Masterton joins the queue for Hell | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Hell Pizza is heating up plans to open in New Dehli, India, and Masterton could be next to taste the Kiwi-born brand of Hades.

Stuart McMullin, Hell Pizza director and co-founder, said the company is breaking its franchise mould this month, with a branch opening in Feilding that "will be a tester pot for smaller provincial centres".

"Masterton is certainly on our radar but those bridges will be crossed once we see how we go in Feilding. Opening there is a break from our usual formula, but we're confident."

Mr McMullin said Hell Pizza, which first burst from the tomb in 1996 as a cramped kitchen in a Kelburn squash club, has usual set-up costs in city centres of up to $200,000.

However, the business model for Feilding will carry an establishment cost of under $150,000 and will be the only fast food delivery service in the area, Mr McMullin said.

He said the company now has more than 60 branches throughout New Zealand and 15 international sites in four countries.

A 10th site will be opened this year on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and the brand will also open a branch in New Dehli, albeit with a slightly modified menu.

"We're also in talks at the moment for China - new university towns there look like a great opportunity - and the New Dehli branch will be open within four months."

He said the population base in New Dehli "is unbelievable" and the market will be well able to support the move, he said.

"There's a five-storey Pizza Hut there and the queues are out the door.

"We're setting up in a mall where there's a gym opening next door and 50,000 people have pre-registered as members already. The potential market is beyond huge."

Mr McMullin said there will be more rice side dishes available at the New Dehli branch, and their Kali (a Hindu deity) butter chicken curry will vanish back to purgatory along with their offerings involving beef.