Start a Little Caesars Franchise Business

More than 50 Little Caesars Pizza corporate employees, ranging from field colleagues to executives, have transitioned to careers as Little Caesars franchise business owners after seeing first-hand the opportunities that come with owning a Little Caesars Pizza franchise. Additionally, these former employees are growing their businesses, with nearly 50 percent opening three or more stores.

“Little Caesars is growing in prime markets across the country and our corporate employees understand that joining our franchise family, especially in today’s economy, is a rewarding opportunity,” said David Scrivano, president, Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. “Many of our former corporate employees have followed their entrepreneurial dreams and are doing very well as Little Caesars franchisees.”

For example, former Little Caesars corporate employees Mike Scruggs, Vicki Dunn Marshall and Kerri Wallace have all transitioned to new careers as Little Caesars business owners.

Mike Scruggs is satisfying his entrepreneurial appetite as the owner of five Little Caesars restaurants in Colorado Springs, Colo. Following 26 years of dedicated service as a Little Caesars corporate employee, the former senior vice president of global operations for Little Caesars made a career change in 2004 to pursue the American dream of owning his own business.

“Entrepreneurs like me who are looking to grow a business in these difficult economic times can feel good about becoming a franchise business owner with Little Caesars. They have a proven system that works,” said Scruggs. “Little Caesars has been in business for 50 years and has established itself as the value leader by providing families across the country with high-quality products and unmatched convenience for a great price. I’m looking forward to continuing my growth with Little Caesars and plan to open five to seven additional locations in the Colorado Springs area over the next three years.”

Vicki Dunn Marshall was 16 years old when she began her career with Little Caesars as a crew member at a Detroit area Little Caesars restaurant. After working at the Little Caesars corporate office in the company’s franchise development department, she transitioned into Little Caesars franchise ownership at the age of 24.

“My experience as a Little Caesars corporate employee gave me an inside perspective on the company’s simple business model and easy-to-follow operating system,” said Dunn Marshall. “The opportunity to own my own business with a strong, recognized brand appealed to me. With the exceptional training and support Little Caesars offers its franchisees, I have been able to grow my Little Caesars business to include 18 locations across Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.”

Before becoming a Little Caesars franchisee in 2006, Kerri Wallace worked in the corporate office’s franchise services department, where she had one-on-one daily interaction with franchisees. This gave her an understanding of the day-to-day details of the business and the potential for strong business growth.

When the opportunity to venture into franchise ownership with Little Caesars presented itself, Wallace jumped at the chance to become her own boss. “With more than 18 years’ experience with Little Caesars, transitioning to a career as a Little Caesars franchisee was a natural progression for me. I wanted to go into business for myself, become more independent and take more control of my financial future,” said Wallace. “Little Caesars is growing at a time when many other companies are not. I currently own and operate two Little Caesars restaurants in Elkhart, Indiana and I plan to open three additional locations in the Elkhart area over the next five years.”

Little Caesars is a globally recognized brand that supports franchisees with the tools of a proven system, including ongoing training, architectural and construction services to help with design, the ongoing research and development of new products, and effective marketing programs and support.

Little Caesars was recently listed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as one of the best loan performers among franchises, with more than 60 SBA-guaranteed loans.* Little Caesars also works with preferred lenders who understand the business, which becomes increasingly important as it gets more difficult for entrepreneurs to secure financing in today’s economy.

Little Caesars Pizza founders Michael and Marian Ilitch opened their first restaurant in Garden City, Michigan in 1959. Little Caesars built more stores in the U.S. in 2008 than any other pizza chain and today is the largest carry-out chain internationally with restaurants on five continents. Little Caesars is growing in prime markets across the country, and is offering strong franchisee candidates an opportunity for independence with a proven system. In addition, Little Caesars offers strong brand awareness with one of the most recognized and appealing characters in the country, Little Caesar.

In addition to Little Caesars' Pizza, Ilitch companies in the food, sports and entertainment industries include: the Detroit Red Wings, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., Uptown Entertainment, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, and a variety of venues within these entities. Michael Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers. Marian Ilitch owns MotorCity Casino Hotel.

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*Source: Coleman Report, an annual compilation of performance data on thousands of SBA-guaranteed franchise loans.