Winnipeg Free Press | March 10, 2021

Benjamin Nasberg is fired up about his latest restaurant.

Nasberg is the president and chief executive officer of the Carbone Restaurant Group, which opened the doors of its newest Fast Fired by Carbone eatery on Feb. 23, at 40-2844 Pembina Hwy. in Fort Richmond. The franchise owner is Ronak Patel.

To formally mark the occasion, the restaurant held a grand opening event on March 6, which included free and half-price pizza.

Talking to The Lance recently, Nasberg said business at the new location has been steady and growing, and he’s looking forward to things gaining momentum and growing as COVID-19-related restrictions ease up.

When asked about why he’s chosen to open a new location during a pandemic, the Tuxedo resident said pizza sales have been resilient during the last year.

“We’ve been positioned for delivery and pickup, and to serve high-quality food. We continue to innovate what we’ve been doing, and at the end of the day — pizza isn’t going anywhere. It’s just how it’s being served (that’s) changing,” Nasberg said.

Throughout the pandemic, Nasberg said it’s been important to him to continue to support local — whether that’s his customer base, his suppliers, or local organizations that have needed a helping hand during these challenging times.

“We’ll continue to support everyone around us, and we’re great that we’ve shared this journey together,” he said.

Like many restaurants across the city, the group has had to downsize and pivot its operations in the last year, and it continues to do so.

One constant throughout has been its flagship full-service restaurant at 680 St. Anne’s Rd. in St. Vital — Carbone Coal Fired Pizza — which has been open for delivery and pickup, and was closed for in-house visits during lockdown before recently re-opening at limited capacity.

“We’ve been pretty stable since the lockdown and maintained an online approach to marketing. The support has been great from the community. Of course, filling all of the seats in a restaurant is preferable, and one of the best parts of being an in-service restaurant is seeing all of the faces, which we miss. That’s part of why we love having our in-service restaurant in St. Vital.”  

In terms of outreach efforts, Carbone Restaurant Group has spent a lot of time working with Sscope — a Point Douglas-based social enterprise that provides job opportunities to people who experience mental health illness and barriers to employment.

At press time, Sscope donors and the group’s donors have contributed around 20,000 meals to the organization, Nasberg said.

Another Fast Fired by Carbone location on Regent Avenue is set to open in the coming weeks, Nasberg said, and the company is also branching out into other provinces, including Alberta and Saskatchewan.

On the flipside, a Carbone Coal Fired Pizza location on Taylor Avenue closed last year.

Go online at fastfired.ca for more information.