The UK’s beloved Pizza Express is taking on the US with the opening of a new restaurant in Florida.
Founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, the chain, which first launched in London’s Soho, has long been a staple on the British high street.
It’s a level of success the team hopes to recreate across the pond with its first pizzeria in Florida, opening next year.
Franchisee Purple Square Management, which currently operates more than 245 locations including Dunkin Donuts and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, will partner with the chain to open its first U.S. location.
The move will bring Pizza Express closer to its goal of expanding to 1,000 restaurants worldwide by 2030, along with its restaurants in India, Hong Kong and Singapore, among others.
Chris Holmes, development director at Pizza Express, said: “This marks an important milestone in our global journey as we introduce our brand to one of the most dynamic markets in the world.
‘We are a place where pizza fans, no matter how small, can enjoy Dough Balls on demand, where colleagues or dates can drink Margaritas with Margheritas or enjoy a Peroni with a Padana.
‘With an American love story behind our popular American pizza, it seems only right that we share this joy with American pizza fans along with our first franchise partner, Purple Square. “We’re here to raise the bar for pizza in America while bringing the best of Pizza Express to new audiences.”
The British chain Pizza Express will open its first restaurant in the United States (pictured: Pizza Express in London)
Meanwhile, Vik Patel, chairman and chief executive of Purple Square Management Company, said: “This is a coming full circle moment to bring a brand I loved and grew up with in London to a new market hungry for a pizza experience. superior”.
‘We know this concept has the potential to resonate with American consumers in a truly unique way.
‘Walking into a PizzaExpress location is a unique experience, designed to welcome everyone, whether you’re taking the kids for a bite to eat or immersing yourself in the energy of live music.
‘We are thrilled to introduce its rich heritage, inclusive atmosphere and affordable prices to our home state of Florida. “This is just the beginning of a journey that we are sure will inspire a new wave of dining experiences across the country.”
It comes after celebrity chef Marcus Wareing said Pizza Express serves the best pizza in London and he has eaten the same dish there for 20 years.
The Michelin-starred chef sparked a heated debate on TikTok channel Top Jaw last summer by revealing his love for the chain’s ‘American Hot’ pizza on a ‘Roman’ base with extra chili.
Some urged him to “return his stars” or “take away his Michelin star now”, while others praised his “lack of food snobbery” and said “everyone enjoys what they enjoy”.
Meanwhile, food critic Hannah Evans said the MasterChef judge’s comments “simply revealed that he is out of touch with London’s spectacular food scene”.
The chain, founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, aims to expand to 1,000 restaurants worldwide by 2030.
Pictured: Pizza ingredients are placed in glass bowls as an employee garnishes pizzas in the kitchen of a PizzaExpress restaurant in London.
Others on the video app talked about their favorite dishes from the chain, including the Sloppy Giuseppe, which was also endorsed by host Jesse Burgess, and the Calzone ‘Nduja.
And he’s not the only high-profile fan. hollywood star Eva Longoria once told Jack Whitehall about the best Italian food she had ever had. I was in a Pizza Express in Cardiff.
Wareing, owner of three restaurants including the Michelin-starred Marcus in Knightsbridge, spoke to Top Jaw last July.
In an interview clip titled ‘London’s Best Pizza’, Burgess asked him: ‘What’s the best pizza?’
Wareing responded: ‘This is easy, but you’re not going to like the answer: Pizza Express.’ I know, I know.
‘I still eat the same pizza I’ve been eating for the last 20 years, American Hot, I love it, Romana, a little more chili, I love it, it has to be a Romana base.
‘And you know what? Every time I go, they cook it exactly the same.’
Burgess said, “You know, I like Sloppy Giuseppe on a Roman base.”
How Pizza Express was founded by an Associated Press worker who couldn’t find a good pizza in London
Peter Boizot, founder of Pizza Express
The first Pizza Express opened on Wardour Street in London’s Soho on March 27, 1965, opened by founder Peter Boizot.
He had been working in the Associated Press news photography department in Rome and selling postcards from a burial mound in St Peter’s Square, but was said to have been unable to find anywhere in London to buy a proper Italian pizza.
He shipped a real pizza oven from Naples and was also the first man to import Peroni beer into the UK.
A Pizza Express restaurant, photographed in 1997
The original Soho location opened selling square slices of pizza on greaseproof paper through the front window, before opening an Enzo Apicella-designed restaurant with a wine list and dining tables.
Boizot sold his shares in the company in 1992 and the company was owned by several companies until Chinese private equity group Hony Capital bought it in 2014 for £900m.
The chain has 370 restaurants in the UK and Ireland and 80 stores abroad in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Boizot died in December 2018 at the age of 89, and his entire estate was swallowed up by a £45,000 tax bill owed upon his death. He lost most of his money by taking over and investing in his struggling local football club, Peterborough United, and buying a theatre, art galleries and a hotel.
In March 2020, all Pizza Express restaurants in the UK were forced to close indefinitely due to the pandemic.
That July, the group announced that “dozens” of its closed restaurants would not reopen amid reports it had racked up £1.1bn of debt.
The following month, it was announced that the company would close 67 of its UK restaurants and cut 1,100 jobs.
In November 2020, the group’s restructuring was completed and reportedly helped reduce debt by over £400m. Then in October 2021, Pizza Express said it planned to open 50 new restaurants in a post-pandemic expansion.
Then Wareing replied: ‘You have your flavors, I have mine.’ Works.’
Burgess then said: “Pizza Express will love it.”
Hannah Evans, deputy food editor at The timesHe then wrote in the newspaper: “I will never feel comfortable listening to a chef criticize Pizza Express.”
‘He was a stalwart of my childhood. I had birthday parties there. But come on, Marco. The best pizza in London. Actually?
‘Saying Pizza Express makes the best pizza is panic police, like saying the best Italian in London is Jamie Oliver’s. Where’s your inside information, huh?
A Pizza Express spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Our iconic American Hot has long been a customer favourite, and now a Michelin star chef too!
“There will always be a marble table with Marcus’ name on it at Pizza Express.”
Wareing famously loves visiting Pizza Express with his kids, having previously talked about it in other posts.
talking to spear magazine in 2012 he said: “This may come as a surprise, but I am a regular customer of our local Pizza Express with our children and I think it is a fantastic business.” I have tried other pizzerias but the service is poor.
‘When I go here I know what I’m going to buy, how long it will take, the kids love it and it gives me a free day to cook!’
When asked about the guardian where he takes his children to eat out, the former MasterChef judge said: “They love Pizza Express, which I think is always good.” And The Butcher and Grill in Battersea. They receive adequate food and coloring books.
American actress Longoria, who writes cookbooks and previously founded a restaurant in Los Angeles, also praised the branch while filming the BBC comedy series Decline and Fall in Wales.
Speaking about her co-star on food critic Jay Rayner’s Out To Lunch podcast in 2021, Whitehall claimed that Longoria was completely unaware that Pizza Express is a popular restaurant chain in the UK.
Whitehall told Rayner: “She said, ‘Oh God, I found the most amazing little Italian last night.’ The owner, I think it’s family-owned, was so lovely and I had the best pasta I’ve ever had anywhere in the world. It’s called.
Speaking to MailOnline at the time, an Italian staff member at the Cardiff branch, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m not surprised he liked Pizza Express.”
‘I am from Naples and I can assure you that our food is authentic. Our ingredients are fresh and we have high standards.
“No wonder I thought it was the best Italian food I’d ever had.”
Pizza Express was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, who brought a pizza oven from Naples and a chef from Sicily to London after a trip.
Opening its first restaurant on Wardour Street, the chain now has 370 restaurants in the UK and Ireland and 80 outlets across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
In July 2014, the group was sold to China-based private equity firm Hony Capital in a deal worth £900m.
Five years later, Pizza Express hired financial advisors to prepare for talks with creditors after experiencing financial difficulties following a drop in restaurant demand.
In March 2020, all Pizza Express restaurants in the UK were forced to close indefinitely during the Covid pandemic.
That July, the group announced that “dozens” of its closed restaurants would not reopen amid reports it had racked up £1.1bn of debt.
The following month, it was announced that the company would close around 67 restaurants in the UK and cut 1,100 jobs.
In November 2020, the group’s restructuring was completed and reportedly helped reduce debt by over £400m.
Then in October 2021, Pizza Express said it planned to open 50 new restaurants in a post-pandemic expansion.