Shorty’s Pizza expands reach with second Winnipeg restaurant By: Aaron Epp Posted: 5:15 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026

People in the Charleswood area looking for a taste of New York City are in luck: Shorty’s Pizza has arrived.

The New York-style pizzeria opened a store at 3116 Roblin Blvd. on Monday. It’s the company’s second Winnipeg restaurant and third overall. It was established in Hamilton in 2018, and opened a location in the former Bella Vista restaurant at the corner of Maryland Street and Wolseley Avenue in 2021.

Owner Dan Hawkins said Winnipeg customers have been asking for a second location.

“They wanted one in their neighbourhood because they were outside of our delivery radius,” the 46-year-old restaurateur said. “That’s how it all started, and then here we are opening one.”

Hawkins chose the Roblin Boulevard spot in part because it’s close enough to the Wolseley restaurant that staff can work at both. The new pizzeria is situated in a strip mall between a Starbucks location and Craving Curries, an independently-owned East Indian restaurant.

Two other pizza businesses, Pizza Bliss and Fast Fired by Carbone, were previous tenants, meaning the restaurant was already outfitted with the exact Bakers Pride pizza oven Shorty’s staff enjoys using.

“That was a big bonus for us,” Hawkins said.

The Wolseley location has experienced “slow, organic growth” since opening in June 2021, Hawkins said.

The restaurant can seat 70 people, has 30 employees and sells about 750 pizzas a week. It offers 12 different pies, plus pasta, sandwiches and two types of Shorty’s beer created by Kilter Brewing Co.

Hawkins has hired 10 additional employees to work at the new Varsity View neighbourhood restaurant on Roblin, which seats 14 people.

There are no pasta or sandwich options on that menu, but there are a few items you won’t find at the Wolseley location, including a 12-inch, gluten-free crust and a “meat liker’s” pizza — the Shorty’s spin on a meat lover’s pie.

The chain’s concept was inspired by pizzerias Hawkins encountered while travelling to New York with friends. Shorty’s restaurants are meant to be comfortable, neighbourhood spots where people can grab a bite to eat while hanging out with friends, he said.

The Charleswood restaurant’s hours match the Wolseley location’s: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Although he once split his time between Ontario and Manitoba, Hawkins has called Winnipeg home since 2021. He got his start in the food industry when he was 15 years old. Since then, he’s been involved with opening 30 restaurants.

In addition to the three Shorty’s locations, Hawkins co-owns four other restaurants in Ontario, including Bernie’s Tavern, a pub located next door to Shorty’s in Hamilton. (He declined to name the other restaurants he’s involved in.)

“They wanted one in their neighbourhood because they were outside of our delivery radius.”

The food industry has always been a difficult business, with high risk and narrow margins — even before the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food costs.

A study out of Dalhousie University in Halifax shows in 2025, 7,000 restaurants closed in Canada. Researchers found more than 4,000 restaurants across the country could go out of business this year.

Hawkins said while Shorty’s deals with the same daily challenges most restaurants face, the company’s quality has allowed it to thrive.

“We’ve always stood by the fact that we use the very best ingredients that we can use, and price it at the best price we can,” he said. “I think that that kind of helps us be able to put out a product that people feel holds value.”

Vishal Sharma manages Craving Curries, which opened its doors at the beginning of 2025. He said the Roblin Boulevard location has been good for business.

“We enjoy it. We’re loving it,” he said, adding he’s happy to have Shorty’s next door.

“We want them to be successful as well. We both have different cuisines, so I don’t think it affects anything with our business (and vice versa). I feel good about them and I wish them good luck.”

When asked if there will be a fourth Shorty’s location at some point, Hawkins doesn’t rule it out. Right now, though, he has other things on his mind.

“I’m thinking about how to adjust our dough recipe for this cold snap.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca