Little Caesars facts for kids
"Pizza! Pizza!"
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Headquarters in Detroit
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Trade name
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Little Caesars |
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Formerly
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Little Caesar's Pizza Treat (1959–1971) |
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| Industry | Fast food Pizzeria |
| Founded | May 8, 1959 Garden City, Michigan, U.S. |
| Founders | Mike Ilitch Marian Ilitch |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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5,463 (2017) |
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Area served
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Key people
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David Scrivano (President and CEO) Paula Vissing (COO) |
| Products | Pizza, chicken wings, breadsticks, soft drinks |
| Owner | Ilitch Holdings |
Little Caesars is a big American pizza restaurant chain. It started in 1959. It is one of the largest pizza chains in the United States. You can find Little Caesars restaurants in many countries around the world. These include places in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The company's main office is in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned by a company called Ilitch Holdings.
Contents
History of Little Caesars
Little Caesars Pizza was started on May 8, 1959. A married couple, Mike Ilitch and Marian Ilitch, created it. Their very first pizza shop was in Garden City, Michigan. It was called "Little Caesar's Pizza Treat." This first store closed in 2018. It moved to a new building nearby in Westland, Michigan.
Early Growth and Slogans
The first Little Caesar's franchise opened in 1962. A franchise is a business that pays to use a company's name and system. This first franchise was in Warren, Michigan. In the same year, the Little Caesar's logo became a 3D figure. This logo was used on signs outside the restaurants.
The company is famous for its slogan, "Pizza! Pizza!" They started using this phrase in 1979. It meant you could get two pizzas for about the same price as one from other places. At first, they served the two pizzas in one long box. Later, they used regular pizza boxes.
In 1988, they added a square deep-dish pizza. It was called “Pan! Pan!” You could get two of these, or one pan pizza and one regular round pizza. For a while, Little Caesars also sold other foods. These included hot dogs, chicken, sub sandwiches, shrimp, and fish.
New Ideas and Technology
In the 1990s, Little Caesars opened "Caesarland" restaurants. These places had fun play areas for kids. They also had sports, video games, and more.
In 1997, the chain started advertising "Hot-N-Ready Pizza." This was a large pepperoni pizza sold for $5. It was ready to pick up right away. This idea was very popular. Now, many Little Caesars stores focus on quick carryout orders.
In 1998, Little Caesars made the biggest pizza order ever. They made 13,386 pizzas for a company in North Carolina. Little Caesars was also one of the first to use a special speed-cooking oven. It was called the "Rotary Air Impingement Oven."
Headquarters and Logo Changes
In 2014, Little Caesars announced plans for a new main office building. It would be in downtown Detroit. This new building would make their headquarters much bigger. It would also bring more jobs to Detroit. The building was finished in 2018.
In 2017, Little Caesars updated its logo. This happened when the Little Caesars Arena opened. The new logo made Caesar look a bit different. His toga also had hidden letters that spelled "LC" for "Little Caesars." The company started using this new Caesar in its TV ads.
Franchising Little Caesars
Little Caesars sold its first franchise in 1962. By 1987, they had restaurants in all 50 U.S. states. For many years, you could find Little Caesars inside Kmart stores. The first Kmart and Little Caesars were built in Garden City, Michigan. After Kmart had problems, many of these pizza shops closed. But as of 2021, one Little Caesars Kmart location is still open in Guam.
Between 2008 and 2015, Little Caesars grew faster than any other pizza chain in the U.S. As of 2017, the company has 5,463 locations. This includes stores in the U.S. and other countries.
International Growth of Little Caesars
By 1987, Little Caesars was operating across the northern United States. In 1989, they bought the Mother's Pizza chain in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As of 2022, Little Caesars is in many countries. These include Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, and Singapore. They are also in many countries in Central and South America.
Little Caesars was in the Philippines in the 1990s. Then the stores closed. But they came back to the Philippines in 2019. In 2019, Little Caesars restaurants in Australia closed. They had started in Australia in 2014. Little Caesars entered the Indian market in 2020. They opened two stores in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. In December 2022, the company opened a new store in Derby, UK.
Little Caesars Products
Little Caesars makes many kinds of pizzas. Some popular items are part of the HOT-N-READY menu. These items are ready to pick up right away. Other items are special pizzas or custom pizzas. In 2013, they added the Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza. This is a type of Detroit-style pizza.
You can also buy flavored Caesar Wings. They also sell different kinds of bread, like Crazy Bread and Italian Cheese Bread. Some locations also offer salads. All Little Caesars stores sell Pepsi drinks. Little Caesars also sells brownies.
In 1996, they offered Pizza by the Foot. This was a three-foot-long rectangular pizza. This item is no longer sold in the U.S. However, a similar pizza, Pizza by the Meter, is popular in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, Little Caesars offers special pizzas for a short time. In 2014, they had the Soft Pretzel Crust Pizza. In 2015, they offered the "Bacon Wrapped Deep! Deep! Dish Pizza."
In 2019, Little Caesars started testing a pizza with meatless sausage. This sausage was made by Impossible Foods. In 2020, Little Caesars brought back Stuffed Crazy Bread. They first sold it in 1995. The original Crazy Bread was first sold in 1982.
Sponsorships
In September 2022, Little Caesars became the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League. This means they are the main pizza company linked to the NFL.
Community Programs
Little Caesars Love Kitchen
The Little Caesars Love Kitchen is a special kitchen on wheels. It travels around to serve pizza to people who need it. This includes people affected by natural disasters. Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush have praised the Love Kitchen. They gave Little Caesars an award for their volunteer work.
See also
In Spanish: Little Caesars para niños
