Pizza Express loses ‘Big Ten Bargain’ name

Eight breadstix. Two drinks. One pizza.

The Big Ten Bargain is well-known to IU students. But Pizza Express has changed the signature special to just the “Big Bargain” after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from attorneys representing the Big Ten and the NCAA.

Pizza Express founder Jeff Mease received the letter in early July and had until Monday to stop using the Big Ten Conference’s “intellectual property.”

Sara Sheikh, marketing director of One World Enterprises, which runs several businesses including Pizza Express, said the process of changing the name took about a month. She said they changed hanging menus, posters, ads and the Web site that said “Big Ten Bargain.”

Sheikh said the last change – the menus – occurred last week.

Pizza Express has been using the name “Big Ten Bargain” for about 20 years, Sheikh said, adding that it originally cost $10 including tax.

Chesley Sarver, assistant manager of the campus Pizza Express, said customers still call it the “Big Ten Bargain.”

“We’re not correcting the customers, but if we say it ourselves, it’s the “Big Bargain,” Sarver said.

Sheikh was surprised about the letter but said Pizza Express didn’t think of battling it.
“It wasn’t a fight that we were going to fight,” she said. “They have endless pockets.”

Junior Jeremy Nevel was surprised the Big Ten Conference cared about the pizza deal.
“If anything, they’re advertising the Big Ten,” he said. “It’s not like they’re doing anything wrong.”