Unike Patel said he decided to get into the DoughBox franchise because it offered something different.
Working in franchises for about a decade, the Orangeville native said the pizza restaurant’s authentic, wood-burning style helps make it more unique.
“It makes a difference,” he said. “We prepare our own dough here with our hands. We make pizza in front of our customers.”
DoughBox opened in Newmarket this month, the 11th location of the pizza franchise that began in the Niagara region. Offering wood-fired pizza along with pasta, Newmarket is one of several new cities the franchise has recently expanded to, with another also opening in Guelph and nine more on the horizon.
Patel, who also owns the DoughBox location in Mississauga, said franchise restaurants are an easier way to get into the business.
“We have the support of innovations, recipes for the food, and we get support for the marketing and stuff like that,” he said. “It’s really great to be in a franchise.”
Director of marketing Tina Sinfarosa said the expansion in DoughBox franchises is being driven by interest.
“There’s been so many inquiries,” she said.”It’s a great concept, and there’s not a lot of other people … What you’re getting with this is that sit-in, fine-dining pizza experience in a quick service environment. The concept is what people are looking for.”
The Newmarket location soft launched this month, but is preparing for a grand opening next month. The stores do Pizza 500 events to launch, where they will sell 500 pizzas on the cheap — $2 to $3, Sinfarosa said — and gather donations for a local cause. She added that proceeds from the event will go to the Southlake Foundation.
Patel said they chose Newmarket, given they felt there was not anything like DoughBox in the area. Despite a lack of marketing, he said there has been some buzz, with 100 customers on the first day.
“The future of this location will be really good,” he said. “It’s something different than other pizza places.”
The Newmarket DoughBox location is at 695 Stonehaven Ave.
