Roman's Pizza is a South African pizza franchise founded in 1993 in Pretoria. The company operates over 250 outlets in South Africa and in parts of Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.
Roman's Pizza was established by Arthur Nicolakakis in 1993, originally under the name "Little CaesarâÂÂs". In 2002, the company rebranded to Roman's Pizza.
John Nicolakakis, the founderâÂÂs son, joined in 2001 and later became CEO, overseeing a period of growth and operational expansion.
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.
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.
In 2024, Roman's Pizza received the highest score in a comparative taste test of major South African pizza chains conducted by BusinessTech.
The brand has run advertising campaigns featuring South African public figures such as Barry Hilton and Alfred Ntombela.
CEO John Nicolakakis received the Young Business Leader of the Year (Southern Africa) award at the 2015 All Africa Business Leaders Awards. In 2016, the company won Brand Builder of the Year from the Franchise Association of South Africa.
In 2018, a recording of CEO John Nicolakakis making remarks about competing chains was published by HuffPost South Africa.
In 2015, the company paid R200,000 to settle a complaint related to franchise compliance with religious dietary guidelines.