After a devastating year for hospitality, it could be easy to get bogged down in the negative news of closures and tough times, but finally – as we limp towards what we hope is the finish line – there’s some good news.
London mini chain Pizza Pilgrims has announced that its launching eight new sites this year, with branches finding homes in Waterloo, Finsbury Park, Marble Arch and Queensway, with four more locations yet to be confirmed. According to Managing Director Gavin Smith, the move a more regional spread for a firm London core – prioritising the capital.
Previously the pizza restaurant chain had ambitions of moving out to other cities. However, according to Big Hospitality, after the impact of the pandemic Smith says, “the brand has decided to delay some of its more regional ambitions until 2022”.
While there is of course a need for continuity in successful multi-site brands, one of the USPs of Pizza Pilgrims restaurants is that each location feels unique. Smith says that throughout lockdown the brand has given more thought to this, carefully working to ensure each restaurant has “a unique point of difference” in order to give each its own identity.
Pizza Pilgrims has also developed its business in other areas over the past year. The restaurant’s ‘frying pan pizza’ meal kits have been a sell-out success and are now offered on a nationwide basis to appeal to a whole new customer base. The company is also launching a subscription model for its kits, giving regular customers a discount for routine orders.
Additionally, Pizza Pilgrims has launched a new restaurant concept called Slice, which is a ‘food to go’ model placed in areas with high footfall. Smith says the company is waiting to see how the first couple of sites do before rolling it out more widely.
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