Hell Pizza
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHell Pizza is a New Zealand pizza chain known for its distinctive Hell-themed branding, unconventional advertising, and nationwide franchise network.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Hell Pizza is a New Zealand-based pizza chain established in 1996 in Kelburn, Wellington, by Callum Davies. The original restaurant was positioned next to Victoria University of Wellington and used an intentionally irreverent identity rather than the more conventional family-oriented presentation common among pizza chains. Davies drew inspiration from the quirky visual personality of The Fish, a radio station in Taupō, and developed a restaurant concept built around dark humor, provocative names, and a recurring Hell motif. The business expanded beyond its first shop after Stu McMullin and Warren Powell joined Davies in 1999. A second outlet opened in Hataitai, Wellington, and the chain became an early adopter of online ordering among fast-food businesses. Its menu and marketing have consistently used the Hell theme: several standard pizzas are named after the seven deadly sins, and promotional activity has included special discounts linked to Friday the 13th. Hell Pizza grew through franchising in New Zealand and also tested international markets. In 2006, the founders sold the New Zealand master-franchise rights to Tasman Pacific Foods, the Burger King master franchisee in New Zealand, for a reported $15 million. The founders bought those rights back in 2009. Around that period, the brand had 61 New Zealand stores, six stores in Brisbane, and plans for further expansion in South East Queensland. It also trialed or operated locations in London, Dublin, South Korea, Canada, India, and other Australian markets at various times. International operations were not sustained at the same scale. By 2012, the chain still had a substantial New Zealand network, along with limited operations or trials in South Korea, Queensland, London, Dublin, Vancouver, and New Delhi. By 2016, the reported network consisted of 66 outlets, all in New Zealand. In November 2022, Hell Pizza had 77 New Zealand outlets, including 61 in the North Island and 16 in the South Island; Auckland alone had 28 locations. The chain remained absent from some major urban areas, including Nelson and Gisborne. The brand's positioning depends heavily on memorable, sometimes confrontational communications. Its advertising has included sexual-health promotions, irreverent depictions of public figures, and climate-related commentary. These campaigns have generated media attention, complaints, apologies, and regulatory or compliance concerns, but controversy is also closely connected to Hell Pizza's deliberate brand personality. The company has additionally participated in alternative-protein menu development, including a Beyond Meat burger pizza that prompted debate over product labelling in 2019. Hell Pizza's current identity is therefore that of a distinctly New Zealand pizza franchise: a multi-outlet quick-service restaurant business combining standard delivery and takeaway operations with theatrical naming, a darkly comic visual language, online ordering, and publicity-oriented campaigns. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current parent company, listed status, or owner beyond the historical master-franchise transaction described above.
History
Hell Pizza began in 1996 when Callum Davies opened a pizza shop in Kelburn, Wellington, near Victoria University of Wellington. Rather than adopting a generic takeaway identity, Davies gave the restaurant a strongly defined personality influenced by the quirky presentation of The Fish radio station in Taupō. The Hell name became the basis for the chain's menu language, advertising style, and visual presentation. Stu McMullin and Warren Powell joined Davies in 1999. The business then opened a second shop in Hataitai, Wellington, and expanded its use of online ordering at a time when internet ordering was still unusual among fast-food operators. Subsequent growth relied on a franchise model and established Hell Pizza as a recognizable New Zealand delivery and takeaway chain. The founders sold the New Zealand master-franchise rights to Tasman Pacific Foods in 2006 for a reported $15 million. Tasman Pacific Foods was also the New Zealand master franchisee for Burger King. Under this arrangement, Hell Pizza continued to expand domestically and explored overseas markets. In 2009, the chain was reported to have 61 New Zealand stores, six in Brisbane, and plans for more stores in South East Queensland, while trials were under way in Fulham, London, and Dublin. The founders repurchased the New Zealand master-franchise rights in 2009. Hell Pizza continued to operate or test outlets outside New Zealand, including locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, South Korea, India, and Queensland, Australia. By 2012, it had 65 New Zealand stores, three South Korean stores, two Queensland stores, and additional operations or trials in London, Dublin, Vancouver, and New Delhi. The international footprint subsequently contracted. In 2016, the reported network had 66 outlets, all located in New Zealand. Domestic expansion continued thereafter. By November 2022, the chain had 77 New Zealand outlets, with 61 in the North Island and 16 in the South Island. Auckland accounted for 28 of the North Island locations. The brand still did not have outlets in every major urban area, with Nelson and Gisborne identified as notable omissions. Marketing has been central to Hell Pizza's history. The company has used names drawn from the seven deadly sins for seven standard pizzas and has run promotions connected to Friday the 13th. Its campaigns have also repeatedly tested social and cultural boundaries. A 2006 Lust promotion involving branded condoms led to complaints and a packaging-compliance problem. In 2008, the company apologised for an advertisement portraying the skeletal remains of well-known public figures on gravestones. In 2021, its climate-related campaign aimed at Greta Thunberg generated further controversy and was judged offensive by Stockholm authorities when the company attempted to place a billboard there. The chain has also faced operational and product-related scrutiny. In 2010, a hacker attack on its customer database led the company to advise approximately 230,000 customers to change their passwords. In 2019, a pizza made with Beyond Meat burger patties met food standards but prompted discussion about whether its burger-pizza label was sufficiently clear. These episodes illustrate the tension in Hell Pizza's business model: the same boldness that distinguishes the brand can also produce regulatory, reputational, and consumer concerns. Hell Pizza remains an active New Zealand pizza brand with a franchise-oriented store network, takeaway and delivery operations, online ordering heritage, and a marketing identity built around irreverence and theatricality. Public reference material does not provide enough information to establish a current corporate parent, owner, or publicly traded status.
- 2022
New Zealand network reaches 77 outlets
[1]As of November, Hell Pizza has 77 outlets across New Zealand, including 61 in the North Island and 16 in the South Island.
- 2016
Reported network is entirely New Zealand-based
[1]Hell Pizza is reported to have 66 outlets, all in New Zealand.
- 2010
Customer database security incident
[1]A hacker attack affects the customer database, prompting password-change advice to approximately 230,000 customers.
- 2009
Founders regain master-franchise rights
[1]The founders buy back the New Zealand master-franchise rights from Tasman Pacific Foods.
- 2006
New Zealand master-franchise rights are sold
[1]The founders sell the New Zealand master-franchise rights to Tasman Pacific Foods for a reported $15 million.
- 1999
McMullin and Powell join the business
[1]Stu McMullin and Warren Powell join Callum Davies, and the chain opens a second Wellington outlet in Hataitai.
- 1996
First Hell Pizza shop opens in Wellington
[1]Callum Davies establishes the first Hell Pizza shop in Kelburn, Wellington, near Victoria University of Wellington.
Products and positioning
A distinctly New Zealand quick-service pizza and delivery brand differentiated by dark humor, Hell-themed menu naming, irreverent advertising, online ordering, and franchise-based local presence.
Pizza
Standard pizza range
Hell Pizza's core menu includes seven standard pizzas named after the seven deadly sins. The naming system extends the brand's Hell theme into the product architecture and helps distinguish the chain from more conventional pizza restaurants. Individual recipes and current availability are not specified in the cited reference material.
Pizza
Lust pizza
Lust is one of Hell Pizza's named standard pizzas and became the subject of a highly publicised 2006 marketing promotion involving branded condoms. The cited material does not specify the current recipe or ingredients.
Plant-based pizza · 2019
Beyond Meat burger pizza
This pizza used vegan burger patties made by Beyond Meat. The product met food standards but attracted controversy in 2019 because it was labelled as a burger pizza even though its patties were plant-based.
Restaurant accompaniments
Sides, desserts, and beverages
Like other pizza takeaway chains, Hell Pizza offers food and drink items beyond its core pizzas. The cited reference material identifies these categories but does not provide a reliable complete list of current items.
Controversies
2021
Greta Thunberg campaign criticised as offensive
A campaign aimed at Greta Thunberg over climate-change remarks generated controversy, and Stockholm authorities rejected a proposed billboard because they considered it offensive.
2019
Debate over Beyond Meat product labelling
A Beyond Meat burger pizza complied with food standards but attracted criticism because the burger-pizza label did not clearly signal that the burger patties were vegan.
2008
Advertisement depicting public figures on gravestones
Hell Pizza apologised and withdrew an advertisement depicting skeletal remains associated with Sir Edmund Hillary, Heath Ledger, and the Queen Mother after a complaint by Hillary's family.
2006
Branded condom promotion raises compliance concerns
A promotional distribution of branded condoms for the Lust pizza was criticised as inappropriate for household mailboxes, and the products were subsequently found not to comply with New Zealand labelling and packaging requirements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Go to Hell climate campaign
New Zealand · Sweden
Hell Pizza used its brand name in a response telling climate activist Greta Thunberg to go to Hell after her criticism of New Zealand's climate efforts.
Outcome. Chief executive Ben Cumming said he had personally invited Thunberg to inspect the company's environmental efforts. A proposed billboard in Stockholm was rejected by local authorities as offensive.
- 2008Gravestone advertisement
New Zealand
An advertisement showed skeletal remains associated with Sir Edmund Hillary, Heath Ledger, and the Queen Mother dancing on gravestones.
Outcome. Hell Pizza apologised after a complaint from Hillary's family and removed the advertisement from its website on 3 November 2008.
- 2006Lust pizza condom promotion
New Zealand
Hell Pizza announced that it would distribute 170,000 branded condoms as part of a promotion for its Lust pizza.
Outcome. The campaign was criticised by the Family First Lobby. The condoms were later found not to meet New Zealand labelling and packaging requirements, and the remaining stock was destroyed.
- Friday the 13th promotions
New Zealand
Hell Pizza has used Friday the 13th as a recurring promotional occasion, offering discounted pizzas connected to the brand's superstition and Hell-themed identity.
Brand decisions
2019
Introduce Beyond Meat burger pizzaProduct launchBackground
Hell Pizza experimented with an alternative-protein pizza using Beyond Meat burger patties.
Action taken
The chain sold a burger pizza made with vegan burger patties.
Aftermath
The product met food standards but prompted controversy over the clarity of its labelling.
2009
Repurchase New Zealand master-franchise rightsM&ABackground
After the 2006 transfer to Tasman Pacific Foods, the founders resumed control of the New Zealand master-franchise rights.
Action taken
The founders bought the rights back from Tasman Pacific Foods.
Aftermath
Hell Pizza continued expanding its New Zealand network while its overseas operations remained limited and temporary in several markets.
2006
Sell New Zealand master-franchise rights to Tasman Pacific FoodsM&ABackground
The founders transferred the New Zealand master-franchise rights to Tasman Pacific Foods as the chain expanded its store network.
Action taken
Tasman Pacific Foods acquired the New Zealand master-franchise rights for a reported $15 million.
Aftermath
The founders repurchased the rights three years later.
Reported transaction value. $15 million (2006)
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/hell-pizza · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled