Gordon Ramsay to expand Pizza East in the UK and overseas

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants is planning to open new Pizza East restaurants in the UK and overseas after buying the London brand last year.

The chef’s business empire acquired the former Soho House concept and reopened its flagship Shoreditch restaurant in March 2023.

Accounts for Gordon Ramsay Restaurants said the company directors had plans for “further Pizza East branded openings both in the UK and internationally”.

It comes amid a major expansion push for Ramsay’s restaurant business, which operates 34 UK sites and 22 licensed venues in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The group is set to open four restaurants and a culinary academy across 30,000 sq ft of space at 22 Bishopsgate, the City of London’s tallest building, in 2025.

Its fine dining restaurants include one-Michelin-starred Petrus and three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London.

The group also operates a fast-growing casual dining business including the Street Pizza and Street Burger brands, as well as a culinary academy in Woking, Surrey.

Accounts for the year ended 27 August 2023 show turnover rose from £78.9m to £95.6m at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, while adjusted EBITDA jumped from £6.2m to £8.3m.

However, pre-tax losses widened from just over £1m to £3.4m, partly driven by costs associated with the ongoing expansion.

Five new UK restaurants opened during the the year, including Street Pizza and Street Burger sites in Edinburgh, Bread Street Kitchen and Bar at London’s Battersea Power Station, and Lucky Cat in Manchester.

The group also partnered with Rangers Football Club to open hospitality lounge Menu by Gordon Ramsay at their Ibrox stadium at the start of the 2023/34 season.

The ongoing expansion saw the group create around 290 new jobs, and the average monthly number of employees across the business increased to 1,344.

Internationally, Ramsay’s business grew its casual dining arm with new Street burger sites in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Qatar.

Since August 2023, the chef has opened Street Pizza in Kuala Lumpur, a Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill in Macau and Bread Street Kitchen and Street Pizza sites in Bangkok.

Ramsay also launched a restaurant in Shanghai at the Residence, Harrods’ first global private members club.

Andy Wenlock, chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, wrote in the accounts: “Internationally, continued expansion of the licensed estate will continue.

"There are commitments to open multiple new sites in a number of recently signed agreements, including in Thailand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and India and the directors are actively pursuing new partnerships.”