Chain that boasts world's largest deliverable pizza set to open Vancouver location

Staff at Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria in Edmonton prepare a giant pizza. (Rachel CrowSpreadingWings/CTV News)

Big things are on the horizon for Vancouver pizza lovers – literally.

An American chain that specializes in prodigious pies and supersize slices is coming to the Kitsilano neighbourhood. Signs at a storefront on Arbutus Street announce that Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria is opening soon.

First established in California in 1992, the franchise boasts that it offers the word's largest deliverable pizza. Coming in at 54 inches by 54 inches the Giant Sicilian costs several hundred dollars, and is billed as being able to feed about 60 people.

When a franchise opened in Edmonton last year, the owner said it takes an entire team to assemble and about 30 minutes to make.

"We need at least three to four people to cook it. At least two people to deliver it," Nitish Sharma told CTV News Edmonton.

"It's a big pizza and it's a heavy one, right? So, you need to do some lifting."

The pizzeria bought a custom oven to fit the oversized pie and double doors to get it out of the store. Delivery vehicles are also outfitted with custom, heated roof racks that are big enough to hold the giant pizza.

While the chain didn’t launch with the goal of creating the Giant Sicilian, it did seek to "expand" upon standard sizes – initially offering a 28-inch pie and later adding a 36-incher to the menu. Usually, a large pizza comes in at 14 inches in diameter, while an extra large can be between 16 and 20.

When it comes to slices, the Big Mama is advertised at four times the size of a standard slice, while the Big Papa is larger than most pizzas and can apparently serve between five and seven people.

The chain's website notes that when Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Oscars, she ordered pizza from Big Mama's and Papa's to be delivered before handing it out to celebrities decked out in formal wear.

The comedian did not, however, order the Giant Sicilian.

The opening date for the Vancouver location hasn’t yet been announced.

With files from CTV News Edmonton