Little Caesars Seeks Bigger Slice of Big Apple Market

Little Caesars (Detroit) has signed a 10-store restaurant agreement to expand its presence in New York.

Veteran multi-brand franchisees Suhel Ahmed and Saurabh Desai signed the deal and will develop the added pizza joints in the Bronx and upper Manhattan by 2026. The first opening is scheduled for late this year.

“Convenience is key in a fast-paced city like New York, and our brand’s digital-first offerings – like our Pizza Portal pickup, the first heated, self-serve, mobile order pick-up station in the quick service restaurant industry – are ideal for residents there,” Chief Development Officer Jeremy Vitaro said in a news release. “We’re excited to work with Suhel and Saurabh, who have extensive experience developing restaurants in New York City, to help grow our presence in the market.”

Little Caesars currently has 19 outlets in and around New York, according to the Foursquare City Guide.

In addition to its planned New York City expansion, Little Caesars said it’s seeking multi-unit franchisees with QSR experience to open locales in Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, Connecticut and all five New York boroughs.

Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in Detroit in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it’s the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with a total of about 6000 stores in all 50 U.S. states and 27 countries and territories.