Construction on the new commercial strip mall at 31 Main Street in Niverville hasn’t even begun yet, but the storefronts are quickly being snapped up.
Santa Lucia Pizza will be moving in once the building is complete—and they’ll be opening alongside an as-yet-unnamed burger place.
The two restaurants are the brainchild of lifelong best friends Kosmas Simeonidis and Dean Delorme. Simeonidis, who has been a member of the Winnipeg business community for years, is the owner of the very successful Santa Lucia Pizza chain. His interest extends beyond pizza, though. Last year, he opened a George’s Burgers in Steinbach.
These two restaurants have been doing so well that Delorme suggested that the two men team up and find a town in which to open both restaurants together.
Delorme and Simeonidis considered several towns and locations, but Delorme had his eye on Niverville. After meeting with Ray Dowse, the owner of 31 Main Street, Delorme realized they had found their spot.
“I decided to open in Niverville because people deserve the best pizza!” Simeonidis says. “But honestly, [we have been doing this for] 50 years, so we must be doing something right.”
Simeonidis’s parents were part of the original Santa Lucia team when it started in Thompson—and he wants to carry on the family tradition. He says that he’s excited to become part of the community of Niverville and to create jobs as well.
He’s also looking forward to teaching young cooks to become great chefs.
Santa Lucia Pizza and the burger restaurant will start to feel tangible once construction of building begins in November. They hope to open their doors in August 2022.
Delorme estimates that they’ll hire 15 people from the community. He speculates that he will need at least six delivery drivers alone.
It’s a bit awkward to talk about the burger restaurant before it has a name, but Delorme temporarily is referring to it as “Kos’s Burgers.” As for an official name, they have some more concrete ideas. He’s also pondering the possibility of holding a naming contest in which the winner gets a gift card for the establishment.
All told, Simeonidis and Delorme feel that they have a unique concept. Their dual restaurants will have takeout and delivery as well as a 12-seat patio. In appropriate weather, they will also have a walk-up window where customers can grab a slice of pizza or hard ice cream cone.
Delorme is especially excited about the menu. Of course there will be pizza. After all, Santa Lucia‘s pizza has been voted best pizza in Winnipeg every year since 2007 by the Consumer Choice Awards. But Santa Lucia also features a menu of very popular Greek dishes.
As for the burger place, he says they’ll have seven or eight different burgers, and the same number of poutines. They’ll also sell gyros—and not just any gyros but, according to Delorme, “the best gyros you’ve ever tasted.”
Simeonidis adds that the menu will also include Brokenhead sausages. He and three of his friends have purchased the Brokenhead processing plant.
“Brokenhead are makers of fine quality sausages and our beef patties will come from there also,” Simeonidis says. “The smokies are gluten-free, MSG-free, all-natural, and Manitoba-made.”
The menu will offer vegetarian options, as well as keto-friendly options. Delorme says they’re considering adding cheesecake, traditional Greek baklava, and a classic Filipino dessert called turon.
Even before the restaurant begins, they’ve already nailed down their eventual hours. They’ll open at 11:00 a.m. and close at midnight, seven days a week. From 9:00 p.m. until closing, they anticipate offering a limited menu of pizza and appetizers.
Delorme says that in the future he wonders if he and Simeonidis may be able to run a shack in the new CRRC during hockey games and other events. There are already plans for liquor sales in the facility, and he figures people may very likely want to buy a slice of pizza to go with it.
Delorme and his family live in Mitchell, but that they are excited to get to know Niverville better. He’s chatty, charismatic, and wants to use that skillset to volunteer locally and do whatever he can to become an active business owner in town. He hopes to participate in local fundraisers, too.
“I am happy to hear all the positive comments that Santa is coming to town,” Simeonidis says in closing. “We’re just like Santa Clause!”
