Mission Mars lines up major expansion of Rudy's pizza

Hospitality group Mission Mars is set to open 12 Rudy’s pizza restaurants over the next year after reporting ‘record’ festive trading.

The company, which acquired the first Rudy’s in Manchester in 2017 and has since grown the brand to over 20 sites, said it was in legals on a dozen sites.

Four Rudy’s restaurants opened in December 2023, which the company said had “traded strongly from day one”.

Overall group revenue at Mission Mars from 27 November 2023 until the end of the year rose 38% on 2022 levels to hit £10m, while group like-for-like sales were up 18%.

Revenue at Rudy’s rose 72% to £4m while Mission Mars’ three Albert's Schloss bierkeller sites in Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool saw revenue rise 24% to £5.3m.

Roy Ellis, chief executive at Mission Mars, said: “December was a busy period for Rudy’s openings with four new pizzerias all opening and trading strongly from day one and helps reinforce our belief that both brands will trade strongly across the whole of the UK, and beyond.”

Albert’s Schloss is due to open a 500-cover site in the former Rainforest Café site on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue in June following an £8m investment.

Mission Mars said it was also in legals on one additional Albert’s Schloss site.