Dubai: The first time they saw a traditional pizza oven, they had no clue what they were looking at.“It was the size of the room,” 44-year-old Monika Misztal said.As a young couple in Poland, Bart and Monika Misztal had tried their hands at several businesses when they got offered the chance to run a restaurant at one of the hill stations in Poland.There was only one problem – they didn’t know anything about making pizzas.“Thankfully, the previous owner was a really kind old man. He was Italian and ran several Italian restaurants in Poland and just couldn’t take care of this restaurant, which is why he wanted someone to take over operations,” Bart said.The young couple, who were both just 21 at the time, learnt the basics of making pizza for a week from the Italian owner.More than two decades later, the couple doesn’t just run a pizzeria but also sells pizza equipment – from ovens to every other item a restaurant might need to set up a pizza business.Building a business on wheelsThis pivot to selling pizza equipment happened early in the couple’s journey. After one year of running the pizzeria in the hills of Poland, the previous owner returned, looking to take back the restaurant that was now making money.“We did a few other businesses after that and in 2011, we moved to the UK,” Bart said.Two years later, the couple got married, and their journey together has always been intertwined with running businesses together.In 2015, after trying their hands at different businesses they pivoted back to pizzas.“We saw the niche when we say that this sector was developing,” he said.Along with becoming a supplier for pizza equipment, the two also decided to sell pizzas, not through a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but a travelling food truck.“We created a mobile setup and started catering at events. We were doing festivals, private catering, weddings, markets, local markets, all sorts of stuff. It was literally a seven-days-a-week job. And every day was in a different location because we were mobile,” Bart said.Screenshot 2026-07-17 172433British weather, too, made sure that no two days were the same.Monika said: “In the UK, it’s a very big challenge because the weather is not really like here, is it? It changes daily. It’s very windy, sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s very cold, and we were two people in a van, making pizzas.”Screenshot 2026-07-17 172118Business and road tripsBut even as the two spent long days and late nights building their pizza business, their focus was always the same – getting the best quality ingredients, understanding the science behind the food and ensuring they delivered the same quality of pizzas consistently.Often, they would talk about starting their own restaurant.During a trip to Scotland, where they had to deliver equipment to a local business, the two stopped over at Loch Ness. At a coffee shop, Monika picked up another mug to add to her growing collection of mugs from different places they visited. The illustration was a fun take on the famous Loch Ness Monster.“The mug showed ‘Nessy’s’ different moods – happy Nessy, angry Nessy, naughty Nessy … and naughty Nessy just stuck in my head,” Bart said.Looking at his wife, he said: “That’s it – Naughty Pizza, that what we should call it when we start our restaurant.”Despite Monika being less than convinced, Bart went ahead and trademarked the name the same day.Screenshot 2026-07-17 171603In 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic shutting down businesses, the couple started their first ever restaurant, even as their friends and well-wishers told them to think twice.“No risk, no fun, right?” Bart said.The response, according to Monika, was nothing short of phenomenal.“It was just crazy. There was a queue for, like, a kilometre or something outside the shop,” Monika said.“I think people were just hungry to go out. Plus, I think the response was also because we had a very good product. We developed the concept quite deeply, the menu was very nice, so it worked very well,” Bart added.The Dubai DreamWith the restaurant in the UK booming, the couple now decided to make their next big move.“This was the dream, to open the restaurant in Dubai. The market here is just so big and competitive,” Monika said.They first began with the pizza equipment business, setting up a warehouse in Dubai Investments Park in 2020, which is still part of the couple’s business.“We opened an office, a whole workshop, a demonstration kitchen for all the machinery and everything else,” Bart said.In 2023, they opened Naughty Pizza in Business Bay, bringing their Italian-inspired concept to the city, and soon opened a second location at Dubai Festival City in 2024.The Dubai market, though, was a completely different ball game for the two.“It is much more competitive. There is so much more to do for the customers. Marketing works on another level,” Bart said.The science behind the perfect pizzaPhoto credit: Ashok VermaDespite the challenges, what has helped the couple make inroads into a new market is their focus on getting their fundamental ingredients right – ingredients they had carefully selected over the years, as the two travelled through Italy as young entrepreneurs.“The key product, like flour, is from Salerno, which is just near Naples. And the mozzarella we use is also from the Neapolitan region, from Campania. It’s from one small factory where it is produced. We know exactly what product we need to serve,” Bart said.The two also know how to adapt to the way ingredients may react to different regions and at different times of the year.“Working with flour is a science, the product reacts differently to different temperatures. The weather changes outside, and that can change the way the dough rises. You have to adapt the recipe to the environment as well,” Bart said.Another big factor in the business’s success, according to him, is that he does not say ‘no’ to any opportunity that comes his way.“Even if it looks small, a small event, a small order, I can’t say no. Because you don’t know if it can lead to bigger opportunities. No matter what opportunity you get, you have to squeeze it like a lemon,” he said.Partners for lifePhoto credit: Ashok VermaIt is this constant search for the next opportunity that also makes it difficult for the couple to truly switch off.“If, by chance, we go on holiday after three or four years, I’m still working. I ‘rest’ with the laptop on my knees and the phone in my ear. Always,” he said.For Monika, though, it is just the person her husband is.“He complains about this, but it’s very natural for him to always be involved and do something that is interesting for him. It’s like … he cannot do ‘nothing’,” she said.Today, the couple live in Dubai with their three cats, continuing to build their business together.And for the college sweethearts, who have built their life around a shared love for pizza and adventure, that understanding has become one of the foundations of their partnership.“Being an entrepreneur often means risking a lot. Sometimes you make a decision that kicks you in the back and sometimes it pays off. But at the end of the day, we are always together. She’s not always happy with the decisions I make. But she says, ‘If you believe this is the way, just do it’,” Bart said.“Yeah, maybe this is the key,” Monika added.
