Founded in London in 1965, PizzaExpress arrived in Hong Kong in 2001 and now has 21 restaurants across the city. The popular chain offers a delicious selection of fresh and authentic pizzas as well as pastas, salads and other Italian dishes for diners to enjoy in a stylish and relaxed environment.
“We appeal to those looking for originality, as well as those with an appetite for familiar comfort food,” said Regional Director Sampson Chen. “We take our restaurant design very seriously to ensure customers can enjoy the individual style of each of our restaurants.”
The global pandemic, however, has made life very difficult for the entire food and beverage sector. Besides the uncertainty of changing social-distancing policies, restaurants are also dealing with rising food and operational costs, and the impact of global supply chain issues.
To cope with these challenges, PizzaExpress in Hong Kong has relaunched its loyalty programme to attract and retain customers with a range of special offers. The company is also looking to the longer term, and intends to serve more of the community in the future by securing more sites in the New Territories.
The PizzaExpress menu offers the classic staples of Italian fare as well as a changing selection of new tastes and contemporary ingredients. This blend of familiarity and innovation is applied to the business operations as well, to ensure that PizzaExpress continues to meet customer’s expectations while also embracing adventure and new concepts. Such an adaptable mindset has also helped the company amid the ongoing Covid-related uncertainty.
“Planning to be flexible has been the key to adapting to an ever-changing business environment as a result of the pandemic,” Chen said. “We will continue to innovate in order to deliver exciting new culinary experiences for our customers.”
For example, while the restaurants have long had a wide range of vegetarian options, they are now also offering plant-based meat alternatives across all menus.
This development also reflects PizzaExpress’s commitment to sustainability, including saving energy and water resources, recycling glass and food waste, and sourcing ingredients responsibly. It is proud to have been the first restaurant chain in Hong Kong to partner with the Green Monday platform, and from this summer, it will also switch completely to cage-free eggs. It is also exploring more sustainable methods for its takeaway and delivery service by using compostable and non-plastic packaging.
“We are listening to our guests and undertaking research to understand new needs, habits and growing trends, as the world adapts to a new normal,” Chen said. “Whatever the storm, we feel our approach to our people, our food and the wider community, is a winning recipe for getting through this together and coming back stronger.”
He added that one of the reasons PizzaExpress joined the Chamber was to connect with the rest of the Hong Kong business community, and to work together towards a brighter future.
“We are looking forward to networking with like-minded businesses, in order to learn from and influence other organizations and leaders, across a region that has seen unprecedented change, yet still retains a resilient and forward-thinking outlook.”
Company : PizzaExpress (Hong Kong) Ltd
HKGCC Membership No.：HKP0686
Established：2000
Website：www.pizzaexpress.com.hk