Pizza Hotline

What Pizza Hotline does

Pizza Hotline is a privately held Canadian pizza restaurant franchisor founded in 1986 by Gennaro (Jerry) Cianflone in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company operates through franchise-owned takeout and delivery locations, with 20+ units concentrated across Manitoba (Winnipeg, Brandon, Selkirk, Steinbach, Winkler, Stonewall, and Portage La Prairie), and is actively recruiting franchisees across Canada and the United States.

The company operates three distinct concepts: Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery (the flagship value-and-quality concept with over 30 years of Manitoba market presence), Pizza Hotline Stone Fired Pizzeria (a fast-casual urban format using authentic stone-fired ovens with a 180-second cook cycle), and Cafe 22 (a neighborhood restaurant concept in busy dining districts). Operational technology centers on an Omni-Channel Order Taking Center that centralizes customer relationships and order management across phone, web, social media, email, and text channels, complemented by a web-based online ordering platform with delivery tracking, contactless delivery, and gift card balance checking. A 40-minute delivery time guarantee reinforces the operational standard.

Revenue is generated through a traditional franchise model: a $30,000+ upfront Franchise + Training Fee, a 6% weekly royalty on gross sales, an approximately 7% annual contribution to a centralized Advertising Fund and Local Store Marketing Fund, and a 50%-of-current-fee renewal charge. Franchisees are also required to commit $30,000 in working capital plus $200,000-$450,000 in build-out and equipment costs. Supplementary revenue streams include a School Lunch Program ($11.99 per X-Large pizza, 10-pizza minimum) and a Fundraising Coupon Card program that targets schools and community groups. The company reports no external investors and remains founder-controlled.

Name

Pizza Hotline

Legal name

Pizza Hotline

Website

https://pizzahotline.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Pizza Hotline is a privately held Canadian pizza restaurant franchisor founded in 1986 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, operating 20+ franchise takeout and delivery locations across Manitoba with active franchise expansion into the rest of Canada and the United States under multiple brand concepts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizza Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)

Keywords

• Pizza restaurant franchise
• Takeout and delivery
• Fast casual dining
• Stone fired pizza
• Franchise food service

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Pizza Hotline generates revenue from franchise fees ($30,000+ per franchise) and ongoing royalty fees of 6% of gross sales charged weekly through pre-authorized electronic fund transfer.
2. Store Sales (Takeout & Delivery): Individual franchise locations generate revenue through pizza takeout and delivery sales to end consumers.
3. Marketing Fund Contributions: Franchisees contribute approximately 7% of gross revenues to marketing initiatives through Advertising Fund and Local Store Marketing Fund.
4. School Lunch Program: Pizza Hotline supplies schools with pizzas at $11.99 per X-Large pizza (minimum 10 pizzas), with schools selling at $2.00/slice.
5. Fundraising Coupon Cards: Groups purchase coupon cards at $5.00 and resell at $10.00, with coupons having total value exceeding three times the card cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Pizza Hotline operates a multi-concept pizza franchise business originating in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company sells pizza and complementary menu items through three distinct restaurant concepts—Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery, Pizza Hotline Stone Fired Pizzeria (fast-casual), and Café 22 (neighborhood restaurant)—primarily through franchised locations across Canada and the United States. The company also franchises the right to operate these concepts and supports franchisees with technology, training, marketing, and centralized ordering systems.

Product overview

Pizza Hotline operates as a multi-concept pizza restaurant company with three distinct branded offerings: the flagship Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery (established 30+ years ago with emphasis on value and quality), the modern Pizza Hotline Stone Fired Pizzeria (fast-casual model with 180-second stone-fired cooking for urban centres), and Cafe 22 (cozy neighbourhood restaurant concept). The company provides an online ordering platform enabling web-based ordering with delivery tracking and contactless delivery capabilities. Additionally, Pizza Hotline offers supplementary programs including a Fundraising Coupon Card program and School Lunch Program, both designed for community organizations and educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery: Tried and tested in the Manitoba market for over 30 years, Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery is a market dominator concept with emphasis on value and quality.
• Pizza Hotline Stone Fired Pizzeria
• Cafe 22

Products and services

• Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery Original pizza-focused takeout and delivery restaurant concept offering pizza and complementary menu items for pickup or delivery to individual consumers and households. The flagship concept of the Pizza Hotline brand family.
• Pizza Hotline Stone Fired Pizzeria
• Café 22 Neighborhood restaurant concept under the Pizza Hotline brand family, positioned as a full-service alternative to the takeout/delivery and fast-casual concepts.
• Pizza Hotline Franchise Opportunity Franchise offering that grants qualified entrepreneurs the right to operate any of Pizza Hotline's three restaurant concepts (Takeout & Delivery, Stone Fired Pizzeria, or Café 22) in a defined territory, supported by centralized training, technology, and marketing systems.
• Pizza Hotline School Lunch Program School-focused program allowing educational institutions (including K-12 schools and post-secondary campuses) to coordinate bulk pizza orders for student lunches and school-based fundraising, with parents and the local Pizza Hotline store handling fulfillment.
• Pizza Hotline Fundraising Program Fundraising program for community groups, sports teams, schools, and non-profits that distributes Pizza Hotline coupon cards to supporters; a portion of resulting sales is returned to the participating organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time Guarantee: 40-minute delivery promise - order free or discounted if missed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Dream FactoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPizza Hotline partnered with The Dream Factory to help make children's dreams come true. In the Arianna's Dream initiative, Pizza Hotline sold specialty pizzas designed by the child and raised $15,000 to send Arianna and her family to Disney World.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MOD Pizza: Fast-casual pizza franchise with assembly-line model and stone-hearth ovens. Comparable to the Stone Fired Pizzeria concept in service model, speed, and customization.
• Blaze Pizza: US fast-casual pizza franchise with stone-hearth ovens and build-your-own concept. Closest emerging comp to Pizza Hotline's Stone Fired Pizzeria sub-brand.

Broad incumbents

• Yum! Brands: Multi-brand QSR franchisor (Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, Habit Burger) with global franchise infrastructure. Comparable as a broad franchisor with overlapping capabilities in pizza QSR.
• Restaurant Brands International: Owner of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs; a Toronto-based multi-brand QSR franchisor. Provides a reference point for what a scaled Canadian-headquartered multi-brand pizza/QSR franchisor could become.

Direct peers

• Pizza Hut: Yum! Brands-owned pizza QSR/franchise chain with delivery, dine-in, and takeout, operating across Canada. Closely comparable franchised pizza model and product/market overlap with Pizza Hotline Takeout & Delivery.
• Little Caesars: Value-positioned pizza QSR franchisor with strong takeout and delivery model. Most direct competitor to Pizza Hotline's value-focused "Great Pizza at a Great Price" positioning.
• Domino's Pizza: Global pizza QSR franchisor with delivery- and takeout-led model, app-based ordering, and 6%+ royalty fee. Most direct comp to Pizza Hotline's franchised, delivery-centric operating model and is the primary competitive threat in the Manitoba market.
• Papa John's: US-based pizza franchisor with delivery-led model and growing Canadian footprint. Directly comparable in menu, channel mix, and franchise economics to Pizza Hotline.

Others

• SkipTheDishes: Canadian-owned third-party food delivery platform (owned by Just Eat Takeaway). Functions as a key distribution channel and competitive threat for Pizza Hotline's direct ordering economics.

Regional players

• Boston Pizza: Largest Canadian casual-dining pizza chain (350+ locations), headquartered in the same western Canada region. Overlaps with Pizza Hotline in product and Canadian geography, but skews more dine-in than delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pizzahotline22
• Facebookfacebook.com/pizzahotline22
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/pizzahotline
• Instagraminstagram.com/pizzahotline22

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pizza Hotline