First Look: Doughocracy Pizza + Brews Debuts in the U City Loop

Mention St. Louis and Chicago in the same breath, and debate inevitably ensues. Cubs vs. Cards. Arch vs. Sears Tower. Thin crust vs. deep dish.

On the corner of Delmar and Westgate, the two appear to be finding common ground. There, Chicago Franchise Systems, Inc. (CFSI) is opening the first of its newest restaurant concept: doughocracy Pizza + Brews.

CFSI, parent to Al’s Italian Beef (founded in 1938) and Nancy’s Pizza (founded in 1971) stumbled upon a new idea a couple of years ago. Toying with the high-heat, high-power conveyor oven that reduced the cook time of a Nancy’s deep dish from an hour to 14 minutes, they realized a thin crust pizza could move from oven to table in less than five.

“We knew then we had an opportunity with fast-casual pizza,” says Brian Curry, director of marketing for CFSI. “And we knew we could make the food better and more unique.”

So culinary consultant Adam Bufano (right) got to work.

“The pizza is ready in minutes, but I still wanted to make sure we were guaranteeing a food experience, with complex flavors and textures,” he says.

And on that goal, he most certainly delivered.

As the title would suggest, options abound in the doughocracy. Ten specialty Neapolitan pizzas, each with its own personality, can guide a patron’s trip down the assembly line, one filled with offerings that include San Marzano tomatoes, roasted eggplant, and seasoned meats.

“We use a lot of high end ingredients,” Bufano explains. “It may only take minutes for our customers to get a hand-crafted pizza, but we’ve already done a lot of cooking here before they’ve arrived.”

Each 12-inch pizza starts with a hand-stretched dough, proofed for 24 hours, but that’s the only given. From there, the Wine and Dine goes with a red sauce, while the Green Mile gets a pesto base. No sauce for the Gorgonzilla – just a little oil then straight to the cheese.

Even with the ten flavors he meticulously developed, though, Bufano (right) is quick to vote for his favorite: the Margherita.

“Whenever I go out for pizza, I always order a Margherita and another pizza. That’s how I know if a restaurant can do pizza,” he says.

Doughocracy’s Margherita (rught) is his case in point.

Topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of oil, he says, “It’s perfect.”

But everyone from the franchise reps to the 15 employees working in the store is quick to point to the restaurant’s tagline as customers form their queue. The doughocracy is all about the freedom to choose.

Customers can opt for a write-in vote, crafting  a personal pie that starts with a choice of three sauces (four, if you count olive oil), they can then elect from six specialty meats, a garden’s worth of vegetables, and six cheeses.

What won’t you find on the menu: provel.

“Not because there’s anything wrong with it!” Curry quickly points out – the grandson of a St. Louisan wouldn’t dare utter such blasphemy. Rather, he says, “The goal of this restaurant isn’t to compete with the area, but to bring something new to the table.

St. Louis franchisees Christa McGraw, Mimi Hurwitz, and Josh Vehovic helped CFS settle on the perfect location to launch doughocracy’s campaign: the Delmar Loop.

The corner store is but a few feet from a St. Louis Institution (Blueberry Hill), a sci-fi fantasy book shop, and a resale clothing boutique.

“There’s a little bit of everything in the loop,” McGraw says. “And that’s exactly what we wanted to create inside. It was the perfect match.”

That’s not to say this new administration isn’t experiencing a few growing pains. The 6000 block of Delmar is in the heart of trolley road construction, limiting visibility and parking. But McGraw says they can overlook the dust and tune out the jackhammers.

“We’re so excited for when it’s done. We chose this location in part because we want to be a part of the rejuvenation in University City.”

In the meantime, they’re hopeful the notion of a cold beer (four local craft brews on tap and AB products by the bottle) and a pizza that’s fresh from the oven – just the way you like in five minutes or less – will make the parking hunt worthwhile.

And if that’s not enough, there’s always dessert.

Menu developers settled early on the Nutella bomb, a pizza crust with Nutella and marshmallows oozing out of it. But then they added a little St. Louis.

“We kept getting it at Sunday brunch when we were meeting with the franchisees,” Curry says. “And who can turn down a good piece of gooey butter cake?”

The University City location will be doughocracy’s first to open. A Chicago location will soon follow. There, the brews may be different – more local and fit to Chicago’s “old style” taste – but the rest of the menu will remain the same, right down to the gooey butter. Some Chicago flair may have just moved into the Loop, but a little bit of St. Louis is moving north.

No debate about it.

doughocracy Pizza + Brews

6394 Delmar

314-833-4277

Open daily 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

doughocracy.com

During the restaurant’s grand opening on “Free Pie Day,” Nov. 18, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., customers can get a free pizza by liking the doughocracy Pizza + Brews Facebook page or by following the restaurant on Twitter.