Apache Pizza

Apache Pizza is an Irish pizza delivery and takeaway restaurant chain founded in 1996 by Robert Pendleton and Emily Gore Grimes. The founders opened the first store in Sutton, Dublin, establishing a business centered on American-style pizzas, delivery, and customer collection. From that initial location, the brand expanded through a franchise model across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The chain’s operating structure is based largely on independently owned and operated stores. Apache Pizza provides franchisees with training, operating support, and business systems, while local franchise owners manage the daily running of their outlets. This model has allowed the brand to combine a nationally recognizable identity with local ownership and geographically distributed operations. The chain is reported to have grown to more than 200 locations across the island of Ireland, making it one of the largest pizza chains in the Irish market. Apache Pizza’s core proposition is built around American-style pizzas sold for delivery and takeaway. Its wider fast-food menu includes accompanying side dishes, desserts, and beverages, although the exact range can vary by store or change over time. Nationwide delivery and collection are central to the customer proposition, reflecting the brand’s focus on convenient, informal meals rather than full-service restaurant dining. The business underwent a significant ownership development in March 2018, when Spanish restaurant group Food Delivery Brands acquired a majority stake as part of a joint venture with OKR. The transaction connected Apache Pizza with an international restaurant operator while retaining the brand’s role in the Irish pizza-delivery sector. Public information supplied for this entry does not establish the precise current legal ownership structure, headquarters address, or the identity of current senior executives. The brand has received recognition in food and takeaway awards and media coverage. Fox News included Apache Pizza in a 2014 list of notable pizza chains worldwide, while Just Eat named it Ireland’s Best Takeaway in 2015. Apache Pizza was also shortlisted in the Best Chain category at the 2025 Just Eat Awards. Its marketing activity includes seasonal products, limited-time promotional partnerships, community events, gaming-related activations, and university Freshers’ initiatives. In 2026, the chain marked its thirtieth anniversary with a nationwide promotion offering complimentary pizza slices at more than 200 stores. Apache Pizza remains positioned as a mainstream, convenience-led Irish pizza brand. Its principal points of differentiation are its long presence in the Irish market, extensive franchise footprint, delivery and collection infrastructure, and local-store operating model. The available reference material does not establish operations outside the island of Ireland, so its market presence is recorded as Ireland, including both jurisdictions on the island.

Apache Pizza began in 1996 when Robert Pendleton and Emily Gore Grimes opened the first Apache Pizza store in Sutton, Dublin. The business was established as a pizza delivery and takeaway operation, with an American-style pizza menu and a service model designed around convenient home delivery and customer collection. Its first location provided the foundation for a chain that would later become a prominent Irish pizza brand. The company expanded beyond its original Dublin location through franchising. Rather than relying solely on company-owned restaurants, Apache Pizza developed a network of independently owned and operated outlets. Under this structure, individual franchisees are responsible for the day-to-day management of their stores, while the brand supplies training, operational assistance, and business systems. The arrangement enabled the chain to reach communities throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland while preserving local ownership at store level. Over time, Apache Pizza became associated with a broad island-wide delivery and collection network. Its principal menu category remained pizza, supported by side dishes, desserts, and beverages. The brand’s proposition is primarily convenience-led: customers order for home delivery or collect from a local outlet rather than using the chain as a full-service dine-in restaurant. The menu is characterized by American-style pizzas, although the available reference material does not provide a complete account of recipes, product names, or menu changes. A major corporate development occurred in March 2018, when Spanish restaurant group Food Delivery Brands acquired a majority stake in Apache Pizza in a joint venture with OKR. This transaction represented a connection between the Irish chain and a wider restaurant group, while Apache Pizza continued to operate as an Irish-focused brand. The supplied sources do not specify subsequent ownership changes, the precise legal entity holding the brand, or a current headquarters location. The chain’s public profile has also been supported by awards and external recognition. Fox News included Apache Pizza in a 2014 ranking of leading pizza chains worldwide. In 2015, Just Eat named the brand Ireland’s Best Takeaway. Apache Pizza later appeared on the shortlist for the Best Chain category at the 2025 Just Eat Awards. These recognitions reflect the brand’s position in the Irish takeaway market rather than an established international retail footprint. Apache Pizza’s promotional activity has included seasonal menu items, limited-time partnerships, community initiatives, gaming events, and university Freshers’ activations. In 2026, the brand marked thirty years since its founding with a promotion that distributed complimentary pizza slices at more than 200 stores across the island of Ireland. The reported store count indicates the scale reached by the franchise network, although the available source does not provide a store-by-store breakdown or a verified current corporate structure. Apache Pizza is therefore best understood as an Ireland-focused franchise restaurant brand with a substantial delivery and takeaway presence. Its history is defined by the transition from one Dublin store to a network spanning both Irish jurisdictions, the use of local franchise operators, the 2018 majority investment by Food Delivery Brands with OKR, and continued marketing centered on convenience, local engagement, and pizza occasions.

1. 2026Thirtieth-anniversary promotion

   Apache Pizza celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with complimentary pizza slices offered at more than 200 stores across the island of Ireland.

   Source
2. 2025Shortlisted for Best Chain at the Just Eat Awards

   Apache Pizza was shortlisted in the Best Chain category at the Just Eat Awards.

   Source
3. 2018Majority stake acquired by Food Delivery Brands

   Food Delivery Brands acquired a majority stake in Apache Pizza through a joint venture with OKR.

   Source
4. 2015Just Eat names Apache Pizza Ireland’s Best Takeaway

   Apache Pizza received Just Eat recognition as Ireland’s Best Takeaway.

   Source
5. 2014Fox News includes Apache Pizza in a global pizza-chain list

   Fox News listed Apache Pizza among the best pizza chains in the world.

   Source
6. 1996First Apache Pizza store opens in Sutton, Dublin

   Robert Pendleton and Emily Gore Grimes founded Apache Pizza and opened the first store in Sutton, Dublin.

   Source

A mainstream Irish pizza delivery and takeaway chain combining an American-style menu with a locally operated franchise network.

• American-style pizzasMain meal1996

  American-style pizza is Apache Pizza’s central product category and the foundation of its delivery and takeaway proposition. The chain serves pizzas for home delivery and collection through its franchised store network. The supplied reference material does not establish a complete list of pizza styles, toppings, sizes, recipes, or product launch dates.

• Side dishesSide dish

  Side dishes complement the pizza range and support Apache Pizza’s broader fast-food and takeaway offer. They are intended for combination orders and informal meal occasions. The available sources do not identify the full current assortment or confirm which items are standardized nationally versus selected by individual stores.

• Desserts and beveragesMeal accompaniment

  Desserts and beverages form complementary categories within the chain’s delivery and collection proposition. They extend the order beyond the main pizza and provide additional choices for customers ordering a complete meal. Specific product brands, flavors, suppliers, and launch dates are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2026Thirtieth-anniversary complimentary pizza-slice promotion

  Republic of Ireland · Northern Ireland

  To mark thirty years since its founding, Apache Pizza gave away complimentary pizza slices at more than 200 stores across the island of Ireland.

  Outcome. The promotion was presented as a nationwide anniversary activation and customer celebration; a quantified commercial outcome is not available.

  Source
• Seasonal and limited-time promotional activity

  Ireland

  Apache Pizza regularly uses seasonal menu items and limited-time promotional partnerships to generate customer interest and support store-level marketing.

  Outcome. Specific campaign results and individual partnership details are not available in the supplied material.

  Source
• Community, gaming, and university activations

  Ireland

  The brand participates in community engagement initiatives, including gaming events and university Freshers’ activities, to connect with local and student audiences.

  Outcome. No quantified campaign outcomes are reported.

  Source

• 2026Nationwide thirtieth-anniversary customer promotionOther

  Apache Pizza reached thirty years since the opening of its first Sutton, Dublin store in 1996.

  What changed. The chain offered complimentary pizza slices at more than 200 stores across the island of Ireland.

  Aftermath. The activation reinforced the brand’s anniversary and nationwide franchise presence; no financial or customer-response data is available.

  Source
• 2018Majority investment by Food Delivery Brands through an OKR joint ventureM&A

  Apache Pizza had expanded as an Irish delivery and takeaway chain using a franchise network across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

  What changed. Food Delivery Brands acquired a majority stake in Apache Pizza as part of a joint venture with OKR.

  Aftermath. The transaction linked Apache Pizza with a Spanish restaurant group while the brand continued to serve the Irish market. Further ownership and operating consequences are not specified in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2026Apache Pizza marks its thirtieth anniversary with nationwide pizza-slice promotion

  The chain celebrated its thirtieth anniversary by offering complimentary pizza slices at more than 200 stores across the island of Ireland.

  Campaign
  Source
• 2025Apache Pizza shortlisted for Best Chain at the Just Eat Awards

  Apache Pizza was shortlisted in the Best Chain category at the Just Eat Awards.

  Other
  Source
• 2018Food Delivery Brands acquires majority stake in Apache Pizza

  Spanish restaurant group Food Delivery Brands acquired a majority stake in Apache Pizza through a joint venture with OKR.

  M&A
  Source
• 2015Apache Pizza named Ireland’s Best Takeaway by Just Eat

  Just Eat recognized Apache Pizza as Ireland’s Best Takeaway.

  Other
  Source
• 2014Apache Pizza included among notable pizza chains by Fox News

  Fox News included Apache Pizza in a list of the best pizza chains in the world.

  Other
  Source

1. Apache Pizza