Pizza Fan: Obstacles to Reopening the Network

Reopening stores and protecting franchise partners and employees have become the focus of developments at Pizza Fan. The company says it wants to bring its network back into operation immediately. However, a CNN Greece report dated 24 October 2026 describes significant obstacles linked to the central company’s control of premises and equipment.

The commitment to reopening

In its public statement on 23 October, reported by Oikonomikos Tachydromos and TA NEA, Pizza Fan identified its franchisees and the more than 2,500 employees across its stores as its priority. It said it was seeking to coordinate with its partners and the relevant authorities and institutions to safeguard employees and limit the impact of the shutdown.

Management set out its goal as the “immediate and full reopening” of the network. This is the company’s stated intention, rather than an announcement of a specific reopening date. According to Oikonomikos Tachydromos, stores remained closed for a second consecutive day on 23 October, while Insider’s report on 24 October also described an ongoing shutdown.

The developments follow a police investigation into an alleged failure to remit at least €25 million in VAT since 2022. The company said it supported the authorities’ efforts to establish the facts and argued that there may have been confusion in calculating its own turnover and that of its stores. These claims represent management’s position, not the findings of the investigation.

Why reopening is not simply a matter for individual stores

The main operational issue highlighted by CNN Greece is the franchised stores’ dependence on the central operation. According to the report, the chain expanded through a franchise model under which it retains control of premises and equipment: it sublets the premises to franchisees and provides equipment under loan-for-use agreements.

This structure means that the operational relationship goes beyond use of the brand. It also covers essential assets needed to run the stores. As the report describes it, the central operation’s inability to function prevents outlets in the network from reopening independently.

People familiar with the market, cited by CNN Greece, believe this interdependence complicates both an immediate reopening and the acquisition of individual stores. That assessment is attributed to the outlet’s sources; it is neither an announcement of an acquisition agreement nor an official decision on the chain’s future.

Employees at the heart of the uncertainty

The human impact of the shutdown extends across staff in different roles, including delivery riders and drivers, pizza cooks and kitchen workers, as Insider reports. Uncertainty over stores reopening therefore affects the network’s entire day-to-day operation, not just the business owners working with the brand.

According to figures supplied by Pizza Fan in its statement, employees’ annual earnings exceed €36 million and social security contributions exceed €9 million. These amounts illustrate the scale of employment cited by management, but do not in themselves provide details of specific measures to protect staff during the shutdown.

The company’s statement links its planned reopening to limiting the impact on franchisees. It does not, however, include a specific reopening timetable or a detailed plan for restoring store operations.

The practical issue for the franchise community

Pizza Fan began expanding through franchising in 2005, according to Business Daily. The network reached 100 stores in July 2025 with an opening in Oropos, Greece. The current uncertainty therefore affects a network built over many years through partnerships with independent business owners.

For Greece’s franchise community, this operating model highlights the importance of clearly understanding contractual dependencies. Ownership of equipment, the lease of the premises and ties to head office are separate issues that need to be examined independently of the right to use a brand.

Practical takeaway: Before entering into a franchise agreement, prospective franchisees should consult a legal adviser to establish who controls the premises and equipment, and what the contract provides for if the central company ceases operating.