Little Caesars is one of the largest pizza chains in the U.S., just behind Domino's and Pizza Hut. The company's signature competitive differentiations are its HOT-AND-READY, which allows walk-in customers to purchase fresh, pre-made food with little to no wait time, as well as its large $5 pizza offerings. Customizable made-to-order items are also available. Within a crowded industry, Little Caesars competes by unapologetically selling immediate gratification and affordability. Franchisees can open a standard Little Caesars restaurant or a variety of non-standard models.
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$50,000 |
$250,000 |
$350,000 - $1,427,500 |
$20,000 |
6.0% |
5,509 |
1959 |
1962 |
Own a Little Caesars Franchise - Questions & Answers
Little Caesars Pizza menu. Menu items may vary across restaurant locations. Please enter your address to find a location near you. Help US save 20% - and YOU get $3. Little Caesars Pizza - Takeout & Delivery - 22 Photos & 50 Reviews - Pizza - 1442 S Bristol St, Santa Ana, CA - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - Yelp. 1682 Providence Blvd. Deltona, FL 32725. I had a terible experience at this restaurant. My order was wrong and I asked for it to be fixed; I called one of the managers Vincent and he. Little Caesars Pizza. Pizza Restaurants Take Out Restaurants. Delivery & Pickup Options - 6 reviews of Little Caesars 'Ok I will start off by saying the deep dish pizza is really good. However I feel that I couldn't give it anything but 2 stars because when I walked in I did not get greeted at all.
What is it?
- National fast casual pizza retail restaurant franchise
- Offers a variety of pizza styles as well as side dishes
How does it make money?
- In-store sales of pizza and other menu items
- Payment for deliveries and catered events
- Sales of brand merchandise
Who is it for?
- Someone with knowledge or experience in food service
- People who love pizza
- Franchisees who seek a high-volume restaurant
What would you do as a franchisee?
- Open and oversee operation of a fast-casual pizza restaurant
- Hire food and management personnel as necessary
Little Caesars Franchise Formats Offered
The timeline for opening a Little Caesars is 4 to 12 months from initial application to grand opening, depending on factors like store location, permitting, and the franchise format selected. Little Caesars is, of course, known for its walk-in restaurants, but, beyond the traditional carryout format, Little Caesars franchise owners have several non-standard options for their store build-out:
Classic Express Format
- Store size: 800+ sq feet
- Menu: full
- Employees: full staff
- Entrance: must have separate entrance
Self-Serve Express Format
- Store size: 475 sq feet
- Menu: Limited with optional breakfast items, sold via self-service
- Employees: 1 or 2 employees
Cashier Express Format
- Store size: 675 sq feet
- Menu: Limited, sold via separate register
- Little Caesars Franchise Opportunities - History
Little Caesars Franchise Opportunities - History
Little Caesars Location Near Me
Mike Ilitch and his Wife Marian founded the first Little Caesars in 1959 in Garden City, Michigan. Originally named Little Caesars Pizza Treat, the first franchise was sold in 1962 and began expanding quickly thereafter. By 1969, Little Caesars began its international expansion into Canada, and by 1987, had locations throughout all 50 states in the US. The pizza chain began offering its 'Hot- N-Ready' menu item, which is a large pizza sold for $5, in 2005. This new feature was a major success, which led the item to become a permanent fixture on the menu. Little Caesars has remained the fasted-growing pizza chain for nearly a decade.
Little Caesars Franchise Cost / Initial Investment / Little Caesars Franchise Income
Opening one Little Caesars pizza restaurant franchise requires a total investment of $350,000 to $1,427,500, including a $20,000 franchise fee. Potential owners should have a net worth of at least $250,000. Reserving a territory for future development of up to four Little Caesars restaurants requires a total investment of $21,000 to $25,000, which is additional to the cost of every franchise unit to be developed. Franchisees pay an ongoing royalty that is the greater of 6% of the week's gross sales or $100, payable weekly. For national advertising, franchisees must contribute up to 7% of gross sales toward the franchisor advertising fund.
Little Caesars Franchise System Size and Composition
Little Caesars has expanded to around 6,000 locations worldwide. About 90% of the chain's locations are franchised and about 10% are corporate owned. Roughly 80% of the restaurants are located in the United States. Systemwide, the chain generates approximately $4.4 billion in sales.
Little Caesars Pizza Has the Recipe for Growth
When you're the fastest-growing carryout pizza chain in America,* you're obviously doing something right. Or, in the case of Little Caesars, you're doing many things right. The company isn't even thinking of resting on its laurels, however. Instead, it's actively working toward even more growth, by targeting communities across the country through an aggressive multi-unit franchisee growth strategy. These communities are poised for growth, and provide excellent opportunities for franchise developers who want to be associated with a leading national brand and a simple business model.
'As we implement our strategic plan focused on bringing in experienced restaurant operators to add new franchise units into previously untapped markets, we anticipate that consumers and franchise developers alike will be eager to connect with Little Caesars Pizza's globally recognized brand name,' said Ed Ader, director of franchise development for Little Caesars.
In addition to in-line shopping center and strip mall locations, the expansion plan also includes opportunities for franchise locations to open in non-traditional franchise venues—unique settings like convenience stores, college campuses and military bases, just to name a few.
The beauty of this model is that Little Caesars Pizza will work closely with its franchisees to develop locations with customized architectural and build-out plans. That design flexibility makes it an attractive fit for all kinds of venues.
Where Is Little Caesars
A Brand You Can Believe In
Year after year, for more than a decade, Little Caesars Pizza has experienced significant sales increases and store growth. The company is planning for the continuation of this trend with this franchise expansion program, and an unwavering focus on providing high quality products with great value for a low price.
In fact, Little Caesars Pizza has been named 'Best Value in America'** for ten straight years, and the brand appeals to consumers on several levels.
'Little Caesars Pizza takes pride in its ability to connect with consumers on what matters most to them,' added Ader. 'Whether it's our HOT-N-READY® pizza or famed Crazy Bread®, our loyal and growing fan base is looking for a great value, and we consistently deliver on our promise to do just that.'
The brand equity built throughout the past six decades, along with the proven Little Caesars Pizza business model and ongoing franchisee support, are driving the company's growth. Couple that with the brand's high quality, affordable products that are ready when customers are, and you've got a recipe for remarkable consumer convenience and value.
Building on Franchisee Success
Little Caesars provides qualified franchisees with the tools they need to follow the brand's proven system, including ongoing training, architectural services to help with design and construction, preferred lenders to assist with financing, sustained research and development of new products, and continuing, effective marketing promotions.
For more information about Little Caesars and available franchise opportunities, visit Franchise.LittleCaesars.com or call 1-800-553-5776.
*'Fastest growing carryout pizza chain in America' based on the net number of stores added 2008-2014.
**'Highest Rated Chain - Value For The Money' based on a nationwide survey of quick-service restaurant consumers conducted by Sandelman & Associates, 2007-2015.
Find other similar franchises!Bugs n bees. Little Caesars is listed in the Franchise Directory under the Food category. It's also listed in the section for Franchises Under $60,000.
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There are few people that will admit to going to Little Caesars because they love the pizza, but there are a ton of people who head there for a convenient, decent, affordable couple of pizzas that will feed the whole family. They've built an empire based on having pizza ready on demand, and in our busy world, that's a huge thing. So, what don't you know about one of America's favorite places for super-fast pizza pick-up?
It started under a different name
Little Caesars was founded by Mike Ilitch, and it was a huge risk. He and his wife, Marian, spent their entire life savings opening the doors to their pizza place on May 8, 1959, and that original location on Cherry Hill Road in Garden City, Michigan, is still there and still serving customers.
According to The Detroit News, they originally served things like fish, hot dogs, chicken, and shrimp, and in those early days the place was called Little Caesar's Pizza Treat. The first day they were open, they made 49 pizzas and kept track of their sales in a little notebook, but it was just a start. They were franchised by 1962, and 20 years later they bought the Detroit Red Wings. Their purchase of the Detroit Tigers came in 1992 (via Jacobs Media), proving the sky's pretty much the limit. Their headquarters moved to Detroit after a $12-million renovation of the Fox Theater, but they kept the doors open on their original location for a long time. When Ilitch passed away in 2017, the doors of his original store still opened the next day — for the 21,099th time.
They won't be adding delivery
Pizza and delivery seem to go hand in hand, but Little Caesars has always been pick-up only. That's not going to change, either, according to what CEO David Scrivano told CNBC in 2017.
'Our customers know that is exceptionally fast to pick up a pizza [at Little Caesars] versus waiting 35 [to] 45 minutes or an hour for delivery,' he said. And it's certainly true, but there's a bit more to it than that. With everyone else already offering delivery, Little Caesars would likely struggle to do what others are already doing. There's also the fact the customer base for many locations tends to be in economically disadvantaged areas, and that would mean lower tips for drivers. Delivery fees would raise the price of the pizza, and they've prided themselves on remaining super-affordable. There's just no reason to start delivering, Scrivano says, and adds that they've become so popular among their customers that a stop at Little Caesars is a part of many families' regular routines anyway.
They bought a mushroom farm to supply their earliest chains
Anyone who knows their way around a kitchen knows that quality ingredients are important. In 1969, Little Caesars opened its 50th location, and by 1971 they were looking for more and more ways to make sure their restaurants were getting the good stuff. They opened Little Caesars Mushroom Farms, Inc., to grow, package, and distribute mushrooms to all their locations. It worked so well additional products were added, and it gradually became Blue Line Foodservice. Even though it was founded to supply Little Caesars, Blue Line took on other clients in the 1990s and now has 14 US locations and one Canadian one.
They have a mobile pizza kitchen for emergencies
Most companies have found some way to give back to their communities, but Little Caesars goes above and beyond with their mobile Love Kitchen. Since they first put the mobile kitchen into operation in 1985, they've gotten several presidential awards for their service (from the Reagan, Clinton, and Bush administrations), along with a number of other citations and acknowledgements.
In 2014, they announced they were adding a second mobile kitchen to their fleet, which had already handed out more than three million meals to families who were homeless or displaced. They dispatch their kitchens to areas across the country throughout the year to feed those in need, and when there's a natural disaster, they mobilize to head out into the most devastated areas. In 2017, they headed to Texas and stopped first at the Freeman Coliseum to feed the first responders on the front lines of Hurricane Harvey, continuing the tradition that sent the Love Kitchen to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, the scenes of devastating wildfires, and 9/11.
They did add a 'Pizza Portal' for fast pick-up
You can't call and order a pizza for delivery, but Little Caesars has started offering customers something that might be even better — the Pizza Portal. According to Digital Trends, the idea went into testing phases in August 2017, with the promise of being implemented at locations across the country. Customers just download the app, order and pay for their pizza, and they'll get a three-digit code. Stop at your local Little Caesars, pull up to the Pizza Portal, and enter your code. Then, pizza happens!
In theory, there's no restrictions on what kind of pizza you order through the app and the portal, and Little Caesars says it's all about making it as convenient as possible for customers to get their pizzas. The goal is no line, no waiting, and as a side effect, introverts can rejoice at this people-free pizza pickup.
Founder Mike Ilitch paid Rosa Parks's rent for 11 years
When Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch passed away on February 10, 2017, The Detroit News quoted one customer as simply saying, 'We lost a good guy, didn't we?' The world doesn't even know just how good he was, because there are a lot of things he did quietly. It was only in 2014 that Sports Business Journal talked to a Detroit judge named Damon Keith. Keith came forward because he wanted the world to know one thing Ilitch had done for 11 years: he paid Rosa Parks's rent.
In 1994, Parks was assaulted, beaten, and robbed while she was in her Detroit home. She was 81 years old at the time, and Keith promised her he was going to find her a safe place to live. Ilitch got in touch with him, and told him he'd foot the bill for her rent. And he did, until her 2005 death.
He didn't talk about it, he just did it. Keith wanted everyone to know about it, in addition to giving millions to local charities, funding college scholarships, youth sports leagues, and giving free sponsorship to Detroit's ailing industries. 'Of all the incredible things he has done for the city,' Keith said, 'people should know about what he did for Rosa Parks.'
They're investing millions into revitalizing Detroit
In 2017, Crain's Detroit Business reported some astronomical numbers, and those numbers reflected the amount of money Little Caesars has put back into the revitalization of Detroit. As of July 31, Olympia Development of Michigan — which is owned by the Ilitch family — had paid a pretty shocking $926 million into projects like Little Caesars Arena (pictured) and the buildings in a 50-block radius of the stadium. About 90 percent of the funds went directly to companies in Michigan, and just what kind of impact it wil have on the area remains to be seen. The plan isn't without skeptics, of course, but supporters are hoping the arena — which will be the home of both the Red Wings and the Pistons, and will host 41 games for each team every year — will become the heartbeat of a new Detroit.
The Chicago Tribune says that by the time the District Detroit project is complete, it'll be at the cost of $1.2 billion. The state-of-the-art stadium earned the nickname Pizzarena pretty quickly, and supporters hope it'll be the start of a renaissance for the city — thanks, in large part, to Little Caesars.
They were sued over halal pizzas
Not everyone in Detroit is happy with Little Caesars, though, and in 2017 they were sued over pizza that was labeled halal. According to Dearborn's Mohamad Bazzi (via the Detroit Free Press), the pizza was labeled halal but wasn't, and it was only after he'd eaten some of the regular pepperoni that he realized he'd eaten pork. The lawsuit said that Bazzi's wife — who was born into Catholicism but converted to Islam — knew the pepperoni was definitely pork, leaving them with no choice but to file a suit for $100 million in damages in hopes of sending a clear message to Little Caesars: serving pork after claiming something is halal can be devastating for their devout Muslim customers.
According to Little Caesars (via CBS Detroit), Bazzi changed his order from a halal pizza to a Hot-and-Ready pizza that isn't labeled halal, and therefore the chain wasn't responsible. The suit was ultimately dismissed by the judge.
Saying 'pizza, pizza' during your order used to get you free Crazy Bread
We all love secret menus, and according to one Redditor, Little Caesars used to have a secret code phrase that would score you an order of free Crazy Bread. A poster going by the name Bamness said he gave it a shot in 2013, and said, 'Pizza, pizza!' when he finished up giving his order. The employee taking the order didn't get it, but someone else came out from the back and gave him his free Crazy Bread — along with thanks for being a longtime customer. It's been somewhere around 15 years since that was a regular thing, but who knows? Try it, and you might just get some free Crazy Bread.
There's a hidden message in the logo
It's no secret that companies choose their logos very, very carefully, and they put a lot of thought into the symbol that's going to represent their business. Little Caesars is no different, and even if you're familiar with the toga-wearing, pizza-eating mascot, you may not have noticed the hidden message he has sewn into some of his togas.
Little Caesars Pizza Order Online
Check out the hem, and you'll see that some of them have a decoration that makes the letters 'LC,' according to CBS Detroit — you know, for 'Little Caesars.' Not all of them do, and we like to think that he just has different togas for different occasions.
