Little Christo's, a defunct pizza business that left the province absorbing bad loans, will soon rise again - at least in name.
Jeff MacDonald and his mother, Cindy MacDonald, who is part-owner of Smitty's Restaurant in Charlottetown, plan to open a Little Christo's restaurant next to Smitty's in mid-December.
The pair bought the name off of Ray and Joy Hanley. The Hanleys were operators and principal owners of Fine Food Investments, the company that produced the Little Christo's line of frozen pizzas.
The Little Christo's operation went into receivership in May 2001 and the plant was closed some time later. Its assets were auctioned off.
The province wrote off $62,500 in bad loans.
Jeff MacDonald said he and his mother have only bought into the pizza restaurant business, not the plant, which has been closed for several years.
He said the Little Christo's restaurant is under new ownership and will have a new look and different style.
"We have nothing to do with the plant," he stressed.
MacDonald said the restaurant will have take-out but won't offer delivery right away. He hopes, depending on the success of the first Little Christo's, to eventually open additional pizzerias.
Little Christo's will have new look, different style, promises MacDonalds
- Published on November 24th, 2007
- Published on June 15th, 2010
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Jim Day
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Comments
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- Molly
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:40:39
Ohhhh I love Little Christos! I remember when I was young on Fridays they had two for one day and my mom would get us some every week! Will they also be bringing back the frozen ones you could buy at the grocery store?
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- Kourtney
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:36:19
Yes, it is another pizza place in charlottetown...but hopefully it will be a good one with reasonable pricing. There are some out there already, but the good ones are overpriced and the cheap ones are, well, cheap! As for the people mentioning Taco Bell, we won't get one. The owner of KFC on PEI would have rights to Taco Bell operations here(I think seeing as they are the same company), and (from what I have heard) does not want to have a Taco Bell. Or something like that anyway.
Good luck to the MacDonalds, and I will be one to give your pizza a try! -
- Bill
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:32:37
finally a real pizza can't wait... hopefully they will keep the thick crust it is the best pizza around..
my kids will love it -
- joe
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:32:07
Is this the Jeff MacDonald who used to work at Aliant,I used to work there,just curious.
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- Lets hope
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:31:58
Well I am another who loved LC's pizza so lets wish them the best of luck. Was this the Jeff MacDonald that opened up Myron's the last time or was that a Jason MacDonald? I wish you the best of luck but yes drop the prices...Jack's is the best pizza at the present...maybe you can beat them once and for all.
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- Oh
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:30:36
While I found most people did not like the Little Christo's crust, there were some who loved it. One thing everyone could agree on, however, was the pizza had so few toppings, it could barely be called pizza.
Anyone who's lived in a major city will tell you the pizza on PEI is way, WAY overpriced. IMO, the only really good pizza on PEI is Pizza Delight, but you do have to pay way too much for it. For what you pay for one Pizza Delight pizza, you should get two.
Could be worse though, we could have to endure Pizza-Pizza. That stuff is horrible. I wish the MacDonalds luck in their venture...I just wish they were bringing a Taco-Bell instead. -
- Ryan
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:28:22
I'm curious to see if it will actually be the same pizza. The article says all they did was buy the name.
It might just be a marketing gimmick to get people to go there even though the pizza could be completely different. -
- captian
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:24:58
Its a smart move to get at it .Pei farmers are on there way out and youll be able to put that argentina dollar store meat on your crust and make a killing!
Hope you got a nice grant to start up! -
- K
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:21:12
I heart Macdonald's pizza, i wish they would come back as well as the seasoning for the fries...you know? you would put the fries in a happy meal bag add the flavor and shake and eat :)
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- Gino
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:20:07
To Joe who wanted to know if it was the same Jeff MacDonald who used to work for Aliant. No it isn't. That Jeff now works for Holland College in Charlottetown.
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- Pizza Lover
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:16:39
Just what Ch'town needs..another pizza outlet.
Hope its better than what's there now.
If you really want a good pizza, go to the Cornwall Roadhouse for their brickoven pizzas.
Consistent quality and value for the price.
Good luck to Cindy and her son but you have a tough road to hoe. -
- D
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:16:12
I loved Little Chriso's pizza, they had the best crust and sauce, plus real bacon instead of that crumble crap you seem to get everywhere else. Can't wait to try it in the new place. Best of luck.
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- Pat
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:07:57
As an aside, I know so many people that would love a Taco Bell here. So to any of you entrepreneurs out there.... lol
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- Tired of govt giving tax
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:05:17
The memories of another corporate welfare moneypit will be hard to overcome.
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- DENNYS
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:04:32
WHY NOT IS ONTO SOMETHING.......We need DENNYS
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- ryan
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:03:59
Thank God--I thought it said McDonald's pizza was coming back---that stuff was gross!
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- why not something differe
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:03:08
why not Arbys or Dennys or something different........there is SO much pizza around! And it IS overpriced like many have said. In the states, there is a pizza chain where you get ALL you can eat (including salads/pizza/g fingers, drink & dessert for $5. If they can do it, we could do it and it would be some popular - all you can eat pizza buffet for $5.
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- cheeseman
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:55:01
The reason pizza is overpriced has nothing to do with the restaurants but everything to do with the price of ingredients these days.
Cheese being the largest cause. -
- K
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:47:15
Best of luck to the new owners! I hope everything works out well for you. I will definitely check it out when you are operational :)
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- Christo's
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:46:05
I absolutely loved Little Christo's Pizza, and who can forget their delicious Steak and Cheese Oven Subs, with loads of diced dill pickle!...Ohhh, my mouth is watering...
Good luck to the new owners. Price your product appropriately and use good management and you will be likely to succeed. -
- Artie
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:44:44
Also it was Jason MacDonald that took over Myron's from his old man. So this Jeff MacDonald is a different person.
Too many MacDonalds on PEI, not the restaurants, but the people with that last name.
Arby's was already here and Denny's is gross.
Taco Bell will never come.
So be happy with your variety of Pizza joints, there was a time when we only had a handfull, so be happy with the variety. Competition only makes for better pizza and better deals. -
- ThankGod
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:37:55
I do agree pizza is overpriced in Ch'Town. But...I honestly loved Little Christo's when the MacDonalds were operating it. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the new venture utilizing the old brand.
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- Jeffm
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:36:08
As a former Little Christo's employee, it will be exciting to see such an amazing product come back, but to those who had LC's pizza near the end, it was run by youngsters who didn't care. As for the steak n cheese with loads of dill, i remember making those every week ha ha. The crust, fresh hamburger and real bacon will definetly be something to see if they do that again, or just be like every other frozen boxed meat. Buy one get one free specials, fresh german chocolate cheesecake and dont forget their caesar dressing. The lasagna, i still make to this day, just the sauce is a bit different, but many best of luck wishes to the MacDonalds
