Pizza Salvatoré: franchisee plans third restaurant in Lac-Saint-Jean

Franchisee Viviane Nkaptchouang Djilo is continuing to expand in Quebec’s Lac-Saint-Jean area. Following openings in Dolbeau-Mistassini and Roberval, she plans to open a third Pizza Salvatoré restaurant in Saint-Félicien on 15 December 2026. Announced by Groupe Abbatiello on 3 November, the opening will be accompanied by a donation of 100 large pizzas to community organisations in the area.

A new location in Saint-Félicien

The restaurant will be located at 1200, boulevard Saint-Félicien, in the municipality of Saint-Félicien, in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. It will add a third location to the franchisee’s local portfolio, rather than mark her entry into either the network or the region.

Saint-Félicien and Roberval are both in the Domaine-du-Roy regional county municipality (MRC), a local administrative area. Dolbeau-Mistassini, where the entrepreneur opened her first restaurant under the brand, is in the neighbouring Maria-Chapdelaine MRC. The three restaurants will therefore span these two administrative areas of Lac-Saint-Jean.

15 December remains the announced opening date. The new restaurant should not be confused with one already trading. For customers and local partners, the main practical details available for now are this planned date and the address supplied by the franchisor.

Three openings since 2024 for the same franchisee

Viviane Nkaptchouang Djilo’s relationship with Pizza Salvatoré began in 2024, when she opened her first restaurant in Dolbeau-Mistassini. A second location followed in Roberval in June 2025. Saint-Félicien will therefore be her third opening in just over two years.

For the franchising community, this timeline is central to the announcement: local growth is being driven by an entrepreneur already operating within the network. These are not three separate new operators, but three restaurants run by the same franchisee.

Her progress illustrates phased expansion within a single region. The first restaurant was followed by a second, with a third project now set to extend her presence around the lake. This geographical proximity is a clear feature of the announced expansion; on its own, however, it provides no basis for conclusions about the restaurants’ financial performance or operating conditions.

For prospective franchisees, the distinction matters. A new location and the growth of a franchisee’s portfolio are two complementary ways of viewing the same news. In this case, the announcement says as much about the regional operator’s expansion as it does about Pizza Salvatoré’s arrival in Saint-Félicien.

Support for community organisations

To mark the opening, Viviane Nkaptchouang Djilo plans to donate 100 large pizzas to community organisations in the area. The commitment is linked to the launch of the Saint-Félicien restaurant and is aimed at local organisations, rather than being a general promotion across the network.

This adds a tangible community element to the project. Beyond opening another outlet, the franchisee intends to support the community in which she is expanding her business.

Interested organisations should contact the restaurant directly to confirm how the initiative will work. While the number of pizzas is a specific commitment, it does not establish how they will be allocated among organisations or the arrangements for receiving them.

Local expansion within a network of more than 125 restaurants

Founded in 1964, Pizza Salvatoré reports more than 125 restaurants and over 3,500 team members, according to the announcement from Groupe Abbatiello, the brand’s franchisor. These figures cover the entire network, not Viviane Nkaptchouang Djilo’s three locations.

The Saint-Félicien announcement offers a local perspective on that wider presence: a franchisee is continuing to expand in a region where she already operates two restaurants. Her experience provides a concrete example of multi-unit ownership under one brand, but is not a guarantee that others can replicate her success.

Key takeaway: when assessing a multi-unit franchise project, distinguish between restaurants already trading and planned openings, examine the expansion timeline, and request data specific to the locations concerned.