Pizza Pizza Royalty Ltd. has opened its first set of stores in Mexico and the company’s CEO is optimistic that its Mexican operations could one day be bigger than its Canadian presence. 
 
The fast food chain has been branded PZA Pizzeria in Mexico and is being run by Food Guru, according to a Friday press release. The multi-brand franchise in Mexico has extended experience with other major fast food operators, the news release said. 
 
This level of experience with quick-service restaurants, coupled with encouraging data, could position Pizza Pizza's Mexico operations to outgrow its homegrown presence, says Paul Goddard, the pizza maker's president and chief executive officer. 
 
“It could be optimistically bigger than Canada one day, so we’re excited,” Goddard told BNN Bloomberg’s Jon Erlichman in a TV interview on Friday. 
 
Pizza Pizza has more than 730 restaurants across Canada and has been in business for over 55 years, according to the company's website.
 
Goddard explained that the expansion into the Mexican market has been four years in the making.
 
He pointed to strategic food service data points such as high pizza consumption in Mexico and the country’s compound annual population growing roughly twice as fast as Canada’s. In this environment, the company is looking to open multiple PZA Pizzeria stores throughout Mexico by 2024, he added. 
 
Beyond the promising statistics, Canadian presence in Mexico appears to be well received, Goddard said.  
 
“There’s a special love for Canada and Canadian brands (in Mexico),” he said.