Golden Dough Pie Co is a slice in the right direction

Photo by Darien Funk

On Jan. 13, the newest pizza spot on campus, Golden Dough Pie Co., had its grand opening at the Terrace Food Court.

This is the latest on-campus dining initiative by Laurier Food Services to create Laurier-exclusive options for students.

“It is a brand that is exclusive to Laurier. There’s no other Golden Dough Pie Co., just like how we have Byte75 and Frank’s Coffee Haus, we wanted to make sure that these brands were fitting the Laurier energy and environment and community,” said Nicolette Tsafantakis, Marketing Coordinator at Laurier Food Services.

“Golden Dough Pie Co. allows for personalization, more options and a grab-and-go type of option that I feel like students appreciate … we felt like a customizable option would appeal to Laurier.”

The menu includes “signature selection” dishes, which allow students to order items that have already been curated for the menu. Students also have the option to personalize their own pizza with protein, toppings and finishes by filling out a form with a list of ingredients.

The menu also includes a unique selection of dessert pizzas for those who are craving something sweet. Gluten-free options are available for those with dietary restrictions as well.

“We have good quality toppings, good quality ingredients, it’s cooked within 90 seconds on the spot and it’s made fresh every single time so it’s something that we’re definitely proud of,” said Tsafantakis.

Tsafantakis explained that Aramark, the dining service that Laurier Food Services has a contract with, has certified chefs who create concepts and dishes to put into the field. Golden Dough Pie Co. has become a sort of “pilot location” for these recipes.

“So, before we actually built Golden Dough we had a pizza tasting with Students’ Union and whoever they wanted to invite as well as a few students that were hanging around, and we used that feedback towards the completion of the new location,” Tsafantakis said.

“[It] definitely helped us in the long run, because we heard that feedback and said, ‘okay, what can we use to improve the concept that we already have?’ because at that time we didn’t even have a name. So, it was quite a process, but it was definitely worth it.”

The name itself is a nod toward Laurier’s Golden Hawk mascot, similar to the way in which Frank’s Coffee Haus was named after Laurier’s second president, Frank Peters.

In the last few years, the space that is currently housing Golden Dough Pie Co has undergone many franchise changes — it was once a Smokes Poutinerie, then a Pizza Pizza, and is now Golden Dough Pie Co.

“I’ve been here for that whole transition of the one location as well and, simply put, we felt like we just needed something brand new and exclusive and something that Golden Hawks can be proud of. So yeah, there’s really no definite answer for it, it’s just that it was time for a change and an update to the Terrace,” said Tsafantakis.

“[We’ve] made design changes as well that contributes to brightening up that whole back area of the Terrace. I feel like when you first walked in a couple years ago it was kind of dark up there, but now with the new update it’s fresh and exciting.”

Thus far, feedback for the new space has been largely positive, with students commending the newest food court addition online, on outlets such as Reddit and Instagram.

“We’ve done updates to other areas to the school, and implemented locations that are Laurier exclusive everywhere except for the Terrace. We felt like the terrace would be a great place to have a new addition, something new, something exciting — a customizable option, and we feel like we integrated it pretty successfully into the community,” Tsafantakis said.

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