Pizza express.

The service is so variable its almost a lottery. A couple of years ago, the Perth branch was staffed almost exclusively by eastern europeans and the service was fantastic. On the last visit at the end of October it had reverted to being run by North Muirton neds and was ‘kin awful.

On recent experience I can recommend the one in Kendal and Southampton Row.

PE’s business model is based on the use of discount vouchering as opposed to marketing budget to advertise.

Not sure that’s the case, a lot of restaurants are using discount vouchers now just to fill covers as discretionary spending has taken a big hit post 2008. It’s hurting the bottom line:

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/feb/27/tragus-cafe-rouge-strada-losses-restaurant-vouchers

Is it just me or is it a strange name for the brand? Pizza Express, it sounds like a kebab shop. Also if the dough is made and toppings are ready to go, a pizza takes 10 mins max….. so why is their place called ‘express’?

EDIT: Bit of history from Wikipedia:

Founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot, PizzaExpress opened its first restaurant in London’s Wardour Street. Inspired by a trip to Italy, Boizot brought back to London a pizza oven from Naples and a chef from Sicily.[3] In 1969 jazz performances began at its Dean Street restaurant, London.[4] PizzaExpress was the first to bring pizza to the UK high street in 1965[3] and was the first to sell Peroni beer in the UK.[5]
In 1995, PizzaExpress expanded into Ireland and currently operates 10 restaurants there under the brand name Milano.[6] The company also owns the brand name Marzano. Originally Marzano was used in countries where the brand name Pizza Express was not available, as with the use of the name Milano in Ireland, but it also exists in some territories, such as Cyprus, to differentiate between the restaurants selling primarily pizza and those offering a wider range of non-pizza meals inspired by Italy

When you’re in a strange town on business and need a reliably decent meal PE fits the bill just fine, it won’t be memorable but it’ll do just fine.

The Pizzas in Italy though, oh my god, even little places that are essentially a stone oven set into a wall with a few plastic chairs next to it seem to churn out the most amazing food, if you think they’re no better than PE you’ve been taken to the wrong places.

It wasn’t “express” last night but the 40 mins between entering and getting food was a welcome change which gave iua us time to talk as a family.
I also skipped the peroni as I was driving, but on seeing the price I was glad I was driving.
All in all we enjoyed it and will go back to the same one as the staff were lovely and all the food was eaten.

What restaurant can you buy a big (600ml?) Peroni for much less than £6 then?

(Pubs don’t count)

Not sure about Pizza Express, but I’m not so keen on eating commercial pizza dough after learning what chemicals get thrown in 😯

Pizza night Friday with homemade soughdough pizza FTW!

Cheers,
Jamie

llama – Member
What restaurant can you buy a big (600ml?) Peroni for much less than £6 then?
(Pubs don’t count)

Virgin lounge Melbourne free…

PE if fine, it offers pretty decent pizza at a reasonable cost.
The menue has prices and no one makes you order a large peroni. ( I don’t think 6 quid is too bad )

Two pizzas and two beers for just over £30. That’s not bad. It’s a bloomin bargain if you have one of the many vouchers.

Yes, its not the ultimate restaurant or the ultimate pizza. The same order in zizzi or Ask would be just as much and probably of a worse quality.

Virgin lounge Melbourne free…

Has the champagne run out?

What restaurant can you buy a big (600ml?) Peroni for much less than £6 then?

Probably not many, I wasn’t complaining at the price, (though the £4.20 a bottle stuff doesnt seem expensive ) just that I always seem to spend a lot in there. I blame the company I’m usually with.

One of the only places that has anchovies, a pizza is not complete with out those little salty fishies, this apparently is not a commonly held belief 😆

I like it.

We took my (hair shirt wearing) older brother there once, for my daughters birthday party – lovely pizza, bit I’ve never heard someone gripe so much about price, and he wasn’t even paying 😉

seriously, its a running comedy in the family, never spends a penny, vouchers for everything – even goes to the library to use the internet rather than pay for it at home. Just for a laugh we bought him Taybarns vouchers as a present once – I don’t think he ate for a week before or after 😆

Why not stay in and have fun with the kids building your own pizza, fun, easy and the ingredients are inexpensive… own choice of toppings…

Why not indeed… 🙄

Sometimes people like different things..

DrP

Two pizzas and two beers for just over £30. That’s not bad.

You live in London, don’t you?

At an East Lancashire pub and then on to a kebabbery: Two pints of decent beer rather than fizzy pish, fiver; two 12″ pizzas, tenner. For “just over” thirty quid I could go out on the lash, grab a pizza on the way to getting a taxi home, and still have a tenner left.

Granted, the ‘ham’ is turkey painted pink, but as a voodoo vegetarianist this doesn’t overly concern me.

Why not stay in and have fun with the kids building your own pizza, fun, easy and the ingredients are inexpensive… own choice of toppings…

Yes, I agree. Wrightyson is a bad parent.

You live in London, don’t you?

Cougar, try ANY civilised town south of the mines…..
Beer/cider’s at least £3.50 a pint, even in a dingy pub!

DrP

I live just outside London but I can’t think of a place I’ve visited in the uk or Europe where it has cost any less.

I’ve recently been in geneva for a few months. The same meal would cost around £80 – £100.

At an East Lancashire pub and then on to a kebabbery: Two pints of decent beer rather than fizzy pish, fiver; two 12″ pizzas, tenner. For “just over” thirty quid I could go out on the lash, grab a pizza on the way to getting a taxi home, and still have a tenner left.

I believe the phrase you are looking for is ‘kebablishment’.

Still, comparing a takeout to a restaurant isn’t really fair. And you still have to live in East Lancs.

And you still have to live in East Lancs.

Surely there’s no need to live North of the Watford gap in this day and age?

And you still have to live in East Lancs.

…in the 1980s.

Unsurprising that people on STW would be all snobby about Pizza Express I suppose

It’s not snobbery from me, I simply think that PE is overpriced and underportioned.

There’s one in Cirencester, right next to a proper little Italian trattoria. A few times I’ve come out of the Italian after a really nice, really good value, home-cooked meal and looked at the folks in PE and thought ‘why’?

But, you know, each to their own.

A close mate of mine at uni, the nephew of Peter Boizot the founder of PE, floated PE on the stock market. Made a fortune, it then crashed under the new management, then bought it back into private ownership, rejigged and resold it for a huge amount!!
Clever business strategy if it works!

Surely there’s no need to live North of the Watford gap in this day and age?

Unless you’re into mountain biking of course.

There’s one in Cirencester, right next to a proper little Italian trattoria. A few times I’ve come out of the Italian after a really nice, really good value, home-cooked meal and looked at the folks in PE and thought ‘why’?

But, you know, each to their own.

Yeah, you definitely don’t sound like a snob – or massively smug. 😆

I’m all for independent restaurants, home-cooked food, yada yada yada – but I think PE do what they do well, and sometimes it’s what you want.

Can I also suggest if you think their portions are small you’re a greedy ****! I’m a big guy and I can barely finish most of their pizzas. I’d agree it’s a bit overpriced unless you are using a code though.

Yeah, you definitely don’t sound like a snob – or massively smug

I can assure you, I’m neither. I’m just confused as to why someone with a direct choice of two establishments serving a similar style of food would pick the one that has higher prices and inferior food. The answer is, of course, mainly, the power of branding.

I think PE do what they do well, and sometimes it’s what you want.

This is perfectly fair. Sometimes I just fancy a burger, and, as I’m not a food snob, if McD’s (or better still BK) is the nearest place doing it, that’s where I’ll go. However, if there was a place right next store to either that sold better burgers for a cheaper price, I’d go there.

Clever business strategy if it works!

The guy that runs Hell Pizza in New Zealand did the same thing, started from scratch built a good chain and reputation, sold it, new owners screwed it up he bought it back.

Love Hell Pizza 😛

Surely there’s no need to live North of the Watford gap in this day and age?

So far south of the Watford gap that it’s fine, anything from the channel to Cumbria/Durham/Northumberland is a dump really.

Pleased it isn’t just me who objects to £6 for a beer. FFS, it is not like there isn’t enough margin in a £10 or £12 pizza as it is. I reckon the pizza costs them about £2 to make so even taking into account the staff and overheads, the pizza makes them plenty of margin without raping me for a beer on top of it.

As far as I know they don’t even use a proper wood fired oven do they?

There’s one in Cirencester, right next to a proper little Italian trattoria. A few times I’ve come out of the Italian after a really nice, really good value, home-cooked meal and looked at the folks in PE and thought ‘why’?
But, you know, each to their own.

Equally, our local family run trattoria, is more expensive than PE and serves pish. They trade on their ‘authenticity’ to the pseuds.

They don’t take Tesco vouchers either 🙂

Pleased it isn’t just me who objects to £6 for a beer. FFS, it is not like there isn’t enough margin in a £10 or £12 pizza as it is. I reckon the pizza costs them about £2 to make so even taking into account the staff and overheads, the pizza makes them plenty of margin without raping me for a beer on top of it.

Did they force you in there at gunpoint?

I can assure you, I’m neither. I’m just confused as to why someone with a direct choice of two establishments serving a similar style of food would pick the one that has higher prices and inferior food in my opinion.

FTFY. Not everybody likes the same stuff – your opinion isn’t necessarily superior to other peoples’.

I reckon the pizza costs them about £2 to make so even taking into account the staff and overheads

So at £6.31/hr (UK Minimum wage) you get 19 minutes of staff time.
Assuming it takes 2 mins to take your order, 3 to make the pizza, say 2 to slice it and bring it to your table and 2 to clear and wash up thats 9 mins which leaves £1 for ingredients, heating, lighting, insurance, ovens, and all that other shit that people making mad claims on the internet don’t understand. Our local cheap as **** pizza shop used to charge £6-8 for a large pizza just about thrown at you.

Equally, our local family run trattoria, is more expensive than PE and serves pish. They trade on their ‘authenticity’ to the pseuds.

Fair enough, but this means my other statement still applies, but this time in PE’s favour

I’m just confused as to why someone with a direct choice of two establishments serving a similar style of food would pick the one that has higher prices and inferior food. The answer is, of course, mainly, the power of branding.

They don’t take Tesco vouchers either

I live in Cirencester darling, do they take Waitrose vouchers? 🙂

Not everybody likes the same stuff – your opinion isn’t necessarily superior to other peoples’.

Exactly, which is why I said

But, you know, each to their own.

Came across as: ‘if those stupid plebs want to eat their rubbish chain food then let them, I’ll be at the authentic trattoria, revelling in my awesomeness’ 😉

well it is STW Grum

Why doif those stupid plebs want to eat their rubbish chain food then let them, I’ll be atwhen they too could be at the authentic trattoria, revelling in the glow of my awesomeness

🙂

your opinion isn’t necessarily superior to other peoples’.

+1

the Pizza Express Calabrese is pretty much my favouite dish ever!

we go to them in London all the time, 2-4-1 with the tastecard, or there was a 40% off deal not long back. they’re a contractor’s dream.

what makes me angry is when they try to refuse the tasecard because we didnt book or something! even when its completely dead. ive even been turned away at the door for not pre-booking only to stand outside phone them up and book a table for right then! jumped up jobsworths.they also pull yor pants down with Peroni! as if anyone ever pays full price tho!?

mikewsmith – Member
well it is STW Grum

Why do those stupid plebs want to eat their rubbish chain food, when they too could be at the authentic trattoria, revelling in the glow of my awesomeness

🙂