What? Pizza in Five Minutes? Pie Five's NJ Debut

So here's the premise behind the Pie Five name: From the time you get in the door, order your pizza and get your pizza should take no more than five minutes. There are almost 100 Pie Five locations in the U..S., but the South Brunswick Pie Five in Riya Plaza is the first in New Jersey. The location opened on January 8th and is doing well, especially this past weekend, says Dinesh Goswami, the owner of the restaurant.

Goswami says he liked the location for the amount of traffic on the busy intersection of Finnegans Lane and Route 27. "There's a good mix of daytime and dinner population and it's easily accessible," he says. 

Owner Dinesh Goswami next to Pie Five's "periodic table of toppings"

Custom-Pizza Model

He describes the model as "Chipotle-style pizza" in that each diner chooses the type of crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.The restaurant also uses only Halal meat, which makes sense in this area of New Jersey with its growing south Asian population, and has a separate stations for its vegetarian options.The restaurant also offers salads and bread sticks.

Brownie and chocolate chip cookie pies are on the menu for dessert, as well as cinnamon sticks. And to speed the process even more, of course there is a mobile app to order before you get to the restaurant.

An 11-inch pie with unlimited toppings is $7.99 and a 14-inch pie is $15.99. Vegan cheese or gluten-free crust each cost $2 extra. A cheese pizza is $5.99 for 11-inch, and $12.99 for the 14-inch size.

Already the new restaurant has received a fair amount of press, including coverage in Yahoo Finance, Patch, QSR and Restaurant News. In an effort to jumpstart foot traffic, the franchise has also sent out 50,000 coupons for a free pizza within a six-mile radius of the store.

No newbie to the restaurant franchise business, Goswami also has investments in other chains including Dunkin Donuts, Arby's, Popeyes and Taco Bell. 

The biggest challenge in opening the store was finding "good quality employees," Goswami says.
Dallas-based Pie Five Pizza Co. is a unit of RAVE Restaurant Group Inc., which owns, franchises and supplies more than 300 Pie Five and Pizza Inn restaurants. For its fiscal year ended June 25, 2017, the parent company reported a net loss of $12.5 million on revenue of $57.1 million. At the end of fiscal first quarter, the total number of Pie Five restaurants was 83.

Asian Fusion Development

An Asian fusion restaurant will be coming to the strip mall that also houses Kendall Park/Franklin Park Post Office. A handwritten sign is posted in the space that had been occupied by RadioShack..

Two Stores Open at Riya Plaza..More to Come

A Taste of Paris in Kendall Park

Farrida Kpamegan, a native of Benin, opened her first business on Saturday.

Les Delices bakery, or should I say patisserie, opened at Riya Plaza, at the Finnegans Lane intersection, on Saturday, Dec. 2. It's the dream of Farrida Kpamegan, who came to the U.S. 16 years ago. She studied at the Institute of Culinary Education to become a pastry chef, then worked for several years before opening her business in Kendall Park. She chose the location because it's very close to her home, and there's a lot of traffic along Route 27.

Among the Les Delices' offerings are speculos cookies, a European treat.

                                     

The bakery has a bit of a European air to it, since it specializes in French pastries, such as croissants and French macarons (not to be confused with macaroons, the coconut cookies). It also offers coffee and espresso, as well as quiches, sandwiches and soups.
Kpamegan says she's done some advertising and is still working on a website.

Time to Pamper Nails

The New Nail Time & Spa also opened about a week ago, according to an employee working there. That makes it the fifth nail salon in the area. The salon offers manicures, pedicures, aromatherapy, nail enhancements and waxing, according to its website.

Pie Five Pizza is gearing up for its opening. Signs are posted on 27 advertising that it's now hiring.

Also at Riya Plaza, construction is taking place in the end unit at the north of the strip mall. The permit posted on the window says the tenant is Ember, which is an Indian restaurant and bar that's currently located on Route 1 near the Deans Lane intersection in Monmouth Junction.

What's Happening at Franklin Towne Center?

In Franklin Towne Center, work has started on the space next to Douglass Pizza & Grill. Perhaps it's the new Indian restaurant that I've heard is planned for that shopping center. It seems a little unusual that workmen were jackhammering in the space on Monday evening at about 6:30. No construction permit was posted on the door or windows.

On Monday evening, workers jackhammer in the space next to Douglass Pizza & Grill.