Getting into the calzone ZONE

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This article was published 27/01/2024 (598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mr. Calzone plans to travel.

The restaurant chain, born on Ellice Avenue, has expanded throughout Winnipeg and is looking to set roots across Canada.

I believe this item, this product, can go everywhere,” said the real-life Mr. Calzone, Mohamad Jumaily.

He sat in his first location, a red- and green-walled eatery with workers filling large pizza-sized calzones in the back. Outside on Ellice, cars whizzed by.

Plenty has changed since Mr. Calzone opened 13 years ago. Now, there are four Winnipeg spots with a fifth one en route — the takeout brand will open in Northgate Shopping Centre on McPhillips Street next March.

Jumaily pulled out his laptop. The screen showed an online workshop titled “What happens after signing the franchise agreement.”

He’s not inexperienced in franchising — he’s been doing so since 2018 — but there’s always room to learn, he said.

He switched screens to his five-year plan. This year, he’s aiming for seven new restaurants to open. He’s hoping at least 40 Mr. Calzones will dot Canada by the end of 2026.

“I get demand from many province(s) now,” Jumaily, 46, stated.

He’s eyeing Saskatchewan and is “very close” to signing a franchise deal, he relayed. A friend who moved to London, Ont. could open a Mr. Calzone there, he added.

Mahmud Hashemee wants to head franchise locations in Alberta, and to open Mr. Calzone in Vancouver.

“It will boom,” he stated confidently.

Hashemee launched a Mr. Calzone on Corydon Avenue last June. Since then, he’s heard from customers from out of town asking for a location near them, he said.

However, he’s busy opening his second location at the Northgate Shopping Centre. The chain’s current restaurants span Winnipeg’s south, east and central communities, Hashemee noted.

“Nothing on the north side,” he continued, highlighting the large population. “It’s a very busy area, and they should try our calzone.”

The calzones — oven-baked turnovers stuffed with foods normally used as pizza toppings — are baked fresh on site.

Hashemee’s goal includes opening Mr. Calzone restaurants in Calgary and Edmonton by next winter.

“We have to build a chain first,” he stated. “Once we establish those things, it will be quite quick.”

Creating a national calzone business wasn’t on Jumaily’s agenda when he immigrated to Canada. The Jordan native hadn’t run a restaurant before stepping foot in Winnipeg 14 years ago.

He came with a background in shipping and trading and a hope for good education for his children.

Trading wasn’t working for Jumaily. Instead, he opened a pizza joint at 749 Ellice Ave. There was one calzone — a chicken option.

Jumaily tinkered.

“We came (up) with the idea of the Middle Eastern calzone — Middle Eastern spices and different sizes,” he recalled. “It (came) to my mind: maybe people… eat a lot of pizza, so they need something else.”

Garlic sauce and coleslaw were added; customers gravitated to the new option. Jumaily scrapped the pizza place after a few months and relaunched as Mr. Calzone.

The company became known for its different sizes — large and extra-large calzones to feed a group, instead of just the classic sandwich-size order.

Jumaily brought his food to corporations, his kids’ school and various places throughout the city to spread the word.

Mr. Calzone opened a second eatery on Pembina Highway in 2014. It became the first franchise in 2018.

“To handle more than one or two locations, it’s hard for me,” Jumaily said.

Franchised locations on Regent and Corydon avenues have come since. Hashemee said he invested because of the lack of competition, the “good market,” the positive online reviews and the food itself. It’s halal, which is a positive, he added.

Mr. Calzone advertises a franchise fee of $30,000 for a 10-year term and an initial investment ranging from $325,000 to $485,000. There are regular fees, including a royalty fee.

It advertises itself as the only calzone franchise in Canada.

“It’s nice to see a Manitoba-born business expanding outside the province,” said Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Food Services Association. “Usually we’re seeing the expansion into here.”

He couldn’t recall a Winnipeg-based restaurant expanding outside the province’s bounds in recent years.

Many eateries have struggled after being forced to close in-person dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent inflation and labour shortages.

Quick-service restaurants such as Mr. Calzone did well during the pandemic because of their takeout business models.

Lately, there have been fewer orders — people seem to be tighter with their budgets, Jumaily noted. He also raised prices as food and labour costs increased.

Still, he’s optimistic about expanding.

Quick-service restaurants have been receiving more investment than full-service models as the industry continues to face “some pretty monumental challenges,” Jeffrey stated.

“We’re seeing more and more people wanting to invest in the restaurant industry,” he added, highlighting the recent sale of Rae and Jerry’s Steak House. “We’re starting to get a little bit more on track.”

Customers like Mohamad Omar keep returning to Mr. Calzone. Omar doesn’t plan to go anywhere other than the Ellice location, but he has an opinion about the planned expansion: “Good, very good.”

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com