Fireaway Pizza will invest proceeds from its crowdfunding efforts into building a more user-friendly customer platform, increasing delivery speed, and developing a loyalty scheme as it aims for the 500-site mark, according to founder and CEO Mario Aleppo.
Speaking at MCA’s Food to Go conference earlier this week, Aleppo told delegates the process was difficult and time-consuming but has worked “really well” for the brand, resulting in 892 investors.
“Overall it was a success – we have nearly 900 new potential customers, brand ambassadors, and investors,” he said. “The funds will go to a more user-friendly platform for ordering and tracking.
“At the moment our delivery time is 45 minutes, which, to be transparent, is nowhere near good enough. Our competitors are at 25 minutes.
“We also want to keep hold of our customer base through a good loyalty scheme.”
Fireaway Pizza has grown from a single site in 2016 to more than 160 today. It began as a small, family-run pizzeria in South London but grew exponentially through franchising, particularly post-pandemic. It offers handmade dough, fresh toppings, and fast-fired pizza cooked in 180 seconds.
The business opened 48 stores in 2022, followed by 35 in 2023, and remains on track to open 27 this year.
“Three or four months after we opened, one of our regulars asked if we’d be interested in franchising,” Aleppo explained. “He opened 20 minutes down the road and his store was busier than ours. That’s where the idea of franchising came about.”
The CrowdCube campaign, launched in December 2023, has raised £512,396, with people investing anywhere between £10 to £35,000, and investors from Qatar, Switzerland, and France. Fireaway made its international debut in Amsterdam last year, with franchise partners signed up for Turkey, Dubai, Portugal, France, Germany, and India.
“In the beginning, it was easy to keep it highly authentic and Italian-style with three stores. As we grew, we had to create a balance and sacrifice a small level of authenticity to scale at the level we have.
“We want to offer restaurant-standard pizza in a QSR atmosphere. The secret is to stay consistent and adapt to your surroundings – to the likes of Covid, Brexit, and all the other challenges we’ve faced.”
While Aleppo admitted cost pressures have taken their toll – with a gas bill “through the roof – Fireaway continues to expand across outlets and channels, with a petrol station store soon to open in Kent.
A successful opening will see the brand rolled out to other forecourt operators, with opportunity for a longer-term goal of 500 sites in the future.
“Four or five hundred is realistic for our model. Our biggest competitor has 1,200 stores.”
The attraction for franchisees is lower setup costs, according to Aleppo, due to Fireaway’s presence in more secondary locations as opposed to massive high street stores with high rents and utility bills.
Stores are also delivery-oriented, meaning they can operate within 700 sq ft, while the concept itself is simple, reducing the need for staff members.
“That sets us apart. Also, all our core products come from Italy. We could have gone for cheaper but we’ve kept those roots.”
With franchisees signed up for multiple territories, Aleppo also spoke to the importance of adapting price points, menus, and marketing strategies to fit the market.
“At the end of the day, it’s a risk for the franchisee and a risk for us,” he said. “We both want to be successful.”
His advice to operators looking to stand out in a crowded market was to keep it simple – but with a twist.
“It doesn’t have to be a crazy product or a complicated model,” Aleppo told delegates. “It can be a simple, popular product, as long as you come with a twist.
“In our case, it’s the stone-fired oven, fresh toppings, and speed of preparation all rolled into one, with the price point.”
