Doughbox

Concept Watch: Doughbox, Shelby’s Shawarma, D Spot Dessert Café

Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 - 3:43 pm

By Katie Belflower

In this month’s edition of Concept Watch, RestoBiz and Technomic highlight three standout restaurant concepts being featured in Canadian foodservice. Here’s a look at the characteristics and menu offerings that make the following restaurants unique: Doughbox, Shelby’s Shawarma, and D Spot Dessert Café.

 

Doughbox

doughbox

Twisted Club Pizza

Image Source: Doughbox Instagram

 

Instagram: 5,463 followers | Facebook: 1,100 likes

Locations: 12 (Ontario and Saskatchewan)

Concept characteristics:

  • Fast-casual pizza concept specializing in wood-fired artisan pizza
  • Utilizes fresh dough, house-made sauce, and premium ingredients
  • Aims to offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere with a strong community focus
  • Franchising is available

Menu snapshot:

  • Bianco with ricotta, Asiago cheese, broccoli, roasted red peppers, and oven-roasted chicken
  • Electric Avenue with jerk chicken, pineapple, and Sriracha aioli
  • Twisted Club with pancetta, mozzarella, arugula, avocado, and lemon pepper aioli
  • Spicy Buffalo with Buffalo sauce, oven-roasted chicken, Gorgonzola, red onion, and blue cheese drizzle
  • Four Cheese with mozzarella, fior de latte, Parmesan, and Asiago
  • Sausage & Peppers Pasta with spicy Diavolo sauce, roasted red peppers, and hot Italian sausage
  • Carbonara with Parmesan Alfredo, sliced mushrooms, pancetta, and grated Parmesan

 

Shelby’s Shawarma

shawarma

Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl

Image Source: Shelby’s Shawarma Instagram

 

Instagram: 698,000 followers | Facebook: 48,000 likes

Locations: 22 (Ontario and Quebec)

Concept characteristics:

  • Fast-casual chain on a mission to modernize shawarma
  • Uses house-made sauces, fresh ingredients, and high-quality Canadian-sourced proteins
  • Operates Shelby’s Giving Back initiative to support the local community
  • Upholds values of commitment, innovation, loyalty, unity, and fulfillment
  • Franchising is available

Menu snapshot:

  • Protein options include chicken, beef, lamb, and falafel
  • Cauliflower Shawarma Maqluba with a choice of protein served over fried cauliflower, with rice, sumac onion, crispy onions, cashews, and tahini
  • Shawarma Burrito with choice of protein wrapped in saj bread with mozzarella cheese, rice, lettuce mix, fries, sumac onions, tomatoes, pickles, chipotle, and regular or spicy garlic sauce
  • Bacon Halloumi Shawarma Wrap with choice of protein stuffed in saj bread with fried halloumi cheese, halal beef bacon, tomatoes, sumac onion, and chipotle sauce
  • Dessert options such as Lebanese Churros, Pistachio Cake and Traditional Kunafa, a Middle Eastern dessert made with shredded phyllo dough, akawie and mozzarella cheese mix, drizzled with simple syrup and dusted with pistachios

 

D Spot Dessert Café

dessert

Waffle

Image Source: D Spot Dessert Café website

 

Instagram: 96,700 followers | Facebook: 19,000 likes

Locations: 41 (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario)

Concept characteristics:

  • Quick-service chain offering a variety of over-the-top creative desserts
  • Items are made fresh from scratch
  • Operates various charities including Water for All project, supplying clean drinking water to regions in need and the Education for All initiative, sponsoring children in school
  • Franchising is available

Menu snapshot:

  • Cakes include Oreo Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, and Chocolate Lave Cake
  • Waffles and crepes are customizable with a choice of toppings such as cookie dough, apple pie filling, marshmallows, peanut butter, toffee bites, and various candies
  • Signature funnel cakes include the Road Trip with chocolate soft serve, marshmallows, brownies, white chocolate curls, almonds, and fudge
  • Funnel cake fries are also available
  • Ice cream sundaes include Cookie Butter Partay with vanilla ice cream, Lotus cookie pieces, toffee bits, Lotus sauce, and caramel popcorn
  • Iced coffee comes in varieties such as caramel, chocolate, hazelnut, Lotus Cookie Butter, and Spiced Brown Sugar Oat Latte
  • Several signature shakes such as Rosy & Nutty with rose-infused ice cream, pistachios and almonds; Strawberry Cheesecake with strawberry ice cream and cheesecake bites; and D Kid in Me with birthday cake ice cream, cotton candy, and sprinkles

Concept Watch is based on restaurant and menu trends noted by Technomic Inc.

Katie Belflower is Associate Editor for Technomic, a Chicago-based foodservice research and consulting firm. Technomic provides clients with the facts, insights and consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. The company’s services include publications and digital products as well as proprietary studies and ongoing research on all aspects of the food industry, including menu trends.

Concepts to Watch feature image via Doughbox’s Facebook page. 

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