How to Make a Career Change With a Pizza Franchise

Starting a pizza franchise is an exciting and profitable way to enter the food service industry. If you’re ready for new adventures and challenges and you’ve got a passion for all things pizza, here’s how to make a career change with a pizza franchise smoothly and successfully.

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Pizza accounts for a third of the UK delivery market [Statista], and this, combined with the market share cornered by sit-down Italian restaurants, makes a pizza franchise a hugely viable investment. If you’d like to enter a popular, high-demand sector and start a pizza-focused food franchise today, you can. Follow the steps outlined below, and you’ll be enjoying a slice of the action with a pizza franchise in no time.

Why consider making a career change with a pizza franchise?

The UK pizza delivery and takeaway industry is worth £3 billion [IBISWorld], and as a franchisee selling pizza, you’ll never be short of competition. But you’ll also never be short of demand, giving you every opportunity to succeed in your franchise territory. Aside from high demand, there are many advantages to running a pizza franchise, including:

• The readily available franchisor training and support
• The benefits of an established brand name and existing customer base
• The chance to own a business at a reduced level of risk
• The varied, exciting working life
• The versatility and room to experiment offered by pizzas (new toppings, new shapes, etc.)

Operating an individual unit under a parent company is less risky and has a higher probability of success. Franchisors provide extensive assistance and support to their franchisees to ensure the brand’s consistent quality and success. The pizza industry is ever-growing, and a pizza restaurant under a well-known brand is sure to draw customers old and new. - Burchcom

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>> Read more:

• Ready for a Career Change? Check Out These Five Top Franchise Opportunities in the UK
• Career Change: Start a Fresh Career with a Franchise
• Fed Up With the 9-to-5 Perhaps Starting a Franchise Business Is Your Best Next Career Move

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How to make a career change with a pizza franchise

After a particularly challenging 18 months, you might be wondering: What’s the state of franchising in the restaurant sector? Is this a good time to be investing in a pizza franchise? The answer is yes. After two lockdowns and a great deal of interrupted service, pizza restaurants and pizza delivery franchises across the UK are now finally bouncing back from the pandemic, and you could invest in a company on an upswing if you do so now. Here’s how to navigate a successful career change with a pizza franchise in four simple steps...

1. Assess the suitability of your skills and qualifications

Relevant useful qualifications to you, as you look to start a pizza business, are a Level 3 Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership, or a Level 4 Diploma in Hospitality Leadership. If you don’t have any qualifications, don’t fear - many franchise opportunities won’t ask for relevant industry experience, but will instead be looking for specific transferable skills in their franchisees. To determine if you’d be a good fit for a pizza franchise, ask yourself if you are:

• A leader
• A team player
• A fast learner
• A patient person
• Able to provide quality customer service
• Able to accept criticism
• Able to motivate and manage others

2. Research the industry, and your place in it

Industry research is crucial prior to investing in a franchise of any kind, and particularly important in the competitive world of food service. Before you start your own pizza restaurant franchise, look at the latest trends (in the wider sector and in the pizza niche) and figure out where the opportunities that you’re interested in would fit.

Also take the time to assess the opportunities that interest you and figure out what they have in common. If you do this, you’ll be able to get a strong sense of what an average day in your life as a restaurant owner might look like. At minimum, you can expect it to contain things like:

• Hiring, managing and retaining your employees
• Attracting, providing for and retaining your customers
• Maintaining high standards across the board
• Marketing and advertising your franchise
• Testing, setting and updating recipes and menus (dependent on your franchisor’s level of involvement)
• Quality control

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>> Read more:

• 8 Reasons Why Starting a Pizza Franchise is a Smart Business Decision
• Enjoy a slice of the action with a pizza franchise
• Pizza Restaurant Franchises: Create Your Own!
• How to Start Your Own Pizza Restaurant Franchise
• 6 Advantages of Running an Italian Pizza Franchise
• Top 5 Pizza Delivery Franchises in the UK

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3. Consider the costs involved in each opportunity that interests you

The cost of investing will vary greatly, even within the pizza sub-sector. If you’re looking to start a solely delivery-based franchise, for instance, you’ll likely need to invest less than if you’re interested in offering the full restaurant experience. With a restaurant, you’ll also have higher overheads to consider. Evaluate every opportunity you’re considering based on costs to find the right financial fit, and don’t invest until you have. To give you a better idea of what you can expect, here are some examples from the pizza sub-sector:

• Caprinos Pizza - To become a Caprinos Pizza franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £85,000, with franchise fees of £5,000, a total investment cost of £90,000, and a royalty fee charged at 3%.

• Moninna’s Ristorante & Pizzeria - To become a Moninna’s Ristorante & Pizzeria franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £25,000, with franchise fees of £10,000 and operating and advertising fees charged at 9% and 7% respectively.

• Bella Italia - To become a Bella Italia franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £350,000, with franchise fees of £25,000, a total investment cost of £700,000 and a royalty fee charged at 6%.

4. Invest fully in the opportunity, and put in the hard work

The fourth and final step in the journey towards successfully making a career change with a pizza franchise is simple: Put in the hard work once you’ve signed that franchise agreement and committed to becoming a franchisee. Don’t coast by and expect your business to grow while you put in minimal effort. Don’t ignore the training and development opportunities offered to you by your franchisor.

Like everything in life, the more you give to your investment, the more you’ll get back. Franchising is not a source of passive income, and though it can produce amazingly profitable results, it takes effort to get to this stage. Give your pizza business the best possible chance of success by fully committing yourself to it.

Start running your own business in the food service industry today

The food service industry is fast, and if you’re more ready than ever to get stuck into the pizza sub-sector, then you now know where to start. If you’re considering other food-based avenues, Point Franchise has you covered. Check out how to choose the food franchise that’s right for you, and browse the wide range of available investment opportunities.