Mr. Pizza Inc. is a South Korean pizza chain established in 1990. It began as a franchise partner of a Japanese pizza brand of the same name, then seeking expansion into the Korean market; Jung Woo-hyun purchased the brand from the Japanese owner in 1996, acquiring full rights to the trademark outside Japan.[3] It is the top pizza brand in Korea in terms of the number of franchisees and sales.[4]
Mr. Pizza has won recognition overseas. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, China's restaurant review site Dazhong Dianping (大衆點評) included it as one of the "50 Restaurants Beloved by Chinese Diners;" further, the restaurant guide Zagat named it the "Best Pizza Store".[5]
Mr. Pizza was the first pizza franchise to be listed on KOSDAQ;[6]in 2013, the chain had 400 outlets inside Korea and 28 stores in China, two in the United States and two in Vietnam. Mr. Pizza's first overseas restaurant had opened in Beijing, China, in 2000, and the chain reached its 100th location in China by October 2015.