Derry enjoying a pizza of the Four Star action

Pizza lovers in Derry and surrounding areas have been enjoying Four Star Pizzas since 2007 when the Da Vinci complex on Culmore Road store opened. However, six months ago, the owners of that store saw an opportunity to expand their business in the region by opening a new store in Drumahoe, at the Faughan Valley Service Station ,on the Glenshane Road in Drumahoe, investing £150,000 and creating 10 new jobs, two of which have still to be filled. Owners Teague Whoriskey (45), married with two children, and Ciaran Bradley (46) have been business partners for over 20 years, but, their beginnings were somewhat more humble, explained Ciaran, who lives in Derry~ and is married with two children. “We have both always had an entrepreneurial outlook on life and an interest in catering so when a catering trailer came up for sale we saw the perfect opportunity to marry these passions and become our own bosses.”, said Ciaran. He continued: “After making a success of the first trailer we bought another and then another, until we had three catering trailers, that were all busy and successful. “After a few years, we realised that our ambitions were outgrowing our current business model so we had a rethink and soon after bought a chip shop and, as was a pattern for us, then bought another two, making three in total. “We ran these businesses for several years and enjoyed it immensely but we were always looking for the next great opportunity. After some research we finally found one that we both saw huge potential in.” After checking out various franchise opportunities available in the takeaway food market, both men identified Four Star Pizza as the one that they knew would bring them the rewards they were after. “The Four Star Pizza brand quickly caught our eye”, explained Ciaran. “We saw the potential in the market and after meeting with the brand representative and grilling them on the business projections we soon opened our first store, back in 2007, creating 10 jobs and investing £150k.” Since then, both men and their team of in-store and delivery staff have gone on to make 280,000 pizzas for people in the North West, use 28 tonnes of flour, 12 tonnes of cheese, 3 tonnes of pepperoni and their drivers have used an estimated 78 sets of tyres and over 70,000 litres of fuel. Ciaran said: "The people of Drumahoe and the North West really seem to love our pizzas - the one ordered most at our Drumahoe store is chicken and ham. “What a lot of our customers don't expect though is that all Four Star Pizza stores actually make our own dough, fresh in store, every single day. “We get two of our main ingredients for our dough from two companies in Ireland, Neill's Flour and locally produced rapeseed oil, Donegal Rapeseed Oil, which is a point of difference between us and our competitors that really shows in the taste." Ciaran and his business partner’s career with Four Star Pizza has been rewarding in many ways. He continued: “Since opening our first Four Star Pizza store we have both been really happy and are enjoying the challenges and rewards that come with owning two stores. “There are still two jobs to fill at our Drumahoe store so I would encourage people to apply for them and see where a career with Four Star Pizza can take you. “To celebrate the Drumahoe store’s successful first six months we have a Mega Week coming up, from November 28 until December 4, when a 14“ pizza with three toppings will cost only £6. This is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported us!” Get in touch with Four Star Pizza Drumahoe by calling 028 7187 9222, visit their website, www.fourstarpizza.co.uk, download the Four Star Pizza app or visit their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/derry, or alternatively, visit the store on Glenshane Road, Drumahoe. Photo shows owners Ciaran Bradley (left) and Teague Whoriskey.