Boston Pizza facts for kids
Monogram version of company logo
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| Public | |
| Traded as | TSX: BPF.UN |
| Industry | Pizzeria Franchising |
| Founded | 1964 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Headquarters |
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Canada
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Number of locations
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395 restaurants (2022) |
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Areas served
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Canada, United States, and Mexico |
| Products | Pizza, Pasta, Ribs, Hamburgers, Salads and Entrees |
| Revenue |  CA$1.2 billion (2023) |
| Owner | Jim Treliving George Melville Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund |
Boston Pizza (often called BP) is a popular Canadian restaurant chain. Outside of Canada, it's known as Boston's The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar. You can find Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They are famous for their pizza and other tasty dishes.
Contents
The Story of Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza started in 1964 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A person named Gus Agioritis opened the first restaurant. He called it Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House. By 1970, Boston Pizza had grown to 17 locations. Most of these were run by other people through a system called franchising.
One of the first people to open a franchised Boston Pizza was Jim Treliving. He was a police officer who lived near the first restaurant. Jim saw how popular Boston Pizza was becoming. In 1968, he bought the rights to open a restaurant in Penticton, British Columbia. There, he met George Melville, who was an accountant. George helped Jim with his business for four years. In 1973, George became Jim's business partner. Together, they opened 16 more restaurants in British Columbia over the next 10 years.
In 1983, Jim Treliving and George Melville bought the entire Boston Pizza chain. They worked to make sure all the restaurants followed the same rules. This helped make the company's operations more organized. In 1986, Boston Pizza became the official pizza supplier for Expo 86. This was a big event in Vancouver. This success helped the company grow into Eastern Canada. They opened three stores in Southern Ontario in 1989. However, these stores closed by the mid-1990s. This was because they didn't have enough local management.
By 1995, Boston Pizza had 95 restaurants in Western Canada. They were making over $110 million in sales. Over the years, the restaurants became very successful. Many of them also added sports bars, which became a big part of the business.
In 1997, Mark Pacinda joined the company. His job was to help Boston Pizza expand again into Eastern Canada. A new office and restaurant opened in Mississauga in 1997. Another restaurant opened in Ottawa in 1998. In 2004, they opened another office in Laval, Quebec. As of late 2023, there are 372 Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada. There are also over 50 Boston's restaurants in the U.S. and Mexico.
Boston's Restaurants in the U.S. and Mexico
Boston's is the name used for Boston Pizza restaurants in the United States and Mexico. In 1998, a U.S. office was set up in Dallas, Texas. That same year, the name was changed to Boston's: The Gourmet Pizza, Restaurant and Sports Bar. Boston's has more than 30 locations in the U.S. and 22 in Mexico.
Fun Promotions
Boston Pizza sometimes uses fun advertising ideas. During the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Boston Bruins played the Montreal Canadiens. Boston Pizza temporarily changed the name of its Montreal restaurants to "Montreal Pizza." Later, in the final round, the Bruins played the Vancouver Canucks. Boston Pizza then changed its British Columbia locations to "Vancouver Pizza."
Trademark Challenge
In 2002, Boston Pizza started a legal case against another company called Boston Market. This was about using the word "Boston" in Canada. Boston Market argued that Boston Pizza's name was not valid. They said it described a type of pizza from a certain area. The argument continued even after Boston Market stopped operating in Canada in 2004.
The two companies settled their disagreement in 2008. They agreed that Boston Market would not use the words "Boston" or "Boston Market" in Canada for five years. This applied to restaurants and most food products. Boston Market also agreed not to challenge Boston Pizza's use of "Boston" or "Boston Pizza" in Canada.
See also
In Spanish: Boston Pizza para niños
- List of Canadian restaurant chains
- List of Canadian pizza chains
- Pizza in Canada
- Pizza cake, a Boston Pizza product which later went viral
