Tony Medeiros is a Montreal-based blogger with over 20 years of experience covering pop culture and the culinary scene. Known for his engaging reviews and unique insights, he has built a trusted voice for readers seeking informed and entertaining perspectives on food and entertainment.
How a border-crossing pizza obsession, Dr Pepper smuggling, and one stubborn location kept Little Caesars alive in Quebec
- Quebec’s Last Little Caesars: Kirkland is the only location left, a true survivor. Rumors of closure caused panic.
- Rocky Quebec History: Past expansions failed, but Kirkland endured. Little Caesars is rare in Quebec.
- Border Pizza Runs: Trips to New York for pizza and Dr Pepper.
- Origins: Quick history: Mike and Marian Ilitch’s billion-dollar pizza empire.
I will admit it, I was starting to worry.
When word began to spread that the building housing the last remaining Little Caesars in Quebec might be torn down, my first reaction was disbelief, followed quickly by mild panic. One by one, businesses had already disappeared from that strip. The writing felt like it was on the wall when Tim Hortons quietly packed up and left a few years earlier. At that point, I felt like Nero casually playing the fiddle while Rome burned, except in this version, Rome was a strip mall and the flames were real estate rumors.
For a moment, it truly felt like Quebec was about to lose its final Little Caesars.
As of 2025, there is only one Little Caesars still operating in the entire province of Quebec, tucked away in the Montreal suburb of Kirkland at 3066 Boulevard Saint-Charles. At this point, it is no longer just a pizza place. It is a survivor. A stubborn slice of fast-food history refusing to disappear while everything around it keeps changing.
Little Caesars and Quebec have always had a complicated relationship. The chain tried to break into the province in the mid-1980s, then tried again in 2007 with locations in Gatineau and around Montreal. Each wave eventually faded away. Signs came down, doors closed, and somehow Kirkland remained. Meanwhile, Little Caesars grew into the third-largest pizza chain in the world, with locations in every Canadian province. Every province except Quebec, where its presence feels almost symbolic. Some promotions even skip Quebec entirely, which is ironic when you are standing inside the last one, holding a Hot-N-Ready box like it is a limited-edition collector’s item.
Little Caesars was not always this rare. There was a time when it felt almost mythical. The closest one to me was in New York State, which meant that if I wanted that pizza, I had to cross the border. And if I was crossing the border anyway, I made it count. I would grab my pizza and then load up on Dr Pepper, because back then, you simply could not get it in Quebec.
Picture this. Me at the border, the car was suspiciously heavy, the trunk full of pizza boxes and several cases of Dr Pepper cans rattling around like contraband. The border agent looks at me, looks at the car, and asks the inevitable question. Why so much Dr Pepper? Was I planning to retail it in Quebec? Was I running some kind of underground soda operation?
No, I explained. I just really love the stuff.
Fast forward to today and we now have Dr Pepper everywhere in Quebec, with multiple flavor variations no less. Society has progressed. Civilization has evolved. But losing Little Caesars? That would be too much. I am not about to cross an international border for a Hot-N-Ready pizza. I have done my time. I have paid my dues. I have smuggled enough soda for one lifetime.
When the rumors started swirling, I did what any concerned citizen would do. I went to get what I thought might be my last Little Caesars pizza. I ate it like a man saying goodbye. Slower bites. Extra appreciation. A long stare into the box, wondering if this was how it all ended.
Then came the good news. The Kirkland Little Caesars is not closing. It is relocating to a nearby space previously occupied by Subway, a reminder that even sandwiches have their limits. This was not the fall of Rome after all. The fiddle can be put down. The fire was just smoke.
How did Little Caesars start? In the 1950s, while traveling as a baseball player, Mike Ilitch developed a habit of scouting pizza joints, a hobby that eventually sparked the idea for Little Caesars. In 1959, he and his wife, Marian, opened the first location in Garden City, Michigan, and by 1962, they had sold their first franchise. Marian affectionately called Mike her “Little Caesar,” a nickname whose origins remain a mystery. Over the years, Little Caesars grew into the third-largest pizza chain in the U.S., known for fun innovations like French-fry crust pizza and little buckets of spaghetti.
How did Little Caesars start? In the 1950s, while traveling as a baseball player, Mike Ilitch developed a habit of scouting pizza joints—a hobby that eventually sparked the idea for Little Caesars. In 1959, he and his wife, Marian, opened the first location in Garden City, Michigan, and by 1962, they had sold their first franchise. Marian affectionately called Mike her “Little Caesar,” a nickname whose origins remain a mystery. Over the years, Little Caesars grew into the third-largest pizza chain in the U.S., known for fun innovations like French-fry crust pizza and little buckets of spaghetti. What began as a baseball player’s love of pizza turned into a $4.2 billion empire, with a quirky history and inventive spirit that have made it a household name.
So here we are. The last Little Caesars in Quebec still stands, slightly battle-worn but very much alive. And now I say this with sincerity and just a hint of desperation. Folks, I need your support. Buy the pizza. Buy more pie. Keep this place alive so none of us ever has to explain to a border agent why we crossed into another country for a Hot-N-Ready again.
The new home for your beloved Hot N Ready pizza will be at 2899 Boulevard Saint Charles, Unit #B01008a, Kirkland. It is a move worthy of fanfare, think trumpets, confetti, maybe even a tiny toga party. All hail Caesar. The king of quick, cheesy goodness is not just surviving; it is staking its claim in a new castra. Pizza lovers, rejoice, your Hot N Ready salvation is only getting closer.
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