Dodo Pizza | |
Native Name: | Russian: Додо Пицца |
Type: | Private |
Founded: | in Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russia |
Hq Location City: | Moscow |
Hq Location Country: | Russia |
Num Locations: | |
Area Served: | Worldwide |
Key People: |
Dodo Pizza (Russian: Додо Пицца) is a Russian pizza delivery franchise founded in 2011 by Fyodor Ovchinnikov. The corporation was founded in Syktyvkar, Russia. Its headquarters are also in Syktyvkar, as well as in Moscow.
As of April 2024, the company has 841 pizzerias in Russia and 92 in 22 other countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Poland[1], Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vietnam[2]). It's the largest pizza chain in Russia and Kazakhstan and one of Europe's fastest-growing restaurant chains.[3]
Ovchinnikov states that the company views itself as an IT-driven retail company based on the principle of transparency.[4] Dodo Pizza uses a cloud-based system known as Dodo IS that collects and processes operations data, reports real-time business analytics, and helps kitchen and delivery staff to be more efficient by allowing for more informed decision-making.[5]
In 2014, the company ran the largest crowdfunding initiative in Russia to date, raising over $2 million from 180 private investors. Dodo also made headlines from Washington to Tokyo with what it billed as the world's first commercial delivery of pizzas by drone, to customers in the central square in Syktyvkar.[6]
In September 2018, Fyodor Ovchinnikov announced that the chain would grow its IT team from 60 to 250 developers in two years,[7] and by October 2019, Dodo Pizza has doubled it.
According to the chain's public Top Pizza Shop Sales Ranking, the best-performing Dodo Pizza store in Novy Urengoy, Russia netted $166,086 in sales in March 2019.[8]
In 2018, Dodo Pizza sold the franchise rights for Nigeria to Quality Foods Africa, the same group of British investors that brought Krispy Kreme to that continent's most populous country. The first 20 Dodos opened in October 2019 in Lagos.
In 2019, Dodo Pizza opened a cashless pizza store in China, its “primary market of the future” along with Britain.[9] In November 2019, the company received GRLC Distinction Award for Innovation at Global Restaurant Leadership Conference in Singapore.[10]
In 2019, the company planned to add 1,000 pizza shops in Europe, Asia and Africa over the next five years and to hit $500 million in network revenue by 2021 and $1 billion by 2024.
In April 2021, Ovchinnikov announced that Dodo Pizza would cease operations in China due to the company's rejection of the global business model, as well as due to difficulties encountered in the Chinese market, such as high competition, a complex consumer mentality, and an incorrectly chosen business model.[11]
In 2022, the founder of the network announced that the network would leave United Kingdom which included 5 Dodo Pizza outlets. One of the reasons for the network's problems was the economic sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, but British branches had already experienced declines in turnover.[12]
In 2023, the franchisor, DODO FRANCHISING LLC, achieved a financial result of 5.9 billion rubles (approximately 63 million US dollars) in revenue and 756.8 million rubles (8 million US dollars) in net profit. The number of establishments in accordance with the RosPatent register increased by 65 enterprises.[13]