Australia’s quick service retail (QSR) market is overflowing with food franchises claiming they offer something a little different, however Extreme Pita could be the real deal. 

The Canadian based brand’s Australian master franchisor has secured four sites, all of which are scheduled to open before the end of the year.

“We are going to open four company-owned stores in Sydney and we are taking expressions of interest for franchised locations, because obviously that is our model going forward,” says master franchisor Gary Blyton.

As its names suggests, pita bread forms the basis of the brand’s food offerings, which are designed to be both healthy and flavoursome.

“Extreme Pita is about pita bread, so it is not to be confused with wraps, kebabs or sandwiches; rather it is a pocket style pita bread,” Blyton explains.

The pockets are designed to be filled with a range of different ingredients, and they can also be used as pizza bases. “We put grilled lean protein, fresh salad and saut_ed and grilled vegetables inside the pockets, so they are more than just a sandwich; they are a little hot meal in a pocket.”

A typical pita bread pocket from Extreme Pita

Health is high on the agenda at Extreme Pita, and even the separate kids menu favours nutritious items. “Nutrition, calories and fat counts are all a big part of the business and that is all on display – customers can go to the nutritional board and actually see what they are going to eat before they consume it.

“Our kids menu averages 250 calories per item, which when compared to a lot of other QSR kids options is quite impressive,” he explains.

The menu is globally inspired, and Extreme Pita offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items, as well as espresso coffee and other beverages, including its “pure all natural smoothies” range, Purblendz.

When he was first introduced to the brand five years ago, Blyton was amazed Australia did not have anything remotely similar.

“My sister-in-law, who was working at an Extreme Pita at the time, took me down there for lunch and it just got me straight away – I started questioning why we didn’t already have it in Australia.

“I could see it fitting with the Australian market very well, and a couple of years ago I started the wheels turning to bring Extreme Pita to Australia,” he says.

For the moment, Extreme Pita’s first four stores will remain company-owned, and franchisees will take on greenfield sites.

Extreme Pita also offers a catering service

“We will take care of all the site sourcing, selection, lease negotiation and fit-out for franchisees.

“Obviously everything takes time but we want to be Australia wide and will also be taking the concept to New Zealand in the first quarter to middle of next year.”

Franchisees are in good hands when it comes to training, and Extreme Pita offers a tried and tested program which has been established by its Canadian founders.

“The training is delivered by operational support staff who have been to the full training induction program at the head office in Canada.

“For the first two and a half weeks training will take place at one of our company-owned stores in Sydney, and then franchisees will undergo another two weeks of training in their own store, wherever that may be. It is fairly intensive and very comprehensive.”

Now that he and his team know the brand inside-out, Blyton says they are keen to get franchising. “We have got the brand and the systems ingrained in our blood now and we are ready to pass it on,” he says.

The cost of an Extreme Pita franchise will start from $250,000 depending on the location, and the initial franchise term is five years with five year renewal options after that.

To find out more about this new franchise opportunity, watch this video interview: