Thom Elliot, 39, and his brother James, 37, founded Pizza Pilgrims in March 2012. They started by selling pizzas at Berwick Street Market in London’s Soho, just as street food was becoming popular. Their business quickly grew, and in the year ending June 2022, they achieved sales of £21 million, up from a turnover of £110,000 in 2013.
Before starting Pizza Pilgrims, Thom worked in advertising and James worked in television production. However, they became disillusioned with their careers and decided to embark on a month-long journey around Italy in a Piaggio Monkey (tuk-tuk) to research pizzas, ingredients, and flavors. They installed a pizza oven in the vehicle and used it as a mobile market stall.
Today, Pizza Pilgrims has expanded to 20 pizzerias in London and four outside the capital. They employ 480 people, with their flagship restaurant located on Carnaby Street. Both Thom and James are co-founders, but Thom describes himself as “the more arithmetic” of the duo.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on their business. They went from their busiest week in February 2020 to zero sales the following month. However, they quickly adapted by selling pizza kits through social media, which became a huge success, saving the company from financial difficulties. Despite the challenges, they were also able to focus on sustainability and signed a long-term sustainable energy contract for their facilities.
Recruiting has been difficult for Pizza Pilgrims due to Brexit and people’s preference for remote work. They have focused on retaining their existing staff and ensuring their employees are happy and engaged.
Thom and James never had a specific financial goal in mind for their business. Their profits were always reinvested into the company. However, reaching their first £1 million profit in June 2022 was a major milestone for them, especially after the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Thom acknowledges that starting the business required sacrifices, such as a fixed salary and limited time to spend with his wife. However, he believes that the experience gained from working in his parents’ pubs from a young age prepared him for the challenges of running a business.
The basic philosophy of Pizza Pilgrims is to make the world a happier place one pizza at a time. They value authenticity, hard work, fun, and respect for others. They aim to gradually expand their pizzerias throughout the country to create more opportunities for people to grow and succeed. They have also been involved in community projects, supporting local charities and educational initiatives. In addition, they have recently applied for B-Corp status to further demonstrate their commitment to environmental and governance principles.
Thom started contributing to his pension at the age of 32, paying £50 a month. He believes in giving back to the community and has been involved in various projects with schools and charities.
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Thom Elliot, 39, and his brother James, 37, co-founded Pizza Pilgrims in March 2012, selling pizzas at Berwick Street Market in London’s Soho shortly after street food became popular. From a turnover of £110,000 in 2013, sales in the year ending June 2022 were £21 million.
Disillusioned with their careers (Thom in advertising, James in television production), the brothers bought a Piaggio Monkey (tuk-tuk) and spent a month on a “pilgrimage” driving around Italy, researching pizzas, ingredients and flavors. They installed a pizza oven in the vehicle and used it as a market stall.
Today, the entrepreneurs have 20 pizzerias in London and four outside the capital, in Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Brighton. With its “pizza base” on Carnaby Street, Pizza Pilgrims employs 480 people.
Both brothers are given the title “co-founder,” but Thom Elliott describes himself as “the more arithmetic” of the duo.
CV
Born: Manchester, August 21, 1983
Education: 1997-2002: Radley College, Oxfordshire
2003-06: University of Oxford, Master in Experimental Psychology
Career: 2002-03: Worked in the bar of his mother’s pub, Dorset.
2006-09: Account executive at TBWA advertising agency. Two years on the McDonald’s account.
2009-11: Social media planner for the advertising company Engine Group.
2012: Launched Pizza Pilgrims with his brother James.
Lives: Hove, East Sussex, with his wife Jemma (who works for Asian restaurant chain Dishoom) and children Jackson, nine, and Sadie, seven.
Did you think you would get to where you are?
We had no idea we would get to where we are. Our initial target was a turnover of £100,000. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. I went into advertising because it seemed like a real career and I didn’t have to wear a proper suit. From the moment I started in the working world I wanted to do things my way. Having a boss never worked for me.
My brother believes in rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck in, but I’m more analytical and hesitant. I’m not a risk taker.
James and I started using a Barclaycard with a limit of £10,000. With the advent of street food, we realized that you could build a brand and create quality dishes with almost no capital outlay. A year later, 15 investors contributed £10,000 each and from 2016 onwards we attracted larger, but still modest, sums from equity investors.
Has the coronavirus pandemic affected your business?
It was catastrophic. We went from our busiest week in February 2020 to zero billing the following month. Everyone except the CEO and CFO were on leave.
Then my brother came up with the idea of selling pizza at the Post, because everyone was stuck at home. We had closed in March and at the beginning of April we decided to open our pizzeria in Victoria to Deliveroo. The other 14 were closed.
We make pizza kits with two dough balls, tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, parmesan and flour. We put 100 kits up for sale on Instagram on a Wednesday and they sold out in a minute. The next day we added another 100. They were gone in 20 seconds.
On Friday we made 1,100 kits and sold them in 45 minutes. They cost £25 and were enough for two people.
Nine months later we were selling 10,000 kits per week. Some weeks we were on the verge of outselling pizzerias in 2019. The strategy captured the moment and saved the company. It meant we had continuous cash flow. We were also able to lay off more than one hundred employees, almost a third of our workforce.
Have you found it difficult to hire staff in recent months?
Recruiting has never been more difficult due to Brexit as people want to work from home. We often find staff through word of mouth and applicants who know that people tend to stay here for a while. Compared to 2019, we have 30 to 40 percent fewer candidates per job position. With the cost of living rising, people are focusing on pay in the here and now, rather than career prospects.
Part of our ethos is to make sure the people we have want to stay. If you can prevent them from leaving the company, you will recruit fewer people. We’ve hired a Chef Engagement Ambassador, whose job is to ensure our 153 chefs are happy.
Will rising energy bills affect your business?
We were very lucky. In 2021 I encouraged the company to move towards sustainable energy contracts, with carbon neutral gas and electricity. At the time it seemed like we were spending more simply to be sustainable, but there is an advantage. We set that price at the end of 2021 for four years.
When we have opened new facilities, we have had to sign new energy contracts, which cost double or triple as much. We can deal with it simply because we think long term and assume that prices will have to fall.
Was your first £1m profit a major milestone?
The company reached this milestone in June 2022. We never had a goal in mind because profits were always reinvested in the company. It was undoubtedly a moment of satisfaction after the existential experience of Covid to know that we could still get ahead.
What was the most challenging period of your career?
Definitely Covid, especially the last two weeks of March 2020. When Boris Johnson [then prime minister] He said no one should go to restaurants, bars or nightclubs, our business stopped overnight and there was no support package.
About seven or ten days later, they told us we had to close. I remember myself, James and members of our senior team on a Zoom call, drinking vodka, beer and wine, and crying like Rishi Sunak. [then the chancellor] announced the permit. At least that meant we didn’t have to let anyone go.
We had to transition our business to a completely different skill set. After six months we moved to a dedicated facility in Herne Hill to produce postal pizza kits in volume. It was not easy to move from restaurants to industrial units.
What did you have to sacrifice to start the business?
Two great things. One was a fixed salary. The first month you don’t get paid is terrifying. Starting the business was very consuming and I had little time to spend with my wife. Jemma had to bear the brunt of hardly seeing me and she supported us with her full-time marketing job. We lived frugally and for 18 months we only earned £100 a week, but we ate a lot of pizza.
What was your best preparation for business?
My parents ran pubs since I was six years old. From a very early age I would talk to different people and listen to their versions of the world. The experience of serving people was a great life lesson. I learned to work as a team and deal with difficult clients.
What is your basic business philosophy?
Our mission is to make the world a happier place, one pizza at a time. Our values are simple. Be yourself, try hard, have fun and respect others. It is about creating an environment where people have autonomy to make their own decisions.
Do you want to continue until you fall?
I want to be proud of Pizza Pilgrims forever. For me, success is not related to the scale of the business. It’s about offering quality and being sustainable. We just applied for B-Corp status [showing commitment to environmental and governance principles]. It takes about a year to achieve acceptance. We would like to gradually open more pizzerias throughout the country. Unless you grow, you won’t be able to create opportunities for people to advance.
In June of this year we took a fun tour of Naples to celebrate our 10th birthday, meeting local suppliers and pizza makers. We designed a Vespa with a rear box for a pizza oven and a sidecar. It must be the smallest pizzeria in the world.
Have you made any pension provisions?
I contributed a small amount to the two advertising companies I worked for. But I didn’t earn much and at 25 I wanted to spend my pay on beer, not on a pension. I was 32 when I started my pension at Pizza Pilgrims in 2015, paying £50 a month.
Do you believe in giving back to the community?
We have done many projects with local schools and universities, teaching young people the “business of running a restaurant”. Within pizzerias, our regional sites donate 50p for each of our monthly special pizzas sold to a local charity. We’ve supported Samaritans Central London in a variety of ways, from free pizzas for their team to charity bike rides and financial help.
Do you believe in leaving everything to your family?
I made my first will in July. I’m a bit controversial. I’m of the opinion that when you die, any unspent money should go to the state. The next generation should not depend on inheritance.
I will help my children with their education and housing if I can. When I am not here, I do not believe that they should enjoy riches for which they have not had to work.
What do you consider a whim?
Bruce Springsteen. I have been to many of his concerts, as he is an incredible performer. I’ve already seen him live three times this summer. In Hyde Park this July I paid £400 for the main entrance.
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