named Little Caesars Family Fun Pizzeria. Several of these locations were previously Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre locations which were owned by Mike Ilitch. Little Caesars Family Fun Pizzeria would be rebranded into Caesarland by the mid-1990s, which featured play places similar to Discovery Zone. Caesarland would operate until 2011, when the last locations would close due to declining business.[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 1988.[15]
Marketing
Little Caesars is legally prevented from using its “Pizza! Pizza!” slogan in Canada since the unaffiliated Pizza Pizza restaurant chain holds the countrywide trademark for its name. Instead, Little Caesars uses other slogans such as "Two Pizzas!" and "Delivery! Delivery!".[16]
Franchising
Little Caesars sold its first franchise in 1962 and, by 1987, had restaurants in all 50 states.[17] Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Little Caesars were commonly found in Kmart stores, more specifically in Big Kmarts and Super Kmart. Little Caesars pizza was also included in many older, remodeled Kmart locations. The first Kmarts with Little Caesars were built in Garden City, Michigan. After Kmart's bankruptcy issues, many Kmarts replaced the Little Caesars restaurants with their own branded "K-Cafe". However, as of 2021, two Little Caesars/Kmart locations remain– in Guam and USVI.
Between 2008 and 2015, Little Caesars was the fastest-growing pizza chain in the United States.[18] As of 2017, the company had 5,463 locations including U.S. and international units.[19]
The estimated total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Little Caesars Franchise ranges from $378,700 to $1,695,500.[20]
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.[34] Select locations offer salads. All Little Caesars locations carry Pepsi products.[35] Little Caesars also sells brownies.[36]
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.[37][38]
Sponsorships
In September 2022, Little Caesars became the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League.[45]
See also
- List of pizza chains of the United States
External links
References
- Hail pizza! Little Caesars HQ unveils homage to its own The Detroit News, retrieved May 21, 2019^
- Anne Stych. New Little Caesars Pizza COO has a track record of driving growth February 26, 2021, retrieved May 24, 2021^
- 2025 Pizza Industry Trends Report