Pizza Nova

Pizza Nova is a Canadian pizza restaurant and delivery brand operated by Pizza Nova Take Out Ltd. The chain is headquartered in Scarborough, Ontario, and has its roots in a family business established by Italian immigrants from Palazzo San Gervasio in Basilicata, Italy. Brothers Sam, Mike, Vince, and Joe Primucci opened the first Pizza Nova restaurant on May 12, 1963, at the intersection of Lawrence Avenue East and Kennedy Road in Scarborough. The original site later operated under the name Nova Ristorante, while the Pizza Nova name developed into a broader restaurant and take-out network. The business initially combined walk-in restaurant service with delivery. After several years of operation and growth, Pizza Nova began franchising in 1969. Franchising became a central part of the brand's expansion model, allowing the chain to build a substantial store network while retaining a recognizable family-oriented identity. The company has been described as having more than 150 locations in Canada, with its principal presence in Ontario. Pizza Nova's core offer is pizza prepared for take-out, delivery, and restaurant or counter service. Its menu includes signature pizzas as well as pesto and white pizza varieties. The brand also sells beverages from the Coca-Cola portfolio. In response to changing dietary preferences, Pizza Nova added dairy-free cheese and, by 2021, plant-based pepperoni to its menu, extending the brand beyond conventional meat-and-dairy pizza choices. The chain has maintained a prominent regional advertising identity. A 1987 commercial created with jingle writer Syd Kessler and the Montana Steele advertising agency used a musical rendering of the brand's telephone number. The jingle, performed by Canadian musician Zappacosta, became associated with Pizza Nova advertising and continued to be heard in updated forms on Ontario radio and television. Later versions included a voice-over by Domenic Primucci, identified in reference material as the son of founder Sam Primucci and a company president. Pizza Nova has also pursued visibility through entertainment and sports partnerships. In 2013, the business appeared on the Canadian edition of Undercover Boss in an episode focused on Pizza Nova. In connection with its fiftieth anniversary, the chain announced a three-year partnership beginning in January 2014 with the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre, under which Pizza Nova became the official pizza supplier. This arrangement associated the brand with one of Canada's most recognizable professional sports venues and reinforced its position as an established Canadian pizza operator. Pizza Nova remains an active Canadian restaurant and franchise brand. Its identity is built around family ownership and heritage, pizza delivery and take-out convenience, a long-running Ontario presence, recognizable advertising, and adaptation of the menu to include vegetarian and vegan-oriented options. A separate Pizza Nova-branded or visually similar operation has been reported in Varadero, Cuba; reference material characterizes it as a knockoff using phased-out signage rather than as part of the Canadian chain.

Pizza Nova began in Scarborough, Ontario, on May 12, 1963, when Italian immigrant brothers Sam, Mike, Vince, and Joe Primucci opened a pizza restaurant near the corner of Lawrence Avenue East and Kennedy Road. The family originated from Palazzo San Gervasio in Basilicata, Italy. The first location combined a walk-in restaurant with take-out and delivery service, establishing the operating model that would remain central to the brand. The original restaurant later operated as Nova Ristorante, while the Pizza Nova name was used to develop a larger chain. Following years of growth in delivery and in-store service, the company opened its first franchised location in 1969. Franchising enabled Pizza Nova to expand beyond its founding restaurant while maintaining a common brand identity across its locations. The chain subsequently became one of Canada's established pizza franchise networks, with more than 150 Canadian locations reported in reference material and a primary concentration in Ontario. Advertising played an important role in Pizza Nova's regional identity. In October 1987, jingle writer Syd Kessler, the Montana Steele advertising agency, and Pizza Nova president Sam Primucci created a commercial built around singing the restaurant's telephone number. Canadian musician Zappacosta performed the jingle, including the memorable vocal treatment of the repeated zeroes. Later edits continued to appear on Ontario radio and television, with a newer voice-over attributed to Domenic Primucci, Sam Primucci's son and a company president. The company marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2013. That year Pizza Nova was also featured on the Canadian edition of Undercover Boss, in the ninth episode of the show's third season. The television appearance provided a national platform for a business otherwise strongly associated with Ontario's local restaurant and delivery market. In connection with the anniversary period, Pizza Nova announced a partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre. Beginning in January 2014, the three-year agreement designated Pizza Nova as the official pizza supplier for the baseball team and venue. The partnership gave the chain a high-profile sports and stadium presence while extending its established foodservice business into a major promotional relationship. Pizza Nova's menu has continued to center on pizza, including signature, pesto, and white pizza categories. The company also sells Coca-Cola beverages. More recently, it has expanded its suitability for customers avoiding animal products by offering dairy-free cheese and, by 2021, plant-based pepperoni. These additions represent menu adaptation rather than a departure from the chain's core pizza proposition. The Canadian Pizza Nova has been distinguished from a reported knockoff operation in Varadero, Cuba, which uses phased-out Pizza Nova signage. The available reference material does not identify the Cuban operation as an authorized location. Pizza Nova itself remains an active Canadian franchise chain headquartered in Scarborough.

• 2021

  Plant-based pepperoni is available

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Pizza Nova had added plant-based pepperoni to its menu by 2021, complementing its dairy-free cheese option.

• 2014

  Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre partnership begins

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  A three-year agreement made Pizza Nova the official pizza supplier for the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre beginning in January 2014.

• 2013

  Fiftieth anniversary and Undercover Boss appearance

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Pizza Nova reached its fiftieth anniversary and appeared on the Canadian edition of Undercover Boss.

• 1987

  Signature telephone-number jingle is produced

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Pizza Nova introduced an advertising jingle built around its telephone number, performed by Zappacosta and later reused in updated commercial edits.

• 1969

  First franchised location opens

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Pizza Nova opened its first franchised store after several years of operating company and family restaurant services.

• 1963

  First Pizza Nova restaurant opens in Scarborough

  [1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Sam, Mike, Vince, and Joe Primucci opened the first Pizza Nova restaurant on May 12, 1963, near Lawrence Avenue East and Kennedy Road in Scarborough, Ontario.

A long-established Canadian family pizza chain focused on delivery, take-out, franchised restaurants, recognizable Ontario advertising, and menu flexibility including dairy-free and plant-based options.

• Pizza

  Signature pizzas

  Pizza Nova's signature pizza range forms the core of its restaurant, take-out, and delivery business. The category represents the brand's standard prepared-pizza offering and its most familiar menu identity across the Canadian chain.

• Pizza

  Pesto pizzas

  Pesto pizzas are one of the specifically identified specialty categories associated with Pizza Nova. They extend the menu beyond conventional tomato-based pizza profiles by using pesto as a defining flavor component.

• Pizza

  White pizzas

  White pizzas are another named specialty category in Pizza Nova's offering. The category provides an alternative to traditional red-sauce pizza and forms part of the chain's differentiated specialty-pizza selection.

• Plant-based and allergen-conscious menu

  Dairy-free cheese pizza

  Pizza Nova offers dairy-free cheese as an alternative topping for customers seeking a pizza without conventional dairy cheese. The option broadens the chain's suitability for vegan, dairy-avoiding, and flexitarian customers.

• Plant-based menu · 2021

  Plant-based pepperoni pizza

  Plant-based pepperoni was available at Pizza Nova by 2021. It gives customers a meat-free alternative to a conventional pizza topping and complements the chain's dairy-free cheese option.

• Beverages

  Coca-Cola beverages

  Pizza Nova sells beverages from the Coca-Cola portfolio alongside its pizza and meal offerings. These drinks support the chain's standard take-out, delivery, and restaurant meal occasions.

• 2014Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre official supplier partnership

  Ontario · Canada

  Pizza Nova entered a three-year partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre beginning in January 2014, becoming the official pizza supplier.

  Outcome. The agreement gave Pizza Nova a prominent professional-sports and venue association. No financial or attendance outcome is provided in the available material.

  Source
• 2013Undercover Boss Canada appearance

  Canada

  Pizza Nova was featured in the Canadian version of Undercover Boss during the program's third season.

  Outcome. The appearance increased public visibility for the family-founded restaurant chain, although the available reference does not provide audience or commercial results.

  Source
• 1987Pizza Nova telephone-number jingle

  Ontario

  Pizza Nova produced a radio and television advertisement centered on singing the restaurant's telephone number. The jingle was created with Syd Kessler and Montana Steele and performed by Zappacosta.

  Outcome. The jingle became a durable part of the brand's Ontario advertising identity and continued to be heard in edited versions.

  Source

• 2021

  Expanded the menu with plant-based pepperoniProduct launch

  Background

  Pizza Nova had already introduced dairy-free cheese and was adapting its menu to accommodate vegan and plant-based dietary preferences.

  Action taken

  The chain added plant-based pepperoni by 2021.

  Aftermath

  The offering broadened the brand's plant-based customization options while remaining within its core pizza category.

  Source

• 2014

  Entered official supplier partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers CentreOther

  Background

  The partnership was announced around Pizza Nova's fiftieth anniversary and was intended to connect the established Canadian pizza brand with a major sports team and venue.

  Action taken

  Pizza Nova became the official pizza supplier under a three-year agreement beginning in January 2014.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained a high-profile presence associated with the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre. The available material does not report financial results.

  Source

• 1969

  Adopted franchising as an expansion modelStrategy

  Background

  After operating its original restaurant and building delivery and walk-in business, Pizza Nova sought to expand beyond its initial family-operated location.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first franchised store in 1969.

  Aftermath

  Franchising became an important mechanism for developing Pizza Nova's Canadian restaurant network.

  Source

• 2021

  Pizza Nova adds plant-based pepperoni[1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  By 2021, the chain had introduced plant-based pepperoni as part of its response to vegan and flexitarian dietary preferences.

• 2014

  Pizza Nova becomes official pizza supplier for the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre[1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  A three-year partnership beginning in January 2014 made Pizza Nova the official pizza supplier for the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre.

• 2013

  Pizza Nova appears on Canada's Undercover Boss[1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Pizza Nova was featured in the Canadian version of Undercover Boss in the ninth episode of the program's third season.

• 1969

  Pizza Nova launches franchise expansion after establishing its first restaurants[1]Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Pizza Nova opened its first franchised store, marking a shift from a family-operated restaurant business toward a broader franchise network.

1. 1Pizza Novaen.wikipedia.org