How to Start Your Own Pizza Restaurant Franchise

Becky Martin, writer

Published at 04/02/2019, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 6 min

How to Start Your Own Pizza Restaurant Franchise — Photo © pizza-restaurant-franchises.jpeg

A serious contender for the most loved food ever, pizza can be found in every part of the world. Today we find out how you can start your own pizza restaurant franchise in the UK.

Versatile enough to soak up the idiosyncrasies of any culture, and just as at home in a formal setting as a late-night impulse binge, it is hard to see demand for pizza dipping. In fact, there were around 12.1 million visits to pizza restaurants in 2019 (Statista). Setting up your own pizza restaurant may seem like one of the easier food franchise options, but that doesn’t mean it’s as simple as opening your doors and waiting for hungry customers to come. With so much competition it can be difficult to be distinctive and make a name for yourself. So to make life easier, we’ve compiled our top tips for launching a pizza restaurant franchise.

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Reasons why starting a pizza restaurant franchise is a great idea

1. Brits love pizza!

Research suggests that pizza is the most popular food purchased in restaurants and the second most popular in supermarkets (2018, Infographic Journal).

2. They are quick and simple to make

One of the greatest strengths of a pizza restaurant business model is that pizzas can be produced easily and rapidly. Bulk pizza prep is cost-effective and straightforward, which helps maximise your profits.

3. It’s a lucrative industry

There are over 5840 pizza stores in the UK and the pizza restaurant market values around £1.271 billion. Want to start the next? Keep reading to find out how…

Find even more benefits in our ‘6 Advantages of Running An Italian Pizza Franchise’ article.

Top tips for staring a pizza restaurant franchise

Choose the franchise or independent start-up route

Buying into an established pizza restaurant franchise could be the best option for you. As well as associating you with a recognised brand, becoming a pizza franchisee gives you access to a level of support and training that might not otherwise be available.

Investing in an established pizza franchise has a number of potential advantages. For any new business, one of the main challenges is building a name and recognition. With something as relatively simple as pizza, people are after consistency. Having an established brand lets people know what they can expect from you.

Another key benefit is training and support. Running a business is always going to be a challenge, but there is a big difference between setting up your own restaurant and becoming a franchisee. Having an established pool of expertise and advice to make use of gives you a huge advantage. You will also have an edge when it comes to marketing and advertising, and access to the latest technology (such as a smartphone app for ordering).

Decide on your pizza restaurant service style

The industry ranges from restaurants, sit down establishments to takeaways, but the goal is always the same. People love pizza for a few simple reasons: it is quick, cheap and hugely customisable. Not too affordable though – with every supermarket stocking a huge range of cheap pizzas, restaurants need to be worth the added expense.

Pick your location

Your location is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, you want to make sure that you do not have too much local competition. If you are primarily operating as a takeaway, you will benefit hugely from being the only local option. You will also be able to capitalise on the impulse purchases made by people walking by. The location will also influence which pizza franchises are open to you. Some franchises may be looking to establish a presence in certain areas, while others could be open to a suggestion of a good spot. You need to use your due diligence here, as once you have set a location it will be difficult to move it.

Choose the perfect pizza franchise for you

Choosing the right pizza franchise to invest is of central importance. First and foremost, you need to actually like the products being sold, so indulge a little and do some taste testing. Next, you should look at the company ethos and messaging – is this something you can get behind and throw a lot of your time and energy into?

Different pizza restaurant franchises will have different approaches. Some are much more hands on than others, so if you want to learn from a proven model you should be looking for an established training programme.

Make sure you can afford it

Now it is time to get down to the business of buying into your chosen franchise. Get in touch with the franchise development team of the company and talk everything through. While every process is distinct in its own way, there tend to be a lot of similarities.

You are going to need a fairly large initial investment. In fact, the investment and start-up costs may be more than those that would be involved in setting up an independent pizza restaurant. But, you are paying for the brand name and all of the resources that come with it. You are also going to have to factor in your monthly royalty payments into your financial planning.

Get support from a franchise solicitor

The process also involves a lot of paperwork. It is all-important though, and the vast majority of it is to ensure that franchisor and franchisee are aware of exactly what their relationship is and what is expected of both parties. If you have never owned a business before, or are new to the fast food game, it is highly recommended you enlist a franchise solicitor to help. Wading into this amount of legal documentation on your own could result in vital details being missed.

Hire your staff

Once all the finances and documentation is dealt with, all that’s left to do is prepare to open your doors and start churning out the pizzas. Your first priority is getting some staff and trying to drum up some interest in the local area. If you have bought into a bigger franchise, you will find that word of mouth is a substantial source of free advertising. Some franchisors help you with recruitment but some expect you to do it on your own, make sure to check this when examining the franchise agreement with the franchise lawyer.

Pizza restaurant franchise opportunity

Bella Italia

Bella Italia is a British high street staple. With a recognisable image and more than 40 years of industry experience, Bella Italia is a hugely popular brand among franchisees.

Becoming a Bella Italia franchisee: Franchisees must possess the necessary skills to run a branch of such a recognisable and popular restaurant chain. You should also have a good network of contacts, a strong track record in the food and drink industry and have the motivation to take the business to the next level.
How much you need to invest: Investors must be able to put £700,000 into their new business.
What you get for your investment: Bella Italia does not leave you in the dark when it comes to setting up your business. Franchisees will be able to rely on access to an operations portal and a comprehensive training package to ensure that the business runs at maximum efficiency. What’s more, Bella Italia will also provide a dedicated support team to assist franchisees throughout their franchising journey.

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Start your own thriving pizza restaurant franchise

Remember, once you are up and running, you need to ensure that the quality of your food and your service doesn’t drop. While the demand for pizza is unlikely to disappear, people also have high expectations. When produced well and with love, the pizza is much better than the sum of its parts. We have a number of pizza franchises on our books; start browsing today.