Biagio's Italian Kitchen

What Biagio's Italian Kitchen does

Biagio's Italian Kitchen (legal name: Biagio's Kitchen + Catering) is a single-location, independently operated Italian restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, owned by Mike Ziola. The business operates a dine-in restaurant alongside an integrated catering operation, a wood-fired mobile pizza trailer for private events of up to approximately 40 guests, a "Meals to Go" pickup offering, and third-party delivery via UberEats. The menu spans antipasti ($12-$18), salads ($15), wood-fired pizzas ($19-$21, plus a $5 gluten-free surcharge), pastas ($22-$28, plus a $3 gluten-free surcharge), and mains ($34), with a weekly Wine + Dine Thursday special priced at $65 for two pastas and a bottle of wine.

The revenue model combines on-premise dining, off-premise catering (corporate and private events), mobile pizza trailer events, takeout and delivery, and gift card sales through SilverPay, with reservations handled via OpenTable. Distribution is multi-channel for the segment: in-restaurant dining, direct online ordering through SilverPay, third-party delivery through UberEats, and event-based off-premise catering and pizza trailer services. Management includes Chef Jessica Hendren and restaurant/events leads Sarah Black and Ben Mellish.

The business is differentiated primarily through its physical co-location with Yuk Yuk's Ottawa West comedy club, enabling a bundled "Dinner + Show" experience, and through its branded mobile pizza trailer, both of which extend the addressable occasion set beyond standard dinner service. The company does not operate proprietary technology; its digital stack is composed of third-party platforms (SilverPay, OpenTable, Google Analytics), and there is no disclosed AI/ML capability. Headcount is disclosed at approximately seven people across kitchen, management, and event coordination roles.

Name

Biagio's Italian Kitchen

Legal name

Biagio's Kitchen + Catering

Website

https://biagios.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Biagio's Italian Kitchen is an independently operated Italian restaurant and catering business in Ottawa, Ontario, serving dine-in guests, corporate and private catering clients, and mobile pizza trailer events through owner Mike Ziola and a team of approximately seven.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Italian Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH)

Keywords

• Italian restaurant dining
• Wood-fired pizza catering
• Mobile pizza trailer
• Event catering services
• Italian comfort food

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant: Revenue from customers dining in the restaurant's dining room and patio. Covers antipasti, salads, pizzas, pasta dishes, and secondi (mains). This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Catering Services: Off-site catering for corporate events, private parties, and receptions. Custom menu options available. Customers include corporate Christmas parties, staff luncheons, and wedding receptions.
3. Pizza Trailer (Wood-Fired): A mobile wood-fired pizza oven that travels to events — corporate lunches, parties, festivals, and backyard gatherings. Individually boxed pizza served on-site.
4. Meals to Go: Ready-made menu items available for pickup. Friday Fish and Chips also available weekly. Orders placed via SilverPay or UberEats.
5. Special Experiences: Ticketed experiences including Dueling Pianos shows and Dinner + Show packages combining dining with live entertainment. Reservations via OpenTable.
6. Gift Cards: Digital e-gift cards sold online via SilverPay, redeemable for dining, catering, or other experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Biagio's Italian Kitchen is a single-location Italian-inspired restaurant in Ottawa that serves traditional Italian comfort food (pastas, pizzas, antipasti, secondi) through dine-in, patio, takeout, and delivery channels. It also offers off-site catering, a mobile wood-fired Pizza Trailer for events, and ticketed live entertainment experiences (Dueling Pianos and Dinner + Show combined with Yuk Yuk's Ottawa West comedy club). E-gift cards are sold online as a supplementary offering.

Product overview

Biagio's Kitchen + Catering operates as a multi-experience Italian restaurant with a unified dining platform supported by several distinct service offerings. The core dining room experience features Italian-inspired comfort food, which is supplemented by entertainment experiences (Dueling Pianos, Dinner + Show with Yuk Yuk's comedy club), outdoor patio dining, and meal delivery/takeout services. The company also operates a mobile Pizza Trailer for off-site events. Catering services extend the restaurant experience to corporate and private events. Menu offerings span Italian categories including antipasti, salads, wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, and secondi entrees. Gift cards provide a supplementary revenue stream. Together, these offerings create a comprehensive Italian dining ecosystem spanning dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, and entertainment experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dining Room (Dine-In Restaurant) Full-service Italian dine-in restaurant featuring antipasti, salads, wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, and secondi entrees served in a classic dining room with cozy booths and warm lighting. For walk-in and reservation guests.
• Patio Dining Outdoor patio dining area at the restaurant offering the same Italian menu as the dining room in an al fresco setting surrounded by garden herbs.
• Meals to Go Takeout and delivery service offering ready-made Italian menu items for pickup (ordered via SilverPay) or delivery via UberEats. Includes weekly Friday Fish and Chips special.
• Catering Off-site catering service for corporate and private events, including luncheons, Christmas parties, staff events, receptions, and client entertainment. Customizable menus with snacks, starters, mains, and desserts, with dietary accommodations.
• Pizza Trailer (Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza) Mobile wood-fired pizza service that travels to corporate events, parties, festivals, weddings, and backyard gatherings. Serves individually boxed pizzas on-site, accommodating dietary restrictions and events up to approximately 40 guests.
• Dueling Pianos (Ticketed Live Music Experience) Ticketed live music experience featuring interactive, high-energy performances by musicians Dave Kalil, Tyler Kealey, and Todd Huckabone, combined with dining at Biagio's. Reservations booked via OpenTable.
• Dinner + Show (with Yuk Yuk's Ottawa West) Combined dining-and-comedy package where guests dine upstairs at Biagio's and then attend a comedy show at Yuk Yuk's Ottawa West comedy club located downstairs. Booked via OpenTable.
• Wine + Dine Thursday Experience Recurring Thursday evening package offering two handcrafted pasta dishes and a bottle of wine (Bolla Valpolicella red or Bolla Pinot Grigio white) for $65, positioned as a date-night or social catch-up experience.
• Gift Cards Digital e-gift cards (via SilverPay) and physical gift cards redeemable for dining, catering, or other experiences at Biagio's Kitchen + Catering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive word-of-mouth reviews from multiple repeat customers including multi-year corporate catering bookings

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yuk Yuk's Ottawa WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYuk Yuk's Ottawa West comedy club operates downstairs from Biagio's, enabling a 'Dinner + Show' combined experience. Customers dine upstairs at Biagio's before heading downstairs for comedy shows. The partnership creates a differentiated entertainment-dining proposition unique to the co-location.
• OpenTablecoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenTable hosts Biagio's online reservation system and ticketed experience bookings (Dueling Pianos, Dinner + Show). It is the primary booking engine for dine-in reservations and event tickets, enabling discoverable online bookings and driving incremental revenue.
• SilverPaycoreTechnology or IntegrationSilverPay powers Biagio's online ordering (Meals to Go, Friday Fish and Chips) and e-gift card sales. It serves as the primary e-commerce infrastructure for takeaway orders and gift card purchases.
• UberEatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUberEats is the third-party delivery marketplace listing for Biagio's Meals to Go. Extends delivery reach to customers who prefer ordering through the UberEats platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MTY Food Group: Canadian operator and franchisor of dozens of casual dining and quick-service brands. Relevant as a portfolio incumbent in the same broad casual-dining space and a potential acquirer/operator for a regional Italian concept like Biagio's.
• Recipe Unlimited (formerly Cara Operations): Major Canadian full-service restaurant operator (Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, The Keg, etc.). Comparable as a broad incumbent with full-service and catering capabilities that could expand into or acquire an Italian/entertainment concept.
• Boston Pizza: Canada's largest casual dining chain with sports-bar, dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering formats. Comparable in multi-format Canadian casual dining, but operates at national scale versus Biagio's single-location footprint.

Emerging players

• Fireside Catering / mobile wood-fired pizza operators: Independent mobile wood-fired pizza and event-catering operators in the Ottawa/Ontario market. Direct comparables on the Pizza Trailer's mobile catering thesis, seasonality, and event customer base.

Direct peers

• North Italia: Casual-upscale Italian restaurant chain with handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and a strong dine-in experience. Comparable on menu structure, price tier and full-service format, though at larger scale.
• Pizza Pizza: Canadian pizza chain with dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering capabilities. Comparable on the pizza and off-premise catering dimensions of Biagio's business, though lacks the full Italian dining room and entertainment formats.
• Cibo Wine Bar: Italian wine-bar style restaurant with dining, private events and catering. Comparable Italian cuisine, wine-paired experiences (akin to Wine + Dine), and group/private event programming.
• East Side Mario's: Canadian full-service Italian casual dining chain. Operates a comparable menu of antipasti, pizza, pasta and secondi at similar price points with dine-in, takeout and catering. Most directly comparable category competitor for the core restaurant experience.
• Terroni: Multi-location Italian restaurant group with dine-in rooms, private event spaces and catering. Highly comparable on the Italian comfort-food positioning, private dining and event catering formats, and price tier.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory: Full-service Italian casual dining restaurant chain with locations across Canada. Directly comparable menu (pastas, classic Italian comfort food), full table service, and group/family dining orientation at similar price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/biagiosottawa/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biagio's-italian-kitchen

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Biagio's Italian Kitchen