"Haute Couture Pizza": Biga Dares the Experience at €78 Per Person (Excluding Drinks)

The young Schaerbeek-based pizzeria Biga is testing, as of this April 13, a model of experiential gastronomy featuring blind tasting evenings. If it proves to be well-executed and well-received by the clientele, the initiative could serve as a lever for both reputation and profitability for this quality-conscious establishment.

© BIGA

"With this new format, Biga offers an experience that is lived as much as it is tasted," the pizzeria, founded in 2022, announced via a press release. Once a month, there is no set menu but rather a blind tasting menu where everything is custom-made. "Each evening is imagined as a haute couture creation, crafted for the guests based on the inspiration of the moment, seasonal products, and the team’s discoveries." Biga is no longer selling only pizzas, but cultural capital.

For the occasion, the Schaerbeek establishment is undergoing a notable move upmarket, shifting from an average ticket of 32 euros to a tasting evening at 78 euros, excluding drinks, and available by reservation only. The use of luxury codes goes beyond storytelling and relies on already established legitimacy (Gault & Millau 2025, Fooding 2024) to justify, in a sense, this culinary and pricing audacity.

As the first pizzeria in Brussels to work with wholemeal flour made from whole grains and ancient varieties, and named after an Italian pre-ferment that aerates the texture of its dough, Biga is moving further into a dimension of artistry, personalization, and exclusivity. The risk for this fine establishment located on the communal square would be a perceived "disconnection" by the clientele.

Spending nearly 100 euros per person, including drinks, for dough and toppings – no matter how noble they may be – requires irreproachable technical execution and service that exceed the usual standards of a pizzeria. Organizational details already seem to mitigate this pricing issue: the fact that the event is monthly creates a sense of rarity, and by draping itself in the haute couture concept, the focus shifts from the product alone to the emotion and surprise that the experience is intended to evoke.

The invitation to share preferences and intolerances in advance creates strong customer proximity, marking a shift from a standard transaction to a more personal relationship. Furthermore, this upselling strategy makes it possible to test price elasticity for current customers and the level of attraction exerted on a new segment: "luxury foodies."

Good Ingredients on the Counter, but Demanding Ones

From a strictly operational and financial perspective, the initiative by Biga should not be seen as a simple calendar event (with the first evening being organized during closing days), but as an optimization laboratory.

By switching to a "Carte Blanche" model – the name of the theme of the first blind tasting – the Italian restaurant benefits from ideal menu engineering. The impact on margins becomes potentially very high because while the price doubles compared to the average ticket, the cost of ingredients generally does not increase in the same proportions.

The mandatory reservation system, and potentially prepayment, secures revenue and limits food waste. The chef is liberated from the constraints of a fixed menu and can cook the best of what is available based on market opportunities or seasonal requirements.

However, this premiumization strategy pushes the pizzeria out of its comfort zone. By tripling the ticket price with drinks included, Biga leaves the category of casual – albeit quality-oriented – dining to enter direct competition with bistronomic or even gastronomic establishments. At this price level, the customer no longer forgives any lack of precision.

The challenge will not only be on the plate but also in the transformation of the dining room service. The staff must transition from flow management to the role of a culinary narrator. Every gesture and every explanation regarding the origin of a product or the choice of a pairing must contribute to the experience.

The logistical complexity of a bespoke service can also pose a problem. Reconciling an immersive experience with the personalized consideration of each guest's desires is a performance. If the pace falters or if the service lacks character, the "pizza" aspect will overshadow the "haute couture" aspect, creating an unpleasant sense of discrepancy for the customer.

The success of the Biga experiment will depend on the ability to maintain total coherence between the haute couture promise and trivial details, such as the comfort of the chairs or the acoustics of the room. Otherwise, the "too expensive for what it is" syndrome will drive dissatisfied customers to attack the restaurant's reputation on social media.