Little Caesars
Celebrating 50 Years
Founded: 1959
Number of stores: units in all 50 states
Headquarters: Detroit
You no longer get two pizzas for the price of one at Little Caesars, but “Pizza! Pizza!,” the famous slogan coined in 1979, is still the chain’s mantra. And rightly so. Pizza remains the primary focus of Little Caesars, founded by Marian and Mike Ilitch.
True, the restaurant once put chicken, shrimp, and fish on the menu—even on the marquee. But eventually the family circled back to pizza—the good old-fashioned kind with red sauce and a side of Crazy Bread.
“Specialty and gourmet is not our niche,” says David Scrivano, president of the chain.
Carryout is at the core of the concept, although some stores—which average 1,200 to 1,500 square feet—offer seating. “For a time we experimented with delivery, but we came back to the carryout model,” Scrivano says. “That’s what our growth has been built on, and the carryout option is easier to operate.” The latest campaign, Hot-N-Ready, features a 14-inch pepperoni pizza ready whenever the customer is. No need to call ahead. No need to wait.
Over the years, the menu has weathered the trends. “We tested low-carb pizza, and people wanted regular pizza,” Scrivano says. “We tested low-fat, and they wanted regular.” But today, the brand is right on trend. Pizza fares well during an economic slump, especially when a large pepperoni pizza is priced $5 to $6.
The challenge is keeping menu prices down when the cost of commodities goes up. “Thankfully, that has subsided this year overall,” Scrivano says of price spikes. “Wheat, oil, [and] cheese have been stable.”
And the company’s age hasn’t stopped its speed of growth. Last year the chain signed agreements with 100 new franchisees. “There are so many prime areas open and available,” Scrivano says.
Celebrating Little Caesars’ 50th birthday with its founders, who remain involved in the company, makes the event special. “It’s great to have that tie to tradition,” Scrivano says. “The philosophies and original ideas that formed the company are still with us today. We’re excited to expand. At 50, we’re healthy, growing, and vibrant.”
Culver’s
Celebrating 25 Years
Founded: 1984
Number of stores: 400
Headquarters: Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin
When it comes to tourist attractions, Culver’s is one of the Midwest’s claims to fame. It’s all about the Butter Burger, a premium, never-frozen patty served on a lightly toasted, buttered bun. Order it with good-old Wisconsin Swiss or cheddar and bacon. Aside from the brand’s famous Butter Burgers, frozen custard has always shared the billing. “We are the world’s largest retailer of fresh frozen custard,” says James Blystone, director of marketing for Culver’s Franchising.
The founders—Craig Culver, wife Lea, and parents George and Ruth—previously owned supper clubs, which perhaps explains why they so successfully integrated other items onto Culver’s menu. Think chicken sandwiches, Reubens, pork tenderloin, and fish. “During Lent, we sell a whole heck of a lot of walleye,” Blystone says.
The new Strawberry Fields Salad—made with strawberries, flame-roasted chicken, blue cheese, onion rings, and grape tomatoes—is leading salad sales.
Not every menu innovation is a success, though. The Culver’s Bar, developed in the late 1990s, was a frozen custard novelty sold in store freezers. But the treat didn’t attract enough attention. Fast-forward to 2008, when Culver’s partnered with Kraft to develop the Oreo Frozen Custard Sandwich, which led to incremental sales.
Still family owned, the chain primarily expanded state-by-state. The core market includes Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. It is now expanding to the South, Arizona, Tennessee, and Arkansas. “We’ve had steady growth for the past 25 years,” Blystone says. “We measure success not by restaurant growth but [by] the profitability of existing restaurants.”
The chain has been on the cutting edge of trans-fat conversion, sodium reduction, nutrition disclosure, and healthy foods, creating the 500 Club, which offers foods that are 500 calories or less.