Speaking recently at MCA's The Conversation, an event held by BigHospitality's sister publication, PizzaExpress managing director Zoe Bowley said the group was planning a phased delivery reopening, ahead of dine-in relaunches later in the year.
Bowley said the plan was to reopen a number of sites “on the outskirts of London” before the end of May, offering delivery through its continued exclusive partnership with Deliveroo.
The group will evaluate which sites are currently best placed to operate, according to certain criteria.
Bowley said the business “had to deal with the facts not the emotion”, adding that kitchen size, transport networks, geography, and market strength would all play a part in deciding which sites were selected for reopening.
“Clearly this will be a test and learn phase because we’re not reopening for commercial benefit,” she said.
“Once we’ve dipped our toe in the water with delivery, we’ll be clearer on the dine-in experience.
"If we’re told we’re good to go from July, we will be ready to go with a phased reopening approach."
A version of this story originally appeared on MCA, BigHospitality's sister site. To subscribe to MCA, click here.
