Pizza chain has 70% of staff back at work

A Newry businessman has successfully adapted his pizza chain to bring 75% of staff back off furlough, and has already recaptured 40% of his market.
Giuseppe Fallone of La Dolce Vita pizza chain in Newry is helping his business bounce back after lockdown, partly with his new cook-at-home pizza kits.Giuseppe Fallone of La Dolce Vita pizza chain in Newry is helping his business bounce back after lockdown, partly with his new cook-at-home pizza kits.
Giuseppe Fallone of La Dolce Vita pizza chain in Newry is helping his business bounce back after lockdown, partly with his new cook-at-home pizza kits.

Giueseppe Fallone and his wife Fiona own La Dolce Vita Pizzeria restaurant in O’Hagan Street, Newry as well as takeaway outlets in Patrick Street in the city and in Warrenpoint and Camlough.

Things initially looked bleak as lockdown began, says Giueseppe, whose father came to Northern Ireland from Italy after the war and went into the fish and chip trade.

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“St Patrick’s Day [March 17] would traditionally have been our busiest day of the year but due to lockdown it was a non-event,” he said.

They had to close their business and put all 130 staff on the government furlough scheme soon after.

He and his wife had been discussing starting cook-at-home pizza kits and after lockdown a local supermarket chain rang and asked if they could offer such a product. The finished product contains two 10” Dolcezza dough balls, freshly grated mozzarella and Tomato sauce.

He added: “The supermarkets couldn’t believe the reaction they were getting to it.”  

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The business now has 75% of its staff back, with the rest still on furlough, for now.

Before lockdown they were selling about 4500 pizzas a week and now they have got back to about 40% of that with 3,500. Some 80% of their sales via their new App.

Now the outlets either make deliveries or customers queue outside in a socially distanced manner outside to collect cashless, online orders.

He received two grants which helped ‘keep the wolves’ from the door when all revenue stopped; a £10,000 Stormont grant and the £25,000 grant for higher threshold rate payers. The government pause in VAT and rates bills has also allowed him to pay utility bills and finance on catering equipment, vehicles and software.  

“Now we are opening the takeaways, and you can see it week by week getting back,” he adds.

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