Benito's Hat owner launches pizza restaurant brand

The owner of Mexican restaurant group Benito’s Hat has launched a pizza brand which it hopes to grow to 12 sites in 18 months.

Elageni Hospitality Group (EHG) has opened the first Slice & Dice restaurant at the Westgate development in Oxford.

Slice & Dice is inspired by New York pizzerias and serves thin-crust pizza available by the slice or as a whole 20-inch pie.

The pizzas were developed with restaurateur Amit Joshi, the co-founder of the Jones Family Kitchen restaurants, who has invested in the brand and joined as a non-executive director.

The wider menu includes a range of salads, cheesecakes, American beers and cocktails.

Customers can roll a pair of dice after every purchase for the chance of winning a free slice.

EHG has a further 12 Slice & Dice restaurants in its growth pipeline over the next 18 months as a mix of company-owned and franchised operations.

Industry veteran Bruce Isaacs has joined as a non-executive director and will be working alongside founder Michael Pearson to drive the growth of both the Benito’s and Slice & Dice brands.

Isaacs said: “The pipeline of growth that we have already managed to secure is encouraging and there is certainly room for much more in the coming two to three years.”

Mexican chain Benito’s Hat was acquired by Pearson, its former managing director, through EHG in 2022.

At one point Benito’s had eight sites, but now trades from just two locations in Oxford Westgate and Luton Airport.

Benito’s is looking to grow across the UK and the team is actively seeking high street franchise partners nationwide, as well as new locations for company stores across the Midlands.