Pizza Restaurant Franchises: Create Your Own!

It’s easy to see why Brits have fallen in love with pizza. The Italian dish can be customised to suit all palates, it’s affordable, and it tastes delicious. But have you ever thought about investing in a pizza restaurant franchise?

Pizza restaurant names

Pizza restaurant names dominate high streets up and down the country. In fact, there are nearly 6,000 pizza stores across the UK to cater for our obsession with the dough-based treat. Pizza has even overtaken fish and chips as the nation’s favourite meal. It’s now the most popular food served in restaurants and the second most purchased item in supermarkets.

There are many big brand pizza restaurants, many of which offer franchise opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. Of course, there are also some smaller, independent pizza restaurants that have created eye-catching and memorable names in order to stand out from the competition. However, coming up with an attention-grabbing name is just one of the many hurdles that a non-franchise pizza restaurant has to overcome.

Investing in a franchise means that the franchisee benefits from being part of a recognisable brand name with a ready-made fan base. For an independent pizza restaurant, building up a loyal customer base can take months, even years plus a significant marketing budget to get the word out. Franchisees also receive training and support, which is invaluable when just starting out as a business owner.

>> Read more:

• Fresh Out of the Oven: The 5 Best Pizza Franchises in the UK
• Enjoy a slice of the action with a pizza franchise
• Pizza Restaurant Franchises: Create Your Own!
• Pizza Restaurant Franchises - How To Start Your Own
• Italian Pizza Franchises- What Opportunities Are Available in the UK?
• What profit can you make with a pizza business?

Pizza Hut restaurant

Perhaps the most famous pizza restaurant franchise is Pizza Hut. Established in 1958 by Dan and Frank Carney, Pizza Hut is well known for its Italian-American dishes, including pizza and pasta. Pizza Hut has nearly 17,000 restaurants worldwide making it the world's largest pizza restaurant brand in terms of locations.

To become a franchisee with this global household name, you’ll need experience in both retail management and the restaurant industry. You must also be ambitious, as you’ll be expected to open at least two restaurants within an agreed period and a further five at some point in the future.

You’ll be required to make a minimum investment of between £130,000 and £150,000 plus access to liquid funds. In return for your investment, you’ll receive comprehensive training and ongoing support, which can be adapted to fit your requirements and experience. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of being a Pizza Hut franchisee is that you’ll be granted the rights to use the Pizza Hut brand and tried and tested systems.

Italian pizza restaurant franchise opportunities

As well as Pizza Hut, there are plenty of franchise opportunities for you to consider.

Papa John’s

Papa John’s is one of the most recognisable pizza restaurant brands in the world. Along with the 350 franchises in the UK, there are a total of 5,000 restaurants in over 40 countries. Not bad for a business that started in a broom cupboard back in 1984.

Since its humble beginnings, Papa John’s has built up a reputation for mouth-watering pizza and excellent service. This makes it an excellent choice for any budding entrepreneurs who are considering owning a franchise. Depending on the location and size of your business premises, a Papa John’s franchise requires an investment of between £170,000 and £225,000 (excluding freehold and VAT) of which £100,000 should be in liquid funds.

When you become a franchisee, you'll attend a comprehensive six-week training programme that’s a combination of practical experience in a Papa John's restaurant and classroom-based learning. The support that you’ll receive doesn’t stop when you complete your initial training. You’ll be guided on selecting and fitting out your premises as well as given advice on essential business activities such as marketing, recruitment, and staff management.

Fireaway

If you’d rather invest in a less-established brand than Pizza Hut or Papa John’s, you could become part of Fireaway, an exciting new Artisan pizza franchise. Started in 2016, Fireaway has taken a fresh approach that allows customers the chance to have their personalised pizza designed, prepared, and cooked within 180 seconds. Now that’s fast food.

With several restaurants already doing well in London. Fireaway are on the lookout for franchisees to take the concept to other areas of the UK. The primary focus of the takeaway franchise for the foreseeable future is to grow their brand. This is why the only cost to you would be a franchise fee of £349 and a £50 contribution to the marketing fund per month.

Owning a franchise has never been so affordable and simple. Fireaway will take care of everything to get your business up and running. In-house builders will kit out your restaurant, authentic Italian chefs will be recruited, and training and all the marketing will be taken care of for you. And, what’s more, no previous business or restaurant experience is needed. It’s a real turnkey opportunity for any first-time franchisees.

Bella Italia

Bella Italia has been a familiar brand name on our high streets for over 40 years and delights customers by bringing a little bit of Italy to the UK. As you’d assume from a pizza franchise of this prominence and reputation, the standards expected of prospective franchisees is high. Bella Italia is looking to partner with ambitious, well-funded entrepreneurs with good local connections, and a strong track record in the food industry.

To become a franchisee, you’ll need to make a total investment of £700,000 plus VAT. That makes Bella Italia one of the top-end franchise opportunities, but it boasts an impressive franchise package to match the price tag. As well as access to an operations portal, you and your team will receive extensive training to allow you to provide the best possible service to your customers.

You’ll also benefit from the work of the dedicated food development team at Bella Italia that diligently develop the most authentic Italian dining experience for customers. Simple, yet delicious food is top of the agenda. With Bella Italia restaurants open all day, the menu is more varied than any other Italian branded restaurant in the UK so that it can appeal to all tastes and budgets. But what’s the best-selling dish? Well, it’s pizza of course.