Little Caesars: The Ultimate Betrayal

 As long as I can remember I could always rely on Little Ceasers to have my back in a crisis. Growing up as a latchkey kid with zero culinary experience outside of burning a few pieces of toast I took solace in the fact I would never have to go hungry after school with my local Little Caesars right around the corner. Charging a mere five dollars for an entire pizza their prices fit my frugal middle school lifestyle and the taste was all I could ask for from an establishment built on getting you out the door as quickly as possible. Yeah, life was good, and it stayed that way for a long time. But sooner or later the honeymoon had to end. And end it did, rather unceremoniously, when Little Caesars decided to show me it's true colors. Greed filled the once kind heart of my greasy friend as they announced the price of their iconic $5 pizza would be raised by 55 cents… 

Sure, it doesn’t seem like a lot of money but where does it end? What menu item will be next on the chopping block of inflation? This flies directly in the face of their long-standing value proposition of providing inexpensive food in a fast and streamlined manner. The “Hot and Ready” model that’s been the staple of the business allowing you to walk in and walk out with a pizza in minutes still holds up against competitors today. The low price was another strong selling point but with this new side of themselves they’re showing I don’t think it will remain as prominent. 

Reddit users had this to say:

An overwhelmingly negative response from all users. I’d like to point out that Little Ceasers made no posts to advertise this change across their social media, most likely to minimalize backlash. The only mention of it is in television advertisements that have the audacity to deem this new price a “promotional offer” with their pizzas now boasting 33% more pepperoni. Due to their attempts to bury this change I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find the voice of the people, and I wasn’t surprised by what I found. The company seems to be dying on the hill that the increase in pepperoni justifies the higher price. Having released no statement in regard to the controversy as they continue to bury the morass of negative consumer reactions. 

Little Caesars’ business model was always remarkable. Sure, the food isn’t the best but there aren’t many places that deliver the quality they do in a fraction of the competition’s time. The $5 price tag has always been iconic. There was something so magical and satisfying about paying with a single five-dollar bill and leaving moments later with a hot meal. But the $5 price is gone and so is the magic. 

I am not without sympathy for my former favorite pizza purveyor. The pandemic has ravaged food and distribution costs the world over and many places have been forced to adapt to the new landscape. But to change something so sacred is an abomination. A more in touch brand manager would have created a new type of product or promotion to justify the higher ingredient costs. Going right for their bread and butter and gutting it the way they did shows a complete lack of understanding of their customer base and what made the company so special.

What hurts me the most is my words will fall on deaf ears. After all, I'm just David with the Goliath that is Little Caesars towering over me. I can shout from the rooftops all I want about the unfairness of this situation, but the masses will just ignore me and go on to pay the extra 55 cents, not knowing what’s been sacrificed. 

A company’s greed always comes before its soul. I thought Little Caesars was different, but I guess I was wrong.