Little Caesars back without ‘Pizza Pizza’ slogan

The pizza wars will soon be heating up in Cedar Rapids, with a former U.S. Marine sergeant at the helm of at least two new Little Caesers pizza shops.

Little Caesars left the Cedar Rapids market 13 years, when competition was intense and profits weren't so great. Now Little Caesars is back on the war path, touting the $5 large-size pizza instead of its old two-for $9.95 ‘pizza-pizza deal.”

Jake Kennel, a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant from Colorado, decided to enlist for the battle with his brother-in-law, who already is partners in Little Caesars pizza franchises in Washington state and Waterloo-Cedar Falls.

Kennel has hired 48 people, and is ready to start firing the pizzas out of a three-level conveyor oven when the first shop at 2210 Edgewood Road SW opens on Nov. 17.

Little Caesars may have chicken wings and breadsticks now, but the attraction is still fairly simple.

“It's a $5 pizza that's ready when you walk in the door,” Kennel said.

One difference between the new Little Caesars and its previous incarnation is a lack of delivery - not a lack of emphasis on delivery, an outright rejection of delivery.

Delivery increases insurance costs and staffing needs of a pizza restaurant greatly, according to Zack Miller, Kennel's partner and brother-in-law. He says eliminating delivery allows Little Caesars to keep its costs lower than the competition, and position itself differently in the market.

“The other guys can have the customers who want a pizza in 30 minutes,” Miller said. “We'll take the customers that want it right now.”

Little Caesars usually has a pizza ready when the customer walks in the door, Miller said. If it doesn't, the pizza can be ready in six minutes or less.

“We're constantly producing pizza here,” Miller said, adding that the stores make their sauce and dough fresh every day instead of using frozen ingredients.

Little Caesars founder Michael Illitch pioneered the conveyor ovens that cook a pizza in the time it takes a steel mesh conveyor belt to move them through the oven. The Cedar Rapids stores have three-level ovens, including a level with two belts that can be adjusted to move at different speeds.

Illitch also created a veterans program that Kennel is using to get into the business. The program include a $5,000 reduction of the franchise fee, financing benefits, and a $5,000 credit on equipment, according to the company's Web site. For disabled veterans, the benefits are even higher.

Kennel, who served four years active duty and four years inactive duty in the Marines, is grateful for the opportunity.

“When you get out of the service, you don't have many choices,” said Kennel, who served in operating Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. ‘ You can be a cop. You can go back to school, or you can go back to doing what you were doing before.”

Kennel and Miller plan to open their second Little Caesars soon in the Lindale Mall area, and may open several more in the Cedar Rapids-Marion area.