Thom Elliot, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, has hospitality running through his blood. Over the past decade, he and his brother James have journeyed from their childhood home above their parents' pub in Cornwall to the brink of launching their 25th pizzeria this November.
Hailing from a lineage of hospitality professionals, the siblings have methodically ascended from a modest stall in Soho to their current success, as reported by .
Elliot, who dubs himself the "boring brother" is deeply passionate about product quality, environmental sustainability evidenced by the company's recent B-corp accreditation and advocates for the benefits of gradual and sustainable expansion.
"We spent quite a lot of time like trying to pump the brakes rather accelerate," he remarks. "We've really tried to grow within our means."
His love for the hospitality sector is palpable: "[Hospitality] is the university of people... you spend your life in a situation with people from all walks of life... you learn so much about working in a team, dealing with difficult people, happy people."
Yet, he concedes that it's been a challenging path: "As an industry, it's just been through so much in the last three-four years and it's it pushes you at the best of times."
‘The biggest challenge for hospitality is consumer sentiment’
As the hospitality sector contends with challenges brought on by the pandemic and the inflation-driven cost-of-living crisis, sector leaders are increasingly vocal about the need for tax reform and relief. The response to the Autumn Budget's 40 per cent business rate relief and the 1.2 per cent rise in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) was one of disappointment amongst many, apprehensive about escalating costs.
Elliot, despite the circumstances, maintains a measure of optimism: "We've broadly seen [that] demand is there."
Addressing the current sentiment among consumers, he notes, "The biggest challenge for hospitality is consumer sentiment... not knowing [Budget policies] for so long has been a problem."
Elliot recognises that while the Budget fell short of delivering the business rates overhaul he hoped for, it has somewhat reinforced his expectation for future reforms.
"That was the biggest nod we've ever seen in a budget to the fact that rates are not sustainable as they are," he remarks.
On the subject of the minimum wage, Elliot expresses support by saying he is "always a believer in increasing [it]... I think it can only be good for the whole country. But you know, it does impact hospitality hard and it's there's no doubt about it," acknowledging the challenges it presents, especially following the sudden NICs hike.
However, he adopts a pragmatic approach towards aspects beyond his control, commenting, "[If] this is what we're working with, let's go and work with it".
Expanding up by scaling down
As the headline accurately captures, it's about 'Expanding up by scaling down'.
Elliot, jointly with his brother and their dedicated team, has ambitions to grow the Pizza Pilgrims brand into entertainment spaces by introducing a quick-service, take-away concept.
He notes the upward trajectory of the º£½ÇÊÓƵs experiential leisure sector, citing the impressive surge of a 455 percent in 'combo' attractions over five years, even against a restrained consumer spending environment. Elliot perceives "so much interesting opportunity" within this burgeoning market.
Furthermore, he considers the primary chance for hospitality lies in mastering the delivery of high-quality, speedy fare at large entertainment venues as costs spiral and patrons demand more from their leisure expenditures.
Reflecting on similar shifts witnessed in festivals roughly a decade prior, Elliot recounts, "We saw the same transition happen in festivals about 10 years ago... the white burger vans start to go away and the street food starts to come in. The food became as big a part of the sale of going to a festival as the music... that transition will happen."
