Gatti's files bankruptcy with $32M debt

January 10, 2019

Gatti's Pizza owner, Sovrano LLC, filed for bankruptcy protection for that brand and its sister concept, Gigi's Cupcakes, according to…

Commodities: With Super (pizza) Bowl in sight, cheese, wheat prices ignite

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

With less than a month to go before that U.S. pizza holiday of holidays, the Super Bowl, cheese and wheat prices were on the rise last week.

Boston Pizza opens 10 new stores, closes 5 in 2018

January 2, 2019

For the 17th straight year, Boston Pizza added new locations last year, according to a news release. Boston Pizza Royalties Income Fund and Boston Pizza…

Kotipizza turns in solid Q3 with sale pending

December 19, 2018

On the cusp of its potential sale to Orkla ASA, Kotipizza Group turned in a relatively solid Q3 performance with comp net sales up 16 percent, while EBITDA…

Humble Pie chain sold to Cornwall Development Partners

December 14, 2018

The Humble Pie pizza chain has been sold to Cornwell Development Partners of Scottsdale, Arizona, according to a news release.

Commodities: Pizza investors put wallets on 'lock-down'

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Investors apparently had the holiday spending jitters last week, pulling in their proverbial purse strings on all the pizza brands monitored by this site…

With sale pending, Kotipizza sets online sales records in November

December 7, 2018

In the month before news broke this week that Orkla ASA will is moving to acquire the parent company of Scandanavian brand, Kotipizza's, the chain's online…

Study: QSR gift cards redeemed most quickly

December 6, 2018

Digital guest experience platform, Paytronix Systems, Inc., today released its inaugural Gift Card Sales Report, using data from more than 190 restaurant…

Orkla ASA set to buy Kotipizza for $165.7M

December 6, 2018

The Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority has approved a deal for Nordic consumer goods supplier, Orkla ASA, to acquire European pizza powerhouse, Kotipizza…

Commodities: Gas prices drop, but so does Papa John's value

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The final week of November brought some big wins and an equally substantial loss in pizza brand trading, but all brands will profit from the continued…

Papa John's loses Trian interest, report says

November 28, 2018

The entity that the Wall Street Journal has said was looking into buying the troubled Papa John's brand, Trian Fund Management, has now opted out of the…

Commodities: Pizza stock prices go down the drain with Thanksgiving scraps

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Pizza restaurateurs got little in the way of gratitude from investors during the U.S. Thanksgiving week when it comes to their stock values.

Papa John's franchisees' attorney: Past year had 'a big, big impact on the franchisees' net income'

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Immediate relief, and a new direction for the brand, is what franchisees operating 1,200 Papa John's U.S. stores want, according to Miami-based attorney Robert…

Commodities: Thanksgiving comes early for pizza brands in stock trading

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

As the U.S. day of giving thanks approaches, pizza brands got plenty to be thankful for last week when investors showed all four brands monitored by this site…

Papa Murphy's struggles in Q3, board considers options including sale

November 8, 2018

Papa Murphy's leadership released disappointing Q3 financial results along with news that the company's board is considering actions to "enhance shareholder…

Papa John's Q3 sales plummet shows damage done after negative publicity

Papa John's Q3 results are a painful reminder of the damage a leader's ill-chosen words can do to company performance, according to the brand's current…

Rave Restaurant Group reports sales drop at Pie Five, growth for Pizza Inn

November 7, 2018

Rave Restaurant Group, the parent company of Pizza Inn and Pie Five, reported disappointing Q1 sales at Pie Five, but its older, full-service brand, Pizza Inn…

Pre-earnings call, Papa John's top brass get 'golden parachutes'

November 6, 2018

Papa John's executives left out of jobs if the brand is purchased will have hefty severance deals, according to Louisville Business First, a publication in the…

New England's Papa Gino's permanently closes stores

November 6, 2018

Longtime New England pizza chain, Papa Gino's, has permanently closed a substantial number of locations, according to the Boston Globe and phone recordings for…

Commodities: Papa John's price gains, gas prices fall

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Commodity prices for pizza restaurateurs were split, with some indications that rising cheese prices may be coming as demand strengthens. Meanwhile, most of…