Meet Caliente Pizza & Draft House
From a single pizza oven in Bloomfield to the official Pizza of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nick Bogacz built Caliente Pizza & Draft House with grit, family, and a love for great food. Over a decade later, Caliente has grown into eight thriving locations and become a fixture of the city’s food and sports scene — even earning an award for the Best Pizza in America in 2019.
Partnering with DoorDash helped Caliente take the next step to simplify delivery, find new customers, and scale across their city without losing the small-shop feel that started it all.
“How has DoorDash affected our bottom line? Well, it raised it. Because what’s happened is our orders have gone through the roof.”
The challenge: Competing for customers in a delivery-first world
After the pandemic, delivery became an expectation rather than just a convenience. For Caliente Pizza & Draft House, that shift brought new pressure. Their in-house drivers couldn’t keep up with the surge in orders, hiring was more difficult than ever, and delivery costs kept climbing.
The industry-wide focus on providing delivery means customers can now order from a wider mix of restaurants. Competing for visibility in that crowded space meant Caliente needed more than a fleet of drivers. They needed a partner who could expand reach, maintain high food quality, and help market each location without adding more overhead.
The solution: Tapping into DoorDash Marketplace and Drive On-Demand
Caliente Pizza & Draft House knew that its growth would depend on meeting delivery demand head-on. Listing its award-winning pies on DoorDash Marketplace immediately put its menu in front of local customers already looking to order, helping every new location hit the ground running.
“As soon as we turn on the tablet, we start getting dings… and the pizzas start to come through. It is the strongest piece of marketing that we have to grab new customers at a new location.”
Drive On-Demand handled deliveries from Caliente’s own channels to keep things running smoothly. This meant that Caliente could focus on all other aspects of the business with the trust that DoorDash would help them meet delivery demands.
Boost delivery with Drive On-DemandResults: Expansion to new locations and reliable growth
Through the DoorDash Marketplace and marketing, Caliente connected with thousands of new customers who might never have discovered them otherwise. And with Drive On-Demand, they kept service consistent.
For Caliente, the best surprise was how dependable Dashers are. They treat every order like it’s their own, making sure the food arrives exactly as it was meant to be served.
“They're making sure the customer gets their food item nice and hot, and they're making sure that it's fresh. And that's the best part about the DoorDash driver for us is we know they're going to take the perfect pizza that we just made and deliver it the same way.”
DoorDash has become a key business growth channel, driving sales and brand recognition while helping Caliente maintain the same family-run feel that built its reputation. Together they have:
Expanded to eight locations across Pittsburgh
73% of all sales come through DoorDash Marketplace
Reached 22% YoY sales growth on DoorDash
41% of DoorDash orders are by new customers
Improved delivery reliability and customer satisfaction with Drive On-Demand
Caliente Pizza & Draft House has built a stronger, more scalable delivery operation with DoorDash, one that reaches new customers, improves reliability, and supports long-term expansion.
Grow with Marketplace
