🍕 Great White Slice: Canada’s Pizza Scene is More Local Than You Think
Author: Matthew Shane
Published: Aug 10, 2025
Pizza may not be native to Canada, but it has deep roots here—stretching back over 70 years. Italian immigrants helped bring it to cities like Toronto and Montreal in the 1940s and '50s, where it quickly found a foothold. From there, Canadian-style pizza evolved its own identity: thicker crusts, tangier sauces, bold toppings—and of course, the now-infamous pineapple.
Today, Canada’s pizza landscape is a mosaic of the old and the new, the big and the small. On the national level, you’ve got homegrown chains like Pizza Pizza, Boston Pizza, and Panago—Canadian companies with deep regional followings and strong domestic supply chains. There are also plenty of U.S. imports, like Domino’s and Little Caesars. And then there’s the biggest piece of the pie: thousands of mom-and-pop pizza joints that dominate neighbourhoods from coast to coast.
So how can you support Canadian? Here's a breakdown of what to look for.
🍁 Canadian Chains (Homegrown and Canadian-Owned)
These chains are built and run in Canada. Most operate domestic supply chains, support Canadian jobs, and reinvest locally.
- Pizza Pizza – Founded in 1967 in Toronto, this iconic orange-box brand has become one of the most recognizable names in Canadian fast food. It operates more than 700 locations across Canada and sources many of its ingredients domestically, including Canadian wheat for its dough and Canadian cheese.
- Boston Pizza – Launched in Edmonton in 1964 by a Greek immigrant, Boston Pizza is now headquartered in Richmond, BC. While it started as a sports-bar concept, it has grown into a sit-down restaurant chain with over 380 locations in Canada. It remains Canadian-owned and operated.
- Panago – Started in 1986 in British Columbia, Panago is a privately-owned Canadian chain with a focus on quality ingredients and a more modern, health-conscious approach to pizza. With over 200 locations, Panago emphasizes fresh prep and offers dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based options—all developed and sourced in Canada.
- Pizza 73 – Founded in Alberta in 1985, Pizza 73 was acquired by Pizza Pizza in 2007 but maintains separate branding and operations in Western Canada. It sources ingredients locally and is a staple of the prairie provinces.
- Gino’s Pizza – Based in Ontario, Gino’s has been slinging pies since 1981. With roughly 100 locations, it remains a smaller but distinctly Canadian chain with strong regional loyalty.
- Gabriel Pizza – A beloved chain in Ottawa and parts of Quebec, Gabriel was founded in 1977 and is known for its generous cheese and hearty crust. It remains locally owned and operated.
- Greco Pizza – Founded in Moncton in 1977, Greco is the dominant pizza chain in Atlantic Canada, with nearly 100 locations. It’s famous for its garlic fingers and Halifax-style donair sauce, and it continues to operate under a Canadian parent company.
- Red Swan: Launched in Saskatoon in the 2010s, Red Swan has grown rapidly with a focus on stone-baked crusts, sesame seed finishes, and broad topping options. Still proudly Canadian-owned and operated, it now boasts locations across most provinces.
🆗 U.S. Franchises (Foreign-Owned, Locally Operated)
These are foreign chains, but they are generally run as locally-owned Canadian franchises. Exactly how to think about these franchises is tricky: on the one hand, their parent corp is foreign, some franchise-related fees head out of the country, and some autonomy re decision making is lost. On the other hand, most locations are truly owned by someone local in your neighbourhood, and the majority of profits do in fact stay in the country. For these reasons, The CANADA List generally gives these franchises a thumbs up, and a CANADA Score ranging from 6-9. (We've written about this in detail here:
- Domino’s – Entered the Canadian market in the 1980s and now has over 600 stores nationwide. Dough balled in Cambridge ON & Calgary AB; cheese often supplied by Saputo; sauce canned in the US.
- Pizza Hut – One of the earliest U.S. pizza chains to enter Canada, arriving in the 1960s. Now owned by Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut still operates hundreds of Canadian locations. Ingredients are a mix—some local sourcing, some imports.
- Little Caesars – Michigan-based and privately owned, Little Caesars is known for its low-cost model and Hot-N-Ready pizzas. Canadian operations are entirely franchised. Dough and cheese are domestically-sourced (but we believe through Blueline, which is itself a US entity); sauce/spices imported.
- Papa John’s – Mostly concentrated in urban areas. Dough is mixed and packed in Port Coquitlam BC and Southern ON; cheese comes from Saputo (CAN) or Leprino (US) depending on province; sauce and spices ceom from Lousville, Kentucky.
- Blaze Pizza – A newer entrant, Blaze operates a fast-fired, build-your-own pizza model. The brand has locations in major cities in BC, AB, ON and NS. Ingredient sourcing is mixed.
- Sbarro – Focused mainly in mall food courts, this New York–style pizzeria is U.S.-owned, but Canadian locations are locally-owned franchises.
- California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) – Known for its gourmet toppings and non-traditional flavours, CPK operates only one Canadian locations in Edmonton, but like the others on this list, it's a locally-owned franchise.
🧑🍳 Mom & Pop Pizza Shops: The Unsung Majority
Here’s the truth: the majority of pizza in Canada isn’t made by a chain at all. It’s made by thousands of independently owned restaurants in cities, towns, and highway stops across the country.
These mom-and-pop shops often make their own dough in-house, source ingredients from local suppliers, and hire local workers. They sponsor youth sports teams, advertise in school newsletters, and offer free slices to first responders. Most of them aren’t trying to scale—they’re just trying to feed the community, one pie at a time.
And every dollar you spend at a local shop is likely to stay in your town, supporting the local economy and building Canadian food culture from the ground up.
Final Slice
It’s easy to assume that foreign chains should be avoided—but the reality is, every company on this list contributes meaningfully to the Canadian economy. They’re all owned and operated by Canadians, they all reinvest locally, and they all support Canadian jobs. Some brands are 100% Canadian-owned, and of course, the mom-and-pop shops deserve special recognition for their grassroots contributions. But at the end of the day, you really can’t go wrong supporting any of the companies listed above.
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