NY Fold, the new pizza brand designed for the UK market from Bruno DiFabio, the US pizza chef, has secured its first site, M&C Report understands.
The concept has acquired the former Gallus Restaurant site at 103 Charing Cross Road, with an opening scheduled for later this month.
DiFabio, who is a TV star in the US and currently operates 10 restaurants in the States, said last year that he had “exciting plans” to grow the brand during 2015/2016. He said he hoped to launch five restaurants in London by the end of 2015.
“I’m going to turn the pizza world on its ear in London,” he said.
The chef is looking for premises of 1,500 to 2,500sq ft with areas under consideration including Spitalfields, Liverpool Street, Shoreditch, London Bridge, Soho, Camden, Clapham, Putney and similar profile locations. He has given property agent Lewis Craig a brief to secure premises.
Gallus Restaurants, a Dubai-backed group, launched its eponymous chicken-led fast-casual concept in the UK at the end of 2013, after securing the former Scotch Steakhouse site in Charing Cross Road.
The concept, which is the brainchild of Ramsey Assal, managing director of Tajoram Investments, had planned to open two or three sites in London before looking at opportunities in major cities such as Edinburgh, Bristol and Birmingham.
Davis Coffer Lyons acted for the vendor on the Charing Cross Road site.
