Roman's Pizza

Roman's Pizza was established by Arthur Nicolakakis in 1993, originally under the name "Little Caesar’s". In 2002, the company rebranded to Roman's Pizza.^[3]

John Nicolakakis, the founder’s son, joined in 2001 and later became CEO, overseeing a period of growth and operational expansion.^[3]

The business operates on a franchising model, with store formats including both takeaway and sit-down options. Roman's Pizza has expanded to neighbouring countries, including Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.^[4]

Roman's Pizza serves pizza with a choice of pan or traditional crust. The menu includes pizza, pasta, pizza pies, garlic bread, salads, and combo offerings. A well-known sales feature is the pricing of two pizzas together as one item.^[4]

In 2024, Roman's Pizza received the highest score in a comparative taste test of major South African pizza chains conducted by BusinessTech.^[2]

The brand has run advertising campaigns featuring South African public figures such as Barry Hilton and Alfred Ntombela.^[5]

CEO John Nicolakakis received the Young Business Leader of the Year (Southern Africa) award at the 2015 All Africa Business Leaders Awards.^[3] In 2016, the company won Brand Builder of the Year from the Franchise Association of South Africa.^[6]

In 2018, a recording of CEO John Nicolakakis making remarks about competing chains was published by HuffPost South Africa.^[7]

In 2015, the company paid R200,000 to settle a complaint related to franchise compliance with religious dietary guidelines.^[8]