Franco Manca is a sourdough Neapolitan pizza business operating around 70 pizzerias in the UK. It was founded in 2008 by Giuseppe Mascoli[1] and Bridget Hugo.[2] The first restaurant opened on Market Row in Brixton Market.[3] Initially sites were in the London metropolitan area, then the company opened in Italy with a summer pizzeria on the island of Salina to the north of Sicily. Since then the company has opened restaurants in many English cities; Brighton, Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford. These were followed by Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland and in the centre of the Welsh capital Cardiff. Franco Manca opened a pizzeria in Malaga Spain in April 2023. [3] Franco Manca was named the UK's best Italian Restaurant on Yelp.[4][5] Franco Manca's menu consists of pizza with various meat and vegetarian options. It uses a traditional Neapolitan soft base.[6]
 | |
| Company type | Pizzeria |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008, Brixton Market, London, England |
| Founder | Giuseppe Mascoli |
Area served | Greece |
| Products | Sourdough Pizza and Salads |
| Parent | The Fulham Shore |
| Website | francomanca |
In November 2022, Franco Manca launched a range of chilled cook-at-home pizzas in 500 UK Tesco stores, after licensing its brand to food manufacturers Rondanini.[7][8]
Name
editThe original 1986 Brixton pizzeria was called Franco’s, named after its owner. After Mascoli and Hugo took it over in 2008 they renamed it Franco Manca ("Franco is missing").[9]
Ownership
editIn March 2015, Franco Manca was purchased by The Fulham Shore, which also owns "The Real Greek".[10] The company was publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market and was operated by Giuseppe Mascoli, David Page, Nabil Mankarious, and David Sykes, who all had significant stakes in the company.[citation needed] In July 2017 they said that the uncertainty over Brexit was 'already affecting the availability of skilled European restaurant staff'.[11] In July 2018 they stated in the company report that more than 50% of the people who worked in the business held shares in the company.
In April 2023 Fulham Shore agreed to sell Franco Manca and The Real Greek to Toridoll the Japanese owner of Marugame Udon for £93.4m.[12]
References
edit- ^ Prince, Rose (2013-03-28). "Word of mouth: Giuseppe Mascoli, Brixton's pizza king". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ Skidelsky, William (21 September 2008). "A world-class lunch in 40 seconds - and you don't have to be made of dough ..." The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019.
- ^ a b "The Man Behind Franco Manca". Brixton Blog. 2015-01-23. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Welcome to Franco Manca !". Francomanca.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
- ^ "Franco Manca is named the UK's best Italian restaurant on Yelp". Business Insider. Uk.businessinsider.com. 2016-06-14. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05.
- ^ Chomka, Stefan (2015-01-12). "Business Profile: Franco Manca". Big Hospitality. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
- ^ Coghlan, Adam (3 November 2022). "Franco Manca Follows Baked Forefather Pizza Express Into the Cold World of Supermarket Refrigerators". Eater London. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Leonard-Bedwel, Niamh (16 November 2022). "Franco Manca launches chilled sourdough pizzas into Tesco". The Grocer. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "About us". Franco Manca. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "Into the black for Franco Manca owner The Fulham Shore". Investors Chronicle. 2016-07-26. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
- ^ Williams-Grut, Oscar (12 July 2017). "Pizza chain Franco Manca says Brexit is 'already affecting the availability of skilled European restaurantstaff'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017.
- ^ Butler, Sarah (5 April 2023). "Franco Manca owner agrees to £93m buyout by Japanese group". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2023.