Bella Pizzeria: A journey from late-night cravings to fine dining in Chattogram

While studying abroad, Wasif Salam developed a taste for late-night restaurant meals. But during vacations in Bangladesh, he struggled to find places open late at night to hang out with friends or catch a game. 

Frustrated by this, Wasif decided to take matters into his own hands. In 2020, he launched Bella Pizzeria, a cloud kitchen in Chattogram, delivering pizzas from the afternoon until 4 am.

As Italian cuisine gained popularity, so did Bella Pizzeria. In March 2023, Wasif expanded the business by opening a 2,800-square-foot fine dining restaurant in Chattogram's Nasirabad area. Today, Bella Pizzeria is a well-loved name in the port city and has even opened an express branch in Dhaka to cater to more customers.

Initial challenges and adaptation 

Starting a late-night food delivery business came with its own set of challenges. According to the restaurant's team, two major obstacles stood out.

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The first was staffing for late-night operations. Wasif now the founder of Bella Pizzeria and director of Asian and DAF Group, told The Business Standard, "We had to bring in a night chef from Dhaka and gradually train local staff to adjust to late-night work hours. Even finding delivery personnel was tough due to the odd timings." Security was another issue, as Wasif recalled, "Eight months after opening, one of our bicycles used for deliveries was stolen late at night." Convincing the police that food deliveries at 3 am were legitimate also took time, but eventually, it became routine.

The second challenge was introducing authentic Italian pizza to a market unaccustomed to thin-crust, cheese-loaded pizzas. "At first, people needed time to adapt to the taste, but once they did, our orders picked up significantly, even during the afternoon," Wasif shared.

Despite these hurdles, Bella Pizzeria quickly gained popularity. What began with an initial investment of Tk4 lakh in a cloud kitchen grew into a full-fledged fine dining restaurant, requiring an additional Tk90 lakh investment. In June 2023, the business expanded further with a 300-square-foot express branch in Dhaka's Bijoy Sarani area, set up with an investment of Tk20 lakh. The branch offers a variety of dishes, including pizza, pasta, appetizers, wings, and rice meals, and employs 70 staff members, providing 24-hour food delivery services.

Expansion and innovation 

Since March, Bella Pizzeria's fine dining branch in Nasirabad has partnered with Gotcha, an Australian bubble tea franchise. The menu features 25 tea varieties priced between Tk250 and Tk450, alongside coffee prepared by professional baristas, reflecting Wasif's commitment to elevating Chattogram's dining standards.

Wasif pointed out, "Chattogram, as an international hub for ports and commerce, still lacks food offerings that meet global standards. We aim to provide quality dining experiences that align with the city's global importance."

This vision is inspired by his father, MA Salam, a garment industrialist and owner of two restaurants in Chattogram—Bonanza at Patenga Boat Club and Bonanza Port Restaurant near the Custom House. "We travel abroad for business and experience international cuisine. I want to bring that same quality to Chattogram, especially for the many foreign visitors who come here for business," Wasif said.

Wasif also launched Shamiyana, an Indian fine-dining restaurant, in December. The menu will feature dishes like biryani, kebabs, dosas, and curries, aiming to further enhance Chattogram's culinary sector.

From late-night pizza deliveries to fine dining and bubble tea, Bella Pizzeria embodies Wasif Salam's vision of introducing international food standards to Chattogram while reshaping the city's culinary scene.