Prezzo (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Prezzo is a chain of Italian
restaurant
s in the United Kingdom
. The first restaurant opened on New Oxford Street, London
in November 2000. There are now over 160 branches all over England
, and Scotland
. It is operated as part of the Prezzo
restaurant group; who also operate the Chimichanga, Immo and Ultimate Burger chains in the UK.
It competes with several other similar Italian restaurant chains including Pizza Express
and Strada
.
including 12 within London alone. Prezzo commonly converts old buildings of architectural value from their old purposes into Prezzo restaurants ; examples include an old cinema.
The Chief Executive of Prezzo plc, Jonathan Kaye, is the son of Reginald Kaye and nephew of Philip Kaye. Both these men were in the resturant industry themselves with the Golden Egg cafe in the 1960s and Italian resturants Garfunkel's and Deep Pan Pizza, both now sold to Restaurant Group
. In 2008 Jonathan hired cousins Adam Kaye and Samuel Kaye (sons of Philip Kaye) to join Prezzo plc board of directors . Adam and Samuel founded Ask (restaurant)
and Zizzi
.
Prezzo has links with the children's charity Fight For Life; some of the profits raised by selling select dishes from the Prezzo menu is donated to the charity.
In 2011 the award winning celebrity chef Aldo Zilli
designed 4 pizzas which were added to the Prezzo menu under the name of "V.I.Pizzas" .
The chain continues to grow steadily, reporting a 17% rise in profits to £7.3million (GBP) in September 2011 . The company also continue to expand into new restaurant locations, reportedly aiming for a 10% increase in restaurant numbers in 2012 .
, low-fat and served with salad. The menu also caters for vegetarians, offering 30 meat-free dishes.
Prezzo also have links with Tesco
where members of Tesco's ClubCard scheme can trade points earned by shopping in Tesco for Prezzo vouchers. The company also offers a 25% student discount for students holding an NUS Extra card .
The company's Chief Executive, Jonathan Kaye, was named 'Restaurateur of the Year' in the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Catey Awards 2011 .
Prezzo restaurants are commonly compared to those of similar chair Pizza Express
. In several reviews Prezzo has been given a more favourable rating than it's competitor .
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The first restaurant opened on New Oxford Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in November 2000. There are now over 160 branches all over England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is operated as part of the Prezzo
Prezzo (group)
Prezzo PLC is a chain restaurant operator in the United Kingdom. It operates using several casual dining brands:*Chimichanga*Immo*Prezzo*The Ultimate Burger...
restaurant group; who also operate the Chimichanga, Immo and Ultimate Burger chains in the UK.
It competes with several other similar Italian restaurant chains including Pizza Express
Pizza Express
PizzaExpress is a restaurant group with over 400 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 40 overseas in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. It was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot.In Ireland, PizzaExpress trades under the name Milano....
and Strada
Strada
Strada is a chain of Italian restaurants in the UK. It was spawned by Luke Johnson. It has 64 restaurants, mostly in the South of England with a few in the Midlands, North of England and in Wales. It is positioned as upmarket of Pizza Express....
.
History
In 2000, the first Prezzo restaurant was opened in Central London by Jonathan Kaye . There are now over 150 Prezzo restaurants operating within the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
including 12 within London alone. Prezzo commonly converts old buildings of architectural value from their old purposes into Prezzo restaurants ; examples include an old cinema.
The Chief Executive of Prezzo plc, Jonathan Kaye, is the son of Reginald Kaye and nephew of Philip Kaye. Both these men were in the resturant industry themselves with the Golden Egg cafe in the 1960s and Italian resturants Garfunkel's and Deep Pan Pizza, both now sold to Restaurant Group
Restaurant Group
The Restaurant Group plc is a leading British chain of restaurants and public houses. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
. In 2008 Jonathan hired cousins Adam Kaye and Samuel Kaye (sons of Philip Kaye) to join Prezzo plc board of directors . Adam and Samuel founded Ask (restaurant)
Ask (restaurant)
ASK, also known as ASK ITALIAN is a British casual dining restaurant chain that serves Italian cuisine. It operates in 120 locations in the UK. It is operated as part of the Gondola Group....
and Zizzi
Zizzi
Zizzi is a chain of Italian restaurants found across the United Kingdom which is owned by Gondola Group, who also own Ask and PizzaExpress restaurants. There are currently 87 Zizzi restaurants in the UK. Many include a masonry oven, visible over the counter to the customers, where pizzas are...
.
Prezzo has links with the children's charity Fight For Life; some of the profits raised by selling select dishes from the Prezzo menu is donated to the charity.
In 2011 the award winning celebrity chef Aldo Zilli
Aldo Zilli
Aldo Zilli is an Italian-born celebrity chef who specialises in Italian cuisine. One of nine children, he was born in the small seaside town of Alba Adriatica in the central Italian region of Abruzzo...
designed 4 pizzas which were added to the Prezzo menu under the name of "V.I.Pizzas" .
Financial History
In February 2006 Prezzo owned 73 restaurants and decided to seriously expand the business by dropping the price per share. This successfully raised £7.125 million through a share placing to fund further expansion. Net cash at the half-year was £9.4 million. During the first six months of 2006, Prezzo opened 12 new restaurants . At the end of this year Prezzo showed a 45% growth in turnover to £54.2m and pre-tax profit grew from £6.1m the year before to £8.7m . In April 2008 Prezzo saw sales grow again to £70.1m and Pre-tax profit rose 25% to £13.6m .The chain continues to grow steadily, reporting a 17% rise in profits to £7.3million (GBP) in September 2011 . The company also continue to expand into new restaurant locations, reportedly aiming for a 10% increase in restaurant numbers in 2012 .
Products
Prezzo offers a range of Italian inspired dishes including pizzas, pastas, salads and meat dishes . Alongside this, the company puts an emphasis on "Light Options" which are lower-calorieCalorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
, low-fat and served with salad. The menu also caters for vegetarians, offering 30 meat-free dishes.
Environmental Record
At the start of 2011 Prezzo along with a number of other restaurants joined Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). For any business joining the SRA they have to make a number of pledges to improve their environmental and sourcing polices. Also it means the business will improve their waste management to be more sustainable .Offers
Prezzo commonly run promotions via their website. Examples include "2 Main Courses for £12".Prezzo also have links with Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
where members of Tesco's ClubCard scheme can trade points earned by shopping in Tesco for Prezzo vouchers. The company also offers a 25% student discount for students holding an NUS Extra card .
Awards
Prezzo was awarded the 'Best Casual Dining' award at the 2011 MIDAS (Menu Innovation and Development Awards) . The chain was also awarded the 'Best Italian Restaurant Chain' award by the Pizza and Pasta Association (PAPA) in 2007 . The chain has also been awarded 'Best Pizza Chain' by BBC Olive magazine in 2009 .The company's Chief Executive, Jonathan Kaye, was named 'Restaurateur of the Year' in the Caterer and Hotelkeeper Catey Awards 2011 .
Prezzo restaurants are commonly compared to those of similar chair Pizza Express
Pizza Express
PizzaExpress is a restaurant group with over 400 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 40 overseas in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. It was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot.In Ireland, PizzaExpress trades under the name Milano....
. In several reviews Prezzo has been given a more favourable rating than it's competitor .