At Pita Pit, charitable giving is the key ingredient stuffed into each delicious wrap. Franchisees Pavneet Singh and Chris Settimi share what they’re doing to make a difference in their local communities
By Stefanie Ucci
If there’s one thing people can agree on, it’s the joy of giving back and making a positive difference on one, a dozen, or a hundred lives. It’s a powerful feeling.
And food just tastes better when it’s made and served with love, too. It’s that invisible ingredient that just adds a dash of extra flavour.
Ingrained into many organizations across the country is a commitment to contributing to the communities that welcome local business owners with open arms. For Pita Pit, giving back is a secret sauce as important as any other ingredient. The franchise, which goes by the motto “fresh thinking, healthy eating,” encourages franchisees to make a difference in the many diverse communities where they operate.
Local franchisees make their mark
In Kelowna, B.C., franchisee Pavneet Singh prioritizes his local community in a variety of unique and impactful ways.
Singh, who owns five locations with his brother, has been a Pita Pit franchisee since 2011. He also has a team of managers who provide support as partners.
For starters, Singh’s locations are a supporter of local firefighters and have sponsored innings of their baseball matches for the past four years.
Secondly, they partner with Starbright, a children’s development centre that provides therapy services and programs to families with young children. Singh has partnered with Starbright for about eight years, purchasing tickets to the non-profit organization’s galas and bidding on auction items.
Singh’s franchises also support and regularly raise money for Kelowna General Hospital. In 2024 they raised $10,000, Singh explains, which was collected by pledging one dollar from each pita sold to the hospital foundation.
“From time to time, we also try to help local sports, whether it’s soccer, baseball, or basketball teams. This helps local youth on the teams buy jerseys, and we donate money and food for tournaments. We try to put our branding out there as a sign that tells people, where our community needs help, we’re there,” says Singh.
Over in Brantford, Ontario, franchisee Chris Settimi echoes similar levels of support for his community, where he owns two Pita Pit franchises.
Every February, Settimi’s franchises support the Brantford General Hospital, where they raise money by collecting donation pledges from customers at the cash register. Those who add a donation to their order sign their name on a heart-shaped piece of paper. The store then uses them to decorate the walls with hundreds of hearts. The campaign is perfectly timed with Valentine’s Day, and shows other customers how dedicated the brand is to making a positive impact.
“As a thank you for pledging a $2 donation, we give them a two-can-dine coupon for their next visit. Then on Valentine’s Day, $1 from every pita goes back to the hospital as well. We’ve been doing that for over 10 years and typically each month between the two stores, we raise about $1,500,” says Settimi, who’s been a franchisee with the brand since 2011.
Settimi explains that he’s also a firefighter, so his locations support related causes that are near and dear to his heart. Every August for the past three years, Settimi’s stores have collected donations for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which supports families of firefighters that have passed away in the line of duty.
Doing good from coast to coast to coast
Across the wider Pita Pit business, Settimi adds that the company also supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation nationally and invites all of its franchisees to participate. Both Singh and Settimi opt to support this cause and raise donations for the foundation.
Franchises can also participate in supporting the motionball For Special Olympics organization, a non-profit that Singh has opted to participate in for the last five years. Pita Pit’s head office covers the food costs for franchisees and the program invites children from underprivileged families to games and sports programs. They participate in invigorating activities for the day and fill up on free pitas to keep them fed and fuelled.
Finally, there’s also the option for franchisees to participate in the School Lunch Program, which offers pitas at a discounted rate for school lunches. Settimi’s franchises also support some local youth sports teams with ‘Player of the Game’ awards. “They’ll get a certificate for a free smoothie or pita for being a Player of the Game at soccer, for example, or most competitive swimmer. We provide those for free and it really gets kids amped up when they come in for their freebie,” says Settimi.
‘A warm, good feeling’
With all these initiatives in place, the response from customers, employees, and the general public has been overwhelmingly positive, say both Singh and Settimi.
“They definitely love that we do this for our community, and they [understand] this is a local Pita Pit because they can see that the money is staying locally. It makes them love the brand,” notes Singh.
For Settimi, he feels that these community initiatives build trust with both local folks and those at the hospital they raise money for. “The next time they go to place a catering order for a meeting or event, it’ll be top of mind to call Pita Pit because we support them every February with a really great campaign,” says Settimi. “It kind of comes full circle in that way: you get back what you give in. That’s really nice, to know they think of us at Pita Pit because of the things that we’ve done to help them throughout the years.”
At the end of the day, running a successful business is the goal of any business owner at every stage of their career. But at a certain point, it comes time to give back to the community that’s given so much to a growing local business. As Settimi notes, “it just gives you a warm, good feeling.”
As for Singh, he looks back at when he planted his roots in Canada more than 20 years ago, as a new immigrant and a working student, in 2003.
He explains that when he first moved to Canada, his first job was as a dishwasher, and he never imagined he would be a restaurant owner. Today, Singh owns not only one, but 15 restaurants, serving everything from ice cream to pizza, and of course, pitas. Pita Pit was the first store he bought, and the brand holds a special place in his heart.
“Giving back to the community is important because if the community never welcomed us or gave us this opportunity, I wouldn’t be here today. So, whenever the community needs help, we are there for them, no matter what it takes,” says Singh. “It’s not just myself either; we have more than 100 employees across all of our businesses. They put in extra hours too, they deliver food, and they understand that if you give back to the community, there’s always someone watching you do good things in good faith for good people.”
