A new Little Caesars is coming to Dallas, Oregon, taking over the spot where a Pizza Hut once stood in Polk County. The pizza chain is planning a soft opening in mid-November, followed by a bigger celebration next month complete with free food for the first people in line and thousands of dollars funneled to local charities.
The soft opening is set for mid-November, according to Statesman Journal, which first reported on the new location. A full grand opening celebration is scheduled for Dec. 5, kicking off at 10 a.m. The new shop replaces the former Pizza Hut location, the outlet reports.
Owner Cody Chambers, who also runs a Little Caesars location in McMinnville, is behind the new Dallas store. The report notes Chambers is expanding his footprint in the mid-Willamette Valley with the Polk County opening.
What to Expect at the Dec. 5 Celebration
The grand opening party will include a live DJ, the Little Caesars mascot, a Kona Ice truck and Tom’s Coffee truck, according to the same report. Organizers are also planning a prize wheel for kids, with spin-to-win Little Caesars-branded prizes up for grabs throughout the event.
The biggest draw may be for whoever shows up earliest: the first 100 people in line on opening day will receive free pizza for a year, per the outlet's reporting. That kind of giveaway tends to draw a crowd well before doors open, so early risers hoping to cash in may want to plan accordingly.
Sales Will Benefit Local Food Bank and Fire Scholarship
Beyond the freebies, the Dec. 5 event doubles as a fundraiser for two Polk County causes. Little Caesars plans to donate 10% of total sales that day to the Dallas Food Bank, and another 10% to the City of Dallas Volunteer Fire Association's Harpy Bovard Scholarship Fund, the report states.
The new Dallas shop joins a chain that has built its national reputation on low prices. A recent study cited in the report found Little Caesars had the cheapest pizza menu in the country, with a medium cheese pizza averaging $10.27 at regular menu price. Separately, MenuWithPrice describes Little Caesars as the third largest pizza chain in the United States, trailing only Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza.
For now, Dallas residents will have to wait for the mid-November soft opening before the Dec. 5 festivities make the new shop official. Between the free pizza giveaway, the food truck lineup and the charity tie-ins, the opening is shaping up to be one of the bigger small-town retail debuts in Polk County this year.
