News

26 June 2026 | Danny De Vaal | Irish Mirror

Fans of the American cult favourite packed into the restaurant after it officially opened to the public on Friday.

19 June 2026 | QSR Media UK

Zizzi will mark Father’s Day by giving surprise gifts to fathers dining across its 133 restaurants, in partnership with beer brand Peroni.

The campaign is designed to turn Father’s Day dining into a win for dads, with participating restaurants offering special surprise rewards for the first 50 fathers dining at each location. At the end of their meal, eligible diners will receive a Father’s Day card revealing their prize.

12 June 2026 | Restaurant Industry News

Italians don’t need to play to feel like winners during the World Cup at Zizzi and can claim a free meal, while non-Italians can snag 30% off their food

15 May 2026 | Georgi Gyton | MCA Insight

ASK Italian has shifted the focus on its new spring menu to include lighter, fresher mains and salads that sit better alongside its recently launched larger 14-inch hand-stretched pizza range Pizza A Mano.

28 April 2026 | Daisy Jackson | The Manc

The cult LA-born fried chicken brand backed by Drake is expanding in Manchester once again, this time with a brand-new site at the Trafford Centre.

25 March 2026 | Hospitality & Catering News

In the biggest shake-up to its pizza offering in a generation, Restaurant family ASK Italian has officially unveiled its new menu concept, Pizza a Mano.

The new range is a bigger, bolder format: 14-inch, round, hand-stretched pizzas, stone-baked fresh in-house

4 February 2026 | Ed Cunningham | Time Out London

The Drake-backed, Nashville-style hot chicken chain is landing at major English cities in February and March.

10 November 2025 | MCA

Azzurri Group has hailed a “transformative year” after entering into the fast-growing fried chicken segment.

Dave’s Hot Chicken’s inaugural site in London’s Shaftsbury Avenue became the highest grossing sales site ever opened by Azzurri.

2 October 2025 | Shwetali Sapte | MCA Insight

12 September 2025 | Restaurant Online

Italian QSR brand Coco di Mama is extending its reach into retail with a nationwide launch into Tesco.

1 September 2025 | Jessica Newman | The Times

The celebrity-backed fried chicken chain has exceeded UK performance forecasts since opening in London in December.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, which went viral after hordes flocked to the opening of its first UK restaurant in London in December, has struck a deal with Azzurri Group to open 180 restaurants across ten European countries including Portugal, Spain and Germany.

23 June 2025 | Phoebe Fraser

Zizzi has reopened its Marlow restaurant following a major refurbishment, featuring original artwork, new interiors and additional garden seating, alongside a refreshed summer menu.

The revamped site reflects Zizzi’s evolving brand identity, with bespoke art inspired by local culture and Italian heritage. The restaurant now features enhanced lighting, fresh furnishings and touches referencing Marlow’s history.

20 June 2025

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the cult fried chicken brand founded in L.A., has confirmed it is expanding beyond its London flagship with two major new sites — Birmingham and Manchester – as it kickstarts its nationwide expansion.

Opening next month (July 2025), Dave’s first site outside London is located at 56 New Street, an Art Deco style corner in the heart of Birmingham.

A third UK location will open in Manchester’s Printworks from the 8 August.

12 June 2025

Openr, the digital platform helping hospitality operators optimise pricing, streamline operations, and drive growth, has announced two senior appointments as it enters its next phase of expansion.

Dan Brookman, CEO of Airship and Toggle, joins as Non-Executive Director, bringing deep expertise in hospitality technology and growth strategy. Nick Liddle, formerly VP Commercial at Vita Mojo, joins as Chief Customer Officer to lead customer success, partnerships, and delivery.

Zizzi featured on BBC’s The Apprentice Season 19 as the tomato-loving “corporate client” in episode 4. Our very own Harry Heeley & Oliver Southworth starred as the tough clients and drove a hard bargain. We were able to showcase our obsession for perfectly cut quality tomatoes in the show & went onto to have our first viral moment on TikTok.

Pizza’s hotter cousin brought to you by your faves at Coco. Coco di Mama have launched their newest and defo sexiest addition to their menu… Say Ciao to their Roman-style sourdough pinsas. They’re light, they’re fluffy, they’re here to stay. Get involved!

ASK Italian, the UK’s much-loved national restaurant chain, has officially opened its doors to its latest restaurant in the highly anticipated Animate leisure complex in Preston city centre. Launching with its brand-new Spring menu.

10 March 2025 | Phoebe Fraser | MCA Insight

The investment firm has committed £3m to the hospitality data platform, alongside majority shareholder Azzurri Group

10 January 2025

• Market-leading operator of ASK Italian, Zizzi and Coco di Mama launches third annual Sustainable Dining Report revealing it reduced its GHG emissions intensity by 7% in 2024 which was delivered against an expanding restaurant portfolio
• Reduction in operational emissions driven by 1.3 million kHh less electricity consumed, equivalent to serving 1.9 million pizzas annually
• Partnering with like-minded suppliers delivered carbon reductions in the Group’s value chain, for instance, the introduction of Wildfarmed flour at ASK Italian helped cut the business’ dough footprint by 50%
• Amidst a period of growth, the Group opened three more SKA Gold certified restaurants, ensuring key sustainability metrics are met when opening and refurbishing restaurants across the portfolio
• The Group also continues to be invested in supporting communities by donating and redistributing over 250,000 meals to local communities since 2022

18 December 2024 | Eri Sugiura | Financial Times

Azzurri predicts that popularity of burrito and chicken chains with bargain-hungry diners will eventually generate half of profits.

6 December 2024 | Josh Barrie | The Standard

As Dave’s Hot Chicken arrives in London for the first time, Josh Barrie has a date with the grim ‘reaper’

27 November 2024 | Leonie Cooper | Time Out

Featuring a pub, late-night hot chicken and a fresh Hackney taproom

Setting up shop in an East Hollywood parking lot back in 2017, it’s only taken seven years for Dave’s Hot Chicken to become one of the US’s favourite fried chicken chains. Specialising in zingy Nashville-style hot chicken with six different heat levels, Dave’s are opening their first UK branch on December 7. Right on Shaftesbury Avenue, they’re aiming for central London, late-night snack dominance and will be open until midnight on the weekends.

15 October 2024 | Georgi Gyton | MCA Insight

Coco Di Mama has launched a nationwide partnership with Sainsbury’s, which will see the retailer stock six of its premium Italian-inspired sourdough baguettes at 650 of its supermarket and convenience stores.

Forming part of Sainsbury’s meal deal range, the baguettes will be available across the UK following a successful trial in a number of its London supermarkets.

Read More:

27 September 2024 | DINE OUT

ASK Italian has launched its new ‘Friendsday Wednesday’ campaign, now live across its 66-strong restaurant estate.

The initiative will see the ASK Italian outlets give everyone who visits on a Wednesday the chance to get a free portion of the brand’s Dough Bites starter. The promotion is part of its wider Feeding Friendships campaign, intended to encourage friendships to be formed over sharing food.

4 August 2024 | Surrey Live | Victoria Shipp

This week the Zizzi in Guildford re-opened its doors after weeks of refurbishment. The popular Italian restaurant was closed in order to roll out a new look across its site on the high-street.

One of its most striking new features is a mural designed by the talented student illustrator Izzy Barrett. She was discovered by Zizzi and selected to design which is unique to Guildford, having previously supported the new-look Farnham restaurant.

19 July 2024 | The Herts | Liam Fitzpatrick

Zizzi has relaunched its St Albans branch with an eye-catching makeover and the Herts Ad can provide a glimpse at the new-look Italian restaurant.

17 May 2024 | Dine Out Magazine | Genna Ash-Brown

Dine Out editor Genna Ash-Brown sits down with Steve Holmes, CEO of Azzurri, to discuss the group’s unwavering dedication to sustainable operations.As the owner and operator of some of the UK’s most recognisable casual dining brands, the Azzurri Group’s activities always seem to generate a buzz. With concepts including Zizzi, ASK Italian and Coco di Mama forming a growing estate of over 230 restaurants and stores nationwide, Azzurri’s concepts are certified household names for consumers across the UK. While many would consider its flagship brands to be both comforting and familiar, the group is always on a mission to adapt and evolve.

16 April 2024 | Mirror | Jo Aspill

This Wednesday 17th April, the Italian-inspired restaurant chain, Zizzi turns 25. It has been a quarter of a century since the first Zizzi restaurant opened its doors in Chiswick and fired up its signature pizza ovens. Since 1999, the restaurant chain has grown to over 130 restaurants nationwide and is much-loved for their warm & natural restaurants and a team that makes them feel like they’re amongst friends. Zizzi will celebrate its birthday with a celebratory nationwide gift for all customers.

10 April 2024 | Yorkshire Evening Post | Geha Pandey

The cult Irish burrito bar has made it’s GB debut, opening it’s very first mainland UK store on Merrion Street, Leeds, in early April.

Eagerly anticipated, the flagship store opened to huge fanfare as Leeds foodies couldn’t wait to try Boojum’s fully customisable menu of burritos, bowls, nachos, tacos, chips, and salsas, all made fresh in store every day and served up with a whole lot of Boojum personality. Adding a splash of colour to the Leeds dining scene with its vibrant décor both inside and out, the new 45 seater restaurant marks a significant milestone in the brand’s ambitious GB growth plans.

As true Britalians, we obvs had to join in on the Tiramisu Oats fun. And we took our friends at The Coconut Collab and Allpress with us! Here’s our spin on the social media cult classic.

12 March 2024 | Restaurant Online | Joe Lutrario

ASK Italian has become the first major Italian restaurant group to make its pizza with regenerative flour.

As of 12 March 2024, all of our 66-strong casual dining chain’s pizza dough will be made with Wildfarmed regenerative flour. This change, which coincides with the launch of our Spring menu – will see a 50% reduction in the carbon impact when compared to our previous dough.

11 March 2024

Azzurri launches third annual Sustainable Dining Report revealing it reduced its GHG emissions intensity by 9.7% in 2023 while expanding restaurant portfolio.

Milestone comes as Azzurri Group implemented the first circular food waste initiative of its kind for pizza in the UK hospitality sector.

Takeaway packaging is now 100% recyclable across ASK Italian and Zizzi brands with paper-based takeaway pasta bowls eliminating 48 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain and redesigned pizza boxes cutting over 145,000m2 of cardboard – equivalent to 16 football pitches each year.

Coco di Mama brand’s partnership with Olio redistributed over 10,000 kilos of surplus food, the equivalent of almost 24,000 meals, across communities in the UK.

14 December 2023

Braille menus to help blind and partially sighted customers have been introduced by ASK Italian as part of an initiative to make its restaurants more welcoming to everyone. From January, ASK will also add braille signage on toilet doors and roll out British Sign Language (BSL) training courses for front of house staff.

5 December 2023 | Birmingham Live | Dayna Farrington

A new restaurant has opened up at Merry Hill shopping centre – and shoppers are saying they ‘need to go’. Ask Italian opened up at the Brierley Hill shopping centre last week.

Ask Italian has taken over an empty unit between Bon Pan and Wagamama, which opened earlier this year, on the upper mall – near to the new Hollywood Bowl. The new restaurant will serve antipasti, fresh stone-baked pizza and fresh pasta.

November 2023

Boojum wins ‘One To Watch’ at Restaurant R200 Awards 2023 

The R200 Awards 2023 came to their exciting conclusion at Dishoom in Canary Wharf, London on Tuesday 21 November. These awards celebrate the key achievements in the UK restaurant industry over the past year and recognise the success of the country’s best restaurateurs and establishments.

Zizzi wins ‘Italian Restaurant Chain’ at the PAPA Awards 2023

The award is presented to a restaurant group that brings amazing food, families and friends together nationwide. Zizzi was up against some tough competition so were thrilled with this result!

Zillionaire’s Club win BIMA Award

The BIMA Awards are the longest standing and most prestigious digital and tech awards in the UK.

27 November 2023

The first of its kind in the hospitality sector, the Azzurri Group has implemented an impressive closed loop solution, whereby the food waste from their London restaurants is turned into a nutrient rich fertiliser. This is then spread on to some of the fields that grow the wheat that is then used as a key ingredient in their pizza dough! This initiative has resulted in the following two environmental awards:

• A National Recycling Award in the ‘Circular Economy Initiative’ category
• A Gold Green Apple Award for environmental best practice in the food & drink category

24 October 2023

Coco di Mama has launched its ‘Next Gen’ model store at New Street Square which will offer a delicious new menu range as well as the very best of Coco and showcase the brand’s design evolution.

New menu highlights will include: Tik Tok craze Muffaletta, indulgent steak tagliata ciabatta, Lasagne soup and Spicy Pollo Lasagne as well as new premium pastries and cakes and much more.

26 September 2023 | DailyStar.co.uk

In celebration of its 30 year milestone, ASK Italian is inviting restaurant-goers nationwide to raise a glass to three decades of delicious Italian food and community spirit with a free glass of Prosecco for every customer. Since the first ASK Italian launched in 1993, the Italian restaurant has grown to include 65 eateries across the UK, each serving its own unique community as a place to celebrate everyday and milestone moments.

21 June 2023 | BBC.co.uk

Boojum, the Belfast-based restaurant chain, has been sold to the UK company which runs the Zizzi, ASK Italian and Coco di Mama chains.

Boojum was founded in 2007 with the opening of its first store in Botanic Avenue in Belfast. It was bought by David and Andrew Maxwell in 2015 as a management buy-in, backed by the Dublin-based investment firm Renatus.

28 April 2023 | Propel

Coco di Mama, the Azzurri Group-owned Italian food-to-go brand, has begun a two-site trial with Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator, and told Propel it looking for more regional sites. Its link up with MFG has seen two counter concessions open in petrol stations in Brighton and Romford this month.

Jim Attwood, Coco di Mama managing director, said: “As part of Coco di Mama’s omnichannel development strategy, we are continuing to trial the brand’s appeal across travel locations. We believe our Italian made-to-order pasta, specialty coffee and hot breakfast offers will resonate with MFG’s roadside consumer looking for a new, exciting on-the-go experience. MFG has proven expertise in successfully operating food brands in roadside locations and its nationwide scale assists us in taking the brand to new customers and delivery locations.”

Mail Online | 25 April 2023

In support of Zizzi’s long-standing partner, the Mental Health Foundation and the charity’s campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week – the restaurant chain invited good friends, Jill Scott and Owen Warner to sit down and discuss their personal mental health journey.

28 March 2023 | Dine Out Magazine

Azzurri Group-owned brand ASK Italian has been on a nationwide search to champion the UK’s best local gin producers, selecting a gin from distillers close to each of its locations to feature on the menu.

Local restaurant teams carried out the search to find their local gin, meeting suppliers and tasting the gin first-hand, gaining a unique insight into both the businesses and the communities they work alongside.

16 December 2022 | Business Green.com | James Murray

Azzurri Group publishes new plan to provide carbon labelling on its menus by 2025. Diners considering the calorific content of their lunch as they peruse the menu could soon be able to simultaneously weigh the carbon impact of their preferred pizza.

Azzurri also promised to ensure 65 per cent of the dishes listed on its menus will be ‘low’ or ‘very low’ carbon options by 2030.

The commitments are at the heart of the new ‘Recipe for a Better Future’ strategy, which provides more detail on how the company intends to deliver on its previous commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

“We’re determined to invest in becoming a more sustainable business, delivering long-term, positive change for our people and our planet,” said Steve Holmes, CEO at Azzurri Group. “I’m proud of our latest Sustainable Dining Report and our achievements to date, and I’m optimistic about the difference we can make as we deliver our Recipe for a Better Future.”

14 December 2022 | Hello! Magazine.com

Zizzi has launched a new loyalty programme named The Zillionaires Club in time for Christmas!

The Zillionaires Club will reward customers with ‘perkz’ including free food, and to celebrate the launch of the Zillionaires Club loyalty platform, Zizzi’s has partnered BAFTA award-winning TV personality Big Zuu. Viewers will be able to watch Big Zuu join the Zizzi team in a brand-new online cooking series which will reveal Zizzi’s secret recipes for the first time ever.

Zizzi ‘perkz’ for loyal customers include Zizzi favourite dishes from garlic bread to pizza, to the ‘Zillionaire’s Slice’. Once customers sign up to become a Zillionaire, they will be rewarded with free garlic bread and can collect Zs each time they visit a Zizzi restaurant or use click and collect and purchase Zizzi for delivery.

24 November 2022 | Mail Online

Christine McGuinness and Chelsee Healey attend the launch party of Zizzi Chester.

This is the latest restaurant opening in the market leading brands portfolio.

03 November 2022 | Mirror.co.uk

The partnership announces the launch of the Zillionaires’ Club loyalty platform, rewarding customers with ‘perkz’ including free food every time they visit. The series invites followers to cook along the following recipes with Big, sharing their dishes using the hashtag #ZuuZillionaire – Cheesy Chilli Garlic Bread, King Prawn Spiedini, Calzone Pollo Spinaci, Casareccia Pollo Piccante, Caramelised Banana Waffle, Zillionaire’s Slice washed down with a Strawberry Zing cocktail.

Zizzi customers can earn Zs each time they visit one of its restaurants and spend over £10. Zs can then be exchanged for ‘perkz’ from the menu including food and drink. With each visit, they have the chance to earn a greater number of Zs. With the first visit being 10 Zs, the second 20 Zs, the third 30 and the fourth 40. After their fourth visit, customers qualify for a surprise perk including free food and big prizes such as holidays.

20 July 2022 | The Argus | Ellie Smitherman

ASK Italian has launched its first “community concept” restaurant in Sussex.

The Horsham branch of Ask Italian has reopened following renovation and is the first of its kind.

Ask said it is putting the focus on the community and plans to roll out the new concept in all restaurants across the country.

It has collaborated with residents and producers to create a “sustainably focused space” and a menu “designed to bring the people of Horsham together”.

28 June 2022

The UK’s best of the best QSR chains were lauded for their creativity, agility and overall performance.

Coco won big, taking home three awards:

• Best Brand Transformation: for pivoting from Bricks & Mortar only, to Omnichannel with a strong focus on launching 130 Delivery Kitchens in 3 months, but also including Retail and Travel.
• Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative: for continued strong commitment to CSR throughout the Covid Pandemic, at a time when profitability and team resource was an extreme challenge.
• Squad of the Year: for our loyalty to the brand, pace of Delivery Kitchen roll-out, and our winning attitude & flexibility in launching new channels, with the majority of the team turning into unofficial trainers for new restaurant partners and travelling the length and breadth of the country during the peaks of Covid.

9-15 May 2022

Zizzi joined forces with their long-standing charity partner, the Mental Health Foundation, to raise awareness of loneliness this Mental Health Awareness Week.

To raise awareness, Zizzi invited regulars, AJ and Curtis Pritchard down to have an open, honest and frank discussion about their personal experiences.

2 May 2022 | Lancaster Guardian

Zizzi opened the doors to its new outlet in Market Street last week, creating 30 local jobs.

Upon arrival, customers will see the iconic Zizzi terracotta wood-fire pizza oven and inviting natural touches and fun features including a large Zizzi tree, which makes a great statement piece.

Zizzi Lancaster is the latest in the group’s roll-out of their fresh new look, with artwork by Saroj Patel. The local artist has taken inspiration from the Edwardian Palm House in Williamson Park, which is now a butterfly house. The hoop lighting is inspired by local site Blackpool Circus.

7 April 2022

All Pennies donations*– that’s the little optional donation you can add to your bill – at your local ASK are currently going to help Choose Love reach as many people as possible.

Choose Love does whatever it takes to provide for the evolving needs of refugees and displaced people. Their Ukraine emergency response fund is supporting partners on the ground to provide what’s needed most, now and in the future.

24 March 2022 | The Caterer | Katherine Price

Roadchef has announced a new partnership with Italian restaurant brand Coco di Mama to bring the group’s pasta-to-go offering to its motorway service sites.

The first Coco di Mama has already opened at Roadchef’s flagship Norton Canes service area on the M6 Toll.

11 March 2022 | The Retail Bulletin

Restaurant brand Zizzi has launched its biggest-ever ‘at home’ range exclusively with Tesco.

Based on Zizzi’s most popular restaurant dishes, the starter, main course and dessert items will be available in Tesco’s supermarket and Tesco Express freezers nationwide.

Products include some of Zizzi’s best-selling items such as Garlic Bread & Cheese, Casareccia Pollo Piccante, Lasagne Bolognese and twists on the classic Chorizo Carbonara and Rigatoni Chicken Della Casa.

17 February 2022 | Leicestershire Live | Becky Jones

Italian restaurant chain Zizzi is preparing to open its new Fosse Park restaurant and is advertising for staff.

Now, ‘Zizzi’ signs have been erected on the unit, and there is writing on the window saying “Hey Fosse Park… we’re coming for you.” It continues: “Prepare yourselves for 18-inch Rustica pizzas, pasta crisps (yep, that’s right) and tiramisu brownies. Because what’s the world without a few twists?”

19 January 2022 | RMI 2022

“Traditionally bricks and mortar, but now we’re digital first.” Sara McKennedy, Commercial Brand Director at Coco di Mama, shares insight on how the brand has developed and grown since Covid, launching over 130 nationwide delivery kitchens in just 3 months.

Sara spoke at the Changing face of cities panel discussion at Restaurant Marketer conference.

17 January 2022 | RMI 2022

Azzurri Group and AND Digital have been shortlisted for 2 awards at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards.

Firstly, for “Best Use of Technology” at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards and secondly for the “Changing Lives in the Community” award at The Card and Payments Awards.

11 January 2022 | Vita Mojo Digital Titans Podcast

Over the last six months, the pandemic has catalysed digital transformation across the hospitality industry. No one could’ve predicted where the industry would be in 2021. As the dust starts to settle on Covid, operators are now starting to look beyond survival to see how technology can improve their business. We’ve spoken to industry leaders, operators, CIOs and tech experts and explored some of the biggest unanswered questions around digital transformation within hospitality.

14 December 2021 | The MBS Group

WiHTL has launched the ‘Women to Watch & Role Models for Inclusion in Hospitality, Travel & Leisure Index 2021’ highlighting an incredible line up of talented female role models with broad experiences and achievements whilst also profiling 14 inspiring role models for inclusion.

Bebe Oladipo, Azzurri’s Head of IT, featured in the Women to Watch & Role Models for Inclusion in Hospitality, Travel & Leisure Index 2021 as a role model for inclusion.

16 November 2021 | Novati

The Azzurri Group delivered a recipe for success being crowned Food & Drink Champions in Environmental Best Practice (2020).

3 November 2021 | Pennies Outstanding Achievement Award 2021 |

The Azzurri Group were named WINNER of Pennies Outstanding Achievement Award alongside development partners AND Digital!

This recognises Azzurri’s contribution to the micro-donation movement through our integration of Pennies into Order & pay at table services. Since reopening in May, customers have already donated over £70k to charity partners the Mental Health Foundation & Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity by rounding up their bill when paying using Speedy Order at Zizzi and Pronto Order & Pay at ASK Italian.

13 October 2021 | Big Hospitality | James McAllister

Coco di Mama has become the latest casual dining brand to partner with a major national supermarket.

The quick-service Italian chain, which is operated by the Azzurri Group, has partnered with Sainsbury’s to trial a range of its premium grab-and-go products across 15 of its London stores.

21 May 2021 | Big Hospitality | Joe Lutrario

An app that provides young people with money-off vouchers and promo codes on hundreds of healthy food products has launched in the UK.

Major restaurant brands including Zizzi have signed up to an app that offers 13 to 24-year-olds up to 20% off healthy foods.

16 February 2021 | Big Hospitality | Finn Scott-Delany

Azzurri Digital and Technology Director Joel Robinson discusses the value of partnerships, building solutions in-house, and the holy grail of creating a single customer view.

11 December 2020 | The Caterer | Sophie Witts

Hospitality operators including The Azzurri Group, Brewdog, and the Restaurant Group (TRG) have joined forces to set up an industry group aimed at cutting carbon emissions across the sector.

The group hopes its industry roadmap to achieving net zero carbon emissions will act as a template for businesses in the UK and worldwide.

16 September 2020 | Fiona Briggs | Retail News

Italian restaurant Zizzi has partnered with Sainsbury’s to launch its first ever grocery range. Zizzi will make its debut in the frozen grocery category with a trio of pizzas based on one of the restaurant’s most popular offerings on its menu, the Rustica Pizza.

13 November 2018 | Big Hospitality | James Wallin

Azzurri Group says it is primed for further expansion following the group’s announcement that sales have rise 8.5% for the year to 1 July.