The Pizza Nova brand is one of authentic Italian heritage – most of all, it rests on a proud family operation and a sense of community. Now, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, the brand makes staying true to its roots while meeting the needs of an evolving consumer look easy as pie.
Founded in 1963 by the Primucci family, the Scarborough-based business has grown from one location on Lawrence Ave. into 150 stores and concession locations across Southern Ontario.
“Right from the beginning we were set on being a premium product – great quality and great taste – and we’ve stayed true to that. When you start creating a building, you need a great foundation so that the building can stand the test of time. Our foundation is our dough, sauce and cheese,” explains Domenic Primucci, president of Pizza Nova.
Including its well-known pizza, the menu features other Italian specialties like lasagna and panzerotti. The brand also offers a line of products under the Primucci name that includes extra virgin olive oil and homestyle tomato sauce.
The brand look has changed over the years, Primucci says, with a first change of colour palette and fonts four decades in. They’ve also invested in redesigns of their stores, led by interior design firm Burdifilek, for a contemporary and comfortable feel.
Its marketing approach has also been led with the customer in mind. The high-energy happy jingle has been around for a long time. “This year, we released [it] so that it can be downloaded as a ringtone. It’s from the mid-to-late 80s, and people are still excited about it. It has become synonymous with Pizza Nova, and is probably one of the longest tenured jingles on the air right now.”
And while radio has been very effective for Pizza Nova, its marketing mix nowadays also integrates social media. It knows and wants to meet their customers where they are. But traditional marketing like flyers are still good ways of reaching their audience as well – people like to see what’s on special.
“It’s really about balancing everything that you do, the right time and space for it all,” Primucci says. “You have to talk to different demographics in different ways.” Pizza Nova’s demographics have largely remained unchanged; young families (adults between 25-49 and children 12 and under), and the brand meets them by having a presence in schools, offering the catered option of a hot slice of pizza.
Sam Primucci, co-founder of Pizza Nova, Domenic Primucci, president of Pizza Nova and the Primucci family present a $1 million donation to David Graham, CEO of Scarborough Health Network Foundation on April 25, 2023 (Credit: Montana Steele).
For its 60th anniversary, a celebration filled with speeches, photo booths, bocce ball and an Alfie Zappacosta performance of the iconic Pizza Nova jingle, Pizza Nova announced a donation of $1 million to the Scarborough Health Network Foundation. The gathering saw almost five hundred people in attendance – friends, family, franchisees and partners. But a strong sense of community is nothing new to Pizza Nova. It understands that its customers are what keeps it in business. “We’ve done lots of work on our customer experience, ensuring that it’s great at all times.” To show appreciation, over the years, it’s given back to the community through a diverse array of philanthropic initiatives.
And if you ask Primucci what his take is on the most divisive age-old pizza question – pineapple or no pineapple on pizza? – ever the community-minded leader, he’s steadfast in his response. “Here, in North America, pineapple is a very, very popular item. It’s a top-selling ingredient. So it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. It’s what the consumer wants, and we’re going to provide it.”
