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The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

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31–35 of 35 posts

Re: The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

#31
post #7

Talking about big chains coming and going, I hope we’ve hit “Peak Pret”. there seems to be one every 200m in London now, it’s getting stupid

When did Pret's fayre become so banal? I walk into one every month or so to see if they have anything interesting. They haven't for years. Same for me as M&S - it seems like they've foregone variety and interest to have the same bleak sandwich range, but duplicated across this-free or that-free.

Sandwich ranges have been triple-hit by reduced demand due to covid, increased costs, and prices squeezed by supermarket "meal deals" which have generally gone up less than inflation.

Quality of sandwiches generally have completely disappeared as a result.

It's hardly a surprise that the market for a £6 sandwich just isn't there, so they have to cut costs to get back to a point people will pay.

Re: The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

#32
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wagamama and Nando's are arguably the only two big casual dining chains that people actually enjoy eating at. All the others are pretty unpopular (and rightly so, the food is often terrible): Pizza Express, Frankie and Benny's, Pizza Hut, Chiquito... Nando's social media and culture presence is impressive for a restaurant chain of its size.

You can't put Pizza Express in the same category as Pizza Hut!? And as a data-point I enjoy Pizza Express - and I've had "proper" pizza to compare it to.

Pizza Express is a known good. It's not the best, but it's guaranteed to be consistent everywhere. It does the job when you just want a "good enough" pizza with little fuss.

In contrast, searching for the best pizza carries a risk of getting something subpar and much worse than even Pizza Express.

Re: The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

#33
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wagamama and Nando's are arguably the only two big casual dining chains that people actually enjoy eating at. All the others are pretty unpopular (and rightly so, the food is often terrible): Pizza Express, Frankie and Benny's, Pizza Hut, Chiquito... Nando's social media and culture presence is impressive for a restaurant chain of its size.

You can't put Pizza Express in the same category as Pizza Hut!? And as a data-point I enjoy Pizza Express - and I've had "proper" pizza to compare it to.

It's not much different - Pizza Express isn't anywhere near as posh as it thinks it is, and I'd bet the average spend per customer is lower thanks to the constant Tesco Clubcard deals.

Re: The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

#34

Domino's is lot better, more tastier pizzas.

They're fundamentally different products. If I went to PizzaExpress and was served pizza like they made in Dominos, I'd be hella disappointed. It's like comparing instant coffee to a barista-made espresso. Yeah, technically both coffee but they're not the same.

Rizzi's are nice for eating out.

Re: The Radical Design of PizzaExpress

#35

> Yet many British chains have had zero impact on culture ... There are two big exceptions to this rule: Wagamama and PizzaExpress. Can't believe they've forgotten about Nando's! Easily the most culturally significant restaurant chain in the UK, from grime music to the ubiquitous "cheeky nando's" phraseology

I always saw Nandos as a bit more “fast food” than Pizza Express or Wagamama?

More like a (much) better KFC

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