GIANT PIZZA WARS (1993-1995): In the early 90's, the Big 3 in the chain pizza world entered an arms race, offering competing, giant pizzas in a bid for pizza supremacy. How did it shake out? Check this 🧵!
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In 1993, the combined forces of Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Little Caesars accounted for a staggering 48 percent of the US pizza industry! Pizza Hut was the top dog, but each chain had their own niche in the marketplace
Pizza Hut was the "family friendly, dine-in" option, with its iconic light fixtures, red booths, arcade games, and buffet. Domino's was built on a top of the line delivery system, offering the fastest home delivery around. But what about Little Caesars?
Little Caesars didn't have dining rooms, nor a delivery fleet. So how they make their mark as a carry-out operation? SHEER VOLUME. Their "pizza, pizza" slogan meant more pizza for less money. They were the "value" option!
All the chains managed to stay in their own lanes until the 90's hit, when tensions began to flare. Per Domino's CEO Tim McIntyre in 1993, "In the last few years, we've been getting into each other's territory". Something had to give, and Little Caesar's threw the first stone...
Little Caesars Big! Big! Cheese (1993-1995): Released in March of '93, this offering consisted of 2 rectangular pizzas, at a combined 11.25 inches x 22.5 inches, cut into 24 slices, with pepperoni as the standard topping
The Big! Big! Cheese sold for $8.88 and came with a free order of Crazy Bread. It was a massive hit, spiking Little Caesars' sales by 54% and essentially pulling them into a dead heat with Domino's for 2nd place in the marketplace
I remember our Little Caesar's in Irondequoit Plaza closed in the mid 90's, and the playground rumor was that "some teenager working there poisoned the pizzas!" ahh classic pre-internet urban legends haha...Then a new one re-opened there in the late 2000s and has been going strong since
Fun fact! In Canada, the Little Caesar's slogan could not be "pizza pizza" because of the chain called Pizza Pizza! Instead, they use "Hot n Ready!" or "Quality! Quality!"
Though I was at RIT during these years (I have zero recollection of any of these campaigns and I don’t know if it’s because campus was its own little island in the world 😂), I grew up in NJ so have an aversion to “corporate” pizza. I still stick to local chains to this day. 👍🏼
In my hometown (eastern Canada) Pizza Hut was the only one of these three chains to have a major footprint. Domino's had two or three delivery hubs servicing the downtown core, but Pizza Hut had locations all across the suburbs.
It's funny how the donair became such an iconic food despite being the kind of thing that most people can only eat once or twice a year without their blood exploding.
Even in Halifax, you won't find a place that ONLY sells donairs; it's always donairs and pizza or donairs and shawarma.
I moved a couple years back. There is a building that was clearly a Family Video in a former life with the glass brick pillar out front. It’s gone. Little Ceasars is still there going strong.
This was awesome and reminded me of my favorite, sadly discontinued, Pizza Hut gimmick pizza. The Insider. I enjoyed it so much I would make my own as a kid using two premade pizza crusts.
It was a pizza with two crusts with cheese between them.
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The Pizza Hut/Ween "Where'd the Cheese Go?" Advertising Saga
Yes, I am stealthily plugging a guitar lesson, but this IS most definitely discontinued foods relevant (The Insider Pizza). 🍕
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2ydtj19/
Greco distinguished itself by offering square pizza, and by having the classic "30 minutes or it's free" delivery.
Meanwhile, Pizza Delight just copied Pizza Hut's model of sit-down restaurants.
Even in Halifax, you won't find a place that ONLY sells donairs; it's always donairs and pizza or donairs and shawarma.
Pizza Hut: bring back Dine In! & Book It!
It was a pizza with two crusts with cheese between them.