Introducing Lia Loukas, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Virtuous Pie. Virtuous Pie is an elevated fast-casual restaurant, focused on hand-crafted pizza and ice cream that is 100% plant-based. It also happens to be one of Team Brunette’s favourite lunch spots.
After growing up around a family of restauranteurs, Lia had a deep-rooted passion for the food industry. Lia graduated from UBC with a degree in Nutrition and Health and moved to London, England to pursue marketing and branding. She explored a variety of industries working for both lifestyle and fashion brands before eventually moving back into the restaurant business. Being a part of a start-up restaurant, Lia’s day-to-day is constantly changing with a strong focus on all marketing aspects of the business, including social media, managing the website, public relations, events, and more. Lia’s passion for creating creative spaces for people to experience and enjoy delicious plant-based food has helped the quick expansion of Virtuous Pie. Since opening the first location in Vancouver’s Chinatown in September 2016, Virtuous Pie now has four locations in total: two in Vancouver, BC, one in Portland, OR, and a new location in Toronto, ON. Lia’s drive to succeed and the unwavering support she provides for her team makes her a babe.
What does babes supporting babes mean to you?
To me, babes supporting babes means creating space and relationships where it’s safe to be vulnerable with one another and completely accepting.
Do you have a life mantra/motto that you live by?
I don’t really have one that I stick to as a “forever motto” but at the beginning of each year, I like to choose a theme or intention that I reflect on and come back to. I’ve found it helpful, since every year my priorities shift. Having focus helps me grow into who I need to be.
What does your day-to-day look like?
My days change a lot based on where we are at with opening new restaurants versus a more steady state in the lead up to new openings.
During a restaurant opening, I’m running around picking up carloads of plants for our interiors, all the finishing décor pieces for the space, signage, coordinating all the details for opening event, hosting media, and helping out the store teams with whatever they need since they are basically on lockdown training new team members and setting up the back-end of the restaurant.
On a normal day, I’m either at the office catching up on email, thinking up new marketing initiatives, in planning meetings with the rest of our executive team or at out of the office meeting with community leaders.
In between, I think it’s important to find balance. I’m an introvert, so getting alone time is important for me to recharge, whether that’s going for a walk or to a spin class or just sitting at home.
What is your most used app?
No surprise: Instagram. I’m on it too often and I’m guilty of following way too many people and brands. I’m very glad they added the collections features otherwise I’d never remember who to check in on or what inspired me most. My screen grab folder was getting out of control!
Did you always want to be in the restaurant industry?
I’m Greek, so it was basically my destiny.
But actually, getting into the restaurant industry was always a pipe dream of mine. I grew up in restaurants. My Dad was a restaurant owner, along with both my parents’ parents and many aunts and uncles, so naturally I had a passion for the business. After working in Digital Marketing and Brand Strategy for years, mostly in the fashion and lifestyle industry, I started to feel the pull of switching it up and moving into the food space. I started shifting my thoughts and then, just like that, the opportunity to get involved with Virtuous Pie came my way and I followed it.
What product would you seriously stockpile if you found out they weren’t selling anymore?
It is kind of embarrassing: Sleepy Time tea. I have to have at least one mug before bed and this has been a “thing” for about 12 years. Also the WOODSMOKE + AMBER candle by Sydney Hale Co. My partner, Jarrett and I always have one burning when we are home. We light it every morning while we have our coffee together, and again at night while we listen to records and read.
What emoji best describes you?
🙌 Two hands raised up in the air.
Who should EVERYONE be following right now?
@Virtuous Pie for all your pizza and ice cream dreams come true! If you’re already following us, then definitely Stephanie Broek. Stephanie is a fashion writer and consultant who is vegan and pro-sustainability.
What is your favourite place to travel to?
Growing up, I spent most of my summers in Greece with my family. Every time I visit and it connects me to this other side of myself that I don’t always tap into when I am in my day-to-day North American life.
The energy of the people, the architecture, how they come together at mealtime and how kids there still have so much freedom at such a young age — it inspires and energizes me. In my dream future, I’m able to spend months at a time there and visit Europe using Greece as my homebase.
Tell us about a Babe who has supported you?
Katie Ruddel of Kokomo Foods is an amazing support. We actually just met about a year ago through work, even though we joke about how it feels like we’ve known each other forever. It has been such a dream to connect with her since we have a lot of parallels in work and life right now. It’s so helpful to have someone to check-in with and bounce ideas off of, someone who just “gets it.”
How would you describe your personal style?
I would say my style is classic and clean. I’m pretty low maintenance, so I like to lean on classics like the perfect white t-shirt, a crisp white oversized shirt, tailored coats and trousers, and some reliable denim to keep it effortless. There are so many beautiful and feminine jewelry artists today; I love collecting new pieces to add a bit of character and for a more contemporary twist.
What is the most fulfilling part of your career?
Creating a space where people can have experiences. I absolutely love the moment when we have our first guests in a new space. I get to watch them interact in the space and come together around our food. There’s always a moment where I think, “I helped create this.”
Do you have a morning routine?
I like to wake up before my partner to have some personal time before I start my day. I wake up, take my dog to the couch for a quick snuggle, do my 5-minute “pages” (write in my journal), then I go for a walk with my dog, and pick up coffee along the way. When I get back, I join my partner on the couch for coffee round two, check my email and write my to-dos for the day before I head into the office.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Cookies. I love them and one of my greatest pleasures is dunking cookies in coffee. Yes, I’m a dunker.
When I dance I look like….
Courtney Cox from the Bruce Springsteen music video, Dancing in the Dark.
What quality of yourself are you working right now?
I’m working on being a “time realist” not a “time optimist.” I tend to over-commit myself because I get really excited about doing everything and helping others, thinking “I’ve got the time,” but it can leave me stretched too thin. I can drive myself to burnout which is not helpful for anyone.
What is the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome in business?
Becoming adaptable. Nothing will ever go quite like you planned and it’s important to be open to that: observe and listen, gather the facts, adjust your strategy and beliefs and move forward. If you stay ridged, you’ll end up wasting a lot of time and energy that could have a much better use.
What advice do you have for those trying to break into the restaurant industry?
Before opening your doors, spend time thinking about who you are as a business. What are your values? What is your vision and mission? What is your product and how does it stand out from what already exists? What is your plan for the quality of the experience (food, space, customer experience, people culture, etc.) How will you give back to the community and your customer? Don’t fall back on, “figuring it out as you go” because people are smart and they’re demanding more from brands starting, especially new ones trying to gain a place in their saturated lives.
Keep up with Lia on Instagram @lialoukas.
Introduction written by Lindsay Pearce.
Photography by Ryan Pugsley.