Pizza Punks plans to launch in Nottingham later this year and is in talks for sites in Cardiff and London, founder Brad Stevens told MCA.
The Neapolitan pizza chain recently announced it will open its seventh and largest ever UK restaurant on Liverpool’s Bold Street in September, following an opening in Durham in April. It looks to have a presence in major cities across the UK, with Birmingham and Sheffield as targets.
“We’ve picked up a site in Nottingham’s city centre…we’ll start work on that in mid-August,” Stevens said. “[Liverpool and Nottingham] are cracking sites for us.”
“At the moment, city centre sites are what we do, they’re what we know.”
Stevens added Pizza Punks will consider more suburban areas further down the line and is also eyeing further expansion in the North.
“We’d love to be in Edinburgh, we just haven’t found the right site yet.”
The brand is looking to expand to Ireland as well, with Dublin and Derry in mind.
New sites will continue to offer the brand’s signature sourdough pizza with unlimited toppings, alongside craft beer, cocktails, and fresh pasta. Pizza Punks is also looking to innovate with a new lunchtime offering that will be a “Neapolitan sourdough sandwich type of thing,” according to Stevens.
The upcoming Liverpool site will feature DJs and live music, along with a separate kiosk for delivery orders.
“The target is a younger clientele,” Stevens said. “But kids love us. We’ve got the Little Punks menu and they like the creativity of making their own pizza.”
“So it’s kind of across the board.”
Stevens explained the offer of unlimited toppings at no extra charge sets Pizza Punks apart from what he terms “cookie cutter” Neapolitan pizza concepts. The brand sources its sourdough starter from San Francisco and proofs the dough for a minimum of 48 hours.
“It makes a lighter base for the pizza so it’s easier to digest,” Stevens said. “We also cook it for longer.”
“Traditional Neapolitan pizza is cooked for 60 seconds. Ours is closer to three minutes. That makes it crispier.”
He reported the response to the customisation element has been overwhelmingly positive, with most customers choosing to create their own pizza.
“We wondered, will people punk up their pizza or go with something on the menu? And we found 70% of people choose to create their own.”
“People are looking for customisation and value for money.”
Many toppings are made onsite, such as the chipotle pulled pork, which is marinated and slow-cooked.
“You’ve got good music, cracking pizza, great value for money, great customisation,” Stevens said. “We’re anarchist at heart. Just because something’s been done a certain way before, we don’t think it has to be that way.”
“There’s no point in doing something if we can’t make it better.”
