After working in the pizza industry for more than 20 years, Varinder Ghuman has opened Niverville’s newest pizza restaurant: Pizza 311. This is the second business Ghuman has opened in the community in two years, after creating Niverville Taxi, the town’s first public transit initiative.

It’s been about two years since Ghuman and his family moved to Niverville from Winnipeg where he had owned and operated two Pizza Pizza franchise locations.

“I’ve always loved pizza,” says Ghuman. “I worked for a pizza store when I was in school and I used to own a pizza restaurant in Winnipeg through the Pizza Pizza franchise. I’ve taken a break, but now I guess I’m back at it again.”

Ghuman may know the pizza business inside and out, but running a national franchise is much different than starting up your own business from scratch.

“I learned a lot when I was with a franchise, but now I’m learning everything I didn’t know before. It’s different and it’s exciting. I’m learning a lot,” he says. “I came up with my own logo and business name. I wanted something that had a Niverville touch to it, and our highway going through the town is the 311, so I thought that had a nice ring to it. All the pieces that were in place with a franchise I have to now do.”

The added work of starting from nothing meant even more work when it came to securing the ideal phone number. It’s an aspect of the business Ghuman put a lot of very intentional thought towards, and he ended up finding a number that matches the business perfectly: 204-388-0311.

“I had to work hard on that,” says Ghuman. “I had to call all the different phone companies to see if I this number had availability. I was told by a few places it was not available. But I kept calling and finally someone was able to help me and I got the number.”

Aside from making phone calls and performing the duties of an owner and manager, Ghuman doesn’t shy away from stepping into the kitchen himself.

“I’m everything. I’m taking orders, making pizza, I’m the dishwasher,” he says. “When you own your own business, you have to be prepared to be wherever you are needed.”

Pizza 311 has five staff members and will be looking to hire more help as the business expands. They currently operate as a takeout only facility, with no dine-in area, which is just as well for a pizza place opening during a global pandemic.

A delivery option is coming and will be available in October.

“We haven’t started delivery yet because we want to do the best service possible,” says Ghuman. “I want the staff to be fully trained so we can seamlessly transition and expand the business. So right now it’s just for pickup and takeout. We will also do a grand opening event once the staff is trained and can keep up with orders. I don’t want to rush anything.”

Since settling in town and experiencing the commute to Winnipeg, Ghuman is happy to be able to work closer to home. His wife also worked with him at the pizza restaurant in Winnipeg, and she now works in the kitchen at Pizza 311. Having three kids in school means it’s a benefit to work closer to home and be able to enjoy more family time together.

Ghuman says Niverville is a great place to raise a family.

“We have three children, ages 13, 11, and eight,” says Ghuman. “The community is very, very welcoming and it’s a good place to raise your kids. We’ve made lots of friendships in town, especially for our kids. I also have good relationships here and enjoy connecting with other business owners. They’ve really helped me get the businesses going and I’m really thankful.”

Niverville already has quite a few options for restaurants with pizza, so when asked why he thought the town was ready for yet another pizza place, Ghuman says his pizza deserves to be tried so people can decide that for themselves.

“When I posted on the Niverville Facebook page that we’re opening another pizza place in Niverville, people have asked what makes ours different. I say, come in and try it for yourself and see what makes it different. It’s fresh dough made in-store every day. We don’t use any canola oil. We use only extra virgin olive oil, which is healthier and tastes better. We pink Himalayan salt, not table salt. We use the best toppings available. We carry gluten-free crust. We have dairy-free cheese. We just invite you, come and try our food!”

Pizza 311 is located at G-290 Main Street.