The Pizzeria Bros food delivery truck in a neighbourhood of Ville Saint-Laurent in Montreal, Feb. 4, 2020.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
Patrick Dogniaux co-founded Montreal pizza chain Pizzeria Bros with childhood friend Carl Sexton in 2016, eventually expanding to six franchises in the city – with three of those opening in the past year.
“It was a very difficult time trying to figure out a way for the new franchise owners to survive or break even with new restrictions and not being eligible for government aid,” Mr. Dogniaux says. “They are in the downtown core, the hardest-hit area of Montreal for restaurants.”
Patrick Dogniaux making pizza.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
With the rise of food delivery services, Mr. Dogniaux began thinking about an idea for a food delivery truck four years ago, finding Pizzeria Bros couldn’t control the delivery experience while dependent on third-party delivery. Pizzas might be delivered cold, or even upside-down, resulting in bad reviews.
As the pandemic hit and food delivery became paramount for survival, he again raised the idea with his partners, who finally agreed. They selected a delivery area where Pizzeria Bros didn’t already have a franchise – Ville St-Laurent, a borough of Montreal on the northern part of the island. Mr. Dogniaux looked at different vehicles he could retrofit with refrigerators, ventilation and pizza ovens – not to mention a workspace where he would have to stay seat-belted while the vehicle was in motion – eventually landing on a 24-foot Winnebago.
Mr. Dogniaux pulls a pizza out of the oven as Catherine DeBellefeuille grabs items to make a salad from the fridge as they arrive to deliver an order.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
During the pandemic, with no budget or staff available, Mr. Dogniaux works the pizza delivery truck himself along with his girlfriend, Catherine DeBellefeuille, a flight attendant who was laid off because of the pandemic. Neither is getting paid. Each pizza takes approximately two minutes to cook, made to order as the pair drives to the customer’s home.
They began deliveries on Nov. 27, and are currently on the road daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The vehicle is exempt from the provincewide curfew, so hours can be extended as business picks up. Business started slow, but Mr. Dogniaux says he has seen orders picking up in the past few weeks as people started noticing the truck in the neighbourhood.
Mr. Dogniaux adds basil to a pizza.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
“They had to understand what we were doing – we are not a food truck,” Mr. Dogniaux explains, given that customers first have to order online. Any order placed on their website from the Ville St-Laurent area comes directly into the truck for delivery to those locals.
Right now, Pizzeria Bros is testing the capacity of their new delivery truck and the order threshold they need to reach to be profitable. “The pandemic has basically made us desperate – we are willing to try anything,” Mr. Dogniaux says. “We are much more open to try different ideas.”
Mr. Dogniaux boxing an order.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
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