Q&A: Does Bella Italia Franchise in the UK?

With a huge pool of loyal customers, Bella Italia is one of the UK’s leading restaurant chains. It serves authentic Italian cuisine in a laid-back environment, and offers a variety of money-saving deals. But does Bella Italia franchise? Let’s find out.

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If you’d like to join the food service industry, you might be interested in finding out more about Bella Italia. In general, Italian restaurant businesses are often highly popular, so it’s hardly surprising the family-friendly brand has a huge customer base.

Does Bella Italia franchise?

Yes! Savvy investors are often pleased to discover Bella Italia’s franchise opportunities. The business regularly takes on new franchisees to help the brand grow into new territories. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more about joining the business.

History of Bella Italia

Although Bella Italia has a history spanning more than four decades, it’s a modern brand reflecting current consumer preferences. The chain’s restaurant locations feature contemporary designs and have a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Customers love the brand for its relaxed, all-day dining options.

The Italian restaurant franchise takes pride in its authentic ingredients and dishes, which give customers a true taste of Italy. In the business’s own words, “We find tradition and we treasure it”. The team go above and beyond to source genuine European produce from family businesses across Italy. For instance, the chefs use fresh pesto made by the Contino family in Liguria.

Plus, Bella Italia’s Executive Chef Vittorio Lettieri lets his Italian heritage influence the dishes he creates. Vittorio grew up in Avellino near the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy and, as the youngest of seven children, often helped his mother prepare food for the whole family.

In Italy, the best moments in life are those spent with loved ones, sharing food, friendship and laughter. —Vittorio Lettieri, Bella Italia Executive Chef

The franchise presents the perfect mix of Italian heritage and contemporary values, regularly adapting to better meet consumer demand. In 2017, the Bella Italia franchise team gave the business a comprehensive overhaul, revealing a fresh brand identity and marketing materials.

Today, you’ll find Bella Italia branches in over 100 locations up and down the UK, and more across Europe. The franchise has partnered with several organisations to offer money-saving deals, including a discount for Cineworld Unlimited card holders, as well as the Emergency Services, NHS and Armed Forces. You can also use Tesco Clubcard points to buy Bella Italia vouchers.

The franchise has also expanded its customer base by providing a series of different catering packages, including Bottomless Pizza Party, Bottomless Brunch and Signorina's Night Out. It even offers a birthday treat of a free main meal to all its newsletter subscribers.

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>> Read more:

• 12 Things to Consider When Identifying the Right Location for Your Restaurant Franchise
• 3 Ways to Get Funding For Your Restaurant Franchise
• Regulations and Licences Required to Open a Restaurant
• 14 Tips for Defining and Reaching Your Restaurant's Target Customers
• Hiring Employees for Your Restaurant
• Choosing a Concept for Your Restaurant

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Starting a Bella Italia franchise unit

With a recognisable image and more than 40 years of industry experience, Bella Italia is a hugely popular brand among franchisees. If you join the franchise network, you’ll become part of a UK high street staple.

As a franchisee, you’ll run a business serving up the franchise’s famous selection of delicious, authentic dishes. Pizza dough is hand-stretched and other meals are made with De Cecco pasta, created using only the best grains and produced in Italy since 1886. You’ll even be able to offer a special children’s menu, so the whole family can enjoy eating at your restaurant.

Becoming a Bella Italia franchisee:

To join the Bella Italia franchise, you must be willing and able to invest in your business for three to five years. The franchise looks for candidates with experience in the casual dining sector, preferably working with brands growing across Europe.

You’ll need to have a good track record in the food and drink industry, as well as a network of useful contacts. The motivation to expand your unit over time is also vital for Bella Italia franchisees.

The franchise concept can be adapted to suit a variety of locations and sites, including units of around 275 square metres in service stations, food courts and airports. Alternatively, you could run your business from a larger property of up to 400 square metres in a shopping centre or out-of-town site.

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>> Read more:

• 8 Reasons Why Starting a Pizza Franchise is a Smart Business Decision
• Top 5 Italian Food and Drink Franchises in the UK
• Pizza Restaurant Franchises: Create Your Own!
• 6 Advantages of Running an Italian Pizza Franchise
• Pizza Time Franchise in the UK

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How much you need to invest:

As you’ll be joining a relatively high-profile brand name, you should be prepared to invest a significant amount of money into your venture. It will cost roughly £700,000 in total to get your restaurant up and running, including £25,000 in franchise fees.

Once your Bella Italia franchise unit is established, you’ll be asked to contribute six percent of your net sales plus VAT to the franchisor as a royalty payment.

What you get for your investment:

Bella Italia doesn’t leave you in the dark when it comes to setting up your business; its comprehensive training package will help you run your business at maximum efficiency.

All franchisees get access to a mobile-optimised portal with state-of-the-art systems and CDG Way operating platform. A tailored learning experience will also allow you to reach your full potential throughout your franchising journey.

Bella Italia will also help you set up your premises and provide a dedicated support team with extensive international and brand experience to guide you through the people management process.

What’s more, the team conducts quarterly reviews in the local market to make sure you have the tools and insight you need to develop a successful business.

How to open a restaurant with a franchise

The franchise industry is known for its high-profile restaurant chains. From Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts to McDonald’s and Burger King, there are plenty of brands to explore if you’re interested in joining the food service industry.

Here at Point Franchise, we constantly update our site with the latest high-quality franchise opportunities, but you can also learn more about launching a restaurant with our informative business guides. Just use the search box to get started.