Roman's Pizza

Roman's Pizza is a South African pizza franchise founded in 1993 in Pretoria. The company operates over 250 outlets in South Africa and in parts of Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.[2]

History

Roman's Pizza was established by Arthur Nicolakakis in 1993, originally under the name "Little Caesar’s". In 2002, the company rebranded to Roman's Pizza.[3]

John Nicolakakis, the founder’s son, joined in 2001 and later became CEO, overseeing a period of growth and operational expansion.[3]

Operations

The business operates on a franchising model, with store formats including both takeaway and sit-down options. Roman's Pizza has expanded to neighbouring countries, including Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.[4]

Menu

Roman's Pizza serves pizza with a choice of pan or traditional crust. The menu includes pizza, pasta, pizza pies, garlic bread, salads, and combo offerings. A well-known sales feature is the pricing of two pizzas together as one item.[4]

Media coverage

In 2024, Roman's Pizza received the highest score in a comparative taste test of major South African pizza chains conducted by BusinessTech.[2]

The brand has run advertising campaigns featuring South African public figures such as Barry Hilton and Alfred Ntombela.[5]

Awards

CEO John Nicolakakis received the Young Business Leader of the Year (Southern Africa) award at the 2015 All Africa Business Leaders Awards.[3] In 2016, the company won Brand Builder of the Year from the Franchise Association of South Africa.[6]

Controversies

In 2018, a recording of CEO John Nicolakakis making remarks about competing chains was published by HuffPost South Africa.[7]

In 2015, the company paid R200,000 to settle a complaint related to franchise compliance with religious dietary guidelines.[8]