Pizza Express Changing its menu

[Carlovski]

Pizza Express (Described as 'Mcdonalds for middle class people by my friend) is 'updating' it's menu,see here.

Not sure about some of there 'innovations', but I am strangely fond of the chain, and hope they do well.

It's always been a reliable standby when out in a group. Usually along the lines of

Where shall we go?

Somewhere cheap!

Don't fancy Indian.

That place is rubbish,

Oh sod it, lets go to Pizza express.

At least they take some business away from the unspeakable evil which is Pizza Hut.

[Gavin Convery]

I actively like Pizza Express because if you've got kids then the virtues of (usually) reliable food which you know they will eat far outweigh any snob values of it not being authentic in some undefined way.

Hmm, yes and I suppose I am middle-class whatever that is these days

[Stigand]

I tried the new Parmense pizza the other day and it was pretty good.

It's nice to see that the competition from Strada etc is causing Pizza Express to raise its game (more, larger pizzas; some sensible menu extensions). I suppose selling thin pizzas to the middle classes has become a mature market now: lots of competition and little producer surplus. I don't think we need to weep for Pizza Express shareholders though - that's business as they say.

Is it just me or is there a big difference between two different types of Pizza Express branch: you've got the small, neighbourhood-y ones that are often located in nice converted premises (e.g., Pimlico, Dulwich Village), and the huge aircraft-hangar-y ones that feel like downmarket Conran gastrodomes (e.g., the one on the South Bank or the new Richmond branch). I like the second sort a lot less than the first sort. But I wonder if nowadays most of Pizza Express's business is done in the hangars. If this is true, this might have something to do with their declining profit margins as well.

[Carlovski]

Some of them are in very nice buildings too - The Winchester one is built onto a National Trust building and has some lovely views.

Garlic Dough balls are strangely addictive for what is just Dough and butter as well!

Edited May 6, 2004 by Carlovski (log)

[Carlovski]

Seems odd that it took 40 years to put olives on the menu.

I'd be interested to see what the breakdown of sales is per Pizza type. I get the feeling that they could have saved a few more bridges if they put the venice contribution onto the American or the Sloppy Guiseppe.

The leek and rosemary one (Prince something) sounds interesting, not one of their New New ones, but must have been added since I last went I think (Unless I just bypassed it, you don't really need to read the Menu in Pizza Express!)

[Marco_Polo]

Some of them are in very nice buildings too

The Exeter Pizza Express is in an old Tudor (?) building that escaped the bombs, magnificently sited and positioned overlooking the city's Gothic cathedral.

I too like Pizza Express, always pretty reliable and the wines are usually better than average. I'm not sure if it's still available, but for a time they offered Donato d'Angelo's exceptional Aglianico del Vulture from deepest Basilicata - doubt if they sold much coz of the offbeat and unknown name, but we drank it by the buckets. Of course just about anything at all would taste good with that richly flavoured stunner (though I usually go for the American hot - creature of habit).

As far as pizza chains go, what does anyone think of Zizzi's. I know it's the same ownership as ASK, similar menu, but the whole schmoozle seems to me to work far better. Nice atmosphere, fake wood oven (thank god, real wood ovens unless handled skilfully are a recipe for disaster), efficient and friendly young staff. We've now got one on Gandy Street here in Exeter, nothing great or exceptional but a very pleasant venue to meet friends or to take the kids.

Marc

[daw]

Is it just me or is there a big difference between two different types of Pizza Express branch: you've got the small, neighbourhood-y ones that are often located in nice converted premises (e.g., Pimlico, Dulwich Village), and the huge aircraft-hangar-y ones that feel like downmarket Conran gastrodomes (e.g., the one on the South Bank or the new Richmond branch). I like the second sort a lot less than the first sort. But I wonder if nowadays most of Pizza Express's business is done in the hangars.

This variation in types of Pizza Express is nationwide, we have a neighbourhood one here in North Leeds which is a nice friendly relaxed sort of place and a city centre one that is so different. In Sheffield the Meadhow one is another to steer clear of, but then come to think of it so is Meadowhall.

David

[Gary Marshall]

the original units were in these 'historic' buildings as they were cheaper!

the dash for growth and its stock market quote meant abandoning the interesting buildings, plus competition from the other chains/pubco's

york branch is in an old gentlemans club and is quite spectacular.

first went to one ealing in early 1990's, had an american hot, i've never had anything else. I know what i like

cheers

gary

[howardlong]

the dash for growth and its stock market quote meant abandoning the interesting buildings, plus competition from the other chains/pubco's

Here's some trivia.

The original founder, Peter Boizot, who is a friend of my father and a mild acquaintence of mine sold the controlling interest in Pizza Express IRC in 1992 or 1993 to Luke Johnson and Hugh Osmond for £15m.

Coincidentally Hugh and I hooked up with each other just before the PE takeover at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomph and the Grand National through a mutual friend around April/May 1992: at that time all I knew about him was that he had lost an enormous amount in the '87 crash, and he drove around in a Peugeot 205.

Next time I met him about a year later, he was driving a Bugatti after floating Pizza Express.

In 1997 he sold his interest in PE for £150m. Nice money if you can get it. He used the money to buy pub interests from Bass and run Punch Taverns.

I'd lost touch until about 1999 when I saw his face on the front of the Times business section when he bought Allied Domecq's pubs for £1bn or so.

Next time he hit the headlines with such a big splash was about a years ago with a £5bn failed bid of Six Continents.

Luke Johnson is now the head of Channel 4, but in between times runs the Belgo chain including the Ivy and Le Caprice.

I guess I ended up getting in with the wrong crowd. At least Hugh's hair is greyer than mine, although sadly he has much more of it.

Peter Boizot has relinquished control of many of his remaining assets leaving his son to run what remains. Examples of other interests (past and present) include chairman of Peterborough FC, Pizza on the Park and Kettners, as well as a hotel and cinema in Peterborough.

Cheers, Howard