Fast-casual Neapolitan pizza concept to open first Canadian store

Waterloo, Ont. – Urban Bricks Pizza, a U.S. fast-casual Neapolitan pizza franchise designed to appeal to millennial customers, will open its first Canadian location in Waterloo at University Shops Plaza in March, the company said in a statement.

The concept, which has several locations in the United States, aims to bring authentic Neapolitan pizza to customers’ tables by providing a customized experience without compromising quality for speed. The dough is made in house and the pizza cooked in premium ovens from Italy.

The 2,500-square-foot flagship Waterloo restaurant will offer eight core pizzas, including Margherita, White Mushroom and Three Little Pigs, and a build-your-own option that lets customers choose their own crust, sauce, cheese, toppings and drizzle. A hallmark of the customized option is that, no matter the amount of toppings, all build-your-own pizzas are one size and one price.

Customers can also create customized salads and order pizza-style desserts such as Cinnamon Pie and Nutella Banana Pie, the company said. Wine will be available and beer will be on tap through a reinvented beer tap machine pouring from the bottom up.

Urban Bricks is aiming squarely at the millennial customer, with tongue-in-cheek phrases like “High on Marinara,” “Bad @$$ ovens,” and “Brickin’ Good Neapolitan Pizza!”

The chain, which was founded in 2015 by Sammy Aldeeb, operates under the Dough Nation Headquarters LLC imprint. The company has plans to expand beyond North America in 2017.