Pizza Express takes on America! UK chain to open new Florida branch
Britain’s beloved Pizza Express is taking on America with the opening of a new restaurant in Florida.
Founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, the chain was first launched in London’s Soho and has long been a mainstay on the British high street.
It’s a level of success the team hopes to create across the pond with its first pizza restaurant in Florida, opening next year.
Franchisee Purple Square Management, which currently operates more than 245 locations including with 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, in addition to its restaurants in India, Hong Kong and Singapore, among others.
Chris Holmes, Chief Development Officer of 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 lovers, no matter how small, can enjoy Dough Balls on demand, where friends or dates can sip Margaritas with Margheritas or enjoy a Peroni with Padana.
“With an American love story behind our popular American pizza, it only seems 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 the United States while bringing the best of Pizza Express to new audiences.”
The British chain Pizza Express will open its first restaurant in America (photo: Pizza Express in London)
Meanwhile, Vik Patel, president and CEO of Purple Square Management Company, said: “This is a full-circle moment in bringing a brand I loved and grew up with in London to a new market that wants a want a better pizza experience.
“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 bringing the kids for a bite to eat or enjoying the energy of live music.
“We are excited to bring the rich heritage, inclusive atmosphere and affordable price point to our home state of Florida. This is just the beginning of a journey that we are confident 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 that he has been eating the same dish there for 20 years.
The Michelin-starred chef sparked feverish debate on TikTok channel Top Jaw last summer by revealing his love for the chain’s ‘American Hot’ pizza on a ‘Romana’ base with extra chilli.
Some urged him to ‘give his stars back’ 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 showed he is out of touch with London’s vibrant food scene’.
The chain, founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, wants to expand to 1,000 restaurants worldwide by 2030.
Pictured: Pizza toppings sit in glass bowls as a worker decorates pizzas in the kitchen of a PizzaExpress restaurant in London
Others on the video app discussed their favorite dishes at 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 the best Italian food she had ever had was at a Pizza Express in Cardiff.
Wareing, who owns three restaurants including the Michelin-starred Marcus in Knightsbridge, spoke to Top Jaw last July.
In an excerpt from the interview entitled ‘Best Pizza in London’, Burgess asked him: ‘What is the best pizza?’
Wareing replied, “This one is easy, but you won’t like the answer: Pizza Express. I know, I know.
“I’m still eating the same pizza I’ve been eating for the last twenty years, American Hot, I love it, Romana, a little extra chili, I love it, it has to be a Romana base.”
‘And you know what? Every time I go it’s cooked exactly the same.”
Burgess said, “You know, I like Sloppy Giuseppe on a Romana basis.”
Then Wareing replied: ‘You have your taste, I have mine. It works.’
Burgess then said: ‘Pizza Express is going to love that.’
Hannah Evans, deputy food editor at The timeswrote in the newspaper at the time: ‘I will never enjoy hearing a chef make fun of Pizza Express.
‘It was a feature of my childhood. I’ve had birthday parties there. But come on, Marcus. The best pizza in London. Real?
‘Saying Pizza Express makes the best pizza is panicking, like saying London’s best Italian is Jamie Oliver’s. Where’s your insider information, huh?’
A spokesperson for Pizza Express told MailOnline: ‘Our iconic American Hot has been a long-standing customer favorite – and now a Michelin-starred chef too!
“At Pizza Express there will always be a marble table with Marcus’ name on it.”
Wareing is known to enjoy visiting Pizza Express with his children, having previously spoken about it in other publications.
Speak with Speer’s magazine in 2012 he said: ‘This may come as a surprise, but I regularly visit our local Pizza Express with our children and I think it is a fantastic business. I’ve tried other pizza places but the service is lacking.
“When I go here I know what I’m getting, how long it’s going to take, the kids love it and it gives me a day off from cooking!”
At the request of The Guardian where he takes his children out for dinner, the former MasterChef judge said: ‘They like Pizza Express, which I think is always good. And the butcher and grill in Battersea. They get a good meal and coloring books.’
American actress Ms Longoria, who writes cookbooks and previously founded a restaurant in Los Angeles, also praised the establishment while filming the BBC comedy series Decline and Fall in Wales.
Speaking about his co-star on food critic Jay Rayner’s Out To Lunch podcast in 2021, Whitehall claimed Longoria was completely unaware that Pizza Express is a popular restaurant chain in Britain.
Whitehall told Rayner: “She said, ‘Oh God, I found the most incredible little Italian last night. The owner, I think it’s a family business, he was so charming and I had the best pasta I’ve ever had in the world. It’s called. . . Pizza Express.”’
Speaking to MailOnline, an Italian worker at the Cardiff branch, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I’m not surprised she liked Pizza Express.
‘I’m from Naples myself and I can tell you that our food is authentic. Our ingredients are fresh and we set high standards.
“It’s no wonder she thought this was the best Italian food she’s 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.
The chain opens its first restaurant on Wardour Street and now has 370 restaurants in Britain and Ireland and 80 locations in 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 £900 million.
Five years later, Pizza Express hired financial advisors to prepare for discussions with creditors after experiencing financial difficulties due to a decline in demand for dining out.
In March 2020, all Pizza Express restaurants in the UK were forced to close indefinitely during the Covid pandemic.
In July, the group announced that ‘dozens’ of its closed restaurants would not reopen, amid reports that the group had racked up a £1.1bn debt pile.
The following month it was announced that the company would close around 67 restaurants in Britain and cut 1,100 jobs.
In November 2020, the group’s restructuring was completed, reportedly helping to reduce debt by more than £400 million.
Then, in October 2021, Pizza Express said it planned to open 50 new restaurants in a post-pandemic expansion.