PizzaExpress forays into Delhi NCR

PizzaExpress recently forayed into Delhi NCR with its first outlet at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The brand presently has six outlets in Mumbai and Thane. Established in 1965 in London, PizzaExpress operates over 500 restaurants around the world in 14 different countries. The first outlet was launched in India in 2012, at Colaba in Mumbai, in partnership with Gourmet Investments, a company promoted by the Bharti Family Office. They are now planning to open another outlet in Gurgaon. Gourmet holds the exclusive master franchise rights for the PizzaExpress brand for India and South Asia including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.

Talking about the launch, Sanjay Nandrajog, CEO, Atrium Restaurants India, which manages PizzaExpress in India, stated, “Our consumer research has shown that Delhi’s customers are looking for something new and unique in the casual dining sector as well as the Italian restaurant space, something that PizzaExpress could readily offer.” Atrium Restaurants India is a subsidiary of Gourmet Investments and a licensee of PizzaExpress.

Believing in serving authentic Italian pizza, Nandrajog said, “There is a vast difference between the ‘Americanised pizzas’ that are served by other brands here and the pizzas at PizzaExpress. However, based on our customer research and feedback, we have introduced certain food items to our menu to cater to the local tastes while retaining our authentic Italian focus like Apollo Pizza with tandoori chicken and Melanzane Piccante with Aubergines. PizzaExpress, UK is fully committed to helping us build the best western casual dining brand in India.”