The chain was founded by Michael Overs, who opened the first location on December 31, 1967, at the corner of Wellesley and Parliament Streets in Toronto. He owned the chain until his death in 2010. It expanded throughout the Toronto area in the 1970s, and throughout the rest of Ontario throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The chain opened its first locations in Quebec in the mid-1980s, but withdrew after a few years. It returned to the province, in Gatineau, in March 2007. Locations were opened in the Montreal area in late 2007 in the boroughs of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Pierrefonds-Roxboro. Pizza Pizza began to expand significantly outside Ontario during the 2000s. In its 2005 initial public offering filings, the chain announced it would consider expansion in western Canada, potentially including purchasing existing local chains. This led to a June 2007 agreement to purchase Alberta-based Pizza 73. As well, in October 2006, the company announced it would expand in the Quebec market, beginning with sponsorship of the Montreal Canadiens. The chain expanded to the British ColumbiaLower Mainland in 2009, however all locations closed, and soon after added locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The chain returned to Vancouver in 2018. Pizza Pizza opened its first store in Halifax, Nova Scotia in June 2010. Major southern Ontario competitors include Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, Little Caesars, Gino's Pizza, Mamma's Pizza, Papa Johns, Pizzaiolo, 241 Pizza, Double Double Pizza, and Pizza Nova. Two other major Canadian chains, Greco and Panago, which have a presence similar to Pizza Pizza in Atlantic and western Canada, respectively, have entered the Ontario market. In Montreal, Quebec, its competitors are Mikes, Pizza Hut, and Double Pizza.
Marketing techniques
Pizza Pizza is known for the chain's phone number, XXX–1111. The company claims that its early adoption of the centralized single-number ordering system, and its subsequent use and heavy promotion of this rhyming phone number, helped the chain to expand throughout Ontario. A central local number is used for all locations until it becomes a long-distance call. In other cities, local numbers are requested with the "11-11" suffix to match the standard jingle in the chain's radio advertisements. Pizza Pizza has registered "967–1111" and variants as trademarks. Unaffiliated American pizza chain Little Caesars is forbidden from using their slogan "Pizza! Pizza!" due to Pizza Pizza's slogan registered as a trademark from JAD Productions Corporation. Instead, they used "Delivery! Delivery!" or "Quality! Quality!" or other two-word combinations.
