PizzaExpress

Celebrating National Creativity Day today with a throwback to our incredible Pizza World Championships last month… and a reminder that creativity can manifest in so many ways, from our graphic designers, our food innovators to our amazing restaurant pizza maestros… the pizzaiolos!   The Pizza World Championships last month saw the best of the best come together from around the world (our 460+ restaurants from Soho to Singapore) to show off their amazing skills – from menu innovation to the enviable art of flaring (propelling our delicious dough in the air to aerate it and make it even more crispy and mouthwatering).   Our talented team have been preparing and serving the best pizzas… with flair… for decades, making our restaurants THE destination for celebrations big and small for nearly 60 years.   Pizzaiolo hats off to them… and to the future generations of pizzaiolos, innovators, creators and inspirers – keep dreaming and pushing boundaries!   #LetThereBeFlair

Holiday booked? Check! Passport? Check! PizzaExpress? Check! Did you hear the news: we’re landing at London Gatwick’s South Terminal today! Opening in partnership with Airport Retail Enterprises (UK) Limited, alongside the PizzaExpress favourites the nation knows and loves, we will also be delighting our diners with a delicious breakfast menu, with the Gatwick restaurant the first UK location serving a pizza-inspired breakfast menu. With a breakfast menu including Breakfast Dough Balls & Jam, offering a fresh take on our most famous dish, Italian Bacon & Egg pizza featuring crispy pancetta, Smashed Avocado & Poached Eggs served on golden, freshly baked dough, The Full Works featuring an English breakfast served with a PizzaExpress twist of Dough Sticks, and Pancetta & Maple Syrup Pancakes, pizza for breakfast is truly getting the slice of approval with PizzaExpress London Gatwick! Shout out to all the teams who have worked on this project - make sure to pop by the restaurant next time you're at Gatwick.

Did you know three quarters of parents find planning children's birthday parties more stressful than their day job? From endless to-do lists, dietary requirements, invitation politics, party set-up… and the dreaded clean-up, children's party planning is one of the most stressful things parents have to do. This is why PizzaExpress have it all covered with our Kids' Pizza Making Parties - from a pizza making masterclass, to bottomless squash, party games and gelato - we take the stress out of party planning for kids. Check out our new epic video on all things Kids' Pizza Making Parties at PizzaExpress, featuring none other than James and Clair Buckley. We think we know where your next kids' party will be after watching this!

Our team’s passion for pizza was out in full force at our Global Innovation Centre last Thursday, as the top six talented Pizzaiolos from across our 450 plus global restaurants gathered for the final of the PizzaExpress Pizza World Championships.   The final talented three were chosen from regional heats for embodying the ‘Soho Spirit’ that has been the DNA of our brand for nearly 60 years – showcasing the creativity, craftmanship and flair that our founder brought from Italy to Soho back in the 60’s. It’s what makes our brand unique and what makes our customers come back time and time again.   The stage was set last week for the ultimate showdown, with finalists Radek (PizzaExpress Wandsworth), Reece (PizzaExpress Sheffield St Pauls Place), Bruno (Milano Dún Laoghaire), Limbu (PizzaExpress UAE), Agostino (PizzaExpress Reigate) and George (PizzaExpress Cyprus), bringing their own unique combinations of flavour, flair and fighting spirit.   Each finalist wowed our panel of expert pizza-tasters with their classic and contemporary creations. But only one could take the title. Drum roll please...   We’re thrilled to announce that Bruno, from Milano Dún Laoghaire, stole the show! According to our judges, his masterpiece delivered a “perfect balance of flavours” and was “well thought out, classic and delicious!” Nice work, Bruno – a pizza our founder, Peter Boizot, would’ve been proud of.   But it’s not over yet. Still hungry for victory, our six finalists have now taken their flaring skills to Parma, Italy, where the Pizza World Championships are about to begin. We’ll be cheering them on from here and can’t wait to see what else they bring to the table! 🍕🍕   Shoutout to our expert judges Food & Beverage Director Jane Treasure, Learning & Development Director Ian Watson and BOH Productivity Manager Abdou Saanaoui.

The ‘flour’ is blooming here at PizzaExpress, with our new Spring menu launching today! From our delicious new delivery-exclusive dough innovation, the Large Classic, which has double the dough to create an extra thick and large base, to three iconic pizzas making a return to our menu, Spring has arrived at PizzaExpress. In addition to innovating a brand-new pizza base in the Large Classic, our food team has also revisited our archives to bring back three of the nation’s favourite pizzas: the Romana American Hottest, Soho ’65, and Romana Vegan Mezze. A slice of Spring is waiting at PizzaExpress with our new menu.

Today we'd like to introduce you to one of our long-serving team members: Mark Ryan, our Yorkshire Territory Manager. Mark first joined PizzaExpress over 30 years ago, so let's get to know him this Flair Friday.   #FlairFriday #LetThereBeFlair #ExpressYourselfWithFlair   Tell us about your PizzaExpress journey and what you love about your role. I started as a Trainee Pizzaiolo in 1991 (yes, 33 years ago!) in Leeds. Over the years I've worked in various roles, becoming a General Manager of PizzaExpress Durham in 1998.   I became a Territory Manager in 2007, and have had the pleasure of working with some really inspirational leaders and teams over the years. This is a brand that I love and am proud to say I work for, and I couldn't do what I do without the great people I work alongside.   What's your favourite item on the PizzaExpress menu? My favourite pizza has got to be a Romana American Hot with hot green peppers, 'nduja and chopped black olives. It's a winner - give it a try, you won't be disappointed!   What does 'Let There Be Flair' mean to you? It's where we all work together as one team to look after our amazing customers. It's important to remember how providing a great customer experience from the food we offer to the service we give means customers will come back to us more and more as their favourite place to eat. All of us at PizzaExpress play a massive part in this.

What would your 'Mama Do' if Pixie Lott gave a surprise performance at your Mother's Day lunch?   As the home of family get-togethers, and with our special connection to music through PizzaExpress Live, we surprised pizza lovers with a pop-up show at PizzaExpress at The Pheasantry on Sunday.   We enlisted British icon - and a PizzaExpress fan - Pixie Lott, to treat guests to an epic lunch accompanied by a live performance of her hit songs. What’s more, one mum received the ultimate Mother’s Day surprise: the chance to sing with Pixie on stage!   Check out the video below for a behind the scenes look at this special performance.

Say hello to our Pizza Panel!   As we shared earlier this year, our Pizza Panel is a group of creative and inspiring team members from across PizzaExpress, who come together each quarter with our Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Harvey and Chief People Officer Kate Hetherington, to bring brilliant thinking to the table. Our Panel recently got together to share their passion for our loyalty programme in a discussion with our Chief Digital & Technology Officer Arslan Sharif and our Head of Loyalty & CRM Tara Weavers, alongside sharing their ideas on recognition and of course, all things pizza.   Pizza Panel is just one of the ways our teams can make an impactful difference to our brand. We’re incredibly proud of everything they do and look forward to seeing what 2024 brings!

Today is International Women's Day and with this year's theme being Inspire Inclusion, we were proud to host a workshop with career coach Jane McKenna. Centred around giving our team the tools to challenge themselves when they feel doubt, it was great to hear from Jane, who has over 20 years' experience in helping guide people in fulfilling and purposeful careers. We're passionate about being an inclusive workforce where our team members can bring their whole selves to work, and it was great to see our team getting involved in this workshop and coaching session.

We're thrilled to share that the 2024 Women to Watch in Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail Index has been announced - and three of our PizzaExpress team have been named!   A massive congratulations to our Food & Beverage Director Jane Treasure, Regional Director Adela Maynard-Bielecka, and our Head of Digital & Customer Technology Vanessa Holden, who have been recognised on the list which celebrates women who demonstrate visionary leadership, commercial and operational excellence and a dedication to raising the bar for women across the industry.   We've been a Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure (WiHTL - Diversity in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure) member since 2018, and with a shared commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion across the industry, it's epic to see some of our team recognised on this year's index. You can read Jane, Adela and Vanessa’s Women to Watch profiles here: https://lnkd.in/gXc-wWe6