US chain MOD Pizza sets out UK expansion plans
The ‘build your own’ pizzeria has secured a site at 17-18 Irving Street in the West End to open in early November.
MOD, which has grown to 135 US sites since it was created by Seattle Coffee Company founder Scott Svenson in 2008, made its UK debut in Leeds in June.
Now the chain is set for nationwide expansion as part of a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone, who also backs Five Guys in the UK.
Dunstone said: “Opening in central London is an amazing opportunity for us to bring the MOD brand to life in a big way – showcasing our people-first culture and meaningful community engagement.
“Each of these strategic openings are building the momentum for our exciting growth plans for 2017 and beyond.”
MOD is also set to launch a second site in Brighton Marina in August, followed by Newcastle and London in November, and Nottingham in December.
The restaurant allows customers to build their own pizzas or salads from a choice of 34 toppings for a fixed price of £7.87.
All pizzas are then cooked ‘superfast’ for less than four minutes, while salads are hand-tossed in front of the customer.
Each new MOD store will partner with a local charity for its opening day and donate 100 per cent of its pizza sales to the good cause.
Svenson said: "We feel so lucky and excited to introduce more people and communities throughout the UK to the MOD brand, and we hope that as people discover and come to love our pizza, they will also come to understand our mission to make a positive impact on as many people as possible."
