Pizza Express to change its name

A local pizza chain will undergo a makeover by the time IU students leave campus for summer vacation.

Pizza Express, as it has been known since its founding in 1982, will change its name to Pizza X near the end of the spring semester.

“The key reason for the change is that we have a name that is not protectable in the broadest sense,” company founder and CEO Jeff Mease said. “To be the most protectable, meaning we could keep other people from using it, you need federal trademark on the name.”

Mease said because Pizza Express is such a generic and varying name, it doesn’t offer the type of protection for which he is looking.

That, coupled with the dispute between the chain and the Big Ten Conference about Pizza Express’ Big Ten Bargain, led Mease to think it was time to change.

What initially brought the name issue to the forefront for Mease was another dispute from more than two years ago with an Indianapolis business partner.

The partner, Pizza Head LLC, was allowed to use the trademark and menu of Pizza Express in exchange for an upfront fee and a 5 percent royalty, which they allegedly failed to pay upon their expansion to West Lafayette, Mease said.

Those restaurants are now known as Hot Box Pizza.

“It then became clear to us the cost of not having a federal trademark,” Mease said.
Pizza X allows them to secure a federal trademark and, just as important for Mease, keep the new name close to the original. Mease said a similar name is critical so that regular customers and IU alumni can still recognize it.

That is why Mease isn’t changing anything but the name and logo.

“Everything else is remaining the same. No new phone numbers or products,” Mease said.

Pizza Express will have a promotion during the transition to spread the word, and Mease said he plans to spend about $75,000 on prizes.

“We’re still working out the details on everything,” said Sara Sheikh, marketing director for Pizza Express.

Most students are unaware of the name change, but the few who do know are not too concerned about it.

“As long as the food is as good, I don’t really care what their name is,” freshman Benjamin Crow said. “I’m still going to order there.”

If all goes as planned, Mease said he hopes the transition from Pizza Express to Pizza X will be a painless one.

“We just put the finishing touches on the logo and are throwing around a couple of slogans,” Mease said. “We’re excited about the change.”