Pizza Pizza
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Pizza Pizza Ltd. is a franchised Canadian pizza quick-service restaurant with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> beginning with sponsorship of the Montreal Canadiens.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pizza Pizza opened its first store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first New Brunswick location, situated in Dieppe, opened in late 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first Newfoundland location, located in Mount Pearl, opened on December 30, 2024. <ref>https://www.facebook.com/PizzaPizzaCanada/posts/pizza-pizza-has-officially-arrived-in-newfoundland-were-thrilled-to-announce-the/991859572983242/</ref>
Pizza Pizza Limited announced in December 2021 that it was seeking to expand into Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.Template:Citation needed
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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the chain's radio advertisements. Pizza Pizza has registered "967–1111" and variants as trademarks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"967–1111" is registered in Canada under registration number TMA428709.</ref>
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 slogans such as "Two Pizzas!", "Hot 'N' Ready!", "Delivery! Delivery!", "Quality! Quality!" and others.
Trademarks
Pizza Pizza currently holds the trademarks for:
- Chicken Chicken<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Technology
Pizza Pizza won a Webby Award in 2011 for Best Mobile Shopping App.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>