Boston Pizza facts for kids
The Canadian Boston Pizza logo
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| Public | |
| Traded as | TSX: BPF.UN |
| Industry | Pizzeria |
| 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$1.1 billion (2022) |
| 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. This company owns and franchises many restaurants in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It's a great spot for pizza, pasta, and other yummy meals, often with a sports bar where you can watch games!
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How Boston Pizza Started
Boston Pizza first opened its doors in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This happened on August 12, 1964. Four Greek immigrants named Trifon, Gus, Perry, and Ninos Agioritis started the first restaurant. They called it Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House.
By 1970, Boston Pizza had grown quite a bit. There were 17 locations across Western Canada. Most of these were franchises, meaning other people owned and ran them using the Boston Pizza name.
Jim Treliving Joins the Team
One of the first people to open a Boston Pizza franchise was Jim Treliving. He was a police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Jim lived near the first Boston Pizza and loved eating there. In 1968, he saw how popular the restaurant was becoming. So, he bought the rights to open his own Boston Pizza in Penticton, British Columbia.
While in Penticton, Jim 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.
Growing Across Canada
In 1983, Jim Treliving and George Melville bought the entire Boston Pizza chain. They bought it from Ron Coyle, who had owned it since 1978. Jim and George then worked to make sure all Boston Pizza restaurants followed the same rules and standards.
In the early 1980s, Boston Pizza tried to expand into Eastern Canada. But by late 1985, most of those restaurants in Ontario had closed. However, things changed in 1986. Boston Pizza became the official pizza supplier for Expo 86 in Vancouver. This was a huge success for the company! It helped them expand into Eastern Canada again. In just two years, they opened 17 more franchise locations.
By 1995, the chain had grown to 95 restaurants in Western Canada. They were making over $110 million CAD in sales. Over the years, the restaurants became very successful. The sports bar part of the business also became a very important feature.
In 1997, Mark Pacinda was hired to help the chain grow even more in Eastern Canada. A new office was opened in Mississauga. Then, a new restaurant opened in Ottawa in September 1998. Later, in April 2004, the company opened another office in Laval, Quebec. By 2012, there were 348 Boston Pizza restaurants in Canada. There were also over 40 Boston's restaurants in the U.S. and Mexico.
Boston's: The Name in Other Countries
When Boston Pizza expanded into the United States and Mexico, they changed the name. In 1998, a U.S. main office was set up in Dallas, Texas. That same year, the name became Boston's The Gourmet Pizza, Restaurant and Sports Bar. This is because another company already used the "Boston" name for food in the U.S. Boston's has had over 30 stores in the U.S. and 22 in Mexico.
Fun Advertising Campaigns
Boston Pizza sometimes uses creative advertising. For example, during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Boston Bruins played the Montreal Canadiens. Boston Pizza temporarily changed the name of its Montreal locations to "Montreal Pizza."
Later, in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins played the Vancouver Canucks. Boston Pizza then temporarily changed the name of its British Columbia locations to "Vancouver Pizza." This was a fun way to support the local teams!
Name Dispute
In 2002, Boston Pizza had a legal disagreement with another company called Boston Market. This was in Canada, and it was about using the word "Boston" in their names. Boston Market said that Boston Pizza's name was not fair because it described a type of pizza from a certain area.
The disagreement continued even after Boston Market stopped operating in Canada in 2004. In 2008, the two companies finally agreed to a solution. Boston Market agreed not to use the words "Boston" or "Boston Market" in Canada for five years for restaurants or most food products. This agreement helped both companies move forward.
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
