Pizza Express

Mission Statement

It is our promise that Pizza Express will continue to always provide all customers, both old and new, with high quality and great tasting food; excellent and friendly service; and always-reasonable prices. At Pizza Express, we are dedicated to taking the ‘extra step’ at every level to ensure that every one of our customers is satisfied.

Using these values as our guiding principles, it is our mission to become the best pizza restaurant in Brandon and in Western Manitoba

Our Story

I am Gus Vasilarakis, owner of Pizza Express & Submarine in Brandon, Manitoba Canada.

When I was 14 years old in October of 1979, my family and I moved from a small island village named Karpathos located in the Southern part of Greece to Brandon, Manitoba. I arrived on Saturday night at 11:00pm; the following morning at 10:00am my uncle Emmanuel picked me up and took me to work at his restaurant, Romana Pizza. Not knowing a word of English, I started my career as a restaurateur by folding pizza boxes, washing dishes and preparing the pizza dough and sauces for that nights’ supper rush. Later that same day, my uncle took me to my very first hockey game to watch the Brandon Wheat Kings. Little did I know that my first day in Canada consisted of the two of the things that would consume my life for the years to come. I was mesmerized by the game of hockey, and I loved working in the kitchen; this still remains unchanged today.

I worked for my uncle Emmanuel for two years, and then he sold his business to another great restaurateur the late Mario Kokonas. I stayed and worked with Mario for a year learning even more about the restaurant business. In 1982, my mother, father, brother and I decided it was time to open our own restaurant. We gathered our savings, obtained a loan, and proceeded to open our very own restaurant. We took over an old building that was previously the famous ‘Old Buck Meyers Corner Store.’ After a two-month complete overhaul renovation we opened the doors to Pizza Express. I was 17 years old and my brother was 21 years old; with the help and guidance of my parents and lots of hard work, we got Pizza Express off the ground, and with every passing year our business grew.

Once Pizza Express was off the ground, I began to start a family of my own. In 1987, I became part of the ‘Plante’ hockey family when I married my wife Antoinette and two years later my son Tony was born. Later that same year, my family sold our beloved Pizza Express to family friend and fellow restaurateur, the late, Gus Antonakis who had previously owned Trifon’s Pizza. Once the business was sold, I moved my young family to Winnipeg where I opened my very own Pizza Express on Portage Avenue, while my brother who had also moved to Winnipeg, opened his own restaurant, ‘Nikos Restaurant’ located on Corydon Avenue. My parents were happy and proud to see both of their sons opening their own restaurants. With little remaining restaurant advice to give, my parents wished us both well, and moved back to Greece to be with the rest of our family.

The ‘new’ Pizza Express was a completely new and challenging experience for Antoinette and I. Starting any new business is difficult, however we had a whole new set obstacles to hurdle. We were not used to having a large dinning room (100+ chairs) that was open for lunch in addition to the customary supper and late night; we did not have my parents, nor my brother helping us out; and we were in a big, new city; all while trying to raise our young son. It took us two years with tons of promotions, a huge menu, and making no money to get Pizza Express established in Winnipeg. Competing with the ‘buy three pizzas for the price of one’ pizzerias was extremely difficult, especially

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