Business
Galway’s travelling pizza brothers aim to prove there’s dosh in dough
BY JESSICA THOMPSON
Grub on the go is a big thing during festival season – but when that food comes from the Dough Bros, you’re guaranteed restaurant quality food at street prices.
Eugene Greaney is a 27-year-old Galway native with big ideas for his business. The Dough Bros is a mobile, wood-fired pizza business which serves authentic Neapolitan pizzas on the streets and at local and national events from a trailer.
Using unique, hand-made dough, homemade sauce, and fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, the Dough Bros – Eugene, Ronan and Laurence – prepare, cook and sell high-quality pizzas at competitive, affordable prices.
After being made redundant from his sales and marketing job in January, Eugene had to plan his next move. Finding another job was near impossible and he had no intention of emigrating, so he used his initiative and decided to set up a business.
“I wanted to do something that I’d be happy in, that I’d do for maybe the rest of my life, rather than just getting another job for the sake of getting another job,” he said.
The food industry has always been part of the Greaney family life. Eugene’s parents have worked in the catering and restaurant business for 20 years, and his mother is the manager of the Galleon, one of Galway’s busiest restaurants. His 21-year-old brother Ronan also has some restaurant experience. Eugene has always loved the food business and always wanted to be part of it.
AIB are very supportive of new and existing businesses and SMEs and AIB Relationship Manager Tom Burke said that he was “impressed with [Eugene’s] passion, drive and enthusiasm for his new venture” as well as the “depth of his business plan and his ambition for his business”.
So he “took the plunge”, and with the help and support of AIB, he got the funds to start his business.
“Obviously it was going to cost too much money to set up a restaurant, so I did my research and started looking at the street food market,” he said.
“The quality of street food now isn’t what it used to be – greasy burgers and chips. A lot of people don’t have the money to eat out a restaurant, so they eat on the streets. So you’re getting restaurant-quality food on the streets at low prices.”
Trips to Naples as a kid introduced Eugene to what he says is “the best pizza in the world”, and he wanted to recreate Neapolitan pizza here in Galway and make it mobile. With the help of his brother, Ronan, and their childhood friend, Laurence Enright (26) who has been working in a Michelin Star restaurant for the past four years, this dream became a reality.
Maeve Killilea, Relationship Manager of AIB on Tuam Road referred to The Dough Bros as “an exciting new venture” that embodies [the street culture of Galway and are a perfect foodie fit to young, vibrant Galway lifestyle.”
The Dough Brothers have worked at several local events and are regular fixtures at the Moycullen Farmer’s Market on Fridays. They are also available for private parties.
“It brings a kind of theatre element to a party – the big wood-fire oven is absolutely beautiful and the flames from it naturally draw people in – it’s a centrepiece. We do all the hand-tossing of the dough and all the theatrics. It’s a little bit different at a party,” Eugene explained.
The business is young and the three Dough Bros are still learning; “It’s going to take time. It’s not going to be an overnight success; if it was, everyone would be doing it.”
But the reactions to their food have been positive so far, with some people even referring to it as “the nicest pizza they’ve had”, and with food this delicious for prices as low as €5 for a 10-inch pizza, it’s easy to see why.
They are available for hire and can be contacted on 0871761662. More information is available on their Facebook page, The Dough Bros Wood Fired Pizza.
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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