Lil Ava’s Pizza and Pasta opens new location in Hay River

After finding success in Inuvik, Lil Ava’s Pizza and Pasta has expanded to Hay River and the company plans to keep growing.

John Sebastian, who also oversees operations in Inuvik, said he wanted to open a restaurant in Hay River to provide residents with another accessible pizza option as the community continues to grow.

“We felt like there was a space for something fresh that people could actually enjoy locally,” he told Cabin Radio.

“We have already been operating in Inuvik for a few years now and that experience showed us how strong community support is in the North which actually encouraged us to continue growing here.”

Lil Ava’s opened in Inuvik in late 2023 and there are a dozen locations in total across Canada.

The Hay River restaurant officially opened on May 20 at 910 Mackenzie Highway.

Lil Ava’s operates under GK Holdings, a parent company with businesses in the food service transportation, retail and cannabis industries. The compamny also owns the Inuvik Liquor Store.

Sebastian said the biggest challenge opening the Hay River restaurant has been transportation and supply logistics, considering much of the restaurant’s equipment is brought in from Alberta. But Sebastian said the effort was worth it because the response from residents during the opening week exceeded expectations.

In its opening week, Sebastian said Lil Ava’s has been serving between 100 and 200 customers daily. He said many residents have stopped by simply to welcome the business to the community.

“Seeing the store come together, opening doors for the first time and seeing the people’s response has been really rewarding.”

Sebastian said the focus is making sure the new store runs smoothly, but he also said they plan to open two more new pizza locations in Yellowknife and Fort Smith within the next year.

Lil Ava’s in Hay River operates from 10am to 10pm Monday through Saturday and from noon to 9pm on Sundays.