Pizza Express - Next one to collapse?
Discussion
breamster said:
easytiger123 said:
It's a chain of pizza restaurants. A couple can eat there for £40 tops. They are £655 million quid in debt. This isn't about Pizza Express. It's about a different PE...private equity. Their private equity owners have loaded them up with debt while raping the business for their own benefit. Quite why anyone lends these 
s the money is beyond me.
This!!s the money is beyond me.Another company loaded with debt by a private equity firm. The company itself turns a profit apparently but not enough to cover its debt which is over £1bn according to some reports.
king pizza dey gotta have to sell. And 93mil service payments,,,, I got better credit rates for the loan on my van. Crazy.Thankyou4calling said:
It’s very easy to solve the issues at PE.
1. It’s way too expensive so drop prices
2. Too much choice so simplify the menu.
3. Drill down on costs most pertinently rent.
4. Market business as a value offering.
Definately need to drop prices. 1. It’s way too expensive so drop prices
2. Too much choice so simplify the menu.
3. Drill down on costs most pertinently rent.
4. Market business as a value offering.
Although saying that, It's expensive for people like me who can't be asked looking for vouchers, but thrifty people do always have the vouchers.
Wouldn't say it has too much choice, salad, pizza and pasta are all ordered when I take the kids.
3 is a difficult one, the decor is reasonably middle class, if they started branding like pizza express anyone with money would leave.
They also haven't got their act together on delivery- why use Deliveroo, you are big enough to do your own pizza express?
Get some moped drivers, start marketing leaflet drops and take business from other national pizza brands delivery businesses.
Last thing- service can be appalling. Not enough staff.
And sometimes can be a while to get seated, as the same poor sod is serving, front of house and cleaning the tables.
It certainly has gone down hill win the last 5 years. We used to eat there in the past but the quality has seriously deteriorated. The shop on my town is lovely and the people are nice and friendly, but they have gone from a nice middle class Waitrose version of Pizza Hut to something else entirely.
As other posters have said it was all fine until the Private Equity turnaround leaches turned up and sucked it dry. It's doomed.
As other posters have said it was all fine until the Private Equity turnaround leaches turned up and sucked it dry. It's doomed.
hyphen said:
Although saying that, It's expensive for people like me who can't be asked looking for vouchers, but thrifty people do always have the vouchers.
Meerkat 2 for 1 food and film is brilliant. Once you are set up, you just open the app, press a button and show the waiter. I think you can get the same offer by signing up on the Pizza Express website, but the Meerkat app is so much more convenient and will show you lots of other nearby restaurants with offers.I guess this is part of the problem Pizza Express has. If they withdraw from the app I would go to another pizza restaurant. If it's a Friday or Saturday when the app isn't valid, I'll chose another restaurant and save the visit to Pizza Express for a day I can use the app.
Pinoyuk said:
Won’t be missed ! “Franco Manca “ are so much better for a medium cost Pizza. “Home slice “ even better and actually cheaper ! But PE had amazing locations . They should rob some one high from Franco to give their pizza’s a new look and a bit more 2020 .
For me this is the issue with PE.There are now lots of places that make better pizza than PE at a very similar price point (if not slightly cheaper).... Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims to name but two.
Edited by thebraketester on Monday 7th October 22:01
J4CKO said:
Our local one is ok, but it is expensive, paid seventy quid, eighty by the time we had added a tip for two Pizzas, a desert each and some drinks.
Can go to the independent Italian two doors down and have some really decent stuff for similar money.
The Gino dacampo pizzas from Iceland don't taste much different to be fair,good frozen food now is very close in quality. Can go to the independent Italian two doors down and have some really decent stuff for similar money.
I love a calabrese.
These sorts of debts, you wonder how they are still going? How do you start to make things right?!
Any branch I’ve been to have been alright and pretty consistent. Of course there are better pizza out there but generally these are nice. They have certainly been the next rung up from Pizza Hut/dominos etc and in line with the other more ‘upmarket’ chains.
You know what you are getting and it’s usually alright for where it sits.
Prices... vouchers only. Why wouldn’t you, even their own app makes it easy to save.
A local independent opened recently though and the taste and quality of ingredient shines through.
These sorts of debts, you wonder how they are still going? How do you start to make things right?!
Any branch I’ve been to have been alright and pretty consistent. Of course there are better pizza out there but generally these are nice. They have certainly been the next rung up from Pizza Hut/dominos etc and in line with the other more ‘upmarket’ chains.
You know what you are getting and it’s usually alright for where it sits.
Prices... vouchers only. Why wouldn’t you, even their own app makes it easy to save.
A local independent opened recently though and the taste and quality of ingredient shines through.
Joey Deacon said:
I
Pretty obvious to anyone that all of these casual dining chains that appeared out of nowhere over the last ten years are in trouble. The growth was not real growth, it was financed with debt and that debt is not serviceable if there is any slowdown in sales.
.
They started out in London in the late 60’s it has not appeared from no where.Pretty obvious to anyone that all of these casual dining chains that appeared out of nowhere over the last ten years are in trouble. The growth was not real growth, it was financed with debt and that debt is not serviceable if there is any slowdown in sales.
.
Jordan210 said:
Partner got given a £20 gift card a few weeks ago. Looks like I'm going to Pizza Express tomorrow to send that !
Make sure you get a bogof code or 25-33 off bill code usually available Sunday-Thursday. Maybe if PE cut the crap deals they try and foist and just charge a regular price so odd numbers eating don't get screwed over they may get more trade.
You do wonder when the alarm bells start going?
We are 30mil down.... 50mil..... Christ 100mil.... do you think we have an issue?.... let’s change the menu... 150mil.... damn..... erm... 200mil.... sales of calzone will pick up.... 600mil....
st... we shouldn’t have taken ‘chocolate glory’ off the menu!...
We are 30mil down.... 50mil..... Christ 100mil.... do you think we have an issue?.... let’s change the menu... 150mil.... damn..... erm... 200mil.... sales of calzone will pick up.... 600mil....
s
t... we shouldn’t have taken ‘chocolate glory’ off the menu!...Another thread full of the uninformed yet very vocal objectors.
It seems if you don’t frequent the company or work in the industry, then your armchair expertise is shouted even more loudly.
As to the ‘dense as mince’ idiots who alway spout ‘“good riddance” on these threads, I presume you’d happily say that to an ex-employee in the pub?
Thought not.
It seems if you don’t frequent the company or work in the industry, then your armchair expertise is shouted even more loudly.
As to the ‘dense as mince’ idiots who alway spout ‘“good riddance” on these threads, I presume you’d happily say that to an ex-employee in the pub?
Thought not.
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