Little Caesars® Pizza Hires Jeremy Vitaro as Chief Development Officer

With a presence in 27 countries and territories around the world, Little Caesars® Pizza is an iconic brand in the global pizza industry. Now, to spearhead its franchise expansion plans both internationally and domestically, the brand has hired former Dunkin’ Vice President of U.S. Development Jeremy Vitaro as its new Chief Development Officer.

For the early part of his career, Vitaro lived in Europe, working primarily in the wine, spirits and consumer packaged goods industries while learning multiple languages. When he returned to the U.S., he worked for Dunkin’ for 18 years, helping the brand build its franchising structure as the Senior Director of Franchising and eventually the Vice President of both International and U.S. Development.

Now, Vitaro says he is excited to join a brand with such a strong existing presence. “Little Caesars Pizza has a great heritage, and it connects well with consumers,” he said. “The world is our oyster. I’m excited for the opportunity to take this strong American brand to the rest of the world.”

Little Caesars Pizza has plans to expand in several countries, including the U.K., Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Spain, and the Philippines. Vitaro says the brand is expanding in places that offer a lot of opportunity for international franchisees.

“It is about entering and capitalizing on new markets in a disciplined way,” he said. “In Latin America, for example, we have a strong base, but we are in the early phases of development, so we are looking to help franchisees build out more rapidly through increased support.”

Little Caesars Pizza’s value-driven business model and family-oriented approach makes it an attractive franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs who are interested in joining the booming global pizza industry . Vitaro says the corporate support team is especially dedicated to helping new locations get off the ground.

“It is so important to be confident in our franchise owners in international markets,” he said. “Candidates need significant experience building a business as an entrepreneur, and ideally they will have restaurant and QSR experience. We also have an excellent support team who really hit the ground running, to support franchisees from day one.”

Little Caesars Pizza’s support extends to reaching customers beyond the walls of its restaurants as well. As consumer preferences evolved to largely digital and delivery services over the course of the past year and a half, for example, Little Caesars Pizza was prepared to meet the growing demand. The brand’s HOT-N-READY® model gives customers an affordable and convenient way to get their food quickly and safely, allowing them to be in and out of the store with a fresh pizza in 30 seconds or less.

“Speed and convenience are two things we’ve historically done well, and we continue to do so by offering a great product quickly and making the consumers’ experience fast and seamless,” said Vitaro. “We’ve had the HOT-N-READY model for a while, but we’ve really enhanced it within the last two years with delivery and digital platforms.”

Moving forward in 2021 and beyond, Vitaro says his biggest goal is to take advantage of every opportunity for growth for the brand. “It is a big world out there,” he said. “Winning is primarily our ability to systematically and in a replicable way open new markets and have great franchisees in the markets.”