Pita Pit
Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Restaurants |
Founded | July 20, 1995Kingston, Ontario[1] | in
Founder | John Sotiriadis and Nelson Lang |
Headquarters | Kingston, Ontario , Canada |
Key people | Nelson Lang, corporate founder Chris Fountain, CEO (Canada) Chris Fountain, CEO (U.S.) Loick Le Brun, CEO (France) |
Website | pitapit |
Pita Pit is a Canadian quick-service restaurant franchise serving pita sandwiches with fresh vegetables, grilled meat and sauces.[2] Its Canadian and global headquarters are in Kingston, Ontario.[3] Its United States headquarters are in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.[4]
History[]
The first shop was opened by Nelson Lang and John Sotiriadis in 1995 near Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[5][2] The restaurant was located near the college and aimed at students in the hopes it would be "recession-proof".[6] The store stayed open until late, providing a healthier and fresher late night food option to conventional fast food.[2]
In 1997, Pita Pit started to expand within Canada, and in 1999 they began franchising in the United States.[5][2]
The first Pita Pit location outside Canada and the United States opened in Auckland, New Zealand, in August 2007. The business was set up by Chris Henderson, a New Zealander returning from Canada, and Duane Dalton, the husband of netballer Tania Dalton.[7][2]
By 2011, Pita Pit had expanded to 350 stores in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Panama, South Korea and Brazil.[2]
By 2000, it had over 500 locations in India, France, Brazil, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Sweden.[5]
Pita Pit International[]
New Zealand and Australia[]
Pita Pit New Zealand has 85 stores around New Zealand, including 36 in Auckland.[8] This down from about 90 stores in 2020 and more than 100 stores in 2017,[9][10] but still more than the 65 it had in 2014,[11] and 18 it had in 2011.[2]
The business also has nine stores from Australia,[12] down from 14 in 2017.[10]
Pita Pit New Zealand started actively seeking franchises in 2011,[2] and by 2017 the vast majority of stores were franchisees.[10]
The company is based in Takapuna, Auckland where it opened its first store in 2007.[13]
The chain introduced a diabetes-friendly menu in 2016,[14] and introduced a fillings limit in 2019.[15] It started to trial virtual kitchens in 2020, after many of its stores were unable to open during the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
References[]
- ^ "Pita makers keep rolling". The Kingston Whig-Standard.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Taylor, Colin (November 19, 2011). "Pita Pit's expansion rests with franchisees". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Contact." Pita Pit. Retrieved on February 23, 2010.
- ^ "Contact Pita Pit Archived February 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Pita Pit. Retrieved on February 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Our Story." Pita Pit. Retrieved on July 25, 2020.
- ^ Hollie, Shaw (April 14, 2016). "Pita Pit's international expansion coming at just the right time as competition heats up at home". Financial Post. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Taylor, Colin (November 19, 2011). "Pita Pit's expansion rests with franchisees". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Pita Pit". pitapit.co.nz. Pita Pit.
- ^ du Plessis-Allan, Heather (September 2, 2020). "Pita Pit dives into world of virtual restaurants". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Newstalk ZB.
- ^ a b c McNicol, Hamish (April 9, 2017). "That's a wrap: How Pita Pit went from one NZ store to more than 100 in a decade". stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Venuto, Damien (September 1, 2014). "The rise of fast-casual: Pita Pit launches its first TVC via Contagion". ICG Media. Stop Press.
- ^ "Pita Pit Australia". pitapit.com.au. Pita Pit Australia.
- ^ Taylor, Colin (November 19, 2011). "Pita Pit's expansion rests with franchisees". APN News & Media. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Tantau, Kelley (December 6, 2016). "New Pita Pit menu could be start of diabetes-friendly fast food". stuff.co.nz.
- ^ Templeton, Sarah (May 3, 2019). "Kiwi customers outraged after Pita Pit introduces fillings limit". MediaWorks New Zealand. Newshub.
- ^ Shaw, Aimee (September 1, 2020). "Pita Pit dives into world of virtual restaurants". New Zealand Media and Entertainment. New Zealand Herald.
External links[]
- Companies based in Kingston, Ontario
- Fast-food chains of Canada
- Fast-food chains of New Zealand
- Fast-food chains of the United States
- Restaurants established in 1995
- 1995 establishments in Ontario