DoughBox Wood Fired Pizza and Pasta is opening six locations in 2024, continues to evolve in-store experiences, is upgrading its loyalty program, and is aiming to expand throughout Canada by having around 60 locations within the next five years.
The brand opened in 2018 with its first location in Hamilton, Ontario and focuses on wood fired pizza and pasta. Tony Visca, the founder of DoughBox, was inspired to create the brand as he has Italian restaurants in the Niagara region and wanted to create a fast service version while still delivering high-quality ingredients and unique experiences. Guests can expect to receive their meal within nine minutes.
“We started in 2018 where we opened our first location in Hamilton. And then, like everything in the world – Covid hit and at that point, we put the brakes on expanding and put our focus on technology to get more takeout business and that really helped us,” says Visca.
In 2021, the brand started to franchise again and currently has 13 locations – 12 in Ontario and one in Saskatoon. The latest location is in London, Ontario where they opened its doors on February 20th.
Doughbox is owned by Niagara-based 43 North Restaurant Group, which includes brands like Cracker Jacks, Pedal Pub, Pizza Wagon, Johnny Rocco’s Italian Grill, Commercial Roadhouse, Stone Mill Ballroom and Feastivities.
Expansion Plans
Visca says the brand currently has four locations under construction and has another 12 franchises looking for locations: “That is the toughest part about this business, is everybody wants to get the perfect spot. So that is our challenge right now is just finding the right real estate.”
The four Ontario locations under construction include:
- Brantford, opening by the end of March
- Woodbridge, opening by the end of March
- Kingston, opening in late April
- Toronto, opening in May
As for locations outside of Ontario, Visca says they are currently looking at expanding into Edmonton, Calgary, and Halifax. The goal is to open locations in Edmonton and Calgary in late summer or early fall and for Halifax, Visca says they are unsure when but are looking for a partner. The brand is looking for spaces between 1,600 and 2,000 square feet.
Overall, the brand is aiming to have around 60 stores within the next five years.
“Obviously there is still a lot of opportunity and growth, not just in Ontario, but all of Canada. I am hoping to be around 60 to 70 stores, and then possibly move the brand into the US. We want to cover all the provinces in Canada so going out east, British Columbia, Manitoba, and eventually, even if it is a bit more work, get into the Quebec Market. We will concentrate on the Canadian market first, as we are Canadian, before expanding into the US.”
DoughBox is aiming to be in the US in two or three years.
In-store experiences
Unlike other pizza restaurants, Visca says guests have the opportunity to create their own pizza and it only takes nine minutes from order time to delivery. Guests also have the opportunity to customize their pasta choices.
“When you walk in, you can order one of our signature pizzas and just walk down the line and watch them make the pizza in front of you. You can also create your own when you can come in every day and make a different pizza. You get to watch the pizza go into the oven and two minutes later – fresh pizza in your hands. The best way to eat a wood fired pizza is when it comes out of the oven.”
As for evolving technology, Visca says the brand still wants to prioritize human interaction as they want its staff to interact with customers. The main improvements have been online as during Covid, they needed to improve to provide easy access to takeout.
Upgraded loyalty program coming soon
The brand’s loyalty program is currently unavailable as Visca says they are in the process of improving the system.
The loyalty program should be available by the end of March and will be a point based system. Visca says as people come in, they collect points which they can turn in to buy a pizza, pasta, or whatever they like in the store.
“We just want everybody to come in and experience our product, and they will be surprised at the difference they will taste between just a deck style pizza and a wood fired pizza. If you haven’t had a wood fired pizza – you need to try it, it is just a little different. We use high-quality ingredients, they are thin in crust, and cook in a couple of minutes. Our fast service on pizza and pasta gives everybody time to make sure they can get in, out, and enjoy a high-quality meal.”
They’ll never open here in Vancouver since wood fired ovens are specifically prohibited-if a person finds a location with a grandfathered wood fired oven then fine but no new permits are being issued nor will they even be it’s 100% gas from here on in.