Grabbing a Slice of Licensed Product Sales

Earlier this month, Domino’s retained Brand Central as its agent for brand-extension licensing, joining a handful of other pizza restaurants with outbound licensing programs. Overall, relatively few of the leading players in this sector are actively involved in lending their names to retail foods and other consumer products, at least in a significant way. This is somewhat surprising given the number of restaurant-related IP involved in licensing these days, and consumers’ love of pizza and loyalty to its purveyors.

Here are some of the chains with recent licensing and collaboration deals:

  • Domino’s agency agreement with Brand Central marks the first time the brand has ever been involved in licensed consumer products, according to the announcement, despite it being the number-one pizza chain globally. Plans include “products inspired by pizza or that make pizza nights happen.”
  • CEC Entertainment, parent of Chuck E. Cheese, announced its plans to launch a new global licensing, media, and entertainment division in 2020. In 2021, it signed a deal with Flatlander Foods for branded frozen pizzas that launched in Kroger stores. By mid-2023, it had built a list consumer products licensees in toys, apparel, home goods, and other categories, to debut at retail in 2024. This year, in January, the company said a Chuck E. Cheese game show was being developed with Magical Elves, in a deal brokered by CAA, that will feature activities based on the arcade games in its shops. And, in October 2023, it partnered with California Dreamin’ Entertainment for a branded area with rides, merchandise, and other elements at the latter’s new water park.
  • California Pizza Kitchen signed Litehouse as its licensee for salad dressings in 2023, in a deal brokered by Seltzer Licensing. CPK was an early player among restaurants extending their brands into the retail food industry. It launched branded frozen pizzas in 1997 with Kraft, and that line is still going strong. The products have been marketed by Nestlé since that company purchased the business from Kraft in 2010.
  • Pizza Hut has gone in the direction of novelty collaborations recently. In 2023, it paired with product development and pop-up company Chain for a $60 Collectible Seasoning Duet Box Set, which included two limited-edition spice blends (vegan Make It Pepperoni Seasoning and Everything Pizza Shake) and a shaker inspired by Pizza Hut’s in-store lamps. It collaborated with Ikea Hong Kong in 2020 for a limited-edition table, the Säva, that looked like the “pizza saver,” the circular plastic piece that prevents the delivery box from touching the top of the pie; at the same time Pizza Hut offered a Swedish meatball pizza. The promotion was overseen by advertising and communications company Ogilvy. Pizza Hut also partnered this year with Yeastie Boys food trucks, for a Big New Yorker Pizza Bagel, and last year with Walkers in the U.K. for Pepperoni Feast and Texas BBQ-flavored crisps.

While outbound licensing and collaborations for leading pizza chains is relatively limited when compared to some other categories of restaurant, the brands tend to be significant players when it comes to inbound partnerships, bringing food brands, characters, sports, and other property types into stores for limited time offerings and a variety of promotional elements.

RaugustReports will not publish on Monday, May 27 due to the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. We’ll be back with our twice-weekly insights on the licensing business on Thursday, May 30.

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