Wood fired pizza - opportunities in the UK

[Paul H]

Hi I'm a 46 year old from South London in England and I’m excited by the business potential in the UK for high quality pizza, made from first class ingredients cooked in traditional wood burning ovens. I'm currently arranging to attend a VPN course in either Naples or LA (no language barrier) and additionally gain some work experience in one or more VPN member pizzerias.
My goal is to own and run a a successful first class Neapolitan style pizzeria in my local area. Pizza is of course hugely popular in the UK, but I feel it does not deserve the unhealthy branding it receives - and that scope exists to offer a real alternative to some of the mass produced stuff made with cheap ingredients - which people will much prefer given the choice.
I'm at an early stage in formulating my plans and would be pleased to hear the opinions and ideas of others. Negative comments are two penny - I'm more interested in people with a little vision & passion for wonderful simple food!
Happy New Year!
Paul

[nissanneill]

Paul, welcome to the forum.
A 'friend of a friend' once said to me many years ago that if you give your clients a Good Product with Good Service at a Reasonable Price, then you will do nothing but succeed in business.
I have respect for him as he was a mere car salesman who decided to move wholas bolas from Adelaide to Sydney to start a new life with his wife and family. On landing in Sydney airport, he noticed the number of swimming pools he saw from above and how many places didn't have one so he decided then and there to sell pools. After 18 very successful months of working for an employer he went out on his own and within 5 years was the biggest pool builder in Sydney.
So go for it mate, keep the quality high, the price reasonable, the variety there and just get ready for the rush.
Good luck, I think that you are on the right track

Cheers.

Neill

[ajbatchelor]

Hi Paul, check out Franco Manca in Brixton Market. Best wood fired pizza in the Sarf (actually best pizza in London). They seem to have got things right.

[ajbatchelor]

PS, I agree that London is lacking on selection of wood fired pizza eateries. I think that yours is an excellent idea.

[Paul H]

Hi Neil
Thanks for your reply to my posting and for your encouragement. Gaining some practical experience at a VPN pizzeria is proving a challenge, but I'm making progress!
Best wishes for 2010.
Paul

[heliman]

Sounds like a good idea Paul... definitely the certification will set you apart from other but it may be quite expensive to attain/maintain from what I have heard.

Have you got any experience making pizzas? There is a lot of work involved in running a good pizzeria, but there rewards are definitely lucrative so will pay off in the end.

I am keen to hear of your progress in this regard...

Rossco

[Paul H]

Hi Rossco
Many thanks for your reply. I've no experience of making pizzas - although I'm taking steps to correct this. I'm looking to start a business I can develop a passion for and I believe this will work for me. I'm not approaching this with rose-tinted glasses and I'm expecting hard work, committment and capital to be required - but I believe there's a largely untapped market in the UK.
The US and Australia appear to be ahead of us here...
Best wishes
Paul

[blackjack]

Untapped market - I'd agree with that. People in the UK who have only eaten Pizza from Dominoes or at Pizza Hut usually describe any pizza cooked in a WFO as the best they've ever tasted.

I think Pizza Express have gone some way to showing that pizza doesn't have to be unhealthy but it still doesn't have that WFO taste.

Good luck with it.

[Paul H]

Franco Manca's in Brixton is first class. That part of London is not everyone's favourite , but people still travel there for the pizza - it shows there's demand I think....

[heliman]

Sounds good Paul ... since you mentioned this I have given the topic quite a bit of thought. My thinking is that perhaps the pizza customer's pallates have been so "hardened" to the taste of poor pizzas that they simply know no better.

The challenge I think would be to actually get them interested in the real "hand made" pizza making process and to develop an appreciate what is involved in making a superior crust. I am sure you will be able to get them addicted your pizzas as long as they were served a very tasty and correctly cooked pizza.

I am not sure customers will relate to pizza certification, but perhaps your intention is to rather learn the process involved? If that is the case then I would say that there are many online experts generously willing to share their recipes and ideas with others. Most of the experts, like the ones in this forum, are more than competent as online tutors to guide the learning process. I don't think you can do better than that in a classroom situation!

Pursue your dream!!!

Rossco

Originally Posted by Paul H

Hi Rossco
Many thanks for your reply. I've no experience of making pizzas - although I'm taking steps to correct this. I'm looking to start a business I can develop a passion for and I believe this will work for me. I'm not approaching this with rose-tinted glasses and I'm expecting hard work, committment and capital to be required - but I believe there's a largely untapped market in the UK.
The US and Australia appear to be ahead of us here...
Best wishes
Paul