Malawi's Pizza Hosts Ribbon Cutting For Fredericksburg Food Truck

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Malawi's Pizza is celebrating their fourth year in business in the Village at Spotsylvania Town Centre. On Thursday, the restaurant will celebrate the anniversary with the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new food truck.

Across the country, Malawi's Pizza locations are known for their Meal for Meal Exchange Program. For every meal sold at a Malawi's Pizza restaurant, the business donates one meal to a child in Malawi, Africa.

Patrick Church owns the Malawi's Pizza location in Fredericksburg, alongside his wife, Rebecca. Like many small businesses, they faced a number of difficulties during the pandemic.

"It truly was the local, loyal patrons that carried us through these difficult times," Church said. "We are thrilled to make it through the difficulties presented by the pandemic."

In a news release, Malawi's noted that the Fredericksburg location struggled with supply chain issues, a worker shortage, and decreased foot traffic at the mall.

Malawi's Pizza reached their goal of one million donated meals last year, the company said. Now, they are moving on to another mission.

Church said he and his wife are launching "Feed FXBG," which encourage other local companies to help address hunger needs in the Fredericksburg community. "It’s exciting making a difference in Malawi, but it’s equally as important to make a difference in the local community," Church said.

Thursday's ribbon cutting is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Church said he plans to discuss more details about the Feed FXBG initiative at the event.

The ceremony will also include a guest speaker, Dr. Ben Litalien. Litalien is the founder of Franchise Well, an organization that developed the business model for Malawi's Pizza.

"Consumers are interested in more meaning from their dining experience," Litalien said in a news release. "Pizza with a Purpose is more than a marketing tactic, it is a serious corporate commitment to ‘pay it forward’ to those in need."

More information about Malawi's Pizza and the event is available on the restaurant's website and Facebook page.