“Pizza. Pizza.”
“Two great pizzas for one low price.” Thanks in part to its brilliant marketing program, Little Caesars in 1994 was the second-largest pizza chain in America. Here are 1994 U.S. sales of the four major pizza chains.
Pizza Hut: $5.4 billion
Little Caesars: $2.1 billion
Domino’s: $1.9 billion
Papa John’s: $450 million
The following year, the tinkering began, starting with a major tinker. The company converted 30 takeout units in the Detroit area to “Little Caesars Italian Kitchens.” Besides pizza, the new menu included lasagna, chicken, Greek salads, dessert pies and three kinds of pasta (tortellini, penne and farfalle). By the end of 1995, Little Caesars expected to operate 100 Italian Kitchens. Needless to say, that never happened.